Author's note: this is from Mona's point of view

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In the last few days, I'm doing my best to show Serina a good time.

She is not much into parties and doesn't want to go clubbing, but she never refused to dine in a private setting or a full massage in one of my (or should I say, our) spa locations.

I must admit that her aura changed.

Serina was always beautiful, but she is not that innocent girl I used to know.

She had certain fear in her eyes, like a doe who is ready to run away at the slightest noise. Now she is elegant and confident and I didn't regret accepting her offer to be my business partner.

Serina's story is sad, and I'm glad that she fought against the currents to come on top.

I was not surprised when I heard that she changed her name. With her parents leeching off the money Serina's grandmother left, I would change my name also, if I were in her position.

But I was surprised to find out that her guardian was Aldus Mezzanotte. The guy is like a legend in the beauty industry as Notte Pharmaceuticals is one of those luxury brands that everyone wants to get their hands on.

At the same time, I was confused. Why did Serina need a guardian? She was not a child anymore, but hey… I'm 26 years old and he can be my guardian anytime.

With Serina's money, products, and some marketing, she boosted my business in exchange for one-quarter of the profit.

I own 63% of the Beauty Sphere, as I have several other investors, who have a 12% of the company split amongst themselves.

Now that my business is beyond stable, I tried buying off those 12% that are in the hands of other investors, but they are not willing to part from it. Unless I offer them several times the value, they say it's not worth selling. How frustrating!

The good part is that other investors are too greedy to unite, so their pieces are staying small enough and they don't have the right to meddle in my business. But there is a constant cloud above my head which is saying that if they decide to unite… I don't want to think about it.

Luckily, Serina is a silent partner, and she lets me do my thing.

I don't want anyone barging in and telling me that things should change. I worked my ass off for this company and I will be damned if I allow them to ruin my hard work!

Back to the present…

Serina and I are in the cab, in front of Serina's old house.

It's a three stories high townhouse, with a half basement. The light gray façade is framed in white, and the small garden in front of the main entry is similar to the gardens of the other houses on this street.

"Are we getting in?", I asked.

We are sitting here for more than ten minutes in silence while Serina is clutching the key which I assume it's for the front door.

"Yeah…", Serina exhaled slowly through her mouth. "It feels heavy."

I didn't get it. "What does?"

She opened her palm and showed me the key. And then I understood that Serina is probably struggling against bad memories that are connected with this place.

Her parents were not her real parents, and they didn't treat her well. Serina said that they deceived her in order to use the money from the trust her grandmother left her. Those people are a special type of evil.

Some things don't add up in that story. I mean, maybe they can deceive a young girl, but how can they deceive a grownup woman that they have her granddaughter? Maybe they had a child, but it died, and they used Serina as a replacement.

"I'm sorry sweetie…", I said while wrapping Serina into a hug. "Take as much time as you need."

Serina pulled out of the hug a second later.

"It's OK. We should get in. The more I delay, the more I'm reluctant to go in. I'm waiting for this for nearly three years. It's time…"

She put oversized sunglasses and a hat on and stepped out of the cab. Why does that look like she is hiding her face? Are we in some kind of danger here?

I was right behind her.

"This place is clean like someone lives here…", I shared my thoughts while observing the entry hallway.

There was a console table and a decorative figurine. Not a speck of dust could be seen.

"Mhm…", Serina hummed. "Cleaners come here to maintain the place."

"I see…", I mumbled. Well, considering who her guardian is, I should have thought of the possibility that the place was not abandoned. I turned to Serina. "Where do we start?"

"I'm not sure. We should check everywhere…"

"But if it's something secretive, it should not be in common areas where others could see it. Maybe we should look at the bedrooms, closets, and the study room.", I suggested.

"True. But there is also the thing that some things are best hidden in plain sight.", Serina said.

"Sure…", I agreed. "But we need to start somewhere."

Before Serina responded, her phone rang.

"Yes? … I see… Keep on watching. Unless they make a move, stay out of sight. Thank you, Marius…"

My ears perked up. Did she say… "That was Marius?"

"Yes. It seems that someone is watching this place."

My heart fluttered while thinking that Marius was nearby.

That man is a handsome bundle of testosterone that shows up unexpectedly and leaves without giving me a chance to jump on him.

Marius came to collect DNA samples from Serina's parents and on a few occasions, he delivered documents that needed signing. Other than that, he is like a ghost. An extremely attractive ghost I want to drag into my bed.

"Someone is watching us, and Marius is watching the watchers?", I asked breathily. Damn! Why am I so excited?

Serina gave me a queer look. "Yes. But he will let us know if they make a move. Don't worry. Marius is very capable. We are safe."

Oh, Serina assumed that I am afraid! Maybe I can take advantage of it and find out more about the mystery man who is stuck in my head since I saw him for the first time when he came to confirm rumors about Drago Orsini.

"Are you sure we are safe? Wouldn't we be safer if Marius is here, guarding us personally?"

Serina smiled slyly. "You want him to guard you personally?"

I knew that she saw through me. Well, I never kept my interest in Marius a secret. "Yes. I feel that lately, I'm in danger. Especially at night."

Serina burst into giggles. "Is this your subtle way of telling me that you want Marius to stick close to you at night? You are bold."

I was irritated that she was teasing me. Why is she acting like she is above me?

"At least I know what I want and I'm not afraid of going for it."

Serina frowned in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"Are you going to pretend that you don't have a guy on your mind?", I asked mysteriously and Serina blinked like she has no idea what I'm talking about.

"Come on, Serina. Drago Orsini. I see your reaction whenever I talk about him. Did you finally gather the courage to meet with him? Is that why you came to London?"

Serina stared at her shoes like she is seeing them for the first time.

"That's… complicated.", she said after some time and started walking away.

I wanted to say that it's quite straightforward. Both of them have gorgeous visuals, young, successful, single… how I see it, Serina and Drago are quite a good match. But before I could say anything, Serina was already upstairs. How did she get there so fast? Did I space out?

"I will start from the study on the second floor. You pick a room and start searching…"

And just like that, she was out of sight.

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