Chapter 33: The Price of Secrets

The silence in the garden was suffocating, stretched thin between the four figures like a wire ready to snap.

Delacroix's smirk had faded, replaced by something sharper—caution. His gaze flicked between Seraphina, Adrian, and Laurent, assessing, calculating. He wasn't a fool. He knew he was outmaneuvered.

But Seraphina also knew men like Delacroix never surrendered easily.

"You seem to be under the impression that I owe you something," he finally said, his voice measured.

Adrian stepped forward, his presence a looming shadow in the moonlight. "You owe a great many things, Delacroix. But tonight, I'm only interested in the truth."

Delacroix chuckled, a brittle sound. "Truth is a matter of perspective."

Seraphina arched a brow. "Is that so? Then allow me to give you mine." She stepped closer, voice quiet but lethal. "You aligned yourself with the wrong people. You conspired against my family. You profited from my father's fall. And now you stand before me pretending you have nothing to answer for?"

He swallowed, just barely.

Adrian's voice was softer, more dangerous. "You see, Delacroix, I don't particularly care whether you live or die tonight. But I do care about what you know."

Laurent shifted behind him, a silent threat.

Delacroix exhaled through his nose. "You think I had a hand in your father's downfall?"

Seraphina tilted her head. "I don't think. I know."

The seconds stretched. A bead of sweat rolled down Delacroix's temple. Then, at last, his bravado cracked.

"I didn't orchestrate it," he muttered. "I was merely... a beneficiary."

Seraphina's jaw clenched. The rage in her blood burned hot, but she kept her voice calm. "A beneficiary who knows exactly who pulled the strings."

Delacroix hesitated, then nodded once. "Yes."

Adrian stepped beside her, watching him carefully. "And you will give us that name."

Delacroix let out a breath, as if coming to terms with the inevitable. "If I do, I want protection. Leclair is already watching me closely. If he suspects I've spoken to you, I'm as good as dead."

Seraphina and Adrian exchanged a glance. Leclair.

The name was a serpent's hiss in the dark. A name they had suspected but never confirmed.

Adrian's lips curled into something cold. "Protection? That depends on how valuable your information is."

Delacroix straightened, gathering the last shreds of his dignity. "Then I suggest you listen carefully."

Seraphina's pulse thundered in her ears. This was it. The beginning of the truth.

And if Delacroix thought this bought him safety, he had no idea just how deep this game truly ran.