A Warm Marriage After Rebirth

"I’m here to remind you that he is the young master of the Hale Family of Aethelgard. The Hale Consortium is the crème de la crème of elite families, holding a pivotal position in the business world. The only women who can marry into the Hale Family must be their social equals! True-blue socialites! You’re just a girl from a common family in the middle of nowhere. You’re destined to never get a foot in the Hale Family’s door!"

Terrence Grant had found a convenient justification for his behavior. Seraphina Sterling was his student, after all. As her teacher, he couldn’t just stand by and watch her walk into disaster, could he? He had to give her the warning she needed!

Seraphina Sterling’s lips curved into a sarcastic smile. "Thank you so much, Teacher Grant, for coming all this way at night just to remind me. Rest assured, Teacher, this ordinary girl from the middle of nowhere has no interest in marrying into a wealthy family! Not the Hale Family, not any other family! Because I, Seraphina Sterling, will build a powerful family with my own two hands. Compared to marrying into one, I’d much rather enjoy the process of creating one!"

Terrence Grant froze. ’Build a powerful family?’ Such a bold declaration was something you’d expect to hear from a man; he never imagined it would come from a little girl!

"Can you let go now?" An ache shot through her. With her arms and legs still pinned by Terrence Grant, Seraphina couldn’t help but prompt him.

Terrence Grant looked down at his hand gripping her collar. Perhaps he was using too much force, or perhaps Seraphina’s pajamas were just flimsy. A tantalizing bit of skin was exposed to the air. Terrence Grant sucked in a sharp breath. His brain seemed to shut down as he stared, unblinking. ’It’s probably a perfect handful.’

The ever-placid Seraphina finally snapped. Showing no mercy, she stomped hard on his foot! She was practically gritting her teeth. "If you don’t want those eyes anymore, I’d be happy to help you get rid of them!"

"Hmph! I’ve said it before, a scrawny, unripe thing like you isn’t my type! Don’t flatter yourself!" Terrence Grant turned his head, wiggling his stomped-on foot. "Your pajamas are just cheap. It was an accident! I wouldn’t even look if you begged me to!"

Seraphina repeatedly told herself not to stoop to the level of someone so unhinged. "I have something very important tomorrow. The window is behind you."

Terrence Grant’s sharp eyes narrowed. "Neither Felix Gallagher nor Justin Hale are as simple as they seem. You’d better watch yourself and not get in over your head. Don’t expect me to come and save you when things go south!"

"Shut the window on your way out, thanks!" Seraphina climbed straight into bed, completely and utterly ignoring the oh-so-present Mr. Grant.

Of course, she knew neither of them was a pushover. But she had no other choice.

Terrence Grant left the way he came. As he gazed up at the fourth-floor window, he mulled over her words. ’Create a powerful family, hmm?’

’To create, one must first destroy!’

Seraphina was actually grateful for Terrence Grant’s chaotic intrusion. It had drained her of the energy to overthink, allowing her to get a good night’s sleep. She would need to be fully rested to concentrate on the battle ahead.

「Dawn broke, right on schedule.」

Following behind Felix Gallagher, Seraphina Sterling finally ascended to the second floor. This was the world of high-stakes gambling, populated only by well-capitalized jewelers and influential stone-gambling players. A nobody like Seraphina would normally never have been qualified to set foot here.

Seraphina’s gaze swept across the crowd. ’Her high-profile display yesterday hadn’t been in vain. It had finally gotten Felix Gallagher to recommend her for the upper floor, giving her a chance to access higher-grade stones! This was her one shot, and she absolutely would not miss it!’

Seraphina stood quietly beside Felix Gallagher, watching as Justin Hale, clad in a suit, slowly approached.