Sebastian saw Rosalie’s eyes dim; he wanted to say more, but his phone rang before he could speak.His father was calling him to deal with that project again. Geoffrey wanted him to come right away, as the personnel involved were already waiting for him.Sebastian didn’t want to leave just yet. However, Rosalie, knowing the situation, urged him to attend to company affairs first.After bidding her goodbye, Sebastian left her house.Not long after his departure, she received a text. There were only two words in it: [I’m sorry.]It was from Theodore.Rosalie furrowed her brows, doubtful. Why did he text her that for no apparent reason? She replied to him with three question marks. Theodore texted back. [The day I took the incoming call, I didn’t mean to hide it from you. I just forgot about it. I’m sorry I upset you.]Rosalie shook her head, feeling helpless.She was taken aback by Theodore’s severely delayed reaction, what with his apology coming so belatedly. The last tim
Rosalie thought Theodore would be upset with her text, and that they might end up fighting again. She mentally prepared herself for that to happen. She even prepared many responses to him to retaliate.To her surprise, he replied very quickly.[Alright, I won’t say it anymore if it upsets you. Just tell me in the future if there’s anything you’re not happy with. I’ll change.]Rosalie wondered what the occasion was today. She even checked the calendar. Today wasn’t April Fool’s Day and not any special occasion, either. It was just another ordinary day. Why was Theodore being so yielding? He was acting just like a well-behaved puppy.That’s right… That was the best way to describe him right now. All he needed to do was to whimper for attention.Theodore sent another text that read, [Rose, eat well and sleep well. Please don’t torment your own body. And…thank you.]Rosalie became even more confused. [Thank me…for what?]Theodore sent her a cheeky-looking emoji. [For the things
Before she could send the text, a call came in. It was a foreign-looking number.Rosalie answered the call. “Hello?”A mature-sounding voice of a middle-aged man greeted her. “Ms. Young, it’s me.”The voice sounded very familiar, from someone she just heard today. It was clearly Sebastian’s father, Geoffrey.Rosalie’s mind buzzed. “Mr. Carter?”Geoffrey’s voice sounded peaceful and courteous, a stark contrast from how cold he had sounded when talking to Sebastian.Rosalie thought she must have heard him wrongly. Why did Sebastian’s father sound so calm and kind?Geoffrey seemed to have sensed her surprise over his sudden call, and explained leisurely, “Don’t worry. I’m not calling to reprimand you.”Doubtful, Rosalie asked, “How may I help you, then?”“Is Sebastian still with you?”“He’s left. The moment he received your call, he went off to work.” Then she added, “He’s very hardworking and very outstanding, for that matter.”“It seems you regard him highly,” Geoffrey said l
“You’re not as insignificant as you claim to be. Since you know President Harper, why don’t you introduce us? Skycrest might need to take a loan or two in the future,” said Geoffrey. Rosalie finally understood the reason behind his call today. It was none other than for corporate interest.“To be honest, Mr. Carter, I’m sure an enterprise as outstanding as Skycrest would have many banks fighting to give it a loan. There’s no need for you to look for a bank, not to mention asking someone insignificant like me for help on that,” Rosalie said firmly. For someone like Geoffrey Carter to look her up for an introduction with a bank president, something fishy must be going on. There was clearly an unknown reason behind this—one that Geoffrey would certainly refuse to say.“That’s true,” Geoffrey said, “but the choice always goes both ways. There’s no loss in getting to know the president of a bank. Could you help me out, in light of the fact that I didn’t punish my son on your account t
After a moment’s silence, Rosalie finally said, “I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll ask.”“In that case, Ms. Young, I can’t guarantee anything too. It seems we both need to work harder on this. I have something else to attend to, and I need to go. I hope to receive good news from you.”With that, Geoffrey hung up.Rosalie tightened her grip over her phone.Geoffrey was way too vicious! How could he bear to do this and use Sebastian as leverage when Sebastian was his biological son?But she shouldn’t find it strange. The world was filled with all kinds of people, and not all parents were fit to be one. A bastard would remain a bastard even after becoming a parent. He wouldn’t suddenly become a great man or a hero after having a child.After a moment’s hesitation, Rosalie had no choice but to scroll to Sydney’s contact and dial the number. Sydney answered the call after over ten seconds.“Hello, Mom. It’s me.”“What’s the matter?” Sydney’s voice was icy. Although they weren’t
After leaving Rosalie’s house, Sebastian buried himself in work.Geoffrey arranged many appointments for him, forcing him to run around many places. He didn’t even have time for a sip of water till deep in the night. By the time he returned home, he was exhausted and collapsed weakly on the couch.Sometimes, the strictness his father displayed made him wonder if he really was that man’s biological son. But given the same blood type they shared and how closely he resembled his father, it seemed like an indisputable fact.What a cold, heartless father he had.As it turned out, cold-blooded creatures could reproduce, too.“Seb, you’re back.” Yvonne walked downstairs, and saw the fatigue on her brother’s face.Sebastian’s brows furrowed. “Why are you here?”“I’m staying here right now. Didn’t I tell you before that I wanted to stay here for some time? I don’t want to go home. Dad’s super strict, and I’m scared of him,” Yvonne said, intertwining her fingers with each other.Sebast
“You do have a friend by the name of Lily, don’t you?” Sebastian smiled, knowing that he had a hold over Yvonne.Yvonne swallowed hard. She straightened her body, and said seriously, “No, I don’t.”He arched a brow, and was about to put his card away when she grabbed his wrist. “But I can make her up!”She stretched her hands out, and carefully pulled his black card from his fingers. She wrapped her arms tightly around it, for fear that her brother would snatch it back.Then, she blew him a flying kiss. “See you, Seb! I’ll be off to find you a Lily!”-In the middle of the night, Rosalie felt thirsty and got out of bed for a cup of water.She felt restless and irritable, with many things on her mind. The matter regarding Sebastian bothered her the most. She couldn’t tell him about it, and had to settle the matter behind his back.This whole thing concerned his father, after all.Rosalie chuckled helplessly over the irony of the situation.What an outrageous situation she
Sebastian texted, [I hope you’ll like her.]Rosalie texted, [Whether I like her or not isn’t important. What’s important is that you do.][Yes, I do. She might not be good enough in other people’s eyes, but in my opinion, she’s different and better than anyone else,] he replied.Rosalie felt warmth seep into her heart.Sebastian was such a great man! Any woman who married him would be blessed. She even started to feel envious of the woman he liked.However, it stopped at just simply envy. She genuinely felt happy for Sebastian as well as the lady he fancied.As fatigue finally set in, Rosalie yawned. After chatting with Sebastian, she felt a lot more relaxed.[Seb, turn in early so you’ll be at your best tomorrow.][Yes, you too. You and your baby need a good rest. Help me say hello to your baby.][Sure. Goodnight.][Goodnight.]Rosalie gently caressed her belly. “Baby, do you feel that? Uncle Sebastian cares about you very much.”She was about to put her phone down when sh