Chapter 5: The Devil Returns
1578 Words
The exhaustion of the day finally dragged Serena into a restless sleep, where the shadows of the past were waiting to consume her.
Rain.
It was pouring, the sky tearing itself open to drown the world.
Serena ran through the downpour, her lungs burning like fire, but she dared not stop.
Until she crashed into that embrace.
It was a wall of flesh, hard as iron. Before she could even scream, a pair of powerful arms had already clamped around her waist, crushing her tightly against a chest that radiated a shocking, searing heat.
A familiar scent instantly drowned her.
Dark Oud, mixed with the sharp, clean coldness of Cedar.
Sebastian.
“Caught you,” he whispered in her ear. His voice was husky and low, laced with a dangerous amusement.
His wet, hot breath sprayed against the cold curve of her neck, triggering a shiver that curled her toes.
“Let me go, Sebastian...” she tried to push him away, her hands pressing against his soaked shirt, but her palms could feel the powerful, thudding rhythm of his heart.
“Never.”
His large hand clasped the back of her head, forcing her to look up at him. Those pitch-black eyes held no light, only a frantic, devouring possessiveness that threatened to swallow her whole.
“You escaped for three years, Serena,” he bit down on her earlobe, grinding his teeth against the sensitive skin. “But look at you. Your body is still trembling for me.”
“I‘m not...”
“Liar.”
He lowered his head and kissed her.
It wasn’t a kiss; it was a punishment. It was plunder. It carried a desperate love and hatred, as if he intended to fuse their souls together through their lips and tongues.
In that moment, Serena couldn’t even tell if she was resisting or surrendering.
Serena jolted awake.
The suffocating intimacy of the dream still lingered on her skin, making her whole body burn.
“Crazy...” she cursed softly, pressing a hand to her chest where her heart was hammering.
Why?
She had left him.
She had chosen to run.
But in the dream, when he caught her, beneath the panic was a twisted sense of relief.
Knock. Knock.
“Miss Serena?” Alfred’s voice came from the door.
Serena took a deep breath, forcing the phantom sensation of Sebastian’s lips out of her mind.
“Come in.”
Alfred entered with a rolling rack of clothes.
“The Master insists you dress appropriately for breakfast,” Alfred said gently. “I took the liberty of removing Miss Lila’s suggestions. These are fresh from the boutique.”
Serena stood up. She ignored the pastel colors and reached for a dress made of silk in a deep, oceanic teal.
She put it on.
It was a slip dress, simple but unforgiving. It hugged her curves like a second skin, the cool silk contrast against her flushed skin.
She looked in the mirror.
She wasn’t the poor girl from the slums anymore.
Serena walked to the top of the grand staircase.
Below, the noise was already deafening.
“Where is she? Where is the imposter who upset my Lila?”
Julian Knight stood in the foyer. He was wearing a burgundy suit that was too loud, his hair gelled to perfection. He was currently comforting a sobbing Lila on the sofa.
“Don’t cry, babe,” Julian said, his voice dripping with performative outrage. “I don’t care if she has the bloodline. In my eyes, she’s just a gutter rat.”
“Julian...” Lila sniffled, looking up at him with teary, doe-like eyes. “Be nice. She... she doesn’t know our ways.”
“Nice? To a savage?” Julian scoffed.
“Are you done barking, Mr. Knight?”
The cool voice cut through the air.
Julian spun around, ready to unleash a tirade. “You listen to me, you…”
The words died in his throat.
Serena descended the stairs.
The teal silk flowed around her legs like water. Her champagne-gold hair was loose, cascading over her shoulders. Her face was bare, but her features were striking, sharp, and undeniably regal.
If Lila was a delicate white flower carefully nurtured in a greenhouse, then Serena was a wild rose blooming on the edge of a cliff—flamboyant, thorny, and impossible to look away from.
Julian stared. His mouth hung open slightly.
He had dated models and socialites, but he had never seen a woman with this kind of raw, aggressive beauty. The dress clung to a figure that was far more womanly than Lila’s fragile frame.
For a solid ten seconds, the anger in Julian’s eyes was replaced by a primal, stunned lust.
Lila saw it.
She saw the way Julian’s gaze traveled down Serena’s body.
Panic flared in her chest. She leaped up, grabbing Julian’s arm, her nails digging into his suit. “Julian, My chest... it hurts.”
The spell broke.
Julian blinked, shaking his head.
He looked down at the fragile Lila, then back at the stunning woman on the stairs. He felt caught, and his embarrassment instantly turned into defensive rage.
He stepped in front of Lila, puffing out his chest.
“So, you’re the one,” he sneered, though his eyes still flickered over Serena’s dress. “I am Julian Knight. Lila’s fiancé.”
Serena reached the bottom step. She didn’t look at him with fear. She looked at him with boredom.
“And?”
“And I want to make one thing clear,” Julian snapped, pointing a finger at her. “I don’t care how much you dress up. You can put a dress on a pig, but it's still a pig. You are nothing compared to Lila. She is class. You are just... trash wrapped in silk.”
It was a weak insult. Even the maids lowered their heads to hide their disbelief.
“Finished?” Serena asked calmly. “Your loyalty to my sister is touching, Mr. Knight. But your wandering eyes tell a different story.”
“You—!” Julian flushed red.
“Enough.”
Arthur Vance stepped out of the dining room. He had been watching.
He had seen Julian’s reaction. He saw the lust.
Good, Arthur thought. Serena is a valuable asset.
Arthur’s calculator of a brain whirred.
Lila is safer for the Knight marriage. She is easy to control. Serena... Serena is too sharp. Too independent. Julian would never be able to handle her.But with a face like that? I can sell Serena to a much higher bidder. Maybe a politician. Or an overseas investor.
“Julian, my boy, welcome,” Arthur said, putting on his best smile. “Forgive Serena. She is still adjusting. But let’s focus on the happy news. Next weekend is the Gala.”
Lila perked up instantly, wiping her eyes. “My birthday party!”
“Yes,” Arthur beamed. “We are inviting the entire city. It will be the event of the year.”
Serena stood silently.
Next weekend.
October 16th.
They shared a birthday. But in this house, only one daughter existed.
Serena felt a dull ache in her chest, but she crushed it. She didn’t need a birthday cake from these people.
“I’ll be there,” Julian said, wrapping an arm around Lila possessively, trying to prove his devotion. “I’ll make sure everyone knows who the real princess of the Vance family is.”
Arthur nodded, satisfied. “We need the Knight family’s support for the merger, Julian.”
“Don’t worry,” Julian said, regaining his arrogance.
He adjusted his cufflinks, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “actually, that’s why I’m here. My father can’t make it, but... someone else might.”
Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Who?”
Julian swallowed. A flicker of genuine nervousness crossed his face.
“My uncle. Sebastian.”
The room went dead silent.
Arthur’s eyes widened. For a second, pure terror washed over his face. Sebastian Knight. The Wolf. The tyrant who ate companies for breakfast.
But then, a slow, greedy smile spread across Arthur’s lips.
Terror mixed with exhilaration.
“Sebastian Knight is coming to my house?” Arthur whispered, his voice trembling with excitement. “If he shows up... it would be the greatest honor. The stock price would triple overnight just by his presence.”
“He returned yesterday,” Julian said nervously. “He said he wants to inspect the Vance family personally.”
In the corner, Serena froze.
The blood drained from her face, leaving her pale. Her hands, hidden behind the folds of her silk dress, clenched into fists until the knuckles turned white.
Sebastian.
He’s back.
He returned yesterday.
The dream wasn’t just a nightmare. It was a premonition.
He was in this city. He was breathing the same air.
Serena felt a cold wave of terror crash over her. If the tyrant of the business world walked into that gala and saw her... saw the woman who had run away from his bed three years ago...
He would destroy her.
But as her heart slammed against her ribs, beneath the paralyzing fear, a dark, treacherous heat began to spread through her veins.
Her breath hitched.
She was terrified.
But deep down, the part of her that she hated, the part of her that still remembered his touch in the dream... wanted him to find her.
- Writer
