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

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I didn't like that John was probing into my private life, and the best way to stop him is to ask questions.

"You were talking about yourself a lot, but you didn't mention your family. I believe you have a sister. Is she here?"

John gave me a complicated look. He figured out that I'm changing the topic, but he still answered. "Yes, I have a sister, but she is not here."

"Is she not feeling well? I assumed that Thompson family members will attend events organized by Giantshade Industries."

John shook his head. "Magda doesn't attend business functions. She is into different kinds of parties."

As much as I wanted to deal with Magda, I was relieved that she is not here.

It's best to take on one Thompson at a time, and Magda seemed like the final boss.

I knew that she doesn't attend business events, but if Giantshade Industries set their eyes on Notte Pharmaceuticals because of me and Duke, and Magda is the catalyst, she should be here. Right? Maybe I'm overthinking it.

I reminded myself to stay focused on my conversation with Jonathan Thompson. It takes delicate balancing to dig out information without arousing suspicion and I am not exactly an expert in that area.

Jonathan's attitude hinted that he doesn't approve of Magda in some way, and I wanted to find out more.

"Too bad. I hoped to meet her. I heard that she is quite a character."

"Magda lives a sheltered life.", John responded right away like he had this conversation many times before.

"It must be nice."

"For her, yes. But I fear that there will be a time when she will need to face the consequences of her actions and I won't be able to clean up the mess after her."

His words insinuated that Magda likes to party and act irresponsible, like a willful heiress who gets in trouble. But I knew that Magda is much more than just that. She is a schemer, a bully, and a murderer.

Did John clean up the mess when Magda set up Sanya? Did he know about the bullying? About Magda using underhanded methods to chase after MY Duke? Did John help Magda hire that guy who killed me in the alley?

And… Can I blame him if he helped his sister?

I would do anything for a few people I cherish.

If Duke killed someone, would I help him cover it up? Yes. I would do it without a second thought and with no regrets.

I shouldn't paint John black because of what Magda did, but if he is the one bailing her out of trouble, then he is my target as well.

Too bad. John seemed like a decent guy, focused on business and doing his own thing. His fault is that he is Magda's brother. If he is not, we could be friends. Maybe.

"Am I interrupting?", a charming male voice with a hint of a smile reached from my left.

My eyes lit up at the familiar face.

"Seb!", I exclaimed at the same time when John said, "Yes."

I gave John a queer look before turning to Sebastian. "You are not interrupting anything, we were just chatting."

"Good! Since that is the case…", Sebastian offered me his hand. "Do you mind holding this while I go to the dancefloor?"

I hid my giggles behind a cough. "Seb, it's been three years and you are still using the same pickup lines."

He smiled smugly. "Why change perfection?"

I was glad that three years of me avoiding him didn't change his playful nature.

Sebastian Hoffman. We met at the event organized by Notte Pharmaceuticals when Aldus introduced me as his daughter to the world. After that, Sebastian called me numerous times, but I was stuck on Lost Isles with harpies, and then I was focused on my studies without a desire to socialize so I ended up ignoring his calls, and on a few occasions when I did pick up, I rejected his invitations.

It was refreshing to see his confidence still being sky-high.

I rejected Sebastian many times, but how can I reject an invitation to dance when he is right in front of me? Also, John is set on exploring personal topics without an intention to talk business, so this might be a good way to break his momentum and see what comes out of it.

I put my hand into Sebastian's to what he beamed victoriously.

I turned to John. "If you excuse me…"

"You are leaving me?", John asked while I was getting up.

I cringed at his choice of words. "Mr. Hoffman offered me a dance, and I feel like dancing."

John bolted to his feet. "I can dance too."

I was flabbergasted. What's up with the childish behavior? "Maybe we can dance later."

I turned to Sebastian, ignoring John who at this point looked at me like an abandoned puppy.

I'm confident that I've got my pheromones under control so there is no way that John is smitten. What kind of a game is he playing?

"I'm surprised to see you here.", Sebastian said when we started moving to the beat of the music. "I didn't know that you are into guys like Jonathan Thompson."

His mood visibly dropped, and I guess he didn't forget three years of me ditching him. He didn't look jealous, but more like sulking that I was chatting with John while avoiding him.

I decided to clarify the situation and break the tension. "There is nothing between me and Mr. Thompson. I just met him tonight. Are you not going to ask me what I was up to for the last three years?"

Sebastian's smile was back on, and he tried to sound cool. "I admit that I'm vexed you dodged me all this time, but since you accepted to dance with me, my grievances dwindled. John's sulky face is an unexpected bonus."

I was glad that Sebastian didn't hide it. Now that I thought about it, it was always easy to talk to him.

"How come you are here?", I asked.

"My little business is doing well, but to grow it further I need connections, so here I am. I know that you are avoiding random parties, but if you attend business events, we could see each other more often."

He had a point. It's not that I was avoiding him specifically, but I didn't go to any events unless it was beneficial for me as Miss Mezzanotte.

I wondered why Sebastian was here. "Are you working with Giantshade Industries?"

Sebastian was quick to deny it. "No. There is no way I would work with them, but their invitations include an impressive list from the business circles I want to get into. Why are you here?"

I was glad to see Sebastian's reaction. Maybe he is one of the allies if we go against Giantshade Industries openly. But no matter how friendly Sebastian is, I shouldn't talk recklessly.

"Giantshade Industries wants to collaborate with Notte Pharmaceuticals, and we came here as a gesture of good faith."

Sebastian frowned. "Be careful."

"I am. That's why I'm here with my father, and we still didn't sign anything. If it's anyone with less influence, we would probably reject them straight away."

Sebastian approved my response.

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