CHAPTER THREE: THE SCANDAL
1277 Words
Seraphina changed quickly.
She slipped into the new dress Louis had brought and tore a strip from her ruined silver gown, wrapping it carefully around her neck to hide the faint marks along her collarbone.
Then she removed the emerald contact lenses Celeste had given her.
Her hazel eyes stared back at her in the mirror.
Real.
She grabbed her clutch. Her phone was still switched off.
The moment she stepped onto the hotel floor, chaos erupted.
Cameras flashed violently. Reporters shouted over one another.
“Celeste was seen entering with Mr. Alexander Sinclair’s PA!”
“They went up to the presidential suite!”
Security struggled to contain the crowd.
Seraphina froze.
How was she supposed to get out?
She tried to slip toward the exit.
But the media swarmed her.
One journalist squinted at her face.
“Wait — Celeste has emerald green eyes. This is the twin!”
Microphones were shoved toward her.
“Who are you to Mr Alexander Sinclair?”
“Are you trying to take your sister’s place?”
“Did you seduce him?”
They closed in around her, suffocating.
“Stop!” she cried, trying to push through.
In the struggle, her makeshift scarf slipped.
The faint marks on her neck were exposed.
The reporters gasped.
The questions turned vicious.
“What happened last night?”
“Did you kidnap your sister?”
“Were you pretending to be her?”
Her hands trembled.
Her chest tightened.
When one female journalist smirked and questioned her dignity, something inside Seraphina snapped.
She slapped her.
The sound echoed sharply.
The crowd went silent for half a second—
Before exploding louder than before.
And just as the chaos threatened to swallow her whole—
A calm, cold voice cut through the noise.
“Move.”
Louis.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, his expression unreadable, his eyes ruthless.
Security followed him instantly.
“Flow Broadcast,” Louis said coolly to the journalist Seraphina had struck. “Expect a formal query from the Sinclair Group before noon.”
The color drained from her face.
No one dared speak again.
Louis turned to Seraphina.
“Miss Laurent, are you alright?”
He removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders, shielding her from the cameras.
He guided her toward a sleek black Rolls-Royce waiting outside.
Inside the car, she was still shaking.
“I apologize,” Louis said formally. “I was instructed to escort you earlier.”
At the mention of Alexander Sinclair, heat rushed to her face.
“Where would you like to go, Miss Laurent?”
She inhaled deeply.
“The Laurent Mansion.”
She refused to call it home.
A home was where you were welcomed with open arms.
The drive was silent.
Every passing street tightened the knot in her stomach.
When the gates of the Laurent Mansion appeared, her heart began to pound.
Louis stepped out first and opened the door for her.
“I have been instructed to accompany you inside.”
She wanted to protest.
But she didn’t have the strength.
The maids bowed politely.
“Welcome back, Miss.”
She smiled.
It didn’t reach her eyes.
Before she could enter the living room, she heard sobbing.
Celeste.
“Of course the scandal arrived home ahead of me.”
Their mother’s voice followed.
“Don’t cry, darling. I will deal with Seraphina. She never does anything right.”
Seraphina stepped inside.
Her mother turned.
“So the harlot is here.”
The slap came fast and hard.
Her head jerked to the side.
A burning mark spread across her cheek.
“One simple task!” Mrs. Laurent screamed. “And you ruined everything! Do you want to destroy your sister’s career? You even slept with her man!”
Seraphina tasted blood.
“I never knew you were this shameless.”
Celeste sobbed dramatically, seated on the floor like a broken porcelain doll.
“Call Mr. Laurent,” Mrs. Laurent ordered sharply.
Moments later, heavy footsteps echoed down the staircase.
Mr. Laurent appeared.
He looked younger than his age, his posture still commanding, though streaks of silver ran through his neatly combed hair.
His sharp eyes immediately landed on Seraphina.
He adjusted his cufflinks.
Cleared his throat.
“Seraphina,” he said coldly. “Are the allegations against you true?”
Her throat burned.
Tears slipped down her cheeks before she could stop them.
“I—”
“Answer me!” he thundered.
She flinched.
“Yes…” she whispered.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
“You are a disgrace,” he said flatly. “Do you understand what you have done? Our family name—our reputation—dragged into the mud because you could not control yourself.”
Each word felt like a knife.
“You were raised to uphold dignity,” he continued. “Especially before marriage. And yet you chose to behave recklessly.”
Celeste sobbed louder, hiding her face in their mother’s arms.
“Father…” she cried weakly.
“Do you hate me so much, Seraphina?” Celeste continued tearfully. “Since birth you always took more nutrients than me… and now you want my career too? My relationship?”
Seraphina scoffed bitterly through her tears.
The golden child speech.
Always fragile. Always pitiful.
Mr. Laurent’s expression hardened.
Celeste suddenly collapsed dramatically onto the floor.
“I can’t live like this!” she cried. “I’ll kill myself!”
Her parents rushed to her instantly.
“Don’t say that!” Mrs. Laurent panicked.
Mr. Laurent knelt beside Celeste, cradling her as though she were made of glass.
Seraphina stood there.
Forgotten.
Unwanted.
Her cheek still stung from the slap.
Her chest felt hollow.
Then—
A deliberate throat cleared from the doorway.
All heads turned.
Louis stood there, composed and immaculately dressed.
“Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Laurent.”
The shift was immediate.
Mr. Laurent stood up at once, smoothing his suit.
“Mr. Louis! What an unexpected honor,” he said with forced warmth. “If we had known you were visiting—”
“Would you like tea?” Mrs. Laurent added quickly.
Louis did not move toward them.
Instead, he walked calmly to Seraphina.
He offered her his handkerchief and gave her a subtle, reassuring nod.
“I hope I am not interrupting,” he said smoothly.
Celeste’s tearful eyes flickered—and darkened.
Jealousy burned behind her tear-stained eyes.
For the first time—
The attention was not on her.
And she hated it.
Louis adjusted his cufflinks calmly.
“Mr. Alexander has instructed me to discuss something important with you, Mr. Laurent.”
The room fell silent.
He continued, his voice smooth but firm.
“And he also made it clear that Miss Laurent is not to be mistreated.”
The temperature in the room dropped instantly.
Mrs. Laurent stiffened.
Mr. Laurent’s jaw tightened.
Celeste’s tear-stained face froze.
“What… Did Mr. Sinclair say?” Mrs. Laurent asked carefully, her earlier arrogance completely gone.
Celeste’s fingers curled into her dress.
Alexander cared enough to send a warning?
Jealousy flickered behind her eyes.
Without another word, she stood abruptly.
“I need to rest,” she murmured, her voice fragile again.
She walked toward the staircase without looking back.
Her heels echoed sharply as she disappeared upstairs.
Mr. Laurent cleared his throat, forcing a polite smile.
“Oh, of course. There must be some misunderstanding,” he said smoothly. “Seraphina is our daughter. We would never abuse her.”
Louis’ expression did not change.
“Good.”
“Shall we?” Mr. Laurent gestured toward his home office.
Louis nodded.
- Writer
