His Innocent Sera

She marched out of the classroom only to bump into Dave and losing her balance for a moment. He gripped her arm to steady her but let go immediately.

"You okay?" he asked, moving away to create enough distance between them. She nodded absently without lifting her tear-soaked face and walked past him. Dave gazed after her, sensing his friend had fucked up again. With a heavy sigh, he turned and walked into the class. There he was, facing the window, his shoulders rigid with tension. Dave approached him.

"She was crying. You hurt her again, didn't you?" Dave asked, already knowing the answer.

Nate was seething in fury too. Eyes shooting daggers at the window under furrowed brows, jaw firmly set, lips twisted into a scowl. Dave wondered what the hell had transpired here.

"She rejected my reward," Nate answered through gritted teeth. How dare she denied him? He was going to teach her a good lesson for this. Dave's gaze dropped to the broken pendant lying on the floor and realisation flickered through his features.noveldrama

"So you broke it," Dave concluded the rest, unsurprised. His friend's temper ran hotter than the hellfire. And Seraphina Diaz....well, she was his very personal brand of gasoline, always setting him ablaze without knowing. Not that Dave blamed her. That poor girl was as innocent as a lamb. It was Nate who kept running back to her.

Nate didn't respond but Dave didn't need a clarification either. He knew Nate. The boy knew how to conquer and possess. But cherishing what he owned? He lacked in that field miserably. Which was surprising, given he was raised by people who only had love and compassion in their heart. At least, Mrs. Serrano did. Mr. Serrano, on the other hand, was a complicated man. Whereas Mrs. Serrano had love for all, Mrs. Serrano's affection belonged only to his family. For the rest of the world he was a cold, brooding man- untouchable.

Dave was scared of his friend's temper like everyone else, but he didn't judge him for that. Having been his friend for years, he had seen it all- people putting Nate on a pedestal, treating him as a God. And that had gotten to his head. He was the heir of the Serrano legacy, successor of The Killian Serrano. When forced to live under the weight of a legendary name, constantly striving to fill his father's shoes and meeting the world's expectations, a man is bound to develop a temper. And of course, he was never going to say it out loud but Serrano's had sadism running in their bloodline. He had heard enough horror stories about his grandfather and father to draw this life-threatening conclusion.

"What do you mean by reward though? What did she do?" Dave questioned, picking up the piece. It looked quite expensive.

Nate didn't respond. Dave realised he wasn't going to get an answer. He never discussed Sera with anyone, never let anyone pry into what existed between them, not even Dave. So far Dave had figured out things on his own.

"Perhaps she didn't like you rewarding her," Dave stated, watching Nate's jaw tighten. He didn't know what he had rewarded her for but he could tell it was something Sera didn't approve of. The way she had ran out crying, it told a lot. Dave shrugged before continuing, "Maybe it made her feel trivial, small. Like your reward wasn't about her happiness but your satisfaction. Like her whole life is all about what you approve and disapprove of."

Nate's features remained stern. Dave stood beside him, staring out the window.

"Sera isn't like other girls, Nate. You know it better than any of us. She is like one of those girls who value the thought behind the gift more than the gift itself," he said before turning slightly to face him, "If she rejected your gift, maybe it wasn't because she didn't want it, but because she didn't like what it stood for."

Having said that, Dave left, leaving Nate alone to dwell on his words.

Nate clenched his fists, turning Dave's words over in his mind. After staying there for a while, he turned to leave when a book lying abandoned on the floor caught his gaze. He stepped closer, bending down to pick it up when something else caught his eyes- petals of a crushed dry flower scattered beside it. His brows snapped together in confusion as he reached out and picked up the fragile remnants. Turning petals between his fingers, he examined it.

Even though the flower was crushed badly, he still recognized it. This flower is found only in Italy. He couldn't understand why Sera had it.

After changing into her night clothes, she lay down in her bed. Tears escaped her eyes no matter how much she tried to blink them away. As she was trying to sleep, her mom, dad and brother were in her mother's room, enjoying their warm happy family moment. They were chatting and laughing. Yearning to be a part of it, she tried to open the door only to find it locked. When she knocked and asked them to open it, they ignored. She called several times only to stay unheard. Or perhaps they couldn't hear her voice through the door. She told herself it had to be the reason. But still, her heart kept hurting, tears kept falling.

Brushing away her tears, she closed her eyes to sleep. She blocked out hurtful thoughts and concentrated on sleeping. She had to wake up early tomorrow like always.

But it wasn't that easy to block out her concerns. She didn't know what was going to be of her. Her future looked bleak, her grade was dropping. She was going to be a huge disappointment. And the thought of it unsettled her. She opened her eyes only to find a pair of silver eyes hovering over her, gleaming in darkness. Fear paralysed her, she parted her lips to scream but his hand quickly clamped over her mouth, muffling her voice.

"Sshhh," he shushed, his face inching closer. A moment passed by as he studied her intently. Slowly he removed his hand, his eyes never wavering from her face.