Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever-Chapter 89 – Enough with the jokes

The color drained from Seraphine’s face until her skin looked pale enough to rival fresh snow under winter light, and for a moment the entire room seemed to tighten around that single reaction as if every pair of eyes had suddenly become aware that something had gone terribly wrong.

Leon’s expression darkened immediately, the warmth he had carried earlier disappearing behind a heavy cloud of concern and anger that pressed deep into his features, and he parted his lips as if he wanted to speak but hesitated because something about the situation felt disturbingly off.

The circle of billionaires seated around the private lounge table no longer looked amused or entertained, because confusion had crept into their gazes one by one, spreading like a silent ripple through the room as they tried to make sense of the tension suddenly hanging in the air.

Leon swallowed the hesitation clawing at his throat before forcing himself to gather enough courage to direct a question toward Voren, who sat at the center of authority among them.

"Mr. Ashkael," Leon said carefully while keeping his voice steady despite the unease stirring in his chest, "is number three really what it sounds like?" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The room fell into a suffocating silence the moment the question landed, and the quiet felt so heavy that it seemed to press down on everyone’s shoulders at once.

One by one, the billionaires turned their attention toward Voren, their gazes locking onto him as if bound by some unspoken agreement that the final word would come from him alone.

None of them said a single thing, yet the expectation in their eyes carried the weight of their thoughts clearly enough, because they all waited for Voren to either confirm or deny what had just been implied.

Voren slowly turned his head toward Ravyn, and the hardness that settled across his face made it obvious that his patience had reached its limit.

"Now that’s enough," Voren said with a voice that carried quiet authority and unmistakable warning.

Ravyn’s confident expression faltered under that look, and for a brief second something close to desperation flickered across his face. He leaned closer toward Voren, lowering his voice until it became barely more than a murmur meant only for the two of them.

"Please, Voren," Ravyn said with a pleading edge that felt strangely out of place for someone usually so proud, "just do this last thing for me. I’ve got her cornered right now, and I want to squeeze every last dollar out of the money she took from me."

Voren lifted a brow at that explanation, and in that moment the entire situation suddenly became clear to him.

Ravyn clearly understood that Seraphine would never agree to option number three, which meant his intention had nothing to do with forcing her compliance at all, because he had simply planned to demand money from her afterward as some kind of penalty.

That kind of tactic had never been part of the rules they followed during these gatherings, and Voren despised underhanded methods more than anything else.

His reputation had never been built on satisfying whatever petty desire crossed his mind at the time, because the foundation of his name rested on the principles that had guided him through every decision he made in the world of power and money.

"Whatever conflict exists between the two of you belongs to your personal affairs," Voren said calmly, though the firmness in his voice made it clear he had already made up his mind, "but she clearly did not come here for you alone, and every man sitting in this room deserves an equal opportunity to consider her proposal since some of them are genuinely interested in seeing what she can offer."

Ravyn’s expression darkened with disappointment as the reality of the situation settled over him. He had hoped Voren might help him carry out the plan without question, yet the older members of the group already knew how the rules worked, including James, who had watched everything unfold from the beginning.

Ravyn could already imagine the outcome if he pushed the matter any further, because James would eventually tell his son that Ravyn had attempted something underhanded and that Voren had allowed it to happen.

That possibility alone was enough to convince Ravyn that dragging Voren’s name through mud would only create bigger problems for himself later.

"I was only joking," Ravyn said with a forced chuckle that failed to hide the frustration tightening his jaw.

Seraphine released a long breath of relief she had not realized she had been holding, the tension that had been choking her chest finally loosening just enough for her lungs to draw in air again.

Ravyn opened his mouth as if he intended to say something else, but Voren lifted a hand before another word could leave his lips.

"Enough with the jokes," Voren said sharply while his gaze moved across the table to remind everyone present who was in control of the conversation. "We do not have the entire night to waste, so the final option is very simple. You will play a game of chess against our best player. If you win, you receive the opportunity to present and market your product to everyone here. If you lose, you leave without another word."

Seraphine blinked slowly as she tried to process what she had just heard, because the word chess echoed strangely in her mind as if she had misunderstood something important.

She studied the faces around the table, and the repeated nods from several men confirmed that Voren had indeed spoken the truth.

Leon felt a wave of quiet relief wash through him at that announcement, because the outcome seemed far less humiliating than the possibility Ravyn had hinted at earlier.

If Seraphine happened to lose the match, she could walk away with her dignity intact, and Leon had already decided that he would leave alongside her the moment the game ended.

While several people around the table allowed their thoughts to wander through different possibilities, Seraphine had no intention of allowing Ravyn to escape the consequences of what he had attempted earlier.

"I know that Mr. Walker was not joking about that earlier option," Seraphine said calmly while directing her attention toward Voren, "and although I cannot say for certain where you personally stood on the matter, I still wonder whether you would have defended fairness if Leon had not spoken up when he did."