Tangled in His Obsession (Seraphina)

Chapter 502

On this particular evening, nearly a hundred guests mingled and celebrated the new year with the Martin family. Most of them were close friends and relatives of the Martins.

As the head of the household, Simon should have been flitting from group to group, playing the consummate host. Yet, his gaze often lingered on Seraphina and Leandro, who seemed to be the center of his world that night.

Seraphina was the picture of elegance and detachment, her eyes rarely meeting anyone else's as she conversed quietly with Andrea, who sat by her side. Meanwhile, Simon seemed to be deeply engaged in conversation with Leandro.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the steady stream of toasts, the guests who approached Simon for a celebratory drink did not neglect to include Leandro in their well-wishing.

Even though Leandro had recently stepped down from the executive board of the Reynolds Corporation, his reputation for shrewd business acumen remained unblemished. And with the apparent closeness he now shared with Simon, he was regarded with a newfound respect.

"What's the real story here?" whispered a high-ranking executive from the Reynolds Corporation, who sat next to Ferne. "Mr. Reynolds has always been a bit of a lone wolf, not to mention he once came down hard on the Martin Group. It's not like him to cozy up to the Martins like this." Leonard overheard the comment and replied, "His old pride was part of his persona as the president of Reynolds Corporation. Now that he's not, what's stopping him from being affable?"

Ferne took a sip from her wineglass and said slowly, "Didn't you hear Simon earlier? He called it a family dinner. They waited for them to start the meal, which means they're considered family. What more is there to say?"

As Ferne spoke, her gaze drifted towards Seraphina, who was still deep in conversation with Andrea. "I never noticed before, but now that they're sitting together, it's striking how much Seraphina and Andrea have identical eyes."

At Ferne's observation, the others at the table couldn't help but turn their attention to the pair, and a collective realization seemed to dawn on them. While chatting with Leandro, Simon noticed that Seraphina had barely touched her food. "Sera, is the food not to your liking?" he asked with concern. "You've hardly eaten a thing."

With all eyes on her, Seraphina could hardly avoid responding. She offered a light chuckle and said, "How could a lavish banquet like this not be to my taste? It's just that I don't have much of an appetite."

After that, she turned her attention back to Andrea.

At that moment, the servers brought in a new dish. Simon beckoned one over and whispered instructions. Shortly thereafter, a bowl of sweet soup was placed in front of Seraphina.

Seraphina glanced at Leandro, who in turn looked at Simon.

Simon said, "You're always so busy, hardly ever eating well-no wonder you're so slender. You may not feel like eating, but at least have some soup. You can't go on an empty stomach."

spoon, Seraphina listlessly stirred the soup before

encouraged. "Otherwise, you'll get home late and the nanny will have to

spoon down again. "It's stuffy in

they left the banquet hall. Simon watched their retreating figures and said softly, "It warms my heart to see

Leandro commented dryly,

so?" Simon replied with a faint smile. "Well, I'm

met Simon's gaze and remarked, "Because

he added, "If one day she decides to acknowledge her lineage and come into the

make," Leandro stated firmly. "I won't

visibly pleased. "Straightforward and decisive just like

that, Simon lifted

followed suit, and they

the banquet hall,

drawn

Andrea's reluctance to dive into the festivities, and feeling little desire for it herself, Seraphina

want to see Mom's room?" Andrea

if Simon had gone to the trouble of arranging it, Seraphina felt it was worth

a moment to walk around the small space. She stopped

the photo was beautiful, with a

Seraphina had first seen her mother's picture Andrea showed her, she hadn't felt much. But now, seeing this clear image, a tangible sense of connection washed over her. After all, this

shelf and placed it on the bed. "All of Mom's pictures are

and flipped through the album. Most of the photos were solo shots of Adelina, but there were also plenty of pictures with Simon.

might seem trivial, but it was evident that it had bound Simon for

the last page

the clear