That one phrase, "sister-in-law," petrified the entire group. Their jaws practically hit the floor.
This was a huge misunderstanding!
’So this pretty girl wasn’t Gavin Forrest’s girlfriend after all, but Sebastian’s!’
In an instant, every eye in the room swiveled to , full of curiosity. After all, this was the first ti anyone had seen Sebastian Forrest bring a girl to this kind of event.
"You didn’t explain things to them? Hmm?" Sebastian, however, just raised a hand and ruffled the top of my head. The last syllable of his question rose, impossibly magnetic.
"I didn’t have ti to explain before you showed up..."
"I’ll trust you this once." Sebastian’s fingers slid down to my neck, giving it a gentle squeeze before quickly letting go.
But the rough pads of his fingers against my neck created a tingling sensation that made touch the spot in discomfort. Sebastian’s touch had been fleeting, yet the sense of familiarity it left on my skin was hard to shake...
’It felt as if this kind of intimate contact was sothing I’d experienced before...’
I quickly composed myself. ’Am I getting too into character?’
’I’m starting to lose my mind.’
"Hey, sister-in-law." Just then, the circle of people around us all chid in with the sa address.
I’d never been in a situation like this. I could only smile and respond to each one, but my face felt like it was starting to freeze.
"Alright, get lost. What are you all crowding around for!" Sebastian seed to notice my discomfort. He shooed them away with a laugh and a curse, then pulled toward a booth sofa on the side.
"Gavin Forrest put this get-together together. All these people are his friends. If you get bored, just tell , and we’ll go ho." Sebastian sat next to , draping his arm over the back of the sofa behind in an extrely possessive posture.
The people Sebastian had just dispersed still lingered nearby, their attention fixed on him.
’Clearly, there are levels even within the sa social class, just as every circle has a center and a periphery.’
Sebastian Forrest was, without a doubt, the absolute center.
Soon, a few of his closer friends ca over. "Sebastian, I hear you’re getting into military-industrial research?"
"Yeah." Sebastian nodded, his legs crossed lightly. "Why? Want to invest?"
"Hahaha, I’d love to! I just don’t know if you’d give us a chance, Sebastian..."
Sebastian gave a token lift of his lips. "There’s a bidding project next month. If any of you are interested, you can check it out."
The mont they heard this, everyone got excited and crowded around him. The atmosphere was electric as they all started talking at once.
Sebastian said a few words at the beginning, but for the rest of the ti, he just smiled occasionally. Mostly, he was occupied with placing fruit and snacks in front of .
"Sebastian, want to play cards?" Just then, soone from a short distance away waved at Sebastian.
Sebastian tilted his head and looked at . "Want to play?"
"I don’t know how," I said, quickly waving my hands in refusal.
"Co on, I’ll teach you." Sebastian took my hand and pulled to my feet, heading toward the card table.
I was a little nervous at first, my hands sweating as I held the cards.
But with Sebastian standing behind acting as my strategist, I won several hands in a row.
Seeing the pile of chips in front of grow higher and higher—worth hundreds of thousands when converted—I quickly made the excuse that I was tired and stopped playing.
I could tell the other three players at the table were intentionally letting win. They were all doing it for Sebastian’s sake.
’Favors are the kind of thing that beco a burden if you accept too many.’
’It’s best to know when to stop.’
...
"Oh, right, did you guys see the top trending topics today? Clara Langley and Theodore Grant made their relationship official! I heard they were both married and divorced before. Must be true love. After all these years of going around in circles, they finally ended up together..."
Just then, a man in a floral shirt nearby spoke animatedly, not noticing that the atmosphere in the room had suddenly turned ice-cold.
"But, I also heard that Theodore Grant’s ex-wife is no pushover either. She apparently cheated during the marriage too, and the guy was supposedly Theodore’s good frien—"
He was getting into his story when his eyes suddenly t the gaze Sebastian shot his way. The words died on his lips.
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed, a glacial chill in their depths.
The man in the floral shirt couldn’t help but shudder.
"Sorry, Sebastian. This guy just got back from abroad, he doesn’t know any better. Please be the bigger person..." Another man quickly tried to smooth things over, his face a mask of caution.
I bit my lip and instinctively turned to look at Sebastian, a flash of panic in my eyes.
It was only then that I realized the connection between , Theodore Grant, and Sebastian Forrest wasn’t a secret anymore.
—’They all know I’m Theodore Grant’s ex-wife!’
"Are you tired?" Sebastian looked at , the corners of his lips curling up slightly. His expression held none of the frightening chill from a mont ago.
I nodded. I never liked this kind of event to begin with, and now that I knew everyone was just pretending to be oblivious, it felt completely pointless.
Once we were out of the private room and saw no one was around, I tugged on Sebastian Forrest’s sleeve. "If even they know about my identity, does your family know too?"
With the Forrest Family’s power and influence, they were far more resourceful than those spoiled rich kids. It was impossible for them to be less inford.
The mont that thought surfaced, my palms began to sweat.
’To think I was putting on such a spirited performance this morning. In their eyes, I must have just looked like a clown, jumping all over the place.’
Sebastian Forrest slowly, deliberately, curled his lip. "They probably do."
My heart clenched. "Then what do we do?"
"It seems The Matriarch of my family is quite open-minded. She probably doesn’t care about your past."
"..."
His words left completely stunned.
"Then... then what do we do?"
Before we ca, the plan was clear. I was just supposed to accompany him to Varden and use my status as a ’divorcée’ to fend off Madam Forrest’s attempts to rush him into marriage.
But I never, ever would have thought that Madam Forrest wouldn’t even care about that.
’Does this an... we have to keep this act going?’
"What’s there to worry about?" Sebastian Forrest smiled. "Since The Matriarch of my family can accept you, I’ll have to trouble you to keep playing along with ."
"But... but what if she starts to believe it’s real?"
The smile on Sebastian Forrest’s face faded slightly. We were inches apart, and as I t his gaze, I fell into their deep, inky depths, which seed to swirl with an unidentifiable emotion.
My heart couldn’t help but speed up. But by the ti I tried to get a closer look, he had already reverted to his usual lazy, carefree deanor. "We’ll cross that bridge when we co to it. What’s the rush?"
"But..."
Sebastian raised his hand and tousled my hair, cutting off. "No buts. Let’s go. We’re going ho."
Soon, the car was pulling back into Forrest Manor.
It wasn’t until dinnerti that I realized the old madam wasn’t there. Only Third Uncle and Third Aunt were at the table.
"Madam Forrest had so indigestion after lunch, so she’s skipping dinner. She’s already gone upstairs to rest," Third Aunt explained warmly. As she spoke, she placed more food on my plate. "Here, Chelsea, eat up. Look how skinny you are..."
"Thank you, Third Aunt."
While I was happily eating away, I noticed Sebastian Forrest frowning at a bowl of at broth in front of him, an expression of pure disgust nearly overflowing from his face.
"Sebastian, the old madam had this prepared specially for you. Go on, have a taste..."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "The old madam gave this to ? Are you sure, Third Aunt?"
Third Aunt’s expression stiffened for a mont before she smiled again. "Of course! You’re the apple of the old madam’s eye..."
Sebastian’s expression was blank as he tugged at the corner of his mouth, raising a hand to push the bowl of broth aside.
Seeing this, Third Aunt turned to instead. "Chelsea, you do it. Quick, get Sebastian to drink his broth. You’re the only one who can talk any sense into him now..."
I couldn’t help but chuckle. I didn’t expect Sebastian Forrest to be a picky eater.
"It’s a token of Third Aunt’s kindness. Just drink it, won’t you?"
Sebastian’s eyebrow twitched slightly. He pursed his thin lips. "You’re sure you want to drink it?"
I didn’t quite understand why Sebastian was making such a big deal over a simple bowl of broth, but I nodded anyway. "Yes, drink it."
Sebastian looked at for a mont, then shook his head with a resigned laugh. "Alright. Just don’t regret it."
With that, he picked up the bowl and downed the broth in one go.
After we’d had our fill, Third Aunt took for a walk in the courtyard. Seeing that it was getting late, she finally led back to my room to rest.
But when the door swung open, I saw Sebastian Forrest standing by the bed, shirtless, holding a black t-shirt. He seed to notice enter and turned his head to look over.
Broad shoulders, a narrow waist... his honey-toned, leanly muscled torso was turned sideways to . The lines of his muscles and the groove of his spine were fluid and well-defined. The black belt from his waist had already been unbuckled and set aside...
"S-Sorry, I must have the wrong room..." I quickly turned to leave.
But I heard Sebastian Forrest let out a soft chuckle. "This is your room."
I couldn’t help but swallow hard. "Then... are we sleeping in the sa room?"
Sebastian raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on his face. "What else?"
"..."
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