The silence in the basement was shattered by the sharp, rhythmic chirping of Seraphina's phone. She didn't lower the gun, but her eyes darted to the screen. Her face went from pale to ghostly white.
"It's Silas," she whispered, her voice trembling. "He's at the front gate. He says he has a 'legal warrant' for a wellness check on Grandfather. He knows, Xavier. He knows I've been hiding him."
Xavier didn't panic. He looked at the monitors, then at the man in the bed, then back at the woman who was a second away from losing everything.
"Put the gun away, Seraphina," Xavier commanded, his voice steady. "If he finds you down here with a weapon and a coma patient, it's over. We have five minutes. How do we hide this room?"
Seraphina blinked, the Ice Queen mask finally cracking. "There's a false wall... a switch behind the monitor. But the medical equipment—the humming—he'll hear it."
"Not if we're making enough noise to drown it out," Xavier said. He grabbed her hand, his grip firm. "We're going upstairs. Now. We're going to give him a reason to stay out of this wing."
They scrambled up the stairs just as the heavy front doors of the mansion creaked open. Silas Vane's voice boomed through the foyer, cold and triumphant. "Seraphina! I know you're in here. Don't make me have the officers kick down every door!"
Xavier pulled Seraphina into the grand hallway. "Trust me," he whispered.
He grabbed a priceless Ming vase from a pedestal and smashed it against the marble floor. The sound was like a gunshot. Then, he pulled Seraphina into his arms, ruffling his own hair and untucking his shirt to look like they had just been in the middle of a heated, private argument.
"What are you—" Seraphina started, but Xavier silenced her by pulling her close, their faces inches apart.
"Scream at me," he hissed. "Make him think we're having a lover's quarrel. He won't go near the North Corridor if he thinks he's interrupting a scandal."
Silas appeared at the end of the hallway, two men in suits behind him. He stopped dead, staring at the shattered porcelain and the two of them tangled together.
"What is the meaning of this?" Silas demanded, his eyes narrowing.
"The meaning is that your timing is terrible, Uncle!" Seraphina snapped, catching on instantly. She shoved Xavier back, her eyes flashing with a fake, fiery rage. "Xavier thinks he can tell me how to run my own board meetings! We were having a private discussion. Unless you want to help pick up the pieces of my favorite vase, I suggest you leave!"
Silas looked at the mess, then at Xavier's disheveled appearance. He looked toward the North Corridor, his suspicious gaze lingering on the shadows. "I heard a noise. A mechanical hum."
"That's the vintage record player Xavier insisted on fixing," Seraphina lied smoothly, her voice dripping with venom. "It's as loud and annoying as he is. Now, unless you have a real warrant signed by a judge, get out of my house before I call the press and tell them you're harrassing a grieving granddaughter."
Silas hesitated. He looked at Xavier one last time—a look of pure hatred—before turning on his heel. "This isn't over, Seraphina. I'll find what you're hiding."
As the front door slammed shut, Seraphina collapsed against the wall, her legs giving out. Xavier caught her before she hit the floor.
"He's gone," Xavier breathed.
Seraphina looked up at him, her eyes wide and searching. For the first time, she didn't push him away. "Why did you help me? You could have let him find the room. You could have been free of the contract."
Xavier looked at the shattered vase, then back at her. "Because I don't like seeing predators hunt people who are already hurting. We're in this together now, Seraphina. For real."