Seraphina's POV
I thought Lucca would let me go because he had started removing his hand from around my waist. Just as I was about to stand, he pulled me back. To my surprise, he kissed me again.
I didn't know what to do or say. It felt as though the entire world had stopped. Lucca slowly closed his eyes, and his kiss became more lingering, more tender, as if he wanted to savor every second.
I wanted to push him away, but I didn't have the strength. It felt as though I were ice melting beneath the warmth of the sun.
My heart pounded wildly against my chest. I couldn't think straight. Every emotion I had carefully buried seemed to surface all at once, leaving me completely overwhelmed.
I had never been kissed before.
Everything felt unfamiliar, yet strangely comforting. I found myself frozen in place, unable to decide whether I should stop him or simply let the moment happen.
I knew this wasn't right. We weren't even in a relationship yet. But couldn't I allow myself to experience this just once... and deal with the consequences later?
With no experience whatsoever, I let Lucca take the lead. I simply went with the flow, my mind clouded by the whirlwind of emotions. His gentle affection left me flustered in a way I had never imagined, and despite myself, I found it impossible to deny how deeply it affected me.
The moment was abruptly interrupted when the phone in my pocket suddenly rang.
The sharp ringtone felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over me, pulling me back to reality. I instantly realized what had just happened.
I quickly stood up and hurried out of Lucca's library without looking back.
"Hello?" I answered the call without even checking who it was.
"Where are you?" It was Mira.
"You're awake?" I asked in surprise.
"Yes. I've been looking for you. Why aren't you and Lucca here?"
I bit my lower lip. What was I supposed to tell her? I had assumed she wouldn't remember anything since she had been drunk earlier.
"Just go back to sleep, okay? I'm with Lucca," I replied, carefully avoiding telling her where we actually were. If I admitted that we'd gone to his mansion, she'd probably assume something had happened between us.
But that was the truth, wasn't it?
Lucca had kissed me.
The thought alone made my cheeks burn with embarrassment. Even now, I could still feel the lingering warmth of that moment.
"I know you're with Lucca," she said. "My question is, where are you? You left the house at dawn."
I glanced at my phone. It was already two in the morning.
"I'm sorry for making you worry. Don't worry, we'll be back later. We just went out to finish the ice cream we bought at the convenience store," I said, even though I knew every word was a lie.
"Ice cream... You know I like ice cream too, but you didn't let me come with you," she replied, sounding genuinely hurt.
"You were drunk, and I didn't want to disturb you or Damian," I explained.
"Speaking of him, did you let him sleep in the same bed as me?" she asked.
"Yes," I answered. "There wasn't enough space for everyone else to sleep, so I told him he could sleep in the same bed as you."
"You deserve a treat," she said with a giggle.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Okay, I'll hang up now. Just make sure to bring me some ice cream when you get home," Mira said.
"Okay. I'll buy you some," I replied before she ended the call.
I let out a sigh of relief.
I had almost been caught.
At the same time, the phone call had given me the perfect excuse to escape from Lucca's kisses.
But if I were being honest...
I had liked it.
It was a completely new experience, yet one I knew I would never forget.
After all, Lucca had become my first kiss.
I slowly walked back to the library.
Lucca was still sitting on the sofa as though nothing had happened between us just moments ago.
"Um... I already got all the books I wanted. Can we go back to my house now? Mira was worried because we weren't there," I said.
"No."
I blinked.
"We'll stay here tonight. You'll get a proper night's sleep with a comfortable bed."
"Together?" I blurted out in shock.
"What?" Lucca looked at me in confusion.
"I-I mean..." I cleared my throat. "If that's what you want, then I'll follow. So... where's my room?"
I pretended to look around the library as though I were already searching for it.
Suddenly, Lucca laughed.
I froze and stared at him.
Rather than admiring the fact that it was the first time I'd ever heard him laugh instead of simply smile, I found myself frowning.
Why was he laughing at me?
"You won't find your room in the library," Lucca said, still trying to suppress his laughter.
I puffed my cheeks in annoyance.
Who would've thought Lucca would kiss me again?
Did he bring me here just so he could steal another kiss?
I frowned even more.
"What are you frowning about?" he asked.
"Why did you kiss me?" I asked, refusing to look away.
"Didn't you like it?" he asked calmly. "Or... do you want another one?"
"Lucca!" I shouted. "Stop it!"
"Stop what?" he asked, his expression remaining completely serious.
I clenched my fists and forced myself to calm down.
His words were driving me crazy.
It was as if my body had decided to betray me. My heart refused to listen to my mind, and my mind wasn't helping either.
"I'm sleepy now," I said, trying to sound composed. "Please just show me my room."
Without another word, Lucca stood and walked toward the library door.
I deliberately kept a safe distance between us.
I didn't know how much longer I could control myself.
If Lucca ever found out that a part of me wanted him to kiss me again, he'd probably laugh at me even more.
I followed him into the hallway.
After walking only a short distance, he stopped in front of a large wooden door.
"This is your room," he said as he opened it.
The bedroom was enormous.
Dark mahogany furniture filled the spacious room, giving it a sophisticated yet mysterious atmosphere. Heavy charcoal curtains covered the tall windows, allowing only a sliver of moonlight to seep inside. The dim glow cast soft silver lines across the polished wooden floor. A king-sized bed stood in the center, dressed in black and gray sheets that looked impossibly soft. Beside it was a fireplace, though no fire burned within it, making the room feel calm, quiet, and slightly lonely. A bookshelf occupied one corner, while a comfortable armchair sat near the window, as if waiting for someone to spend the night reading.
It was elegant.
Comfortable.
Yet somehow... lonely.
"My room is right next door," Lucca said calmly. "If you need anything, just knock."
I shrugged.
"I won't need anything!" I exclaimed a little too loudly.
"You don't have to shout," he said. "You look guilty."
"I am not."
"Then prove it to yourself."
I crossed my arms.
"You should leave now. I'm sleepy. We need to wake up early tomorrow so we can go back to my house. I don't want Mira or your friends asking even more questions."
"Why do something just to keep other people from talking?" he asked. "You don't owe anyone an explanation. You don't have to please everyone just because you're worried about what they might think."
His words caught me off guard.
Actually...
I hadn't always been like this.
Back then, whenever people talked about me, I simply shrugged it off. I never cared about their opinions.
But now...
It felt as though I had become obligated to satisfy everyone's expectations.
"Is that really such a bad thing?" I asked quietly.
"Yes," he answered without hesitation. "So what if you stayed at my house? Why did you have to lie to Mira about eating ice cream just to make her believe you?"
"Because if I told her I was here, she'd panic," I replied. "She'd immediately think we're in a relationship."
"And why would she think that?" he asked, frowning.
"Because she saw the video."
"What video?" he asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.
"When you kissed me at the restaurant," I answered.
His expression immediately changed the moment I mentioned that incident.
"Right," he said quietly. "It was posted online. But I already had the video taken down."
"But my friend already saw it."
"And?"
"And?" I repeated in disbelief. "Is that really your question, Lucca? If one of your friends kissed someone they weren't even in a relationship with, what would you think?"
"Nothing."
His answer immediately annoyed me.
"Of course," I said sarcastically. "You're a man. You don't understand how women feel."
I turned away from him.
"I'm going to sleep now."
I only said that because I wanted him to leave.
"Okay. Good night."
Without another word, he turned around and walked away.
Meanwhile, I stood there frozen, my mouth hanging open.
Good night?
Did Lucca just wish me good night?
I remained standing there for several seconds, trying to process what had just happened.
Lucca was so different from the man I had known before.
He made me feel special in ways I had never experienced. He kept doing things I never imagined he was capable of doing.
I slowly closed the bedroom door and climbed onto the bed.
But sleep refused to come.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of my feelings.
Yes...
I had a crush on him.
But if Lucca kept treating me this way, being unexpectedly gentle and thoughtful, I was afraid I would fall even harder for him.
I shook my head.
Was Lucca feeling the same way?
Or was he only acting like this because he thought I was someone interesting to spend time with?
Then again...
Lucca didn't seem like the type to play with other people's feelings.
He was always serious.
Yet I couldn't be certain.
Lucca was a mysterious man.
He had hidden so many secrets from all of us.
What if pretending was simply another one of the many things he was good at?
Should I ask him to take responsibility for what he had done?
I was an old-fashioned woman.
I believed that if a man pursued someone, his intentions should be sincere. I deserved the same respect that any woman deserved.
But...
Would I truly be ready if Lucca actually chose to take responsibility?
I let out a long sigh.
I wasn't getting any younger, yet the thought of entering a relationship still made me nervous.
I didn't even know how to be someone's girlfriend.
I'd never been in a relationship before.
At this rate, I doubted I'd be able to fall asleep.
Maybe I'd just wait for morning until Lucca woke up.
Was Lucca sleeping peacefully tonight?
Had he thought about everything he had done today?
Lucca's POV
After saying good night to her, I immediately went to my room without waiting for her reply. I knew she was probably shocked by what I had said since it was the first time I'd ever wished her good night.
I smiled as I stared at the ceiling.
Did I like Seraphina?
Maybe.
She was different from every other woman, just as Dominic had said.
And he was right.
I only realized it after I started spending more time with her.
At first, I found her incredibly annoying. But somehow, that annoyance gradually turned into amusement. I didn't even notice when it happened. One day, I simply woke up realizing that I wasn't as irritated by her anymore, although I still pretended to be annoyed from time to time, just like before.
As for the kiss...
I didn't regret it.
In fact, I liked it.
I had never felt such a strong desire to keep kissing someone before.
When I kissed Hillary, all I felt was lust.
Nothing more.
But with Seraphina...
It was different.
There was something about that kiss that I couldn't explain.
It felt warm.
Comforting.
Special.
I couldn't stop smiling.
I rarely smiled in the past.
I had always kept my guard up, refusing to show my emotions to anyone.
Yet somehow, Seraphina had slowly made me reveal the parts of myself that I had hidden for so long.
If Dominic found out about this...
Would he be happy?
After all, he once liked Seraphina too.
But wasn't this my original goal?
To make Seraphina fall in love with me...
So I could obtain the ring.
I almost laughed at myself.
Somewhere along the way, I had forgotten about the ring.
For the first time, it no longer mattered to me.
I didn't want anything from Seraphina anymore.
Instead...
I simply wanted to be with her.
I wondered what she was thinking right now.
Did she think I was a pervert?
Did she think I had been too aggressive?
If her phone hadn't rung earlier, I wasn't sure I would've been able to stop myself.
There was something about her that kept drawing me back.
Something that made it impossible to pull away.
I unconsciously touched my lips.
The memory of kissing her replayed vividly in my mind.
Would I kiss her again?
Definitely.
But next time...
I needed to be more patient.
More careful.
She had never experienced anything like this before.
I should treat her gently and move at a pace she was comfortable with.
Then Monica and Xavier's story suddenly came to mind.
Would Seraphina and I end up just like them?
But Mandy Moore was no longer alive.
So why would history repeat itself?
Could it be that the curse she had placed on them had finally been broken?
Should I tell Master about what was happening between Seraphina and me?
Or should I keep it a secret for a little while longer?
I let out a deep sigh.
I didn't think I'd be able to sleep tonight.
Maybe I'd just stay awake...
...and wait for Seraphina to wake up.
Seraphina's POV
I had thought I wouldn't be able to sleep the whole night.
But somehow...
I did.
It was a deep, peaceful sleep, which was both a good and a bad thing.
The moment I checked my phone, my eyes widened.
It was already 10:00 a.m.
I had twenty missed calls from Mira and another ten from Dominic. There were also several messages from Mira asking where I was and why I wasn't answering my phone.
I immediately called her back.
I bit my lower lip.
Now I had another explanation to give.
And I hadn't even bought her the ice cream I had promised last night.
"Where are you?" she asked the moment she answered. "I've been calling you over and over. Aren't you done eating your ice cream yet?"
Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, but I could hear the worry beneath it.
"I'm sorry," I admitted. "I just woke up."
"Woke up?" she repeated. "I thought you were coming home after eating ice cream. Where did you sleep?"
One question after another.
I sighed.
I shouldn't hide it from her anymore.
I'd already kept too many secrets, and each one only made me feel guiltier.
"I'm at Lucca's mansion."
"What?!" she screamed so loudly that I had to pull my phone away from my ear.
"Is this still part of your job? Pretending to be his girlfriend?" she asked frantically.
"What? No." I quickly denied it. "Lucca said he couldn't sleep at my house, so he asked if we could stay at his mansion instead."
"And you actually agreed to spend the night at someone else's house?" she exclaimed. "Not just anyone, Lucca! The same person you couldn't stand the first time you met him."
I sighed.
She was right.
Back then, I had done everything I could to avoid him.
But little by little...
I had started looking forward to being around him.
I didn't know exactly when it happened.
Was it in Sagada?
Baguio?
Or had it begun even before those trips?
Was it because I found out that he had secretly protected me from my mother?
"Mira..." I whispered.
"I think... I'm getting closer to Lucca."
"What?"
"I don't want to avoid him anymore."
"Was that why you accepted the job he offered? So it wasn't just about the money?"
"The money was still the main reason."
"Then when did everything change? What really happened during our last trip?"
I chuckled softly.
If only she knew what had really happened in Sagada.
She would definitely scold me, especially after learning how I had hidden my injuries from everyone.
Then I remembered the old housekeeper.
She had insisted that Lucca and I were already in a relationship.
We weren't.
At least...
Not officially.
But after everything that had happened between us...
After those kisses...
It almost felt as though we were.
"Hey, Seraphina!" Mira called. "Are you still there?"
"Ah... yes." I snapped out of my thoughts. "Are you still at my house?"
"Yes. Alone. So when are you coming home and explaining everything to me?"
I remembered what Lucca had told me the night before.
You don't owe anyone an explanation.
Do what you want because it's your life.
But Mira wasn't just anyone.
She was my best friend.
She had always been there for me.
Giving her a simple explanation wouldn't hurt.
"I'll get out of bed now and see if Lucca's awake," I said. "I'll call you later once I know when we're heading home."
"Okay."
We ended the call.
I slipped my phone into my pocket before leaving the bedroom.
As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I looked around in amazement.
His mansion was enormous.
Could someone really live in a place this big all alone?
Didn't he ever feel lonely?
Or had he simply grown accustomed to the silence?
So far, I only knew where the library and my bedroom were.
Everything else remained unfamiliar.
I walked toward the room beside mine and knocked gently.
No response.
I knocked again.
Still nothing.
Wasn't this supposed to be Lucca's room?
Was he still asleep?
Curiosity got the better of me.
I slowly turned the doorknob and peeked inside.
The room was much darker than the one I had slept in.
The thick black curtains blocked almost every ray of sunlight, leaving only faint streaks of light slipping through the edges.
"Lucca?"
I squinted, trying to make out his figure on the bed.
As I stepped closer, I realized...
The bed was empty.
"Lucca?"
I called again, a little louder this time.
Still no answer.
Where was he?
Did he leave for work without telling me?
No.
That couldn't be right.
He wouldn't leave me alone in such a huge mansion when I barely knew my way around.
I reached for the light switch.
The room immediately brightened.
Unlike my guest room, Lucca's bedroom reflected his personality perfectly.
It was at least five times larger than mine.
The walls were painted in deep charcoal tones, while the furniture was made of dark walnut wood that gave the room a timeless elegance. A massive king-sized bed stood in the center, neatly made with black and gray sheets that looked untouched. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves occupied one wall, filled with countless books arranged with meticulous precision. Opposite the bed hung several framed paintings of mountains and oceans, their cool colors making the room feel peaceful despite its dark theme. Near the window stood a sleek black desk covered with neatly stacked documents, and beside it was a leather armchair facing a lit fireplace.
Everything was perfectly organized.
Everything had its place.
It was luxurious...
Yet strangely cold.
The room lacked any personal photographs or decorations.
It felt less like a bedroom...
...and more like a place where someone simply existed.
I searched the room once more before checking the bathroom.
The bathroom was almost as large as my own bedroom.
Black marble covered the floors and walls, giving it a modern yet elegant appearance. A freestanding bathtub sat beside a floor-to-ceiling glass window overlooking the vast forest outside. A spacious rainfall shower occupied one corner, while a wide mirror stretched above a floating sink made of polished stone. Everything looked spotless, as if no one had used it in days.
But Lucca wasn't there either.
I quietly left his room.
Since I didn't know where else to look, I decided to head downstairs.
Although I wasn't familiar with the mansion, I searched every hallway I could find.
I just hoped I wouldn't get lost.
"Lucca?"
I continued calling his name while wandering through the mansion.
Still...
No response.
Where could he have gone?
Then...
I heard a sizzling sound coming from behind one of the doors.
Curious, I walked toward it.
The closer I got, the stronger the aroma of freshly cooked food became.
Someone was definitely inside.
I slowly opened the door.
There stood Lucca...
Wearing a simple black apron over his clothes...
Completely focused on cooking breakfast.