Tangled in His Obsession

Chapter 466

Back in the living room, Herman was still lost in his own world, disengaged from the animated conversation led by Leandro and the chit-chat centered around Seraphina. He just sat in the corner, lost in thought.

Every time Seraphina caught a glimpse of him, she could hardly suppress a chuckle. Herman, on the other hand, wasn’t in the mood for laughter.

In fact, the thing that Seraphina had brought up had been weighing on his mind for days.

He kept reflecting on whether he had been too harsh that day, to the extent that he might have hurt Andrea’s feelings.

Honestly, considering how he usually treated Andrea, leaving without a word that day wasn’t really out of character for him. But for some reason, ever since he learned that Andrea might be the girl from seven years ago, despite insisting he was over it, he couldn’t help but feel differently whenever he saw her.

That’s why he’d been mulling it over, wondering if he had crossed the line.

Andrea always seemed so nonchalant, but Seraphina mentioned she was upset… How far had he really gone that day?

With this in mind, Herman found himself instinctively reaching for his phone, his thumbs scrolling across the screen as he mentally crafted an apology.

How could he apologize after such a long time? They had agreed to let bygones be bygones and to act like strangers. Wouldn’t it be awkward to message her out of the blue?

After wrestling with his thoughts for a while, Herman finally decided to bite the bullet and call Andrea to come clean, but as he stood up, there she was, walking through the door.

She wore a calm smile as she looked at Seraphina in the midst of everyone; “Sorry, I’m late.”

And Seraphina, who had claimed she’d probably bail at the last minute, beamed, “You’re not late at all, dinner hasn’t even started! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t make it until after seven? You’re actually early!”

Hearing this, Herman shot Seraphina a glare that could kill.

Seraphina turned just in time to catch his look and simply flashed him a small smile before pulling Andrea by the hand.

Herman silently pocketed his phone.

Everyone present was a close friend of Leandro, and they were all familiar with Andrea. Upon seeing her, there was a moment of surprise as they glanced between her, Leandro, and Seraphina, each wearing an expression that seemed to hold back a secret.

“Hey, Andrea, come here,” Valerio said, grabbing her hand with excitement, eager to show her his recent achievements in studies and play.

“Valerio!” Seraphina suddenly called out to him, “Didn’t Uncle Herman give you a model airplane last time? Why don’t you show him how well you’ve put it together?”

“Oh, right!” Valerio replied, releasing Andrea’s hand and asking her to wait at the foot of the stairs before running back to pull Herman along upstairs.

Their ascending figures stood out conspicuously, drawing the eyes of everyone in the room until they disappeared upstairs.

“Something feels off here,” Edgar said, stroking his chin and looking at Seraphina, “What are you up to?”

“You’re overthinking it,” Seraphina leaned into Leandro’s embrace, giving him a glance before saying. “I’m not up to anything. I just want the people I care about to be happy, that’s it.”

With that, Edgar was even more confused, “The people you care about, who would that be?”

Seraphina exchanged a look with Leandro before she replied with a light chuckle, “I’m not telling you.”

“Come on, Leandro,” Edgar turned to him, “Your wife’s being bold, and you’re just letting her?”

Leandro looked up nonchalantly and smiled, “If I don’t let her have her way, should I let you?”

The room erupted into a mix of cheers and laughter…

Seraphina snuggled closer into Leandro’s arms, triumphantly watching Edgar surrender and retreat.

Upstairs in Valerio’s room, the boy was showing Andrea his recent drawings while handing each model to Herman for inspection.

After examining a few models, Herman couldn’t help but glance at Andrea.

She was seated quietly, flipping through Valerio’s sketchbook, occasionally engaging in hushed conversation and laughter with the kid, acting as if Herman was invisible.

Just as Herman felt extremely awkward, Seraphina’s voice calling for Valerio echoed from downstairs. Valerio gave a shout back and dashed out of the room.

10:07

Suddenly alone with Andrea, Herman was caught off guard. Andrea, however, remained composed, putting away Valerio’s sketchbook and proceeding to tidy up his desk.

Herman sat on the bed behind her, silently observing her every move.

When Andrea finished tidying the desk and turned around, Herman was still sitting there, dazed.

She broke the silence first, “Are you done with the models? If you’re finished, I’ll put them away.”

That jolted Herman back to reality. He stood awkwardly and revealed the pile of models he’d been hiding behind.

Andrea then stepped forward to organize them, and Herman, unable to just stand by idly, silently helped her.

The last model, a cruise ship, was on the highest shelf. Andrea tiptoed but couldn’t reach it.

From behind, Herman watched as the hem of her shirt lifted, revealing a sliver of her waist. Snapping back to his senses with a warm flush on his face, he quickly stepped forward to take the model from her hands and effortlessly placed it on the top shelf.

“Thanks,” Andrea said with a casual shrug.

Herman’s voice was unexpectedly raspy, and after a brief pause, he finally managed to say, “I’m sorry.”

Andrea glanced at him, clearly puzzled, “Sorry for what?”

“That day, at the hospital.” Once Herman started, he decided to push through the awkwardness, “I didn’t mean to give you the cold shoulder, and it wasn’t personal.”

Andrea seemed to freeze for a moment before responding, “You gave me the cold shoulder at the hospital? I didn’t notice.”

Herman was speechless.

“I don’t remember it that way,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “So, no worries.”

The air should have cleared with that, but for some reason, Herman felt an even heavier weight on his chest.

It wasn’t until after dinner that Seraphina found a chance to corner Andrea in the kitchen for a private chat.

“So, how did it go?” Seraphina prodded, “What did you two talk about upstairs?”

Andrea gave her a look that read really? and sighed, “So you made that happen? That explains his sudden apology out of the blue.”

“He messed up, shouldn’t he apologize?” Seraphina countered.

Andrea just shrugged, “You know how he feels about the Martins, about me. Why push it?”

“I don’t care about his issues, Seraphina declared. “As long as you’re not upset, that’s what matters.”

Andrea mused for a moment before saying, “I’m not upset.”

Seraphina chuckled softly, “That’s fine.”

They left the kitchen together to find Edgar and the others had already set up a card table and were deep in a game.

Andrea had drawings to finish and had to leave early.

As she was about to exit, Herman appeared from the bathroom and announced to the card players, “Carry on, guys. I’m heading out.”

The group was tight-knit, so they just nodded and let him go.

Herman turned around to see Andrea also getting ready to leave and was momentarily taken aback, “You’re leaving too?”

“Yeah,” Andrea nodded.

“Well…” Before Herman could finish, Seraphina cut in, “No need for you to see her out. I’ve arranged a ride for Andrea.”

“Oh.” Herman acknowledged, then after a short pause, added, “Then I’ll get going.”

He put on his coat, stepped out to his car, started the engine, and through the rear-view mirror, saw Seraphina ushering Andrea into the waiting vehicle.

Andrea’s car pulled away before his, leaving the Reynolds family behind.

Herman watched the car disappear from view, ready to leave himself, when a tap on his window startled him. Turning his head, he saw Seraphina’s mischievous grin..

For reasons he couldn’t fathom, Herman found a frowning Seraphina less intimidating than her smile, which always seemed to hint at some hidden agenda.

“What’s up?” Herman asked, rolling down the window.

*Just seeing you out, saying goodbye,” Seraphina said, “What did you think I wanted?”

Without a word, Herman rolled the window back up and sped away, not looking back.

10:07)

Seraphina waved cheerfully from the mansion’s main entrance, “Bye-bye!”

Back inside, Leandro was entertaining the rest of the group with cards, while Seraphina watched for a bit before heading upstairs.

She had woken up early that day and after the night’s excitement, she tucked Valerio into bed and retreated to her own room.

Planning only to rest her eyes, she soon fell asleep while reading.

The next thing she knew, she was being kissed.

Blinking awake, Seraphina saw Leandro’s intense eyes.

“Mmm…” Her mind was still foggy as she pulled away slightly, “Is everyone gone?”

“Yeah,” Leandro murmured softly before capturing her lips again.

As Seraphina’s mind cleared, she noticed something off.

“Hey, stop it…” she protested weakly, “You’re still healing…”

Leandro’s reply was a soft growl, “I’m fine.”

Seraphina shot him a warning glare. Although he seemed to be alright, his injuries were still healing, and she had insisted on restraint since their last check-up.

But tonight, Leandro seemed to have a surplus of energy. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Seraphina realized she might not be able to resist him this time.