Chapter 25
SERENITY KELLER
My life returned to peace.
After Elias woke up and Liv got what she deserved, I took Arian back to the café to resume our life there.
Maybe because I'd been closed for a while and the townspeople worried I might go out of business, customers came by more frequently than before.
Day by day, I honed my coffee skills, and business picked up noticeably.
"Serenity, table six ordered a latte." Elias stood in front of the counter in a black server uniform, handing me the order slip.
I was busy grinding coffee beans and corrected him without looking up. "You should call me 'boss.' Don't forget—you're just my employee now!"
"So when can I get promoted to boyfriend, boss?" Elias asked with an innocent expression.
"When you can make a decent cup of coffee on your own." I handed him the ground coffee and let him come behind the counter to make the latte under my supervision.
His skills had improved a lot, but in my opinion, they were still pretty rough. I had to step in and show him the proper ratios. As I held his hand and guided him through stirring, a customer suddenly whistled at us. "Serenity, you and your boyfriend are still so lovey-dovey!"
They meant it kindly, but my face turned bright red. I quickly let go of Elias's hand. "He's not my boyfriend!"
Despite my protest, I stole a glance at Elias's handsome profile. For some reason, something in my heart softened. A warm, happy current flowed through me.
"Your eyes say otherwise. Don't think we can't see it." The customers all laughed. Cheerful voices filled the café. I was so embarrassed I just shooed Elias out from behind the counter with his finished latte.
Once they stopped paying attention to me, I hid behind the bar and stole a peek outside.
Elias was bent over, cleaning a table, occasionally chatting with nearby customers.
His movements were so practiced—he didn't look anything like the CEO of a major corporation.
I never imagined that his way of pursuing me would be to apply for a part-time server position at my café.
Moon Goddess above—when he'd handed me a résumé packed with business achievements, I'd been absolutely floored.
But Elias didn't seem to think there was anything strange about abandoning Vernal Corporation to work as a barista.
He'd solemnly explained how his ability to manage multiple international projects made him perfectly qualified to carry coffee cups. And then he'd played his trump card.
"My biggest advantage is that I don't need a salary." He had stared at me with burning intensity. I had no comeback for that.
In the end, I had hired him.
I had assumed he was only doing this to get close to me.
But he actually did all the work well. He attentively served customers and helped me handle orders I couldn't manage alone.
When I tested new coffee recipes, he'd earnestly play customer and give me feedback.
On holidays, he'd use his role as Arian's father to insist on outings—and naturally, I came along as the guardian.
This kind of warm, ordinary daily life felt almost too good to be real.
As time passed, the empty piece of my heart's puzzle gradually took shape. It was starting to look like the family I'd always dreamed of.
"Mommy, look at my drawing!" Arian suddenly ran downstairs and ducked behind the counter, holding up a piece of paper.
I looked down and saw a crayon drawing of a happy family of three. A golden-haired mommy and a brown-haired daddy held a blue-eyed child together. Above their heads shone a bright sun and a big heart. Everyone's hands were linked.
"Who's this?" I asked, pretending not to know.
"This is Mommy, this is Daddy, and this is me!" He pointed to each figure. "We're a family!"
Something gently nudged my heart.
Arian looked up at me hopefully. "Did I do a good job?"
"Very good. You're so talented." I stroked his hair. Arian beamed, then asked innocently, "So, Mommy, when will you forgive Daddy and make up with him?"
I looked at his expectant and anxious little face. Bubbles of emotion rose inside me.
Sweet. Beautiful. It reminded me of a spring day I hadn't thought about in a long time.
I couldn't help but smile. I glanced at the man outside the counter who was pretending to be busy but clearly eavesdropping. I gave a vague answer. "I never said I wasn't willing."
Arian hadn't processed my words, but Elias whipped around, looking at me with overwhelming joy.
This time, I finally stopped running from his affection and pursuit. I met his gaze openly.
"Did you mean what I think you meant, Serenity?" Elias held his breath and confirmed my intentions.
"You heard right, Mr. Elias. Congratulations." I curved my eyes into a smile. "You've just been promoted from 'employee' to 'boyfriend.'"
Elias let out an excited shout. He rushed over and actually lifted me right out from behind the counter!
He laughed as he spun me around, repeating "I'm Serenity's boyfriend" like a giddy child while the customers applauded around us.
I was half-annoyed, half-amused as I kept swatting his shoulder. Arian ran and jumped alongside us. Finally, I couldn't help laughing with them. The memory of that day would stay bright and unfading, even on the day Elias and I held our second wedding.
It was something I would never forget.
After the wedding, I moved back into the Vernal mansion.
That house was no longer a cage to me, and I was no longer a stranger passing through. Every pack member genuinely welcomed my return. They threw welcome-home parties one after another until I had to order them to stop trying to apologize to me this way.
Even though I'd returned to the mansion, I still ran my café.
It had become my career. Even after reconciling with Elias, I had no intention of giving it up. Elias supported me unconditionally, regularly ordering coffee from me on behalf of Vernal Corporation.
One day, I was bringing his usual coffee order to the company. When I stepped into the elevator, I noticed a female employee I had never seen before. Her distinctly different scent told me she wasn't a werewolf, just an ordinary human girl.
If my past with Elias had taught us anything, allowing humans to work at Vernal Corporation was one of the changes.
Because the Goldens had saved my life, I understood that humans, like werewolves, had both good and bad people among them. More than anyone, I hoped that one day werewolves and humans could coexist peacefully, not just as hunters and hunted.
Elias's initiative was an attempt for my sake. It was also a way to repay the Goldens' kindness.
So I looked at this young new employee and couldn't help striking up a conversation. "Are you new here?"
She glanced at me in surprise and nodded.
"What do you think of Vernal Corporation?" I asked curiously. That question opened the floodgates. She became animated and launched into endless praise for the company's benefits. I listened with a smile.
"Sounds like Elias treats you all well," I said.
She froze at my words. "You call him Elias?"
I nodded. "Yes. Why?"
Her gaze dropped to the coffee I was carrying. Her expression turned strange. "So... you're delivering coffee to Mr. Vernal?"
I nodded again.
She sighed with a frustrated "I knew it" look.
She seemed to distance herself from me, crossing her arms and putting on a stern face.
"Forgive me for being blunt, ma'am, but as an employee of this company, I feel obligated to warn you.
I know Mr. Vernal is very attractive. There are countless women here who want to get close to him.
But believe me. You don't stand a chance. "
"What?" I was stunned. I couldn't even process what she meant.
She declared loudly, "Mr. Vernal is married! And he loves his wife very, very much!"
I was shocked speechless again. I could only stare at her wide-eyed.
She must have thought my expression meant I was convinced, because she doubled down.
"It's true! Mr. Vernal never lets the company work overtime because he wants to go home to his wife and child.
He always has photos of his wife and child on his desk—they're there no matter who visits.
I haven't seen them myself, but everyone says when he looks at those photos, it's like he's looking at his whole world! "
My face flushed crimson. I was too embarrassed to speak. "I… I see…"
She nodded vigorously. "Now that you understand, stop using cheap tricks like delivering coffee to get close to Mr. Vernal! And don't call him by his first name. If he hears you, he'll definitely fire you for his wife's sake!"
I opened my mouth to explain. Just then, the elevator stopped and the doors opened.
Elias and Arian were standing right there in the hallway waiting for me. The moment Arian saw me, he ran over and threw himself into my arms. "Mommy!"
The new employee's eyes went wide. Her jaw dropped.
Elias walked over too. He took the coffee from my hands, wrapped me in a gentle embrace, and kissed my cheek. "Thank you for coming, sweetheart. Is today's coffee a new recipe?"
"Mm-hmm. Try it." I held my child in my arms and gazed up at my husband. My eyes sparkled. A smile I couldn't wipe away spread across my face.
The new employee's expression was beyond description. Her eyes darted between the three of us as she stammered, barely able to form a complete sentence. "He called you Mommy… You… you're Mrs. Vernal?"
I gave her an embarrassed smile. "Yes. Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself."
Her face turned bright red. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry! I didn't know—I thought—everything I just said—"
"It's fine!" I quickly reassured her. "Actually, I'm really happy! Thank you for telling me just how much my husband loves me."
As I spoke, I looked up at Elias. He gave me a confused look in return.
The new employee finally laughed. She said sincerely, "You two are the most loving couple I've ever seen! Mrs. Vernal, you and Mr. Vernal are so happy together!"
Happy…
Her words made me pause for a moment.
The sweet misunderstanding passed quickly. That evening, Elias and I followed our usual routine—dinner with Arian, a bedtime story to put him to sleep, then retreating to our own room.
Elias held me in his arms. He sensed my mood and asked gently, "What were you thinking about today?"
I leaned against his chest, soaking in his warmth. "I was thinking about my mother."
Back then, I was very small. Just like now, I'd curled up in my mother's embrace and listened to her soft voice telling fairy tales about fated mates. I'd asked her what it felt like to have a fated mate. She'd always answered that it felt like 'home.'
I'd never truly understood those words.
Even though I'd always been chasing that dream, I couldn't find it for the longest time. I'd once believed fairy tales were lies—things that could never happen to me.
But now, it had come true.
I thought of Arian sleeping in the next room. I looked up at Elias holding me. I finally understood what my mother had meant all those years ago. I'd finally grasped this happiness in my own hands.
Even though the road had been long and winding, filled with tears and pain that had almost made me give up.
The Moon Goddess had kept her promise after all. And a family built on deep love.
"Goodnight, Serenity," Elias murmured.
"Goodnight, Elias," I replied with a smile.
Then I closed my eyes and drifted off peacefully in his arms. Just like that little girl who'd once fallen asleep in her mother's embrace so many years ago.
The difference was, she was no longer listening to someone else's fairy tale.
Her own fairy tale had finally come true.