Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever-Chapter 52 - I can beg him

"What did he say?" Ravyn asked, his voice fragile with hope as his eyes searched Voren’s face like a drowning man reaching for air, but Voren only stared back at him with a deadpan expression, his jaw tight, his shoulders rigid, the words clearly sitting heavy in his chest as though they were too cruel to be spoken out loud.

"Ravyn, I think we should separate our businesses from your personal affairs," Voren finally said, choosing each word carefully, his tone steady but distant, and even as he spoke, Ravyn could feel the invisible line being drawn between them.

Everything had been fine until Voren agreed to help him stand against Seraphine, and since that moment, it had been nothing but loss after loss, setback after setback, and now Voren was standing at the edge of a cliff he never meant to approach, realizing that if he kept holding Ravyn’s hand, he might fall straight into the abyss with him.

Not only had he gained nothing from getting involved, but the losses were piling up faster than he could manage, and deep down he knew that if he did not pull away now, his collapse might mirror Ravyn’s in ways he was not prepared to survive.

"Why are you talking like this?" Ravyn asked, desperation bleeding into every syllable as his voice cracked despite his effort to sound composed, because Voren had always been his shield, the one who absorbed the blows meant for him, and hearing those words now felt sharper than any blade could ever be.

"Look, I’ll pay back your losses after everything stabilizes," Ravyn continued, leaning forward as though closing the physical distance might also close the emotional one, but Voren only shook his head slowly, already knowing that Ravyn did not understand the real problem.

It was not just about money anymore.

It was about the fact that Seraphine was not going to stop, not now, not ever, especially since she was no longer Ravyn’s wife, which meant he had no power over her, and even worse, his own parents were backing her every move like silent accomplices.

Voren could already piece everything together in his mind, could tell that Humphrey had called Seraphine after speaking with Ravyn, and that conversation had been the spark that made her double everything without hesitation.

"Congratulations," Voren said flatly, folding his arms across his chest. "You called your father for help, but it looks like he turned against you, and your crazy ex-wife has already doubled my price, and tripled yours as of now, and she did not even wait for the ultimatum to expire."

"No," Ravyn muttered, dragging both hands through his hair in frustration as panic rose like bile in his throat. "Why the fuck is she doing this?"

He lifted his phone, ready to call his father again, his fingers trembling over the screen, but Voren stepped forward and caught his wrist.

"Pause, Ravyn, and actually think," Voren said sharply. "From what I gathered from your conversation with your father, he is trying to squeeze as much money out of you as possible because of the alimony breach and the death of his grandchild."

Ravyn froze, his breath stuttering in his chest as tears blurred his vision, his pride collapsing under the weight of reality.

"So what do I do?" he whispered hoarsely. "I can beg him."

"And you honestly think six billion will be enough in his eyes?" Voren asked, shaking his head slowly. "He will only get offended and tell Sera to charge you even more. After all, she deserves half of everything that belongs to you."

Ravyn already knew it was true, and that was exactly why it hurt so badly, because the truth tasted bitter and metallic on his tongue.

"So what do I do?" Ravyn repeated, his voice hollow now, like he had been emptied from the inside.

Voren nodded once, his decision already made even though it cost him something to say it out loud.

"I think, my best friend, that you should pay your ex-wife the six billion before she multiplies it again, and for the sake of friendship, I will pay her the twenty billion she is demanding, but Ravyn, do not ever involve me in your problems again."

He turned and walked away before Ravyn could respond, because Voren knew that if he stayed even a second longer, pity might crawl back into his heart and convince him to help Ravyn one more time, and he could not afford that kind of weakness anymore.

God knew he had been kind as a friend and had received punishment for it, and right now, survival meant choosing himself and protecting his company, even if it made him look cold.

An entire hour passed with Ravyn standing there like a ghost, staring into nothing, ignoring the endless calls and alerts vibrating his phone, until finally he sucked in a shaky breath and accepted that reality was not going to bend for him.

He could not allow Seraphine to send that video to his business associates, so he dialed her number, but it went straight to voicemail, exactly as he expected.

Knowing why she was refusing his calls, he pressed his lips together and dialed Corvine instead.

"If you are going to be rude, then I better hang up," Corvine said seriously, and Ravyn tasted bile rise in his mouth.

This was his loyal beta, the man who used to follow his every instruction without blinking, and now they sounded like strangers, or worse, enemies, and Ravyn could feel that Corvine somehow held the upper hand.

"I just want to confirm a few things before transferring the money," Ravyn said, forcing politeness into his voice like armor.

Corvine answered calmly, "Alright, I will call you back. She is busy now."

Minutes later, Corvine returned the call and informed him that Seraphine was ready to meet at a coffee shop, and that he had sent the location.

Ravyn straightened his jacket on the drive over, already rehearsing the smile he would wear, already preparing the mask he would use to convince Seraphine to take down the video without payment, because he still hoped he could manipulate his way out of this mess.

But the moment he walked into the café and saw Voren sitting in front of Seraphine, his chest dropped straight to his stomach, and whatever fragile hope he had left shattered instantly.

His gaze darkened, his expectations collapsing like wet paper. "Voren," Ravyn demanded, his voice tight with disbelief and betrayal, "what the fuck are you doing here?"