Tangled in His Obsession

Chatper 408

Chapter 408

Bowen gave a low chuckle, deeply inhaling from his cigar, before slowly exhaling the smoke andturning to look at Leandro. “Seraphina must be swamped today, isn’t she? I suppose that would makeMt. Reynolds even busier, hmm?”

Someone nearby offered Leandro a cigar, which he promptly refused with a raise of his hand. o busy.After all, not everything requires a hands-on approach”

then did he turn to look at Bowen. “I wouldn’t say I’m particularly

At this, Bowen slowly nodded, maintaining his lighthearted demeanor. He appeared relaxed, and yetthere was a certain caution in his eyes that never quite

matched his smile.

Leandro, on the other hand, seemed to barely acknowledge Bowen, his attention mostly centered onSeraphina, occasionally glancing over to watch her sip her wine or nibble at her food.

As the host of the dinner, Hanley couldn’t let this tension persist, so he quickly lifted his wine glass andwalked over to Bowen, getting him a glass of wine. “Bowen, why don’t you and Leandro have a drinktogether? You’re both men of action, there’s ho need to cling to those old grudges.”

Upon hearing this, Bowen indeed lifted his glass in Leandro’s direction. “Mr. Reynolds, let’s leave thepast in the past. The future is uncertain, so let’s just take care of each other, shall we?”

Seraphina gave Bowen a look, noting his lazy posture. His words seemed harmless at first, but sheknew better. This wasn’t him backing down; it was a challenge.

“Leandro, time to pick up your glass, have a drink.” Hanley quickly moved to Leandro’s side,determined to play the peacemaker.

Leandro, ever respectful of his elders, accepted the glass from Hanley. “I have no hard feelings on myside,” Leandro slowly said, glancing at Seraphina. “After all, I’ve gotten everything I wanted. But Iwonder if you truly believe you can move past our history, Mr. Smith?”

Bowen laughed lightly, responding, “Let’s leave the past in the past, and focus on the future.”

Leandro raised an eyebrow, saying, “Fair enough.”

Seraphina let out a small snort of laughter. “All this talk about the past and the future, it’s all soethereal. I don’t know what you two are planning, but thankfully, I’m just a simple woman, and it’s notmy place to interfere.”

“A simple woman?” The woman sitting next to Hanley chimed in. “How many women in the world areas fortunate as Mrs. Reynolds? Mr. Reynolds is so accomplished and adoring, it’s almost too much toenvy!”

Seraphina sighed. “A woman’s happiness isn’t determined by the man at her side, but rather whethershe has her own life plans and joys.”

With that, Seraphina pretended to be drunk and reached into her purse for a tissue, accidentally pullingout a brightly colored ticket that fluttered down to Bowen’s

feet.

Bowen picked it up and read it, his gaze hardening at the words printed there. “A cruise ticket? So youwere at the airport this morning to go here, Sera?”

“Oh, dear, you’ve found me out,” Seraphina laughed, covering her mouth. “I’ve never been good atlying. Just a few minutes and I’m already exposed. But for some people, they can keep a lie for over adecade and nobody would know!”

Leandro said, “Usually, those who can keep a lie for that long have deceived themselves as well.”

“But if a man lies to a woman about loving her, and keeps up that lie for over a decade, does he trulylove her, or does he just think he loves her?”

Leandro looked at Seraphina, replying, “It’s a hypothetical question, I can’t answer that.”

“Boring.” Seraphina huffed, turning to Bowen. “What about you, Bowen?”

Bowen, his eyes dark, responded with a wry smile. “Considering the nature of the question, Sera, Iimagine you already have your answer in mind. Does mine really matter?”

“I’m just posing a hypothetical question about the dynamics of a relationship, Seraphina said. “But youmen, always so guilty. That’s why I say we women should never rely on men. When given the chance,we should break free from all confines, even if it means crossing oceans and living abroad. It’s a wholenew world out there!”

With that, Seraphina raised her glass to Bowen, then downed the remaining wine in a single gulp.

Bowen took a sip of his own wine, his eyes darkening further.

Leandro seemed nonchalant, brushing hair off of the dainty shoulders of Seraphina, casually asking,“So, you really think that way?”

“I sure do.” Seraphina replied, “Go ahead and see. If you ever cross me, I’ll be gone in a heartbeat,vanishing to the ends of the earth. You’ll never see me again in this lifetime!”novelbin

As her statement hung in the air, Bowen, seated nearby, had already pushed back his chair and risento his feet. His eyes dashed over Leandro and Seraphina, his deep voice echoing, “Apologies, but Ihave a phone call to make. Please, continue without me.”

Bowen, cell phone in hand, turned around and promptly exited the private dining room.

Shrugging, Seraphina then shifted her attention back to Leandro, a playful smile painted on her lips.Leandro reached out, gently cleaning an almost imperceptible wine stain from the corner of her mouth.This small, intimate gesture elicited a wave of envious glances from around the room.

As Bowen stepped out of the private room, he made several calls, his expression growing increasingly

“What do you mean you can’t check?” he snapped into the phone. “I don’t care how many thousands ofpeople leave the country every day. I want you to check them all! Find her, no matter what it takes!”

Such a task was impossible, but the person on the other end of the call didn’t dare argue and quicklyagreed.

Hanging up the phone, Bowen found himself standing at the end of the hallway by the window, lightingup another cigarette to calm his nerves.

The flame from the lighter flickered, casting a shadow across his troubled face.

Seraphina stepped out from the private dining room, catching sight of Bowen’s lone figure by thewindow. Despite his stoic demeanor, she could sense an undercurrent of melancholy.

Step 408

Regrettably, he was one man she could never forgive in this lifetime.

“Bowen, you sure have a temper,” Seraphina approached him slowly, her laughter filled with sarcasm.“I could hear your rage all the way from the dining room.”

Only then did Bowen turn to look at her. He decided to cut to the chase. “Where’s Sandra?”

11

“At this very moment, she’s out at sea,” Seraphina replied truthfully. “As to where she’ll be in the future,I’m not certain.”

Bowen scoffed at her answer, clearly not buying it. After a moment of silence, he finally asked, “Do youreally think this is what’s best for her?”

“Anything would be better than being with you,” Seraphina retorted. “Without you, she will have betterdays ahead.”

Bowen took a couple of drags from his cigarette before looking at her again. “Do you all really believethat this is revenge against me?”

,”Revenge or not, I wouldn’t know,” Seraphina shrugged. “All I know is that the person who’s alcoholicand chain-smoking, losing his temper and suffering from

sleepless nights won’t be me.”