The Heiress's Revenge - A Bloody Affair - Chapter 47

[47 – A New Beginning or The Beginning of an End]
Present Time

Seraphina’s Mansion

“Oh my God!” Elijah’s face was the perfect representation of the combination of surprise and shock after he was finally able to recall the details of his first ever meeting with Seraphina.

Seraphina chuckled at his reaction and threw the small packet of ketchup at him snapping him out of his exaggerated shock, “You look so funny!” she commented.

“That was you?” Elijah asked wanting Seraphina to confirm that it was indeed her, the artist whom he had met 4 years ago in a another country.

Seraphina nodded positively, “It was me.” she replied while slurping on her carbonated drink after finishing the delicious Chinese food that they had ordered.

Elijah was still not out of the shock, “You are the artist who painted The Crimson Vow, The Sabine Women’s Retribution, Draupadi’s Oath and all those paintings that I ended up collecting over the span of 4 years?”

Now, it was Seraphina’s turn to be shocked; pretend to be in shock, to be precise, “You purchased all of those paintings?” she asked, making sure that her tone reflected the emotions of shock and surprise.

“You did not know?” asked Elijah because he knew that the artists are directly informed about the person who purchased their paintings. So he wondered aloud how Seraphina did not know about it.

Seraphina knew what was going inside Elijah’s mind, she had the perfect response to that, “Well, it was my secretary who handled everything. She did inform me that all of my paintings in that collection had been sold and also gave me the details of the person who bought them but I just never looked.”

Elijah’s gaze narrowed while Seraphina continued, “In my defense, I am more of a fashion designer than a painter. That was the first among the four exhibitions that have showcased my work. Painting is just a hobby so I did not pay much attention to the details.”

“My first priority has always been fashion designing!” she spoke with her hands raised up in surrender.

Elijah shook his head, a hint of smile curving upon his lips. He still could not believe that he actually met and then forgot about Seraphina. How was this possible, he did not know because according to him. Seraphina was unforgettable – a stunning woman who was now imprinted upon his soul and held onto a big piece of his heart.

“But seriously, okay, just tell me honestly.” Elijah fumbled while trying to make a coherent sentence because he was still not over the initial shock, “You are the one who painted all those revenge themed paintings that I own?”

“Yes.” Seraphina replied with a teasing smile on her face.

“You were the woman in red who spent over thirty minutes explaining to me the details of each and every painting, the only person except for the gallery owner who I had a conversation with that night?” asked Elijah.

“I am not sure about the latter part but yeah, I am the same woman, Elijah.” she explained, her tone had hints of frustration, “Now, stop it, okay! Didn’t you just say that the past doesn’t matter and everything else about living in the present?”

“I did.” Elijah admitted, “But, this, this is unacceptable! How did I not remember you?” he questioned.

Seraphina rolled her eyes, “Maybe you had amnesia? Short term memory loss? Don’t tell me that you got into an accident while going back.” she teased, her tone laced with hints of mischief.

Elijah stared at her with an unimpressed look, “Ha ha ha! Very funny!”

“It is funny!” she commented while giggling, “I mean, just get over it already. May be that was not the time for us to meet, for us to become friends, and -” she abruptly and deliberately stopped mid sentence to see how Elijah would react to it and what would he say to complete the sentence.

“And?” as expected Elijah’s demeanor shifted, the shock washed off him giving way to the feelings of delight and mischief, “And, what, Sera?” he wanted to know how would Seraphina react to this so as to try and comprehend if she was interested in him romantically just as he was in her.

Seraphina lowered her eyes, a shy smile curving upon her lips and the soft, pink color of blush on her cheeks deepening to a bright and vibrant red. She hesitated for a moment, acting shy while gathering her thoughts before she spoke softly, in a low voice that almost felt like a whisper, “And,”

“And?” Elijah repeated, urging her to continue.

“And, may be something more?” Seraphina whispered, her eyes boring into Elijah’s as if could see through his soul.

Elijah’s heart skipped a beat as her words started ringing in his ears. He forgot to breathe momentarily as he stared at Seraphina intently. Slowly, he reached out, his hand gently touching hers, their fingers entwining as he continued to look into her eyes searching for the confirmation of what he dared to hope.

“Something more?” he repeated, “More than friendship?” he asked to which Seraphina nodded positively in response. She had taken this step after observing him from the past few days. She felt that it was the right time to take the next step and take her relationship to the next level.

Moreover, soon the media will be talking about them after her photographs with Elijah will be released on the media platforms and the social media sites. The New Year was coming and she needed to make a grand entrance marking her return in the lives of her enemies and this was the best way possible.

She knew of Elijah’s feelings for her. She had heard him confess that to his father, and have seen him act upon them while trying to be subtle about it. Seraphina was not sure if he had truly fallen in love with her or if he considered her to be a momentary distraction but she did not care.

This was an opportunity and she is not the fool to not grab it and take advantage of it.

“You ask as if you don’t know.” she whispered softly, her melodious voice causing his heart to tingle happily.

“I think I know but I want to be sure, Sera. I do not dare hope for more until I have the confirmation that you want the same.” responded Elijah with such calmness that hid away the explosion of feelings and range of emotions that were bursting inside him.

“Do I really have to spell it out? Is it too hard to understand?” she asked with a shy smile on her face.

In response, Elijah extended his hand in front of her and confessed, “I am not sure when it happened and how it happened, but I know that it did happen. Sera, I am not like those who use fancy words and big phrases to express what they feel. I am a very simple guy despite my background.” he said truthfully.

“I like you.” he admitted without hesitation, “And yes, I want more as well. Though I am happy being your friend but I am not content. I am not going to settle for just friendship when I want so much more than that.”

“There is no pressure on you to reciprocate my feelings but now that we are talking about it so I just want to ask you to give me a chance.” said Elijah, his tone soft yet firm.

He shifted closer, holding out his hand in front of her, “If you take my hand I promise to show you how much you mean to me everyday, in every way that I can.” his voice was steady and held an undertone of sincerity and conviction.

“I have never felt like this for anybody before you. I know that it is too soon, we only met again a month and few weeks back but I believe that true feelings don’t need time, they need authenticity.” Elijah confessed, his gaze unwavering.

“So, if you want to explore this aspect of our relationship, then take my hand and tell me that I am not alone in this. That we are going to walk on this path together and see where it leads us to.” his words carried a weight of honest and vulnerability that tugged at the strings of Seraphina’s heart.

Both of them remained silent, while Elijah waited for Seraphina’s response, Seraphina, on the other hand, was trying to deal with the contradictory mix of emotions that Elijah’s words had stirred inside her.

“Sera?” Elijah’s voice held hints of eagerness to it that made Seraphina smile, his voice bringing her out of her thoughts.

She looked up at him, her lips stretched into a mischievous smile, “You have to ask properly! Like bend down on your knees and ask.” she bit her lower lip as Elijah chuckled and did what Seraphina wanted him to do.

He went down on his knees and in front of Seraphina, holding out his hand as he asked the question that he had been wanting to since the past few days, “So, Miss Seraphina Vale, would you do me the honor of accepting me as your official boyfriend?”

Seraphina laughed at his choice of words and acted to be shy and excited about his proposal. She placed her hand in his and replied, “Yes, I will.” she giggled.

Her laughter felt like music to his ears and her acceptance filled him up with happiness and joy. Still holding onto her hand, Elijah sat back on the couch and pulled Seraphina in his embrace, his arms wrapping around her tightly, holding her close.

“Thank you.” he kept on murmuring, “Thank you for giving me this chance.”

Seraphina smirked over his shoulder, her gaze fixated on the painting that she had drawn about a month ago that depicted Marcus lying at her feet, cowering in fear while she shot at him point blank.

It was time.