Chapter 4

Chloe asked, "And then you just went over to him?"

"Do I look stupid?" Seraphina offered a polite smile. "Then he left the umbrella with me, and I went home. There is no 'and then.'"

Chloe clicked her tongue. "That's rare. There are actually times when you get out-played. A true predator, his level is indeed high."

"..."

This was Chloe's first time visiting Seraphina's home since she moved, and she felt like a country girl entering the big city. From the grand entrance foyer into the towering, two-meter-high ceiling living room, to the terrace where one could indulge in fine sake while contemplating life and death, to the walk-in closet packed with luxury items, and the exhibition room lined with an overwhelming collection of camera lenses.

Even the carpets radiated the scent of pure wealth.

Chloe asked from the bottom of her heart, "Seraphina, did the interior design of your house cost more than the property itself?"

Seraphina had just gone into the darkroom to develop photos, and it took her a while to step out.

"What did you say?"

"Never mind, I already know the answer." Chloe glanced outside before closing the door. "Does anyone live across from you? Which tycoon is it?"

"Yes, but I don't know who. They've been moving furniture and things in recently."

"Anyway, anyone who can live here must be a formidable character." Chloe replied to her boyfriend's messages on the sofa. "Why are men so unreliable? They say every sweet thing imaginable when they're chasing you, but the moment they get you, they become cold and indifferent."

Seraphina replied, "Then you should be just as cold and indifferent to him."

"...?" Chloe silently marvelled at her words. "Seraphina, have you ever actually liked a man?"

Chloe had seen countless suitors pursuing Seraphina—luxury cars, fresh flowers, fine wine, unlimited wealth, handsome men, highly educated men, and famous figures, they were all there.

Yet she had never seen Seraphina's heart skip a beat.

In fact, a man who had been driven to madness by his love for her once said, "Seraphina is like a piece of stone; she fundamentally doesn't possess a heart."

Seraphina murmured, "You know me, I simply like beautiful people and beautiful things."

Chloe countered, "Not that kind of superficial liking, but the kind that lasts until death."

The moment the words were spoken, Chloe distinctly heard Seraphina let out a soft laugh, as if she had just told a highly amusing joke.

Seraphina laughed for a good while before saying, "Chloe, dear, your sense of humor has been wonderful lately."

"..."

Topic passed.

Seraphina sat on the carpet organizing her photo portfolio, and Chloe leaned over to look at the prints. "Wow... this is absolutely stunning! How did you shoot this?"

A vast expanse of the blue sea matched the standing lights of the city skyscrapers; with the sea level acting as the boundary, they neatly reflected each other.

The overall tone was dark and mysterious, with the city situated at the very center of the composition. The natural vastness intertwined with the bustling urban landscape, resembling an alluring, hidden island realm waiting to be explored.

"Simple," Seraphina said. "Carry the heavy equipment, climb to the top of Manhattan Tower, select the angle and position, wait for the next torrential downpour, and then wait until the lighting brightness of the sea, the buildings, and the sky, as well as the darkness of the reflection reach the required balance. Then press the shutter and handle the post-processing."

Chloe felt her brain spin just listening to this long list of requirements. If nothing else, she knew that Seraphina’s equipment alone was terrifyingly heavy.

"How long did you wait?"

"Three days. The heavens refused to cooperate."

"The observation deck of Manhattan Tower is completely open-air. Waiting for the rain and the lighting like that, didn't you almost freeze to death in the storm?"

Seraphina smiled and remained silent.

Chloe remembered that Seraphina was a pampered princess who wouldn't even tolerate waiting fifteen minutes for her, yet she would actually carry equipment weighing as much as several bricks and stand firm in the pouring rain just for a shoot.

"This line of work has truly been hard on you..." Chloe paused. "Wait, that's not right. How come I've never seen you publish this specific print before?"

"Most of them are never published."

"Why? Are you unsatisfied with this piece?" Chloe couldn't comprehend her.

"Any piece I am unsatisfied with gets deleted permanently," Seraphina explained. "These are meant to be kept in a portfolio for the corporate clients to choose from. Organizing these is exhausting; a working girl's life is so tiring."

"..."

Knowing that it was indeed difficult for Seraphina to navigate her career under a traditional studio setup now, she planned to establish her own independent studio. Her current personal funds were still quite abundant, enough to cover the studio's expenses for at least several months.

Chloe truly felt that Seraphina was about to experience the brutal reality of society, and she couldn't help but worry, "Can you really pull this off?"

"Probably. If I can't, I'll just liquidate and resell my collection."

She was referring to her massive vault of luxury goods.

Chloe truly couldn't understand her. Seraphina could even come up with the idea of reselling her luxury items, proving she truly loved photography, yet she remained completely lazy and refused to accept ordinary bookings.

"Sterling Enterprises is already in contact with other photographers," Chloe reported several names, all of whom were leading titans in the industry. "You might find yourself in a very tight spot."

"It is indeed a tight spot," Seraphina acknowledged. "They possess years of experience and perfectly synchronized teams. Compared to them, I look like a beginner who just stepped out of the starting village. Sterling hasn't even given me a single follow-up response yet."

"Then what about that?"

Seraphina gestured toward the umbrella resting nearby.

Chloe clearly saw the interlocking double-R logo on it. "Is this your secret weapon to victory? Didn't you always loathe Rolls-Royces?"

"It belongs to Mr. Sterling."

"...?"

Chloe gasped, "He just gave you an umbrella worth a hundred thousand dollars on your very first encounter?"

Seraphina corrected her, "Don't exaggerate. It only costs around fifty thousand."

"..."

Chloe’s train of thought leaped rapidly. "Does he have feelings for you?"

Seraphina laughed. "What makes you think that?"

"That other woman was left completely soaked in the storm, yet he couldn't bear to let you catch a single drop of rain. If that isn't having feelings, what is?"

"If I encounter a girl I am genuinely interested in, I will personally drive her home," Seraphina crinkled her eyes. "Do you understand now, my foolish little Chloe?"

Chloe fell silent.

True, wouldn't a normal person choose a rainy night to escort a beauty home in a luxury car? Simply leaving an umbrella behind and watching her walk away into the dark night was bizarre no matter how one looked at it.

Chloe recalled that joke on the internet: "It's raining, here's an umbrella for you." "I'll take a cab instead."

"..."

He truly was a predator.

Showing you kindness, yet making sure every shred of that kindness was nothing more than an illusion.

Chloe asked, "So what do you plan to do now?"

"Didn't you tell me to engineer an opportunity?" Seraphina countered. "This is me engineering it."

/

This was Seraphina’s first time visiting the headquarters of Sterling Enterprises. It didn't resemble a corporate office; it felt more like an elite art exhibition hall.

Modern architecture fused seamlessly with French Baroque style, ranging from exquisite murals to lifelike high-relief sculptures with precise lines, surrounded by lush trees and manicured flora. Every single corner exuded the distinct classical elegance unique to Sterling.

"Hello, are you Miss Vance?" A female secretary wearing a tailored pencil skirt walked over to her. "Mr. Harrison has already informed us of your arrival, but Mr. Sterling is quite busy today, so you will need to wait for a moment. If you are interested, I can accompany you on a brief tour around the Sterling headquarters."

Seraphina agreed.

She inherently detested waiting.

Seraphina followed the secretary for a lap around the building. Beyond the artistic exterior, this was indeed the bustling daily routine of a luxury empire's headquarters—fast-paced yet perfectly organized, entirely embodying the brand philosophy of Sterling: elegance and independence.

"Please wait here for a moment." The secretary served Seraphina a glass of warm milk.

Seraphina smiled. "Does Sterling select its personnel based on whether they possess the ability to read minds?"

Every single one of them appeared to know exactly what someone else was going to do next.

"You must be joking," the secretary replied smoothly. "Mr. Sterling explicitly instructed us that you have a habit of drinking milk. Sterling ensures the highest quality of service for every esteemed guest."

Seraphina murmured, "Is that so? Please convey my thanks to Mr. Sterling."

She reviewed her memories; the only time she had ever mentioned her preference for milk was when those employees were whispering gossip behind her back at the old studio.

He was terrifyingly observant.

Seraphina stared out of the floor-to-ceiling windows at the night view, feeling entirely bored.

Situated at the absolute center of the prime business district, skyscrapers stood tall, and the endless neon lights rivaled the stars above, looking down upon the masses like tiny ants below. Years ago, Eleanor Vance—her mother—had told her that only an unobstructed, panoramic view could be considered a truly magnificent sight.

Seraphina had asked how anyone could find a truly unobstructed view in a metropolis as bustling as Manhattan.

Eleanor had replied, "As long as you stand high enough."

Sterling Enterprises stood exceptionally high, and he stood very high as well. Yet beneath the skyscrapers, who could truly discern what a man looked like when he was up in the clouds? Everything was half-real, half-illusion, entirely mysterious.

Seraphina withdrew her gaze, only to realize that the space where she was waiting offered a direct view into the conference room where Rhett was holding his meeting.

The atmosphere inside appeared incredibly tense. He wasn't smiling, and the executive delivering the presentation on the stage looked so nervous he was practically dripping sweat, while the remaining attendees dared not make a single movement.

The man's fountain pen tapped against the desktop. Twice.

The proposal was rejected.

Seraphina recognized what they were discussing—the advertising campaign for the flagship jewelry line. A few highly renowned photographers were seated in a corner of the conference room, their expressions looking progressively worse.

Being a photographer herself, seeing so many creative proposals discarded consecutively made her heart bleed.

Yet he appeared entirely oblivious. His grey dress shirt was fastened immaculately to the top collar, accentuating his cold, unforgiving profile. His piercing eyes flicked across the room, and a single touch of his pen carried the power of absolute corporate life and death.

Playing with the world in the nightlife, yet cold as a blade in the business arena.

How could he appear entirely different every single time they met?

Rhett Sterling was far more interesting than she had anticipated.

As if sensing her scrutiny, his heavily oppressive gaze suddenly turned precisely in her direction.

Seraphina crinkled her eyes and met his look, and he returned the gesture with a highly polite smile.

It was an entirely obvious detachment.

Chloe was right; this man didn't possess any special feelings for her. He treated everyone exactly the same way.

Outside, Seraphina remained leisurely and carefree, while inside the room felt like a living hell. The executives who stepped out after the meeting looked as though their souls had entirely left their bodies.

Tsk.

What a terrifying demon king.

This demon king was truly exceptionally busy. As the clock approached eight in the evening, other employees were systematically leaving work, yet he had merely cycled through several different conference rooms, his work showing no signs of concluding.

Growing tired of waiting, Seraphina stood up, intending to go outside to catch some fresh air.

She hadn't realized a few hours ago just how massive the layout of the Sterling headquarters truly was. Before she could locate an exit, she ended up taking so many twists and turns that she entirely forgot where the original waiting area was located.

The entire floor was completely empty, illuminated only by a few bright architectural lights, and she couldn't find a single soul to ask for directions.

Seraphina rubbed her temples, nursing a mild headache.

She shouldn't have gotten up to wander around.

Just as Seraphina resolved to pull out her phone to call for assistance, her gaze accidentally drifted toward the view outside a nearby glass window.

To be precise, it was an "exquisite view."

The detached grey dress shirt he had been wearing when he arrived was currently being unbuttoned, one by one, from the very top collar. Moving down from the man's shifting Adam's apple to his collarbones, and further down to the taut, powerful contours beneath his chest.

Reflecting the shifting neon glow outside, his immaculate muscle definition rippled slightly with his breathing.

Every single inch of his skin was saturated with raw power and deep temptation.

Seraphina froze right where she stood, her mind entirely consumed by a single, unbidden thought.

A physique like that... truly made a woman want to devour him.

Ring, ring—Seraphina's phone suddenly vibrated, the ringtone echoing loudly in the quiet corridor.

The magnificent view was instantly alerted.

Their eyes locked in an abrupt, unavoidable collision. Seraphina didn't even have a chance to withdraw her scrutiny before she was caught red-handed.

A trace of pure amusement appeared to dye the man's dark eyes. Meeting her gaze head-on, he proceeded to slowly and deliberately refasten his shirt buttons, one by one.

Blatantly, without a shred of concealment.

His long, elegant fingers became the absolute guide for her eyes, moving upward from his lean waist and abdomen, crossing past his pelvic lines, and traveling with agonizing slowness—

Every single frame of his movement resembled an endless landscape of temptation, and she was merely a curious cat drawn into the depths of his snare, completely drowning.

After what felt like an eternity.

The man's deep, magnetic voice resonated, dropping carelessly right beside her ear.

"Seraphina, come here."