Chapter 39
In the end, Seren didn’t refuse. She simply turned and walked back to her room.
Lennon carried her suitcase inside, then, with impeccable tact, left her alone, quietly closing the door behind him.
The room was spacious, with what looked like a separate sitting area beyond a set of double doors. But Seren was far too exhausted to explore-she collapsed backward onto the bed, arms and legs splayed.
The curtains hadn’t been drawn, so the city’s lights shimmered through the floor- to-ceiling windows. Along the riverbank, neon signs flickered, casting a kaleidoscope of color across the water.
She was staring absentmindedly at the view when her phone suddenly buzzed.
Seren didn’t bother to check the screen before answering.
A deep, commanding male voice rang out from the other end.
“So, you and Sheridan had another fight p>
His tone was cold, the kind of cold that didn’t need to raise its voice to make you feel the weight behind it—an interrogator’s chill, the authority of someone used to having people answer to him.
It took Seren a moment to register who it was.
It was Garry Powers, Sheridan’s father.
Garry was rarely in Riverbend City, always traveling for business. In the three years Seren had known Sheridan, she’d never met Garry in person-just one phone call, ages ago.
She remembered it vividly: Garry’s words had been sharp, his presence oppressive even through the receiver. The entire conversation, she’d felt like she was standing trial.
His voice was like a judge’s gavel, relentless and booming. He spoke to her as if she were a suspect, not his son’s girlfriend.
One line from that call still echoed in her mind:
“I don’t know why you’re with my son, but if it’s just for our family’s money, I suggest you leave now p>
It had stung. Her pride had never fully recovered. She’d tried to defend herself at the time, but afterward, she felt only humiliation. If money was what she wanted, she could earn it herself-she didn’t need Sheridan for that.
After that call, they’d never spoken again. Garry had faded into the background of her life, almost forgotten.
She never expected he’d call her now.
It must have been Diana Yates who gave him her number-Diana always had a hand in these things. Seren herself didn’t have Garry’s number;” that first conversation had been on the phone at The Golden Age.
Seren had assumed that, hearing Garry’s voice again, she’d shrink back into her
old self-anxious, tiptoeing around his temper, desperate not to upset him.
But she didn’t.
Maybe it was because she’d finally left Sheridan. The shame that used to haunt
her now seemed trivial, like a bad dream she’d woken from.
Facing Garry’s aggression, her heart was steady, her mind clear.
She wasn’t his subordinate. They weren’t family. What right did he have to interrogate her?
And besides, when it came to leaving The Golden Age, it was the Powers family-
and Sheridan-who were in the wrong, not her.
So when Seren spoke, her tone was cool and calm.
“Mr. Powers, I didn’t have a fight with Sheridan. We broke up. I’d
de her and stop causing me
appreciate it if you could recognize
the difference and stop causing me unnecessary trouble p>
“That’s how you speak to your elders p>
Garry’s voice, already icy, now carried an edge of anger.
Seren’s reply was unflinching.
“I was never married to Sheridan. We weren’t even engaged. Now we’ve broken up so, while you may be his father, you’re not my family and you don’t get to pull rank with me p>
On the other end, Garry was practically seething.
“Seren! Are you blaming us for never giving you a proper place in the family p>
His words thundered through the phone, but Seren felt nothing but a cold, bitter amusement.
Of course he was angry—she’d said what he couldn’t bear to admit.
They knew, deep down, that what they’d done was wrong. They just didn’t want to face it.
Looking back now, with everything so clear, she wondered how she’d ever let herself be cowed by these people.