Beyond the Sinister (COMPLETE)

XI. hardheaded man

An intruder came over once more. If Seraphina should be candid, she confesses how she is somehow pleased with his presence since her undying curiosity is chewing her alive.

What is his connection to the strange man from before? She hasn't had the chance to tell him about the intruder who chased her with an ax the last time they met at the ball.

As usual, Seraphina doesn't have a clue on how Zachary even managed to sneak inside her chamber unalarmed. Again, he is crouching on her bed, overlooking the closed window, his back facing her.

Even from the outline of his physique, Seraphina could tell this man is no other than Zachary himself.

Crossing her arms, Seraphina strolled towards him, inclined to confront him about the incident the other night.

However, Seraphina was startled,  Zachary jerked her wrist, their faces only a few inches apart making her cheeks darkened, her eyes momentarily shifting to the ground.

Wincing, Seraphina rolled her eyes heavenwards, wince her nose for she could smell liquor coming from the intruder. "Are you drunk?"

But as soon as she had one good look at him, she knew there's something more.

Zachary eyed the beautiful yet frustrated woman before him, his ocean eyes droopy, smirking, "A welcome kiss would be nice, love,"

Closing her eyes for a moment in frustration, Seraphina let out a weak sigh, "Leave this instant, Mr. Canning, we'll talk when you're sober enough,"

Regardless, with a sarcastic chuckle, his calloused hand still wrapped around her wrist, Zachary let a few words flee his parched lips.

"I didn't mean to scream at you back in Avebury," repented Zachary wielding a voice Seraphina is relatively foreign with. Indeed, he clearly is intoxicated.

"I don't really dwell much on that, Mr. Canning. What I want is for you to get out," replied Seraphina, still glancing at Zachary whose blond hair is once again filthy and chaotic, it was as if he ran his fingers over it a thousand times. His black suit wrinkled which is unusual to his conventional well-ironed apparel. The bags under his eyes are more pronounced than ever. Did he even blink an eye?

"Again? At least pretend I'm Dorian. The oh-so-great Dorian whom you kept letting sneaked around your room in the middle of the night," uttered Zachary, his voice rising.

"Let your brother rest in peace, Mr. Canning. Enough with your childishness," replied Seraphina, reciprocating the deadly stares of Zachary.

After the short banter, silence came into the picture, the two of them were merely staring back at each other. Anger slowly evaporated between them.

"What do you say, my beautiful Sep, don't you want us to get married?" blurted out the drunkard, smirking at her.

Her brows meeting, Seraphina cannot hide her surprise at what the man before her just uttered. "What in the Lord are you talking about, Mr. Canning? Me, married to a psycho like you? I'll rather rot in an asylum,"

At her response, Zachary's mood seems to deteriorate, his aura darkening, his grip around her wrist hardening.

Nevertheless, Seraphina doesn't care. She had enough of this man's foolishness.

"And don't call me Sep, Mr. Canning. Your brother only has the right to call me that," her voice filled with annoyance.

In just a snap, anger fully consumed Zachary, that Seraphina could tell.

"I don't give a damn about it," roared Zachary, giving such deadly stares at the woman before him.

Biting back the urge to confront him on his disgraceful choice of word, Seraphina stared at him, cheeks flaming in anger.