Chapter 414
When Seraphina woke the next morning, at her usual time, Leandro had already showered and was
drying his hair as he emerged from the bathroom.
Seeing Seraphina halfway between sleep and wakefulness, Leandro approached the bed, sat down
next to her and pressed a kiss on her forehead. “You can sleep in a bit longer, I’ll take Valerio to
school.”
At this moment, Seraphina could feel every ache in her body, and hearing his voice only irritated her
more. She opened her eyes to re at him, “He only likes it when I take him to school,
understand?”
Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
Leandro simply smiled at her response. “Are you sure you want to get up?”
After a moment of struggle, Seraphina finally sat up, the pain in her back ring even more. She leaned
onto Leandro, biting him hard on the shoulder.
“Jerk! You’re shameless!”
The pleasure fromst night’s escapades had left her feeling the consequences in the morning. Add to
that her grogginess, and she found herself directing all her irritation towards Leandro, who merely let
her bite him, then responded, “I told you I’d handle taking Valerio to school, but you insisted.”
Seraphina released her hold on him, looking up at him with a re. “Valerio has suffered enough in the
past few years. From now on, whatever he wants, I’ll give him. I won’t let him be disappointed, not even
a tiny bit.”
Both she and Leandro had had less perfect childhoods. She was determined not to let this repeat with
Valerio.
By the time Seraphina had freshened up and descended the stairs, Leandro, Valerio, and Conway
were already seated at the dining table, having breakfast.
Valerio seemed to have no issues with his solo sleeping arrangement from the night before. When he
saw Seraphina, he gave her a cheerful grin.
“What are you smiling about?” Seraphina asked, sensing something amiss. She ruffled his hair, “Did
you do something naughty?”
Valerio shook his head in response, showing his innocence.
“Grandpa asked him if he wanted a little brother or sister.” Leandro exined on behalf of Valerio, “He
said he wants a sister.”
So that was what they were discussing while she was away.
Seraphina looked at Valerio, “Dummy! Why do you need a sister? Isn’t it good that your mom and dad
only love you?”
Valerio shook his head, making a mouth shape, “Want-sis-ter.”
“That’s Valerio’s wish, Sera. You should grant it.” Conway chimed in.
Valerio’s wish?
Seraphina immediately turned to Leandro, pointing a fork at him, “Did you put up
him
to this?”
She’d just promised to fulfill all of Valerio’s wishes, and now he was asking for a younger sister. She
couldn’t help but feel suspicious.
Leandro set down his coffee mug and answered her, “I didn’t.”
Seraphina met his gaze for a moment, then put down her fork and looked back at Valerio, “There won’t
be a younger sister for now. You have all those girls at school who are always fawning over you, aren’t
you tired of them? And now you want a younger sister?”
“What about a younger brother, Valerio?” Conway suggested.
Valerio immediately nodded in agreement.
Seraphina reached out to still Valerio’s bobbing head, shooting Conway a re, “No talking during
meals. Everyone, shut up!”
Valerio was taken aback at first, but then demonstrated to Seraphina that keeping his mouth shut
meant he couldn’t eat. Seraphina almostughed at the absurdity of it all. She stopped talking and
focused on eating her meal.
After breakfast, Seraphina took Valerio to school on time. Just as she was about to head home for a
nap, she received a message from Andrea.
It was a screenshot from a social media post.
Below a string of flowery and fanciful names, there was a picture of two intertwined hands, one with a
large diamond ring. The dim background showed a room filled with flowers and candles, and the word
“marryme” spelled out in rose petals.
Seraphina immediately had an idea of what this could mean and called Andrea, “Is Tania getting
married to Bowen?”
“Yes,” Andrea confirmed, “He proposedst night. I only found out this morning.”
Seraphina felt a stab of pain in her chest.
Sandra had left, disappearing from his world, and his next move was to propose to Tania?
After a while, Seraphina couldn’t help butugh bitterly, “Well, I guess I should congratte them.”
“Is there anything you want me to find out for you?” Andrea asked.
“Check if your cousin has mental problem,” Seraphina replied, her thoughts still a bit in disarray. “Or if
anyone in the Martin family who agreed to this marriage has a problem” Andrea understood what she
meant, After a pause, she said, “Well, Bowen has Tania wrapped around his finger, and she’s always
been spoiled. Given her father Teague Martin’s personality, he’ll never go against her.”
Seraphina massaged her forehead, exhaling slowly. “I guess there’s no reason for me to be upset. This
man is capable of anything. I’ve experienced that firsthand, haven’t I?”
“You’re upset on Sandra’s behalf,” Andrea pointed out.
“Maybe a little,” Seraphina admitted, “But they won’t have anything to do with each other from now on,
so I don’t really have a right to be upset for her.”
After a moment of silence, Seraphina asked, “Have they set a date?”
Confirmed, Andrea replied, “Christmas.”
“What a romantic holiday,” Seraphina chuckled softly, then asked, “Wonder if I’ll get an invitation?”
“I’m not sure about Bowen. But I suppose Tania would send you one,” Andrea said.
Upon hearing this, Seraphina slowly said, “Invited or not, I’ll definitely go to congratte them. By then,
I’ll be sure to give Bowen a big gift, to celebrate his newly-wedded bliss!”