Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever-Chapter 53 – I’m willing to make a better demand

Seraphine had barely made it halfway home when Voren called so they made a smooth detour toward a quiet upscale coffee shop tucked into a corner of the business district where privacy came at a premium and conversations were rarely overheard.

By the time they arrived, the evening crowd had thinned into scattered silhouettes behind warm amber lighting, the scent of roasted beans hanging thick in the air like something grounding and deceptively comforting, which was ironic considering nothing about this meeting would be comforting for anyone involved.

This time, the man who usually walked into rooms carrying that unmistakable air of superiority, the one who never bent and never compromised unless it directly benefited him, was the one stepping into a situation that forced him to lower his guard, or at least that was how it looked from the outside, though Voren was not the kind of man who humbled easily.

When he walked in, his jaw was tight, the muscles along his cheek flickering with restrained irritation, yet his movements were controlled and deliberate as though he had rehearsed composure in the mirror before coming.

Constantly, he reminded himself of Pete’s advice that calmness would win this round, that once Seraphine released her grip from his server he would make sure that their paths never crossed again, that this entire episode would become nothing more than an inconvenient footnote in his otherwise calculated life.

Seraphine entered moments later with that effortless elegance that always made people underestimate just how dangerous she could be, her heels tapping softly against the polished floor as she approached the table, her posture straight, her chin slightly lifted, her eyes empty of warmth and heavy with something darker that had been living inside her ever since the day her world cracked open.

She did not smile in greeting, nor did she offer pleasantries, because there was no room for social niceties when vengeance sat between them like a silent third party.

She took her seat across from him, folded her hands neatly on the table, and spoke in a voice so even it almost felt detached. "Make the payment and cut your friendship with Ravyn. Only then would I restore your server."

The words landed without tremor, without hesitation, and Voren’s brows drew together as a frown carved sharply across his face.

"You charged double and you think you have the right to make demands?" He shot back, the irritation he had been carefully containing flickering into open anger for just a second before he forced it back down, because losing control in front of Seraphine would only strengthen her position.

She responded with a faint smile that never quite reached her eyes, a smile that felt more like a blade than a gesture. "I’m willing to make a better demand."

That was the moment Voren folded his arms across his chest, leaning back slightly in his chair as though physical distance would shield him from whatever trap she was preparing to lay, his instincts screaming at him not to react too quickly, not to give her anything she could use.

"Let’s hear it," he said carefully.

"You pay ten billion and cut ties with Ravyn," she replied, her gaze steady and hollow in a way that made it impossible to tell whether she was being strategic or purely emotional. "And you pull out your investments in Walker Global Enterprises."

The air between them shifted, heavy and charged, and for the first time since he arrived Voren froze completely, his fingers tightening slightly against his sleeve as he searched her face for the smallest hint of sarcasm or exaggeration.

"You are joking, right?" he asked, though there was no humor in his tone.

Seraphine lifted one brow slowly, her expression almost bored. "Do you think I have time to waste on jokes? Ravyn and his mistress killed my child, and all I want is to get even."

The rawness in her words was quiet but unmistakable, and even though she did not raise her voice or let tears gather in her eyes, the pain underneath them vibrated like a live wire that could electrocute anyone careless enough to touch it.

Voren clenched his teeth, forcing himself to remain logical even as he recognized the grief driving her. "You are moving too fast, Sera," he said, lowering his voice as though trying to talk her down from the edge of something irreversible.

"There is something about friendship you can never understand, and here is the thing. I will pay you twenty billion, and I will remove myself from your personal issues with your ex-husband, and you will take your claws off my server."

The offer was higher than she expected, and for a brief second Seraphine inhaled deeply, her thoughts racing through calculations that were not purely financial but strategic.

She wondered how a man like Voren could remain Ravyn’s friend without eventually stepping in to help him when things became inconvenient, because loyalty between powerful men was rarely passive and almost never silent.

"For as long as you are his friend, you will always try to help him," she said quietly, her eyes narrowing slightly as though trying to dissect him from the inside out.

Voren met her gaze without flinching. "Then you do not know me. My shares in his company give me profit just as his shares in mine give him profit. It is one hand washing the other, and that is exactly why you cannot rise alone. You need business partners, and you need investment chains if you plan to stay at the top."

His words were not emotional but factual, and that was what unsettled her the most.

In that moment, Seraphine realized why no matter how fiercely she pushed, no matter how aggressively she traded, the Stone Group remained stuck at number four on the Forbes list while others maneuvered with networks woven so tightly, they were nearly indestructible.

Power was not built in isolation, and taking down Walker Global Enterprises entirely would mean pulling down every company entangled with it, which would include businesses run by people who had never harmed her.

She had already wounded Ravyn’s finances deeply, but as Voren said, there were too many companies invested in Walker Global Enterprises, too many chains connected to that foundation, and destroying it completely would be like setting fire to an entire forest just to eliminate one poisonous tree.

And Seraphine, despite everything, was not heartless. She would never punish the innocent alongside the guilty, no matter how much rage pulsed inside her chest. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"What do you say?" Voren pressed, his voice cutting through her spiraling thoughts.

She focused back on him slowly, the weight of her decision settling behind her eyes. "You said you will never again involve yourself in whatever I do to him." He nodded once, firmly, without hesitation.

"Prove it," she replied, her tone sharpening just enough to signal that words alone would not satisfy her.

Voren’s gaze shifted briefly toward another table where Corvine sat quietly observing, his presence steady and protective without being intrusive, and Voren gestured subtly in that direction. "Ask your boyfriend," he said evenly. "Ravyn should have called him by now."

The word boyfriend caught her off guard, and confusion flickered across her face before she turned toward Corvine, her voice tightening slightly as she corrected him. "He is family, and I will protect him, but he is not my boyfriend."

For a fleeting second, Leon’s face crossed her mind, the upcoming fake appearances they would have to stage together for strategic reasons, and she knew she could not afford rumors that complicated those arrangements.

Yet when she turned back and caught the almost imperceptible sigh of relief that escaped Voren’s expression, it unsettled her in a way she did not immediately understand, because why would it matter to him whether Corvine held that title or not.

She looked toward Corvine again, her voice steady. "Any call for me?"

"It is from Ravyn," Corvine replied calmly. "He wants to see you, but I told him I would call back."

Seraphine let her gaze linger on Voren for several long seconds, the silence stretching thin and tense before she finally spoke.

"Send him our location," she said, her lips curving into a smile that was far too controlled to be warm. "Tell him to come now."

Voren’s brows snapped together in confusion. "What are you doing?"

She leaned back slightly in her chair, her eyes locking onto his with a glint that was almost dangerous. "Did you not say you already did it? I want to see proof."

The shift in Voren’s expression was immediate, the calm facade cracking just enough to reveal the sudden realization that Seraphine had no intention of trusting him without watching the consequences unfold in real time.