Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 157: Chapter 157 – This is business, not personal

Seraphine hadn’t stepped into a kitchen to cook ever since she walked away from the pack, not once, not even out of necessity, because she had long since cut herself off from anything that reminded her of that life, yet here she was now, standing in front of a stove, making pancakes like nothing had changed, like the past hadn’t carved deep lines through everything she used to be.

The moment she arrived earlier, she didn’t waste time, handing Bryan over to the maids with clear instructions to get him settled into one of the rooms, her focus already locked on stabilizing him before anything else. What she hadn’t expected, though, was the setup inside the house.

There were two rooms prepared for children.

One designed for a boy, the other for a girl.

Bryan’s reaction had been immediate the second he saw the boy’s room, his eyes lighting up with excitement that almost made it hard to believe how weak he had looked just minutes before.

The space was bright, filled with colors and familiar cartoon characters, carefully arranged in a way that made it feel warm instead of clinical.

Corvine had explained it casually, like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

”They’re for guests,” he said. ”Anyone with kids should feel comfortable staying here.”

Seraphine hadn’t responded to that, but she had taken note of it quietly before getting to work.

She had connected the cannula with practiced ease, her movements precise as she set up the IV fluids, monitoring his condition closely while making sure his body was getting what it had clearly been deprived of for too long.

Only after she was certain he was stable enough did she step away.

And now she was here.

Cooking.

The scent of pancakes filled the kitchen as she worked, her expression calm, but her thoughts anything but, especially when she replayed the way Bryan had eaten earlier.

The boy hadn’t just eaten, he had devoured the food like he hadn’t seen a proper meal in days, finishing everything on his plate and still asking for more without hesitation.

It had been enough to make her pause.

When she asked him about it, his answer had been simple, almost careless.

He said he didn’t like the food his mother made, so he just didn’t eat.

Seraphine hadn’t commented on that.

Not because she didn’t have anything to say, but because she chose not to, pushing it aside for later, where it could sit with everything else that needed to be addressed.

After making sure Bryan had eaten properly, she pulled out her phone and called Leon, getting straight to the point as she requested specific medications she needed for Bryan’s treatment.

Leon didn’t waste time either, confirming that a delivery was already on the way before she even finished listing everything out.

She had just ended the call when Corvine walked in, his expression carrying a hint of something unreadable.

”Ravyn wants to know how much you’ll charge to hack someone,” he said.

Seraphine didn’t respond right away.

Instead, she picked up her phone again and dialed Damon’s number.

The call connected after a few rings, and Damon’s voice came through, thick with sleep but still alert enough to respond.

”Sera,” he said, ”the test results will be ready by morning. Give it about four hours.”

Seraphine leaned slightly against the counter, remembering how slow the pack’s system was compared to what she was used to at Leon’s hospital.

”Got it,” she said. ”Tomorrow, then.”

She was about to end the call, but something made her pause.

”And about that question you asked earlier,” she added, her tone softening just slightly, ”Bryan is here with me, and I’m working on getting him a new serum. That should answer you.”

On the other end, Damon sounded more awake instantly.

”I knew it,” he said, a hint of satisfaction slipping through. ”You’re not as cold as you present yourself to be. But what if he’s not Ravyn’s kid?”

Seraphine’s lips curved into a faint smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

”What makes you think I’m helping him because of who his father is?” she asked.

There was a pause, allowing confusion to grow in Damon’s mind. ”I’m not following,” he admitted.

”You will,” Seraphine said, her voice calm, and controlled. ”Once the DNA results are ready, everything will make sense.”

She ended the call before he could ask anything else, lowering the phone slowly before turning her attention back to Corvine, who was still waiting for an answer.

”Tell him I don’t work with exes,” she said simply.

That was the end of it, at least on her side.

Ravyn had never trusted her words when it mattered, had never believed her when she tried to explain anything, so there was no reason to think he would suddenly start now, especially when it involved something as sensitive as whatever was going on between Daisy and that man, Zane.

And even if he did pay her, even if he offered more than she usually charged, it wouldn’t come close to balancing what she had lost.

Her child was still missing, and Santiago was still out there. That was where her focus remained, because whatever was happening behind the scenes involved more than just one person, and those children deserved a chance to be free.

Maybe, just maybe, there was still a chance her daughter could be saved too.

Corvine relayed her message exactly as she said it.

On the other end of the line, Ravyn choked slightly, caught off guard before he forced himself to steady his breathing.

”This is business,” he said, trying to keep his tone firm. ”Not personal.”

Corvine’s expression hardened, his patience clearly thinning. ”Do you even know the difference?” he asked.

And then he ended the call. Back inside, the delivery for Bryan’s medicine had arrived and as soon as Seraphine got her hand on it, she administered the one for the night before going to bed, completely indifferent to whatever was happening outside the gates.

Whether Ravyn stayed in his car all night or not, whether he ate or went hungry, none of it concerned her anymore.

He had made his choices. Now he could live with them.

Hours later, just as promised, her phone rang, pulling her out of sleep.

She reached for it without hesitation, answering almost immediately.

”Sera,” Damon’s voice came through, this time fully awake, carrying a tension that hadn’t been there before, ”I just got the DNA results.”

There was a brief pause. ”You’re not going to believe what I found.”