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

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Zoe was confused that I shut her up after asking her to speak, and her face morphed into panic at my next words.

"After you tell me about all the good things Serina did for you, I want to hear about all the cases she mistreated you. How many times you needed her, and she ignored you or worse… harmed you."

Zoe shook her head. "Serina would never do such a thing."

"Really? Not even once?"

"Serina is kind and reliable. Since we are under her care, Serina made sure we have everything we need. I'm not sure about Ash, but no one ever cared for me or Luca like that.", Zoe said, and I could hear her honesty.

It was a positive that Zoe knew how good Serina is, but this was not the time for me to show appreciation. I was in the middle of something, and I reminded myself to keep my expression stern.

"I don't understand. If Serina is kind and reliable, why are you disregarding her?"

"I'm not."

I wondered if Zoe is really ignorant or just a good actress. Well, there is also an option that she is too caught up in whatever is going on between her, Ash, and Luca and that she didn't have the necessary brain capacity to think about anything else.

"How can you say that you are not disregarding Serina? Didn't you notice how your little stunt got her upset? If she cared for you and gave you everything you need, why were you unable to tell her what happened? Is that how you show gratitude to someone who was kind to you and helped you out?"

Zoe lowered her head. "It's not that simple."

"Yeah, I figured based on your shorts which were unbuttoned when we found you."

Zoe's hands moved toward her shorts, and I saw her checking with her fingers if she buttoned them up properly.

I smirked at Zoe exposing her guilty conscience.

Well, the only thing certain is that she didn't try to undress herself in the forest, and between a brother and a friend, it's not difficult to deduct which of the boys tried to help himself. Other than believing that she is protecting Ash and Luca, she is probably staying quiet because she is ashamed. But those are her problems and I wanted to make that clear.

"I don't care about why Ash and Luca fought or about your reasons to be silent. I care about Serina, and your behavior is like a slap in the face. There is an obvious problem between you, Luca, and Ash, and Serina is trying to understand what caused this mess, yet you are keeping her in the dark. Is she a stranger to you? It doesn't matter if you appreciate what Serina did for you or if you are just latching onto her for benefits, but you need to show respect. You should be capable of doing at least that much. After all, Serina has no obligation to provide for you."

I didn't mean to be harsh, but their behavior ticked me off.

There was one more thing I had to bring up. "Serina told me that you desire to stay by her side."

Zoe looked up at me and responded with a small nod.

"Do you think Serina will allow you to stay by her side if you are not reliable?"

"I am reliable.", Zoe blurted out. "I am willing to follow Serina and do whatever she asks me to."

I shook my head in disapproval. "You speak big, but your actions don't follow. Serina wanted an explanation and you didn't give her one. After this, why would she believe that you will do what's expected? Can she trust you? I know I wouldn't."

I turned toward the door and left Zoe with her thoughts. I know that teenagers are guided by their emotions and not always thinking straight, but if they can't think about Serina who is their benefactor, maybe it's better if they leave as soon as they are self-sufficient.

It pissed me off to remember how Serina spoke about Zoe, Luca, and Ash full of pride and I could see that they mean a lot to her, and now this... They might be teenagers, but they are not little kids and they should be aware of how their actions are impacting others.

On my way out of Zoe's room, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Serina, informing me that she is in the study with Lazarus, discussing the incident.

My heart warmed that she remembered to inform me. I would be worried to return to our room and not find her there.

However, I didn't like that she was talking with Lazarus. I am aware that Lazarus helped her previously with these teens and I shouldn't act like a jealous prick no matter how much I want to barge into that study and rip his head off.

I tried looking at this from the bright side. At least I knew that Lazarus is not with boys and that I can talk to them separately.

The first one was Ash.

Ash let me into his room, and I sat on the chair. For him, I had a different strategy.

"I'm not here to ask you about what I saw in the forest.", I wanted to clear that up first. "I want to know if you normally end up in fistfights."

"No.", he said right away, but somehow... I didn't believe him.

Ash is energetic, carefree, and easily attracts attention. Teens with such traits end up in trouble even if they are not looking for one.

I scrutinized him. "I hope you are not lying. When we spoke about the internship in my company, I meant it. Normally, I would not consider accepting an intern without a college degree, but you are under Serina's care, and I would make an exception for you because of her. Do you understand?"

Ash responded with a stiff nod.

"Good.", I said. "Now, because you are under Serina's care, I would feel responsible for you. If you come to London as an intern at my company, I will provide lodging for you and a way to commute to work as well as ensure you get your meals."

I saw Ash relaxing at my words, and I enjoyed how easily he got caught up in this game of hot and cold, not knowing if he should fear me, despise me, or thank me.

"I don't have any intention of hovering over you, Ash, but if anything happens to you while you are working in my company, I don't know if Serina would forgive me. If you are a loose cannon, it will increase the probability of you ending up in trouble. That's why I need to know if you are interested in succeeding or are you are just talking big. I don't want to be liable for a teen who acts recklessly and explodes into a fight when things don't go his way. The scene I saw in the forest might pass if you are in a bar with drunkards, but in my company I expect you to behave and use words to settle scores."

"That was not my fault. Luca started it.", Ash blurted out.

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