Chapter 12: Your friend.
2126 Words
Seraphina
Even the elevators were made of jewelry materials. Gold panels, silver trims, glass that shimmered like it had diamonds crushed into it. How did a man even think of something like this?
Isabel would not stop talking, her voice filling the elevator as it glided upward. She told me about every adventure she had here, every time she sneaked into restricted floors as a teenager, every lecture her father gave her, every gift he surprised her with. I listened, really I did, but my thoughts drifted despite my best efforts.
I wondered how her father found the time.
How a man so busy, so powerful, so consumed by work still found space for his daughter. It made something ache in my chest. Not jealousy. Not bitterness. Just… longing. A quiet, hollow longing. I did not even know what having a father looked like. More a less a present father, So listening to Isabel talk about hers felt like touching something I was never meant to have.
But that was not what made my pulse throb.
That was not what made my hands shake or my stomach flutter and tighten in places I did not like to think about.
It was him.
The thought of seeing Alderic again. Of seeing him here, in his space, behind his desk, surrounded by power and authority. The thought alone made my body react in ways that scared me. My mouth went dry. My chest felt tight. The tasteless plaster I had eaten for lunch threatened to crawl back up my throat.
“Are you okay, munchkin?”
“Huh?”
Isabel’s voice pulled me out of my spiral. She was frowning slightly now, her eyes scanning my face.
“You’re trembling,” she said softly.
Oh s**t.
I had forgotten we were linking arms
“I, uh—” My mouth opened, but no words came out.
“Do you need a minute?” she asked gently, squeezing my arm.
God, I loved her. She always noticed. Always knew when something was off, even when I tried to hide it. The thought tugged a small, weak smile out of my lips.
I shook my head quickly. “No, Bee. I’m just—” I swallowed hard. “—cold.”
Yes. Cold. A perfect excuse. There had to be at least fifty air conditioners blasting in this hallway alone.
“Oh, poor you,” she cooed immediately, pulling me closer by the shoulder and rubbing my upper arms. “I’ll ask my dad to turn on the heat for you, okay? Come on. Let’s go.”
My heart dropped straight into my stomach.
More favors. More requests. More reasons for Alderic and me to be in the same room, breathing the same air.
Oh God.
Isabel nodded at a few workers as we passed. They stared at her in open awe, and she smiled at them warmly, even waved at one. It was one of the many reasons I loved her. She might be rich, wealthy, smart, beautiful—the daughter of a powerful businessman—but she was always humble. Always kind.
We got to another floor, quieter than the rest. Only a secretary’s desk sat outside a large office door that didn’t need a nameplate. Everyone knew whose office it was.
Isabel’s smile widened when she saw the woman at the desk.
“Rhoda. Hi. God, I love your earrings.”
Rhoda looked up, startled, then beamed, touching them shyly. “Thanks. It was a gift from your father.”
My stomach sank.
“Oh really,” Isabel cooed. “Are you still harboring that crush?” she asked lightly, but Rhoda flushed so fast she looked like she might combust.
“Oh my God, Isabel, you never change,” Rhoda croaked, fanning herself even though the floor was freezing.
Isabel laughed. “Have a nice day now, Rhoda. Again—lovely earrings.” And with that, she was already pulling me away.
As we walked, I leaned closer. “Why did you do that?”
Isabel shrugged casually. “I hate the bitch.”
I blinked. “For crushing on your father?”
“God, no,” she scoffed. “That would mean I’d have to hate half of New York and the rest of the world.”
…She wasn’t wrong.
“Then why?” I pressed.
“I caught her sending nudes to my father once,” she said easily, like she was talking about the weather.
It didn’t register at first. Then it did.
“What?”
“Yep. She doesn’t even know I know.”
“Does your father know?” I asked, and I didn’t know why I was asking. My chest felt tight.
“I’m sure he does. I was with his phone that day when the messages came in. I took it to him and showed him.”
“Isabel!” I hissed.
“What?”
“You should have deleted it.”
“Why?” she shot back. “She wanted him to see it, did she not?”
Again—she wasn’t wrong. Still, I felt mortified on Rhoda’s behalf.
“So… what did he do?” I asked, curiosity burning despite myself.
“He didn’t even react,” Isabel said. “Imagine showing a man a pair of big f*****g t**s and a very shaved p***y, and all he does is stare at it like it’s the news. That was when I felt the real embarrassment for her.”
I couldn’t stop it. I laughed. A deep, sudden laugh that folded my stomach and made me pause mid-step.
Isabel stopped and stared at me. “Okayyy. Did not expect it to be that funny.”
It wasn’t. Not really. I was just… relieved. Petty. Happy in a mean little way. Boo-hoo, Rhoda.
Still, the amusement faded quickly.
We were standing right in front of Alderic’s door.
My heart slammed hard against my ribs. Oh God. I was really doing this. I was really about to see him again—after that dinner that felt like a lifetime ago, after that night he didn’t know I knew about. Heat crawled over my skin, up my neck, into my face. My heart rate quickened and I hated that familiar, unwanted slickness gathering between my legs.
This was sick. I was no better than Rhoda.
Isabel didn’t wait for me to gather myself—why would she? She didn’t know the storm raging inside me.
She pushed the door open. “Dad?”
I stepped slightly to the side, my breath caught—
Only to freeze.
Another pair of eyes stared back at us. Angry. Sharp and Familiar.
“Princess,” Alderic drawled. “And her friend.”He stretched the word, nose curling slightly as his arms dropped from around Magdalene’s waist.
My heart raced. I bit my lip to stop myself from smirking at the look of pure hatred on Magdalene’s face. It might have been aimed at me—but right now, she looked like she wanted to strangle Isabel for interrupting whatever they’d been doing.
My pulse jumped again. My mind flashing to them kissing and touching. I gritted my teeth.
Maybe I should leave Rhoda alone and focus on Magdalene instead.
Alderic stood, tall and still, his presence filling the room without effort. Isabel rushed forward and hugged him; he barely returned it.
“Are you busy?” she asked brightly.
“No,” he replied calmly. “Magdalene was just leaving.”
If looks could kill, Isabel would have dropped dead on the spot. But my step sister didn’t care. She looked thrilled—and she made no effort to hide the smirk she threw at her soon-to-be stepmother.
Magdalene recovered quickly.
She swayed with renewed grace back onto her Doc Martens heels—heels I recognized instantly because my mother never joked about shoes like that.
She picked up her bag with the calm confidence of a woman who knew she still had another chance, then strolled over to Alderic.
He watched her with open boredom.
She rose on her tiptoes despite the heels and kissed him on the lips anyway.
I turned my face away immediately, my fingers curling into tight fists at my sides. My nails dug into my palms, grounding me before something ugly slipped out.
“I’ll see you later, baby,” she whispered against his mouth.
He didn’t respond.
She smiled anyway—sharp and unruly—turning that smile on Isabel, who glared at her with enough hatred to scorch the air. Magdalene didn’t look at me at all. Not once. But her shoulder slammed into mine as she brushed past, hard enough that I stumbled.
I scoffed under my breath.
Bitch.
“What are you doing here?” Alderic asked, his voice dry and flat. “With your friend.”
His eyes flicked to me over his daughter’s head. Indifferent. Cold. Like I wasn’t even worth the effort of curiosity.
I swallowed hard.
“I came to show Phina around,” Isabel said, looping her arm through her father’s. Both of them turned fully toward me then.
Standing beside them, the contrast was ridiculous. Alderic looked like a giant. Isabel like a dwarf. And Isabel wasn’t even short.
He hummed. “I see.”
“I also taught her what you taught me.”
“I taught you many things, princess.”
The way he said princess sent a sharp pulse straight between my legs—and it wasn’t even meant for me.
“The one you taught me when I was fifteen,” Isabel clarified.
“And what did she think of it?” he asked, still looking at his daughter.
Isabel turned to me. “What did you think of it, munchkin? Come on. Tell Dad how surprised you were.”
Dad.
He wasn’t my dad, Bee.
But Alderic’s gaze shifted then—slowly, and landed on me. His eyes traced down my body, taking me in with a look I couldn’t name.
I wanted to disappear.
I also wanted to stay exactly where I was.
Every hair on my body stood on edge. Being looked at like that in broad daylight made my stomach flutter violently.
“Phina?”
Shit.
“Huh?” I cleared my throat quickly. “Sorry. I—I didn’t get you.”
Could he please stop looking at me like that? Just for one second. Or forever.
Isabel frowned, concern settling into her face. She released her father and stepped closer to me, taking my hand in hers before turning back to him.
“Dad, you’re intimidating her.”
Alderic didn’t blink. “I’m literally just standing here, princess.”
She huffed and tugged me toward the couch in his office. I sat down heavily, letting out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Any longer and I would have folded completely.
“Do you want a drink?” Isabel asked.
I nodded immediately, my fingers rubbing at my neck, skin still burning from the weight of his gaze.
Isabel smiled and walked over to the liquor stand. I focused on her back because it was safer than looking at him.
She scanned the bottles, then groaned. “Dad, you don’t have my drink anymore.”
You would think he’d look at her to answer.
He didn’t.
His eyes were still on me.
“Rhoda has it in the store, princess.”
Isabel groaned again, grabbed the bottle she had picked up, and marched toward the door.
Please don’t leave me here.
She paused and turned back to me. “Do you want to come with?”
“Yes—”
“Let her stay while you get it, princess,” Alderic cut in smoothly, finally turning his attention to his daughter. “Both of you going will only delay you further. I could use a drink too.”
Slowly—painfully slowly—I sank back into the couch, my eyes silently begging Isabel to take me with her.
She just shrugged. “That’s a good idea, Dad. Please take care of her. Do not f*****g scare her,” she warned.
I was already terrified.
“I’ll take good care of her, princess,” he drawled, his eyes dragging over me again before returning to Isabel. “You trust me, don’t you?”
Isabel grinned, winked at me, and walked out.
The door closed with a soft click.
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Me and Alderic. Alone. In the same room.
My body felt tight and wrong, heat pooling harshly between my legs in a way that made my skin crawl and throb at the same time.
I wanted to vanish.
Please let me vanish.
- Writer
