[07 - The Unseen Threads]

Ethan lay in his hospital bed, a dull ache throbbing through his body. A team of doctors had just left after a brief physical examination and a check on his vitals. He was told that he would need to stay at the hospital for a week and then undergo physiotherapy to recover his mobility. It was annoying but the physio doctor they had assigned to him was quite hot.

Maybe he would be able to have some fun during those sessions. Ethan's face lit up with a smirk thinking of making his physiotherapy sessions a bit more interesting. It was then that the door creaked open, and his family members along with the Sullivan family began to file in, their expressions a mixture of concern and annoyance.

But it was his father and elder brother's glaring eyes that caused his smirk to falter as he grew nervous, "Now that you are okay, I want to know just what were you thinking?!" exclaimed Marcus, his voice cold and authoritative.

"Dad -" 

"What you did was extremely reckless. Do you realize how much dangerous it is? You could have lost your life!"

Unable to meet his father's stern gaze, Ethan simply nodded in response and apologized, "I am sorry Dad. I didn't think -"

"No, you didn't." Marcus interrupted, "And that's the problem."

"You are not a child anymore, Ethan." added Elijah, "You need to start acting like an adult." admonished Elijah. He knows how scary and stressful the past few days have been for their family. Ethan was reckless, he put himself in danger and that was not acceptable.

"I am sorry." Ethan apologized, "I promise I won't do this again."

Caroline moved to Ethan's bedside, her face soft with concern, "I'm just glad you're okay." she said, her hand gently brushing his.

Ethan knew that Caroline had feelings for him and she considered herself his girlfriend but for Ethan, their relationship was only physical.

Katherine smiled seeing Caroline's concern for Ethan. She leaned in with a mischievous smile and said, "Well, now we have three reasons to celebrate. Caroline's birthday, Ethan's recovery, and their engagement."

Caroline blushed thinking about her engagement whereas Ethan was confused, "Engagement?" he looked up at his parents for an answer.

Marcus let out a sigh while Katherine happily explained to him, "Yes," she caressed his bandaged forehead lightly, "we have decided to hold an engagement party for the two of you on Caroline's birthday next month."

Ethan's eyes widened in protest, but before he could voice his objections, Marcus silenced him with a glare. The others seemed to think nothing of it, but William's mood turned noticeably serious. 

William noticed how Ethan reacted to the news of his engagement with Caroline but he said nothing because he knew that Ethan's protests would mean nothing against this alliance. Marcus would not cancel this engagement and would not let anyone else break this alliance as well.

Ethan would marry Caroline, that was definitive but what concerned William was how Caroline's life would be after getting married to Ethan. William made a mental point to talk to Marcus later about this.

After a few minutes, everybody began to disperse except Marcus who chose to stay behind.

"Dad!" Ethan hissed, "What the hell was that? Engagement? You know my relationship with Caroline is not like that. Why did -"

Marcus raised his hand to gesture to Ethan to stop speaking, "You will go through this engagement, Ethan. You have to get married to Caroline."

Ethan narrowed his eyes and protested, "I don't want to be tied down to a single woman, Dad. You know that!"

Marcus's expression softened slightly, though his tone remained serious, "Ethan, we all have to make little sacrifices for the greater and better things in life. This alliance is once such sacrifice that you have to make for our business."

"Why me?" questioned Ethan, "Get her married to Elijah then." he scoffed.

Marcus rolled his eyes and placed his hand on Ethan's shoulder, "Caroline likes you, she won't marry Elijah for any reason." 

Leaning in, Marcus continued, "Ethan, listen to me. This alliance is crucial for our business. You have to get married to Caroline and that is final."

"But I don't want this Dad." Ethan slammed his hand against his bed to express his anger.

"Tch." Marcus's voice turned low and conspiratorial as he said, "Listen, all you need to do is marry Caroline. I am not stopping you from having your fun on the side. You can still seek pleasure elsewhere. This is just a formality."

"But -"

Marcus squeezed Ethan's shoulder lightly, "You can keep any woman you want Ethan, but you have to marry Caroline."

After a moment of hesitation, Ethan sighed and nodded, "Fine. I will do it!"

Satisfied with his response, Marcus patted his son's shoulder with a smile curving on his lips. Marcus then walked out of the room to let Ethan rest. He was on his way to the hospital cafeteria to grab a cup of coffee when his cell phone rang.

It was his friend and business partner, Daniel Thomson, "Hello, Daniel." greeted Marcus as he answered the call.

"Why is it that I found out about Ethan's accident from a news anchor instead of my friend?" complained Daniel making Marcus smile a little.

"You're on vacation with your family Daniel. I did not want to cause any disturbance." replied Marcus only to get scolded by his friend.

"You are an idiot. We will have a lengthy discussion about it later, face to face, when I will be back. But for now, tell me, how is he?" Daniel's voice was filled with genuine concern.

"He's fine now, just a minor setback. He'll be back on his feet soon." Marcus replied, his tone brisk. He explained to Daniel briefly about Ethan's accident.

"Good to hear that Ethan's doing fine. We'll be returning home from our vacation next week. And Marcus," Daniel paused for a few seconds.

"Hhmm?"

"Don't worry, we'll find the other driver soon." Daniel assured Marcus who felt a little more at ease after the call. Unaware that this was one of the small signs that implied that a massive storm was coming.

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Across the city, at The Seraphina Atelier, Seraphina was in her cabin going through the multiple rough sketches that she had drawn for her client's red carpet event gown when her cell phone rang.

A sweet, genuine smile curved upon her lips seeing the caller ID, and she immediately pressed the green icon on the screen to answer the call, "Hey, bro! What's up!" she leaned back on her chair as he talked to the other person on the phone.

"Yes, I know." she responded to what the other person had said, "Don't worry about it. I know what to do."

Her voice turned a little cold and calculative as she replied, "I don't need to go to Elijah. he will come to me on his own."

The other person argued against Seraphina's plan but she was adamant and absolutely sure that her plan would work.

"Believe me he will. I will create such circumstances that he will have no other choice than to do what I want him to do. Everything that I have planned will lead him right to my doorstep. You need not to worry about anything." smiled Seraphina.

She had spent years planning for this. Putting everything aside, Seraphina had spent the most crucial years of her life researching, planning, and plotting for her revenge. After years of research, she was aware of her enemies' thought processes, she knew how they operated, and she knew what needed to be done to achieve each of her goals while aiming for her ultimate revenge.

"I know you are concerned." she said softly to the person she was talking to, "I promise I will not do something that will put me in mortal danger. Trust me, okay."

"Okay, then. Bye." she hung up the phone and turned to the window, a small smile playing on her lips. Everything was falling into place. The web was set awaiting the arrival of the fly.

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The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Later that evening, Elijah decided to visit The Seraphina Atelier to pick Chloe up. Dressed in a pair of jeans, a white round-neck t-shirt, and a navy blue blazer over it, Elijah waited outside the company premises.

When Chloe did not emerge after half an hour, while the office hours were clearly over, Elijah decided to go inside to check if Chloe was still there or if she had already left.

He walked over to the reception area and introduced himself, "Hello, I am here for Chloe Grayson. I am her brother, Elijah. I was wondering if she is still in there."

The receptionist did not reveal any information about Chloe. Instead, she called for Chloe through the landline and confirmed it with her first before smiling at him politely and handing him a visitor badge.

"Mr. Grayson, Miss Chloe is in a training session with our lead designer. Sam will take you to her." said the receptionist while pointing at the well-built security guard

Elijah followed Sam through the bustling design floor, his eyes taking in the vibrant creativity that filled the space. They reached a large room where Chloe and the other interns were gathered around a stunning woman, most probably the lead designer the receptionist was talking about, who was demonstrating different draping techniques.

Seraphina moved gracefully, her hands skillfully manipulating the fabric as she explained to the interns each technique. She was in the middle of explaining a complex drape when her heel got stuck in the fabric on the floor causing her to stumble.

She stumbled, and before she could fall, Elijah was there, catching her in his arms. Their eyes locked, and for a moment, the world around them seemed to fade away. Elijah felt a strange sense of familiarity, a nagging feeling that he had seen those eyes before.

"Careful there" he said, his voice low and steady. 

Seraphina could not move her eyes away from the man's face. She had her arms around his neck for support and was tilted in an awkward position but for some reason, she was too captivated by those deep blue eyes to care about anything else.

She had planned for about five different ways that she would be meeting with Elijah. This was not how it was supposed to happen. Nonetheless, Seraphina knew how to adapt quickly.

If this is how she was fated to greet the biggest pawn of her game, then that's it.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Seraphina's expressions softened. She stared back at Elijah with wide, bright eyes that sparkled with bashfulness. A trick that she had mastered over the years.

Her hold around his neck tightened as she responded shyly, "Thank you."

Elijah pulled her up and helped her stand on her feet, his hands lingering on her arms for a moment longer than necessary. "You're welcome. Are you alright?"

"Yes, just a bit embarrassed though." Seraphina replied with a small smile. That sweet smile and the pink color of her cheeks made her look even more beautiful than she was.

"Thank you once again, Mr.?" asked Seraphina even though she knew who he was.

"Elijah." it was Chloe who answered, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to pick you up." smiled Elijah while stepping closer to his sister.

"Oh." Chloe nodded, "Seraphina, this is my elder brother, Elijah Grayson. And Elijah, this is my boss, Seraphina Vale."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Vale." smiled Elijah as she extended her hand toward Seraphina.

"Pleasure to meet you." responded Seraphina with a smile of her own as she shook Elijah's hand.