Chapter 937
Visiting Serafina
Chapter 937 Visiting Serafina
The atmosphere in the reception room was exceptionally relaxed, as if the people meeting were not political enemies with deep-seated grievances, but old friends who had not seen each other for many years.
The room was quiet; the old, dark furniture and heavy curtains seemed to have absorbed all the light from the window, leaving only the occasional crackling of the wood burning in the fireplace.
Stella Picqueli stood in the doorway and cautiously peeked out. She saw her aunt sitting leisurely on the sofa, with her favorite blanket draped over her knees and a steaming cup of honey tea in her hands.
Chairman Hawthorne sat calmly on another sofa. Ezra Hughes stood by the fireplace, looking up at the photos on the wall.
Both sides remained calm and did not start arguing or fight upon meeting.
Stella quietly breathed a sigh of relief, carried a silver tray, and tiptoed in, placing two steaming cups of black tea in front of Hawthorne and Hughes.
“Please use it, Mr. Hawthorne, Uncle Ezra,” Stella said softly.
"Thank you," Hawthorne said gently.
Although Hughes was in a bad mood because of Lyra, he still managed a forced smile when he looked at the innocent girl.
Stella's parents used to work in Congress, and when she was little, they often took her to their office. She would run around the Capitol building, sweet-talking and adorable, and was loved by everyone.
I don't know when it happened, but this girl who used to dare to draw a mustache on his face has also taken on this cautious and timid look.
Just as Hughes was about to say something, he saw Stella suddenly frown, turn her body slightly to the doorway, and look tense with a hint of disgust.
Hughes paused, then looked over.
Hurried footsteps came from the doorway.
Two wizards dressed in Auror uniforms, but lacking any sharpness in their demeanor, walked quickly over, their furrowed brows conveying a critical and nitpicking look.
However, upon seeing the two people in the reception room, their expressions changed simultaneously, and they hesitated and stopped in their tracks.
No matter how much recognition Leila Picqueli gained from high-ranking officials, the President of Congress and the Chief of Staff of the Auror Office remained aloof figures to these ordinary staff members.
Ezra Hughes vaguely understood something, and his face instantly darkened.
He placed the black tea on the cabinet with a clanging sound, then turned and walked towards the door, his tall figure exuding an invisible sense of oppression.
The two Aurors instinctively straightened up, a hint of panic flashing in their eyes.
"What are you doing here?" Hughes' voice was not loud, but it was as cold as iron.
The two men exchanged a glance, and one of them reluctantly spoke:
“Director Hugh...we are ordered to protect Mrs. Picquart…”
"Protect? We've been inside for five minutes, and you're only now remembering you have someone to 'protect'?"
Hughes said coldly, "Get out! Chairman Hawthorne and Ms. Picqueli have important matters to discuss!"
The two looked troubled and hesitated before saying, "But..."
They looked at each other, hoping the other would step forward and say something.
Hughes's gaze turned cold and sharp, and his tone suddenly became fierce:
"What? I can't order you around? Have I been dismissed from my position as head of the Auror's office? Or is it—"
He suddenly took a step closer, and the two men involuntarily retreated.
"—You Aurors, yet you've recognized a master for yourselves? And you're taking orders from others?" The two men's faces turned ashen, and they were drenched in cold sweat, unable to utter a word.
—Is that really true?
Hughes flew into a rage and roared:
“If I were still the director, I would order you now—immediately! Get out of this room, get out of this estate, and go back to where you belong! If I see either of you loitering around here again…”
He didn't finish his sentence, but the chill in his words was undeniable.
The two exchanged a quick glance, then lowered their heads and silently retreated, disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Hughes stood at the window, watching coldly until he saw them dawdle out of the manor. Only then did he turn away, slowly turn around, give a slight nod to Hawthorne and Mrs. Seraphine, and then turn to the girl beside him and say:
"Stella, could you show me around the manor?"
Stella was taken aback, then quickly replied, "Of course."
She lifted her skirt and walked briskly out of the room. Hughes was a step behind, and as he turned to close the drawing room door, he exchanged a glance with Hawthorne from afar.
"Click!"
The heavy wooden door was closed.
Walking down the quiet corridor, Stella couldn't help but jump up and down, saying with a big smile:
"Thank you, Uncle Ezra! If I had known you would speak up for us, I would have told you about this sooner!"
Hughes frowned. "Have they always been like this?"
"Yes!"
Stella lowered her head and said sadly:
“I know Chairman Hawthorne doesn’t like Auntie, but to be monitored even at home and have everyone entering and leaving the manor checked is just too much!”
"Uncle Ezra, could you please tell him that Aunt Serafina has long since left that position and no longer poses a threat to him? Could you please ask him to let us go..."
The more she talked, the uglier Ezra Hughes's face became, her gloomy expression making her seem like a completely different person from the "Uncle Ezra" she knew.
So her voice grew softer and softer until she could no longer speak.
—Yes, compared to himself and his aunt, Chairman Hawthorne was his ally. What good would it do to ask him to speak on his behalf?
Just like the guests who had visited the manor before, they were also angry about the rude behavior of the bodyguards and maids, but when it was said that this was "concern" from the current Speaker of Congress, everyone fell silent.
Even Serafina Piqueli's old friends wisely remained silent on this sensitive political issue and advised her to be patient for the time being.
"The existence of these people just proves that Hawthorne doesn't intend to do anything to you... Anyway, they won't do anything, so just consider them a few free bodyguards."
That's what they all say.
Just as Stella lowered her head, trying hard to hold back her tears, she heard Hughes grit his teeth and say, word by word:
"Niclow dislikes Ms. Picqueli? And even had people spying on her? Who told you that?!"
Stella looked up blankly: "No...isn't that right?"
……
In the drawing room, after everyone had left, Serafina slowly put down the teacup she had been holding and looked at Hawthorne with gentle eyes:
“Now, we can talk quietly, Nicklo… I think there might be a lot of misunderstandings between us?”
(End of this chapter)