A Warm Marriage After Rebirth

"Seraphina Sterling, you’re the one who framed my dad! Shouldn’t you be locked up in there? Why are you out here?" Willow Hale had wanted to savor the sight of Seraphina Sterling in a bind at the police station, but who would have thought she’d just be in and out so quickly!

"Willow Hale, since we’re classmates, let me give you a piece of advice. Don’t go around making accusations without proof. You know what they say—disaster comes from an unguarded mouth. Philip Hale is already under investigation, which just leaves you and your mother in the Hale family. You don’t want to end up at the police station for a family reunion with your father, do you? Any unsubstantiated slander in a public setting can be considered defamation!"

In contrast to Willow Hale’s frantic rage, Seraphina Sterling was far more composed. Paired with the gentle, warm smile that never left her face, no one could find any fault with her. This time, even Jenna Hanson, who had been observing Seraphina from the sidelines, couldn’t spot a single flaw in her conduct.

"Seraphina Sterling—" Willow Hale let out a low growl, filled with a loathing that came from the very depths of her heart. However, having been bested by Seraphina so many times, a subconscious fear of her had already taken root.

At this moment, hearing Seraphina’s words, she grew worried that the threat might actually come true. Other than expressing her fury with her eyes, she didn’t dare make another move.

Seraphina Sterling was quite pleased that Willow Hale knew when to back down. She turned to the mild-mannered, gentlemanly Justin Hale. "It seems Mr. Hale’s family tutoring is quite effective. It hasn’t even been a day, and we’re already seeing results. However, you’ll need to keep up the good work, Mr. Hale. This habit of barking wildly at people still needs a bit of correcting."

Willow Hale clenched her fists tightly. ’Did Seraphina Sterling just call me a dog? Me, the proud daughter of the Hale family, being cursed at like this! I’ll get her back for this one day! I swear it!’

"I seem to have misjudged you, Miss Sterling. I never thought you’d have the means to get close to Mr. Grant!" Justin Hale shot a glance at Terrence Grant. Mr. Grant of Aethelgard, the Grant family’s Demon King of Chaos. Arrogant, wild, and utterly reckless, he never played by the rules. Many scions of prominent families followed his lead. A saying circulated among Aethelgard’s elite: you’d rather offend the head of the Grant family than their second son.

If you offended the head of the Grant family, you might have a chance to make amends. At the end of the day, the Family Head had to weigh the pros and cons and consider the consequences. But if you offended Terrence Grant, you could only wait for his insane retaliation. He acted purely on impulse, separated from a true madman by only the thinnest of lines.

’It was just that in the past year, Terrence Grant’s name had been mentioned less and less, and Aethelgard’s flock of wealthy heirs had quieted down. Rumor had it that the Grant family’s Demon King of Chaos had started to take over the family business. I can’t believe those rumors were actually true.’

"Justin Hale, we’ve always minded our own business, you and I. But then you go and get my student thrown in the police station, forcing me to waste my precious beauty sleep to come down here and bail her out. So tell me, how exactly should I settle this score with you?"

Terrence Grant’s words were the very definition of arrogance, his Demon King of Chaos personality on full display. Even outside of Aethelgard, Terrence Grant was as brazen and unrestrained as ever.

Justin Hale offered a faint smile, as gentle as a spring breeze, making every woman in the room blush. Only Seraphina Sterling knew what cruelty and ugliness lay hidden behind that gentlemanly facade.

"Mr. Grant, it’s all a misunderstanding. This business with Miss Sterling has nothing to do with me. I only heard Willow mention it."

"Oh? If it’s a misunderstanding, then you’d better remember this clearly: Seraphina Sterling is my student. Don’t try any of your dirty little tricks on my people. Otherwise, if I get unhappy... well, don’t blame me for whatever you might lose."

Terrence Grant didn’t press the issue further, but with that single, overbearing statement, he had taken Seraphina Sterling under his protection. If Justin Hale still wanted revenge, he would have to seriously consider whether he could withstand whatever Terrence Grant might do to him.

"Don’t worry, Mr. Grant. I’m a very busy man. Trivial matters like this aren’t worth my time and energy." No one likes being threatened, least of all someone like Justin Hale, a powerful young master from Aethelgard who was used to getting anything he wanted.

Seraphina was taken aback by Terrence Grant’s actions, but she wasn’t foolish enough to refuse his protection. As things stood, the gap in power between her and Justin Hale was as vast as that between the heavens and the earth. She absolutely could not afford to confront him directly.

"In that case, I assume my mother is at home, safe and sound, waiting for me to get back?" Seraphina’s soft voice struck like a nail, driving instantly into Justin Hale’s heart.

’She knew Kimberly Jennings was with him? He hadn’t planned on doing anything to Kimberly; he just wanted to teach Seraphina a lesson and make her experience firsthand the consequences of crossing him. Who would have thought she’d be able to guess even that? Is she really just a seventeen-year-old high school student?’

Justin Hale studied Seraphina Sterling, trying to discern what was truly going on in her mind.

The curve of Seraphina’s smile never faltered as she calmly endured his brazen scrutiny. The adorable dimples on her cheeks were as captivating as ever; the only thing absent was any trace of fear or unease.

Justin Hale suddenly realized he couldn’t see through Seraphina Sterling at all.

He concealed his surprise, his gaze deepening as he summoned a gentle smile. "But of course."

And with that, the farce was over. Not wanting any further complications, Justin Hale took the contract and walked into the police station.