Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Seraphina’s heart froze as Camden’s cold, calculating gaze fell on her. The letters in her hands felt like dead weight, the proof she had risked everything to find now suddenly a ticking bomb in her grasp. The room seemed to shrink as the door clicked shut behind Camden, trapping her inside with the very man she had come to expose.

“You’ve been very busy, haven’t you?” Camden’s voice was smooth, laced with an eerie calm that belied the storm brewing beneath. He took slow, deliberate steps toward her, each one driving the reality of her situation deeper into her chest. “I suppose I should have expected as much.”

Seraphina fought to steady her breath, forcing her fingers to hold on to the incriminating letters even as panic clawed at the edges of her mind. She couldn’t show fear. Not now. Not when she was so close.

“I—I was just—” she stammered, trying to muster an excuse, but the words died in her throat. Camden was no fool, and there was no explaining her way out of this.

“Save it,” Camden interrupted, his smile thin and menacing. He reached out, plucking the letters from her hands with ease, his fingers brushing against hers in a way that made her skin crawl. “Do you really think I wouldn’t notice? That I’d let you waltz back into my life without watching your every move?”

Seraphina’s throat tightened, but she forced herself to stand tall. She had to be strong, had to find a way out of this. “You don’t scare me, Camden,” she said, though the quiver in her voice betrayed her.

“Don’t I?” His smirk widened as he turned the letters over in his hand, skimming the incriminating contents. “You’ve gone through quite a bit of trouble, my dear. But I’m afraid you’ve overplayed your hand.”

Seraphina’s mind raced. She had to get those letters back. She couldn’t let Camden destroy the only evidence that could bring him down. “What are you going to do, Camden?” she asked, taking a step toward him. “Silence me? Make me disappear, like you did to Alexander’s father?”

Camden’s eyes flashed with amusement. “You’ve become quite bold, Seraphina. I’ll give you that. But you should know better than to accuse a man like me without considering the consequences.”

He turned his back to her, walking to the fireplace where the embers glowed faintly, casting flickering shadows across the room. Seraphina’s heart pounded as she watched him hold the letters dangerously close to the flames.

“No!” she cried, rushing forward before she could think better of it. She reached for the letters, but Camden caught her wrist in an iron grip, yanking her toward him with startling force.

“You think you’re so clever,” he hissed, pulling her closer until their faces were inches apart. His breath was hot against her skin, his eyes dark with malice. “But you’ve forgotten something important, Seraphina. I always win.”

For a moment, Seraphina felt paralyzed by the weight of his words, the realization that she was at his mercy. But then, in the back of her mind, she remembered Alexander’s voice—the promise he had made to her. *We’ll bring Camden down. Together.*

She wasn’t alone in this. Alexander would come for her. She just needed to hold on a little longer.

With a sudden surge of determination, Seraphina jerked her wrist free from Camden’s grip, her eyes blazing with defiance. “You may think you’ve won, but it’s over, Camden. The truth will come out.”

He laughed, low and dangerous, as he raised the letters toward the fire once more. “Is that so? Let’s see how much truth remains once these are nothing but ash.”

Before she could react, the door to the study burst open with a force that rattled the walls. Alexander strode into the room, his face a mask of fury and resolve, his eyes locking immediately on Seraphina. Behind him were two armed men, their presence commanding and unmistakable.

“Camden, step away from her,” Alexander’s voice rang out, cold and authoritative, leaving no room for argument.

For a brief moment, Camden seemed taken aback, his grip on the letters faltering as he glanced at Alexander and the men flanking him. But his shock quickly turned into disdain, his lips curling into a sneer.

“Ah, the Duke himself,” Camden said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Come to save the damsel in distress, have you?”

Alexander’s gaze darkened. “This ends now, Camden. You’ve manipulated, lied, and destroyed countless lives in your pursuit of power, but your time is up.”

Seraphina’s heart soared with relief at the sight of Alexander, but she knew the battle wasn’t over yet. Camden still had the letters—the only physical evidence that could tie him to his crimes. If they were destroyed, Camden could still walk away unscathed.

Camden, realizing his position was quickly slipping from his grasp, made one last desperate move. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the letters toward the fire, intending to burn away the evidence that would seal his fate.

“No!” Seraphina screamed, lunging toward the fireplace. But it was Alexander who acted faster, his hand shooting out to grab the letters just as they grazed the flames. The papers were singed at the edges, but they were intact.

For the first time, real fear flickered in Camden’s eyes as he realized the tide had turned against him. He took a step back, his arrogance melting away in the face of his impending downfall.

“You think you’ve won?” Camden spat, his voice filled with venom. “This changes nothing. I have more power, more allies than you could ever imagine. You won’t be able to touch me.”

Alexander stepped forward, his face grim. “You’re wrong, Camden. This time, we have everything we need to bring you down. And you won’t just lose your title—you’ll lose everything.”

Seraphina watched as Camden’s bravado crumbled, his hands shaking as the full weight of his situation sank in. For so long, he had believed himself untouchable, but now, with the evidence in Alexander’s hands, his empire of lies was about to come crashing down.

“Take him away,” Alexander ordered, his voice filled with authority. The two armed men moved swiftly, grabbing Camden by the arms and escorting him out of the room. Camden didn’t resist, though his eyes burned with hatred as he was dragged from the study.

As the door closed behind them, silence fell over the room, broken only by the crackling of the fire. Seraphina stood there, her chest heaving with the aftermath of the confrontation, her heart still racing. She turned to Alexander, who was already looking at her with concern.

“Are you all right?” he asked softly, crossing the room to her in quick strides.

Seraphina nodded, though her legs felt weak beneath her. “I am now,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. She reached for him, and he pulled her into his arms without hesitation, holding her close as the weight of everything they had been through settled over them.

“I thought I lost you,” he murmured into her hair, his grip tightening around her as though afraid she might slip away.

“You didn’t,” Seraphina whispered back, burying her face in his chest. “You saved me.”

They stood there for what felt like an eternity, wrapped in each other’s embrace, the storm of fear and danger finally subsiding. Camden was gone. The evidence was safe. And for the first time in what felt like forever, Seraphina felt a glimmer of hope for the future.

When they finally pulled apart, Alexander looked down at her with a soft smile, his thumb brushing gently across her cheek. “It’s over,” he said, his voice filled with a mix of relief and tenderness.

Seraphina smiled back, feeling a warmth spread through her chest. “Yes. It’s over.”

But even as they spoke those words, Seraphina knew that while Camden’s reign of terror had ended, a new chapter of their lives was just beginning—a chapter where they were free to build the future they had fought so hard to claim.

Together.