Chapter 54

　　Serena

　　In the middle of the heartfelt conversation, one of Roman's men arrived with Alexei trailing behind. Seeing him, I couldn’t help but feel angry.

　　I stormed over to Alexei, frustration bubbling within me like a raging typhoon. My eyes demanded answers, but his nonchalant smirk only fueled the fire.

　　"Where the hell have you been?" I demanded, my voice sharper than intended.

　　Alexei shrugged, that infuriating smirk never leaving his face. "I don't really feel like talking about it."

　　My temper flared. How could he smirk like that when everything was falling apart around us?

　　"We don't have the luxury of your silence right now, Alexei. I need to know where you've been. Did you even have a single clue about what we had been through? We’ve been through hell! And now you’re—”

　　“Well, I’ve been through hell too!” he retorted. I could see how desperate he was in suppressing his anger. “Please, just leave me alone. I can’t deal with this now.”