CHAPTER FIVE ~ BAIT

"boss someone just looked you up" her subordinate, luthan said as soon as Seraphina picked up her ringing phone.

"did you trace the IP address?"

"yes, I did. It was from a violet Whitmore" he responded distractedly

Seraphina smiled crossing her legs and relaxing on the sofa in her luxurious penthouse suite. She had been expecting her to look her up but didn't think it would be too soon.

"Okay, thank you for updating me luthan" She hung up

After she had been shot, she had blacked out. She had woken up to the beaming of monitors and excruciating pain, the pain had been too much that she had fallen back into a deep sleep. One side of her face had been completely ruined by the fall, she had other injuries but that had been the most severe one since she had scrapped her face as she fell

it was later she found out who had been her savior. William Sterling had been hiking along the trail during one of his visits to New York when he had heard the gunshot - he had been in New York for business-. He had immediately sent his bodyguards to inspect and they had found her unconscious with a bullet almost penetrating her heart what had stopped it from going all the way had been the necklace she had worn. It was a locket she had gotten from her father on her eighteenth birthday. He had been the only one to show her kindness, so she had worn it all the time.

Her face had been damaged and she had to undergo reconstructive surgery; hence the reason Violet hadn't recognized her.

As soon as she was well enough to talk, she told him everything that had happened and how she had ended up in the situation she was in. When she had recovered with no place to go, William had offered his house to her and given her his name so she could start over.

At sixty-five, he was unmarried and had no heir despite being wealthy and attractive. She had asked him why several times but he always smiled and evaded the question.

He adopted her and made her his heir, he had taught her everything about the multibillion-dollar tech company he owned and loved her like she was his biological daughter, she should have been contented but no matter how good her life had been, she couldn't forgive her siblings for what they had done.

She had spent the last three years using all the resources available to her in such a short time to plot figure out how to make them pay.

Getting up from the sofa, Seraphina checked her time then quickly went ahead to change up and head towards the martial art studio she had been training at for the past two years. She had turned to martial as a way to get rid of pent-up anger, now it was simply a source of peace. Sometimes she wondered what would have happened if she had been able to defend herself three years ago, it wouldn't have been easy to defeat her like it had been.

Seraphina walked into Andy's school of martial arts, the familiar creak of the wooden floorboards getting her entrance. The walls were lined with photographs and certificates of previous generations.

Though the oldest school of martial arts, the school lived up to its reputation; producing talented students all year round. They had maintained the reputation of being unbeatable, a reputation which played a good role in how people joined the school.

Andy was in the middle of a training session with a group of young students. Despite his age, he moved with the fluid grace of a seasoned martial artist, his kind eyes which were always only directed at Seraphina stared at her accusingly.

"don't give me that look old man" Seraphina mock scolded as she approached the mat.

"nice of you to join us," the old man said, his voice carrying a mix of genuine affection and mild reproach even though his eyes lit up fondly.

She flashed him a confident smile. "Couldn't miss today's session, could I?" she replied, her tone light-hearted. She had a reputation for sowing up anytime she liked, but her skills always made up for her unpredictable attendance.

Andy sighed shaking his head. "Sometimes I wonder how you became my best student" he teased.

Seraphina shrugged, as she walked past the old man heading to the inner training room reserved for just official students. "you know me old ma, I'm here to train not babysit"

The younger students glanced at her with a mix of admiration and curiosity. They had heard stories about a student who had mastered all the levels of martial art perfectly, some were wondering if she might be the one or if she was one of master's official students. It amazed them at the playful tone he had used with her when he was usually really strict with them.

As soon as she got changed, she threw herself into the training, each punch and kick executed with perfect form. Andy who had dismissed his class and followed after her, watched her with pride, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, she was a natural, a prodigy, even if she drove him mad with her cavalier attitude. He noticed she seemed troubled and wondered what had been bothering her.

Standing at the entrance of the door, Justin Montgomery stared at the woman in front of him. From the way she wrestled, it was clear she had mastered the highest level of martial arts. A thought occurred to him as he stood watching 'Was she perhaps the best student master had been talking about?'

He had been training with Master Andy for a year now and had never come across her even though he was one of the ten official students. He watched her tackle her opponent and pin him down till he tapped out, then the room exploded into applause, Justin turned to the source, watching his stoic-faced master clapping enthusiastically and beaming like the world had just come to an end and horse started flying.

Feeling eyes on him, Justin turned to the woman and watched her seize him up. He hated when women stared at him more than necessary, she didn't look like the usual women who threw themselves at him but with that gender, you could never predict what they were capable of. When she brushed past him without a word, he turned around surprised as he watched her walk away.

He was used to women throwing themselves at him, without his wealth, he had been blessed with amazing features. Pale grey eyes that seemed to pierce one's soul, well-sculptured face, strong jaw line, high cheekbones, well-defined mouth, and a nose that had never been broken, not from lack of effort though Justin Montgomery had taken over the Mont&Co from his father. He was only twenty-seven but was already one of the richest and most influential. In the 2 years he had taken over,

He had taken over Mont&Co from his father. He was only twenty-seven but was already one of the richest and most influential. In the 2 years he had taken over, the company's revenue had increased significantly than in the last few years placing the company in one of the world's most profitable companies. Hence the reason he had been named in the magazines and news outlets as the most eligible bachelors.

"you two should hang out sometime," Andy said casually causing Justin to stare at him like he had lost his mind.

Seraphina looked behind as the door closed, she had known Justin Montgomery was part of Andy's school of martial arts but she had never imagined they would meet like they had. She had produced a new technology that could save lives if activated early, it was for patients who were in emergencies, the products hadn't been launched yet but he had found out about it and had been trying to contact her for it even though he had no idea who she was since she had produced the technology with a different name.

She was mulling over it as she headed to her black sleek SUV that was parked across the street. Suddenly her phone vibrated catching her attention.

The number on the screen wasn't a contact she knew, but she picked it up anyway.

The chirpy voice on the other end had Seraphina making a fist as she tried to maintain her cool. "hi Amanda, it's violet…"