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

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As soon as my bottom touched the seat, Duke's hand covered mine in a familiar way that made me smile.

I liked that even with Aldus's pressure, Duke was not backing away from showing to the world that I'm his.

Our fingers interlaced and he pulled my hand up to plant a lingering kiss at the back of my palm.

"Thank you for coming.", Duke said.

"I'm sorry we are late.", I responded.

"Don't worry about it. It's a few minutes at most." Duke glanced at Aldus and then back at me. "Why don't you order something before we start talking?"

"I won't be staying that long.", Aldus responded. "I only wanted to check on a few things."

That got Duke's attention (and mine).

"I assume it's something related to me.", Duke said. "How can I help you, Mr. Mezzanotte?"

"I want to know what are your intentions with my daughter, Mr. Orsini.", Aldus said and my stomach became a nervous bundle of knots.

Duke glanced at me and smiled. "I want to spend the rest of my life ensuring that Serina is happy."

Despite uneasiness in my stomach, my heart fluttered. Duke is such a sweet talker.

I would kiss him, but Aldus was right there, and… why was he glaring at Duke?

"Really?", Aldus asked suspiciously. "Why would I believe it? You have a reputation of a womanizer, and you even abandoned Serina before."

Duke's expression hardened. "The womanizing are just rumors and in the last few years, I spent a lot of resources on identifying those who were spreading lies about me and suing them for slander. In my eyes, there is only Serina. Everything I am and everything I have belongs to Serina from the moment we met. As for abandoning her…" Duke paused and let out a long breath. "It would be hypocritical to deny it. At that time, I did what I believed was the best. Unfortunately, that's not something I can fix. I am grateful that Serina gave me a second chance and I hope you will do the same because only given enough time I can prove to her and to everyone else that she is my only one and always will be."

I held my breath as Duke's words made my heart swell.

Duke looked at Aldus and spoke with resolve, "I understand why you are concerned. Any father would be, and I am glad that Serina has a family who cares about her. If you have conditions I should fulfill to prove that I am committed to Serina, please let me know."

"I don't need you to prove anything to me, Mr. Orsini.", Aldus said dryly. "The one you need to focus on is Seraphina. But I hope you will keep in mind that she is not alone and if you mistreat her, I will come for you."

I frowned at Aldus. Why was he threatening Duke?

To my surprise, Duke smiled. "I have no objections."

Aldus's expression was still stern, but I could see hints of approval peeking.

"One more thing, Mr. Orsini…"

"Please, call me Drago.", Duke interjected.

"Drago…", Aldus called. "Serina told me that you fled Italy and you are in hiding since then. Are you confident that your pursuers won't find you? I have no interest in your past, but I worry if your loose ends will come to haunt you and Serina."

"My father was a businessman who ended up in some trouble. I am ashamed to admit that I don't know more, but I'm planning to investigate what happened and ensure my past doesn't cause trouble for Serina. I will protect her with my life. You have my word on it."

Aldus narrowed his eyes. "Be careful, Drago. Make sure you don't end up in something you can't handle. I know that Serina will give you her unconditional support, but I fear that she is reckless, and if you end up sinking into quicksand, she will go down with you in her effort to save you. If you feel that it's too much, give me a call."

"Thank you, Mr. Mezzanotte."

Aldus lifted his hand, to prevent Duke from speaking further. "Don't thank me because I'm not doing it for you."

"I know. You are doing it for Serina."

Aldus nodded in agreement. "Take good care of her, Drago. Or you will find out why people fear me."

Aldus stood up and looked at me. "I will see you at home, Serina."

I released the breath I was holding. I had so many thoughts about this conversation and I didn't know if I should be happy or sad or upset or worried… it was all jumbled but it's over and they are both alive and shaking hands for goodbye and that should be a good thing.

"Let me walk you to the car, father." I glanced at Duke. "Can you get me lemonade and the strawberry ice cream pie? I will be back in a minute."

Duke nodded and I gave his hand a little squeeze before getting up and going after Aldus.

"Did you need to be that harsh?", I asked Aldus as we approached the car.

"Would you rather if I had this conversation with your boyfriend behind your back?"

Aldus emphasized the word 'boyfriend', and it rubbed me the wrong way, but he was right. This was related to me and I wanted to be a witness to this talk.

"No. I know you are only watching over me, but you could put it more… nicely. What if you scare him away?"

Aldus scoffed. "If this much scares him away, he should run and not look back. Don't worry, Serina. He did well."

There was something about Aldus's tone that made me realize… "You didn't come here to talk to him. You came here to test him because he fought with Lazarus."

I knew that after Luca's birthday, Lazarus visited Aldus and he told him about his fight with Duke.

"So? What is your conclusion?", I asked.

Aldus paused and I could see that he was contemplating what he should say.

To my disappointment, Aldus waved, like it's not important.

"We will talk more at home. I have work to do, make sure you give me at least one hour. I will let you know when I'm done.", Aldus said seriously and then switched to a teasing tone, "Go to your boyfriend. Isn't that why you came here?"

I rolled my eyes and Aldus smirked while saying, "I hope to read about your adventures in tomorrow's newspaper."

Aldus entered the car and the tinted window rolled down, just a few centimeters before stopping.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't!" I heard Aldus chuckling as the window rolled up.

He really enjoys teasing me!

"I'm sorry about my father.", I said to Duke when I joined him at the table.

"Don't be.", Duke was quick to assure me that it's fine and my hand was back in his.

"I am glad that you have a father who will go out of his way to let others know he has your back. Do you think I did well?"

His insecurity was adorable. "You did wonderfully. My father approves of you."

"He approves only because you do."

"Good that you know.", I said smugly.

The waiter brought two lemonades and one slice of strawberry ice cream pie.

I giggled at the sight of one slice of the delicious pie and two spoons. Duke has a way of reminding me of our high school days and letting me know that he didn't forget, not even these silly details.

"This morning you were all mysterious when you told me to come here.", Duke said while his spoon with a piece of pie hovered in front of my lips. "It's not that I'm complaining, but I have a few questions. How long are you staying? Do you have plans, or should I come up with something?"

I opened my mouth to welcome the piece of pie and offered one with my spoon to Duke.

Do I have plans? Absolutely!

There is a reason (more than one!) why I came to London today and I can't wait to tell Duke about it and see his reaction.

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