Chapter 12
1425words
"Serafina," his tone was steady, as if there had never been corpses, betrayal, and hatred between them, "why have you come back? To admire my victory?"
Serafina walked to his side, her gaze passing over him to the web of countless lights that formed the city below. "I've come to concede defeat, Julian," her voice was as calm as a dead pond, without a single ripple, "you've won, you've taken everything from me, and now you hold what can completely destroy me."
He clearly enjoyed her current "vulnerability," the corners of his mouth curving into a satisfied smile. "I'm glad you've finally accepted reality."
"Before I leave New York, I'd like you to host a final farewell dinner for me, right here," Serafina pointed to the splendid venue beneath their feet, "to bring a dignified conclusion to everything between us. Afterward, I will disappear from your world forever."
Julian's eyes gleamed with calculation, likely assessing how much prestige this "surrender ceremony" would bring him. An ex-wife thoroughly defeated by him yet still unable to let go—undoubtedly the perfect script to showcase his irresistible charm. He gladly agreed. "Of course, darling. I'll throw you the grandest dinner in all of New York, so everyone can see how you bid farewell to your past."
He thought it would be Serafina's farewell, but little did he know, it would be the funeral prelude played for him.
After leaving the "Paradise Tower," Serafina immediately contacted Logan. On the screen of his command center, her revenge list was being illuminated one by one. The first was Bernard Rand, once a powerful real estate tycoon who had been forced into bankruptcy by Julian through hostile takeovers and fraudulent lawsuits, now living in a small apartment in New Jersey. When Logan relayed her message to him, there was a long silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a trembling "I'm in."
Next are Sterling and Scarlett, Julian's children whom he views as mere tools. Sterling was stripped of his inheritance and forced out of the company; Scarlett lives under the shadow of her father's manipulation and emotional abuse. Serafina met with them personally in an unremarkable café, where she saw in their eyes the familiar fear and hatred toward Julian. "Your father is preparing to host a farewell dinner for me," she told them, "but that's not the main event—you are. You have a chance to take back everything that belongs to you and make him pay for what he's done."
Sterling's fist clenched tightly under the table, while Scarlett raised her head, showing flames of defiance in her eyes for the first time. "What do we need to do?"
Fractures within the elite circle had long existed. Julian's autocratic behavior and boundless greed had caused many old-guard members to grow dissatisfied. Logan, using his pervasive network technology, secretly sent recordings of Julian mocking and betraying other members to the encrypted mailboxes of several key figures. Without Serafina having to say much, the seeds of hatred immediately took root. An "Avengers Alliance" composed of people who had been hurt, betrayed, and abandoned by him thus quietly took shape.
The puzzle pieces of the storm were now complete, except for the final piece—also the most twisted one—Elena Vance. Serafina arranged their meeting place on the 47th floor of Paradise Tower, the spot where Anja had fallen.
When Serafina arrived, Elena was already there. She appeared restless, as if every inch of air here was burning her nerves. She dared not look outside the window, as if the night sky would devour her.
"Why did you ask me to come here?" her voice was hoarse, filled with fear.
Serafina didn't answer, she just walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, her fingertips gently sliding across the cold glass, where Anja's final breath seemed to still linger. "You know, Elena, Anja loved to paint. She painted the night view from here, she said looking down from here, all of New York looked like an upside-down starry sky."
"Stop it..." Elena closed her eyes in pain.
Serafina turned around, staring directly at her trembling body. "You thought by committing perjury, you were protecting your daughter, allowing her to enter the 'Pioneer Academy', to have a bright future, right?"
She seemed to have her thoughts exposed, abruptly opening her eyes with a gaze full of defensive aggression. "Everything I did was for her!"
"Everything Julian promised you was a lie. He gave that spot to Cassandra's daughter, your daughter will get nothing," Serafina calmly stated the facts, then dropped her final bomb, "Just like me, I also thought I could protect my daughter, but in the end I was left with nothing."
Elena's face was filled with confusion. "Your... daughter?"
"Anya Petrova," when Serafina spoke this name, her heart was painfully clenched, but she forced herself to maintain a steady tone, "She was the child I gave birth to when I was sixteen, and I was forced by my family to give her away. I searched for her for many years, until I finally found her in New York, but before I could tell her the truth, she jumped from here..." Her voice inevitably carried a slight tremor in the last few words.
This truth struck like lightning, breaking through Elena's last psychological defense. The color drained instantly from her face, her body swayed, and she finally slid helplessly down the wall to sit on the ground. She looked up at Serafina in disbelief, her lips moving, yet unable to produce any sound. Everything she had done, what she thought was a "sacrifice," turned out to be helping the perpetrator, concealing the truth of another mother losing her daughter.
Serafina took out a map from her handbag, walked up to her, and placed it on the cold floor. "This is the route to the nearest police station," her voice was cold without a trace of warmth, "Julian won't protect you; he'll only use you and then throw you away like garbage. This is your only chance to redeem yourself, for your daughter, and for yourself."
"The choice is in your hands, Elena. But remember, some doors, once closed, can never be opened again." She paused, looking at the brilliant night view outside the window, "Even if I die, this revenge will not end. The Vanderbilt family never fights alone; there will always be someone to continue the unfinished business."
Serafina left these words, turned around and departed, without giving her another glance. In the space behind her, only the sound of uncontrollable, completely broken sobs remained.
The night of the banquet finally arrived. The top-floor ballroom of the "Paradise Tower" was brilliantly lit, filled with elegantly dressed guests. New York's most powerful people gathered here, holding champagne glasses, exchanging insincere smiles with one another, congratulating Julian on yet another "victory," while casting sympathetic or contemptuous glances at Serafina. Julian stood at the center of the crowd, basking in his success, enjoying everything that came with being the star of the evening.
Serafina wore a scarlet backless gown, like a burning flame, as she slowly descended the spiral staircase. All eyes were drawn to her, including Julian's. He walked toward her, his eyes revealing undisguised possessiveness, as if she were still one of his trophies.
He took her hand and whispered in her ear: "Darling, you look absolutely stunning tonight. Are you ready to say goodbye to everyone?"
Serafina gave him a radiant smile, an expression she had rehearsed countless times. "Yes, Julian," she looked into his eyes and said each word deliberately, "A farewell that everyone will never forget. A grand trial is about to begin."
Before he could comprehend the meaning of her words, Serafina raised her hand and made a gentle pressing gesture toward Logan, who was hidden in the corner.
All the massive screens in the banquet hall, which had been playing promotional videos of Julian's Business Empire on loop, suddenly switched images at that moment. The first to appear was the empty concrete hole that had been chiseled open at pile No. 7 in Zone A. Immediately after, Julian's furious roar echoed from a phone recording: "Where is the body?!"
