His Innocent Sera

After what felt like an eternity, the car stopped. The trunk was opened shortly, revealing blue sky. His silver eyes twinkled with something as they landed on her.

"How did you like the adventure?" he asked amused, as he undid the chains, making sure not to hurt her. Sera was beyond confused and frightened to answer. She shot him an accusatory glare which only made him chuckle. He picked her up and set her down on the pavement. Her alarmed eyes darted around, searching for an explanation, any sign that could tell what was coming next.

He removed the tape and pecked her dry lips. "Your every second with me will be just as unforgettable.," he murmured against her lips.

Then as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he reached up to smoothen her tousled hair.

"Go inside and pick whatever you want," he suggested while gently running his fingers through her hair. She glanced at the store they were standing in front of. Her eyes turned wide in disbelief. It was a store for designer clothes.

She looked back at him in uncertainty.

'I don'.."

"Anything that catches your eyes, it's yours," he asserted before threading his fingers through hers and leading her towards the fancy store. He opened the door and was about to go inside when his phone began ringing.

"You go inside. I'll be there in a moment," he told her. She hesitated before walking in but her eyes remained on him.

"Yes, dad," he answered the call and went towards his car while she stood there, watching him as he disappeared behind the corner.

An unease settled inside her. He wouldn't just leave her here, would he?

"May I help you?" a steely voice demanded her attention. She turned around to find a man looking down at her with suspicion.

She offered him a trembling smile, feeling beyond awkward.

"I..I came to see," she replied nervously, her fingers curled instinctively over the loose threads clinging to the frayed edge of her jeans in an attempt to hide her social status. With the sheer opulence surrounding her, she felt utterly small and cheap. And the man's judgemental gaze wasn't making it any better. After explaining the reason behind her presence, she propelled her feet towards the branded clothes organized in line.

She pretended to browse through the rack of clothing while waiting for him. It had only been a minute, yet the wait felt excruciating. Where was he? She felt the manager's eyes watching her every move and that made her even more uncomfortable.

She moved from one rack to another, captivated by the collection. They all were so pretty. She could tell all those rich girls from her school bought their fit from here. They also had a lovely collection of accessories. She glanced through the earrings that seemed to have been made of stars. Her mouth curved into an appreciative smile as she moved to the display of watches.

As she admired them, movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention. A salesgirl went over to the earrings section where she had stood moments ago, scanning the display with sharp eyes before briskly making her way to the manager. And only a few moments later, the manager walked up to her. And then she felt him approaching her. Her nerves pulled taut.

"We need to conduct a search. Kindly operate. Raise your hands,' the manager commanded in a steely voice.

Sera blinked at him, taken aback by his sudden demand.

"Search why?" she asked, scanning the faces around her. They were already looking at her as if she had stolen something.

"Don't make it difficult. Put your hands up," the manager commanded sharply, bearing down on her. His expression was hard and unyielding. She could see the man had a superiority complex.

"But at least tell me why. What did I do?" she asked, still not able to comprehend why they were coming at her.

The manager looked over her shoulder, dismissing her question, "hold her in place." He commanded his subordinate before turning to another salesgirl, "search her."

A pair of hands grabbed her arms from behind while another stood before her to conduct the search. The manager looked at her with clear disdain in his eyes.

"I know girls like you all too well," the manager sneered, his gaze raking over her with thinly veiled contempt. "You wander into high-end stores, pretending to admire things you could never afford, only to steal whatever you can get your hands on. Thinking no one will notice, thinking you can get away with it."

Sera flustered both with anger and humiliation.

Mustering her strength, she broke free from the woman's grip, making her stumble backward. She snapped, "leave me."

The manager, visibly irked by her actions, stepped forward with a scowl. "How dare you lay a hand on my subordinate?" he barked before shoving her back with force. The girl staggered backward to collide with a hard surface. A pair of arms held her waist, steadying her.

She slowly raised her glistening eyes and saw Nate standing behind her. She gulped. His face was a mask of fury, jaw clenched tight, but it was his eyes that sent a chill down her spine. His eyes burned with murderous intent as he glared at the manager.

He didn't utter a word. With a firm but gentle push, he moved her aside and stalked forward, terror visible on the manager's face as he forced himself to stand in his spot. Then, without warning, Nate struck.

The first blow landed with a sickening crack, sending the manager stumbling back. But Nate didn't stop. He unleashed his fury, each punch fueled by an unrelenting rage. The room stood frozen in shock for a heartbeat before the salespeople scrambled to intervene.

But anyone who dared to intervene

met the same fate-swift, punishing

blows that sent them crashing to the

floor. Nate was an unstoppable force, his fury unshaken, his attacks brutal. The once-spotless floor was soon tainted with blood. Sera gaped in utter shock as he continued to thrash the manager without mercy.

The thuds of footsteps echoed before a group of cops walked by her.

"Stop!" the cops shouted, struggling to restrain him. It took multiple hands to tear him away, his body still tight with unspent rage. He

struggled against their grip net

his

chest heaving, eyes still locked onto the manager, now barely breathing, sprawled on the bloodstained floor, a wheezing mess of bruises and agony.

Sera was scared.

"Leave me. I'll kill this motherfucker," he struggled against their grip.

"He is almost dead. Calm yourself," a cop said.

Just then the store's owner almost ran in through the door, shocked and confused. His gaze landed on his manager in a mixture of dread and pity. Someone had

already informed him. The manager was rushed to the hospital.

Nate wrenched himself free from the cops' grip and ran a hand through his messed up hair, he was still fuming. Sera quietly watched him from a distance. Even after surrounded by cops, he didn't look remotely scared.

"What happened?" he asked, his gaze sweeping over his employees. One of the sales girls explained everything.

"If there's a suspicion then a search wouldn't hurt," a cop suggested, earning a sharp glare from Nate.

"Anyone who dares touch her will find themselves buried alive, six feet under," he declared, his voice edged with deadly certainty. His gaze swept over every person present, daring them to defy him.

Cops exchanged uneasy glances with each other before the seniormost mustered the courage to speak, "Mr. Serrano, if she is innocent then a search would only confirm it."

Nate prowled towards the cop, his gaze on him, hard and unyielding- a silent promise of consequences if overlooked. "I do not doubt her. innocence," he made it clear and continued, "And no one will touch her. If you have suspicions then search this damned place. Wreck it, bring it down, I don't give a fuck, but no one..." his voice thickened with something dangerous as he seethed, "no fucking one is laying a finger on her."

Sera was speechless just like everyone.

The cop sighed inwardly before looking away from him and commanding his men

to search the place instead and look through the CCTVs.

After making hismelf clearly understood, Nate walked back to her. His features were still hard as an unfeeling stone.

"Come," he grasped her wrist and began leading her out. The blood on his hand smeared on her skin.

"But I want to know where the earrings went," she stated, subtly resisting his pull.

"Their carelessness isn't our concern," he argued.

"Still," she insisted. His jaw twitched in irritation.noveldrama

"Whatever," he finally gave in and released her hand. Frowning, he folded his arms over his chest.

It didn't take long to find out where the earring went. It had somehow managed to

fall off the shelf and landed behind the rack.

The owner apologised profusely to Nate and Sera. Whereas Sera forgave out of pity, Nate was still not satisfied.

"Tell me what I can do to fix this?" the owner insisted, desperate to earn his forgiveness. He knew who he was, the influence he wielded. He'll be destroyed in a snap of his fingers and he didn't want that.

"Your lapdog accused her of stealing from this place. Now, I want every single item in this place packed up and gifted to her, down to the last piece," he stated,

leaving both Sera and the owner utterly shocked. Color drained down the owner's

face.

"Sir, I.."

"I don't want anything from here," Sera intervened, not liking his proposal at all. Nate gave her a look of warning. There was a hint fo disapproval in her eyes but she knew better than to speak right now. He was still a ticking bomb.

"Use the best gift wrapper that this city has to offer." After saying that, he grasped her hand and turned around to exit.