Caspian's heart tightened, terrified that Seraphina would interrogate him further and realize he had actually gone racing.

After all, Christian was always steady and composed, never indulging in such frivolous distractions.

He quickly spun a lie. "I just finished a workout at the gym, thinking that tonight... I should serve my sweetheart well."

As he spoke those last few words, he deliberately softened his tone, mimicking Christian's characteristic tenderness.

Seraphina stared at him suspiciously for a few seconds, but failing to find any flaw on his face, she finally nodded.

"Alright then."

Caspian let out a silent breath of relief, mocking her in his heart for being so easily fooled.

But before he could savor his triumph, Seraphina spoke again.

"From now on, no matter how busy you are, you must be home before midnight. If you pass twelve o'clock, you don't have to come back at all. Consider this your curfew."

Those words were like a stray spark, instantly igniting the fury buried in Caspian's chest.

He looked at her slightly arrogant demeanor, his tongue pressing hard against his back teeth.

Did she truly take him for Christian?

How dare she threaten him like this?

His dark eyes narrowed dangerously, and he was just about to drag her upstairs to give this reckless woman a proper lesson—

When a soft, delicate figure suddenly threw herself into his embrace.

Seraphina wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, refusing to let go as if terrified of losing something.

She lifted her flushed eyes, which were swirling with glistening tears.

"Christian, I'll worry... Can you come home earlier next time, please?"

Caspian's chest tightened at the impact, the fury from a moment ago vanishing without a single trace.

Silently frozen for a couple of seconds, he stared at the crimson corners of her eyes and, driven by some inexplicable force, whispered a single word.

"Okay."

Yet today, no matter how loudly Caspian called out, that slender, soft figure never appeared.

Felix thought he had finally exhausted himself, watching him gradually grow quiet.

Unexpectedly, Caspian propped himself up against the sofa armrest, stumbling as he tried to stand.

Felix hurried forward to support him, the veins on his forehead throbbing violently. "What are you trying to do now?"

Caspian violently pushed his hand away, murmuring under his breath, "There's a stench of blood on my hands... Sera doesn't like that smell. I have to go wash them clean."

With that, he staggered toward the restroom, his steps entirely unsteady, yet his mind remained stubbornly fixated on washing his hands.

The sound of rushing water drifted out from the restroom. Caspian kept his head lowered, scrubbing the traces of blood from his hands over and over again, as focused as a devout believer.

Watching this scene, Felix felt a complex bitterness well up in his heart.

Love can be faked when a person is entirely conscious, but it cannot be feigned when one is completely oblivious.

Caspian had truly lost his heart to Seraphina.

But Seraphina was already gone.

Chapter 14

Berlin.

Sharp, piercing cries of weeping drifted out from the hospital's VIP ward.

"I don't want to undergo the surgery this early! Christian, I just won't do it!" Natalia screamed, violently grabbing a bowl from the nightstand and smashing it onto the floor.

The pillow from the head of the bed was also thrown onto the ground.

Seeing Professor Su walk in, her tone instantly shifted into a victimized whimper.

"Dad, I'm not ready yet. I'm not doing this surgery!"

Staring at his daughter's hysterical throwing of a tantrum, the white-haired Professor Su felt his brow knot tightly with anxiety.

"Natalia, you must be obedient. Right now is the absolute best window for the procedure. If you miss it, it will be incredibly difficult!"

Natalia violently covered her ears, completely turning a deaf ear to his words.

Left with no other option, Professor Su turned his clouded eyes toward Christian, who stood silently nearby, his tone carrying a desperate plea. "Christian... look at this child..."

"Professor, let me handle her."

Christian took a step forward, his voice calm, yet carrying a steady power that brought immediate reassurance.

"Thank you, Christian," Professor Su nodded gratefully, casting a couple more worried glances at Natalia before gently closing the door behind him as he stepped out.

He truly couldn't comprehend how he and his wife, who had spent their entire lives being reasonable and gentle, had somehow raised such a stubborn and willful daughter.

The ward fell completely silent.

Christian glanced briefly at the pillow on the floor, then shifted his gaze to Natalia on the bed. "What exactly do you want before you'll agree to the surgery?"

This was the exact sentence Natalia had been waiting for. Her eyes lit up instantly, her tone absolute.

"Marry me. Become my husband in every sense of the word, and I'll cooperate with the treatment perfectly."

The warmth drained from Christian's eyes, a dangerous hint of warning entering his voice. "Do not push your luck."

Natalia's emotions flared up instantly, her voice rising to a frantic pitch. "What do you mean, pushing my luck? This was what you promised me in the first place!"

"You agreed to let me be your girlfriend, you agreed to be with me, and you agreed to take wedding photos with me. Why can't you marry me?"

"Is it because of Seraphina? Don't think I don't know you're still thinking about her!"

"The lock screen on your computer is her photography work!"

"Didn't you say you only saw Seraphina as a sister? What exactly are your intentions toward her?!"

Natalia shrieked one accusation after another, as if trying to unleash all the suppressed emotions she had hoarded over the past few years.

Throughout it all, Christian remained perfectly still, his gaze so flat it bordered on absolute coldness, as if he were merely watching a hysterical lunatic throw a tantrum.

This realization sent Natalia into an even greater spiral of despair. Her frantic interrogation couldn't even stir a single ripple in his eyes.

She couldn't help but recall the very first time she had declared war on Seraphina, vowing to steal Christian away. Back then, Seraphina had merely given her a brief, indifferent look before having the staff escort her out.

She hadn't even deigned to offer her a single word of confrontation.

By what right?

Later on, she finally found her chance to wrench Christian away from Seraphina's side.

Watching Seraphina kept entirely in the dark by the two brothers, being manipulated like an absolute fool, she had felt immense satisfaction.

But all of that was about to come to an abrupt end.

She knew better than anyone that once the surgery was completed, Christian would completely withdraw every single ounce of his "kindness" toward her.

How could she possibly accept that?

A poisonous malice swirled within Natalia's eyes. "Why aren't you saying anything? Have you truly fallen in love with that ruined bitch, Seraphina?!"

"A bitch who's been played with by anyone and everyone, what is there to—ack..."

Before the words could fully leave her mouth, a bone-structured hand violently locked around her throat.

Natalia's breath cut off instantly, her face turning a rapid crimson as her pupils dilated with sheer terror, staring in utter disbelief at Christian, who had suddenly struck out.

Christian's expression remained perfectly calm, and there was no tremor whatsoever in his eyes.

If it weren't for the fact that he was currently choking the life out of her, he looked no different from his usual cold and aristocratic self.

Cold sweat instantly drenched Natalia's back. She struggled frantically, but her efforts were completely futile as the suffocating pressure intensified, her vision gradually turning black.

Just when she genuinely believed she was about to be strangled to death, the grip around her neck suddenly loosened.

Christian looked down coldly at the woman slumping onto the floor, gasping desperately for air, his voice clear and biting as frost.

"Natalia, I have never been a good man."

"If it weren't for Professor Su, you wouldn't even have the right to stand in front of me."

"If you ever use these pathetic tricks to threaten me again, I wouldn't mind helping Professor Su find another daughter."

The words struck Natalia's ears like a bolt of lightning, completely stripping away her remaining arrogance and leaving behind nothing but pure terror.

"What do you mean by that? What are you planning to do to me?!"

Christian paid absolutely no attention to her screams, turning around to walk straight out of the ward.

Waiting outside the door, Assistant Gu immediately handed over a sanitizing wipe.

Christian lowered his eyes, carefully wiping every single finger as he gave a flat order.

"Pass down the command. Natalia's surgery in two days must be completed, no matter what methods have to be used."

"Understood."

As Assistant Gu acknowledged the order, he instantly grasped the underlying meaning.

Mr. Vanderbilt had completely run out of patience with Miss Natalia.