"My affairs are none of your business, Nathaniel Kierston."
Serena had no intention of paying attention to Niel, who was standing in front of her as if trying to stop her. But Serena wasn't afraid of Niel in the slightest. She simply walked past him and headed upstairs.
"Your father entrusted you to me. So naturally, your life is my business now."
Serena stopped again in the middle of the staircase. She turned around and found Niel staring at her impassively from the far end.
"Do you think I care? Worry about your own monotonous life. You dare to meddle in mine because your life is so lonely, don't you?"
"My life has never been lonely."
Fed up with dealing with Nathaniel, Serena tried to ignore him and hurried upstairs. She knew Niel was following her, but she still tried to remain calm.
"Stop following me!" Serena snapped, making Niel halt instantly.
"I'm not following you."
"You are following me!" Serena insisted, still refusing to turn around.
"I'm going to my room. Who exactly am I following?"
Niel's footsteps sounded again. The man was right—he was heading toward his room, not Serena's.
Serena could only close her eyes for a few seconds, trying to dispel her embarrassment. Meanwhile, Niel had already entered his room and shut the door.
"Damn it. Why do I keep jumping to the wrong conclusions? That's twice now. This is so embarrassing, Serena!"
Niel and Serena's rooms were next to each other. That was why Niel liked his room so much. The walls weren't soundproof, which often made him feel lucky.
Although the sounds weren't very clear, Niel could sometimes hear what Serena was doing and talking about when he leaned against the wall adjoining their rooms.
"I just need to wait for the right moment to make you mine, Serena. The more you push me away, the more interested I become in you," Niel said as he leaned against the wall.
What had happened that morning had not been a coincidence at all. Niel had deliberately been waiting for the right opportunity to make Serena fall in love with him.
He had secretly been watching her. He approached the shoe cabinet, then made the incident he'd planned look accidental. Once it worked, Niel felt extremely satisfied and pleased.
"You have to fall in love with me, Serena. If you find it difficult to love me, then I'll use every means necessary to force you to love me."
Serena had just finished showering. She lay down on the bed with the towel still wrapped around her head. She had just been about to text Varron when her phone suddenly displayed an incoming call from Liam.
Feeling hesitant, Serena slowly answered the call. She pressed the phone to her ear as she moved to the vanity chair.
"Have you had dinner, Serena?" Liam asked from the other end.
"Yes, Dad. I ate my favorite food. You haven't gone to bed yet, Dad?"
"In another hour."
Serena didn't say much. She knew her father was with Mora. She didn't want that woman to hear her conversation with her father, either. She absolutely didn't.
"You just got back from going out? Is that true?"
Liam's question immediately made Serena's temper flare. This had to be Nathaniel's doing, she thought. No one else would report something so unimportant to her father except that man.
"Did Niel tell you?"
"Just because I'm not there with you doesn't mean you're free to go wherever you want, Serena. Not every man is a good person, and I've warned you about that repeatedly."
Serena took a deep breath. "I went to see Helena and Bella, Dad. I didn't meet any other man."
"I have proof."
"What? Proof?"
"You went out with that boy again. I know, Serena. You can't deny it."