Chapter 273 All Comers Accepted

Chapter 273 All Comers Accepted

The moment Lucas recognized the visitor, his eyes darkened slightly.

He hadn't forgotten that Sebastian was also pursuing Elena.

With that thought circling in his mind, he instinctively glanced toward the kitchen.

Roman was talking to Elena, and she seemed amused, smiling softly.

Seeing this, Lucas was quite satisfied. He turned back around and tilted his little face up. "Sebastian..."

Hearing the child's clear voice, Sebastian furrowed his brow, his expression growing even darker.

He wasn't an idiot—he could clearly see what Roman was up to. And he was furious at the man's shamelessness.

He'd only been away a few days, and this guy had already swooped in like some eager puppy. Disgusting.

"That's not how you do it. You have to cut it like this—what you're making looks kind of awful, doesn't it?"

Elena's sudden comment reached Sebastian's ears. He instinctively looked up, and what he saw made his anger flare even hotter.

Roman was standing right next to Elena, knife in hand, apparently fumbling with something.

Just from his movements, it was obvious he wasn't very skilled—there was a certain awkwardness to it.

But who knew if he was faking it? Maybe it was all an act to get Elena's attention.

"Is this okay?"

Roman made a few more cuts and turned to look at Elena.

Now they were even closer, as if they might kiss at any moment.

Elena didn't seem to notice anything wrong. She glanced over and was about to nod when Sebastian's voice, laced with anger, cut through from the doorway.

"Elena..."

The sudden call startled both Elena and Roman. Their expressions quickly shifted.

Elena's face darkened, a barely detectable anger flickering in her eyes, her jaw tight.

Roman looked surprised, but then his eyes grew somber.

The air froze instantly. The easy atmosphere from before vanished completely.

Elena turned around and looked at the man standing in the doorway, staring intently at her. Her tone was cold.

"What are you doing here?"

Seeing her coldness, Sebastian felt a sharp pain in his chest.

But he didn't want to lose face in front of Roman, so he bit down hard and forced himself to control the emotions churning inside him.

"Elena, can you come out for a moment? I need to talk to you."

Elena stared at Sebastian quietly. She knew his temper—if she didn't go out, he definitely wouldn't leave.

Besides, she wanted to see what Sebastian had to say.

With that in mind, Elena removed her apron and walked toward the door.

Seeing Elena approach, Sebastian's expression softened slightly, while Roman's face suddenly darkened.

At that moment, he lost all interest in cooking. He set down the knife and followed them out.

"What do you want?"

The moment she stepped outside, Elena shut the door behind her and spoke coldly.

Seeing her completely indifferent expression, Sebastian felt like his heart was being torn apart. He took a deep breath and pressed on.

"When did Roman get here? What's he doing here?"

"How is that any of your business?"

Elena glanced at him coolly and let out a cold laugh. "What do you want? If there's nothing, then please leave. I don't have time right now."

After dropping that line, she turned to go back inside, but in the next moment, Sebastian grabbed her wrist.

"Elena, don't go. Are you mad at me?"

"I admit, I've been neglecting you lately. I've been distant."

"But I had my reasons. The board of directors has been—"

"Sebastian, that's 'your' family business. I don't want to know about it."

Elena cut him off without hesitation, her expression icy. "Besides, what have you done that I'd be mad about?"

"Actually, you not looking for me these past few days has been pretty nice. Jasmine hasn't called me or harassed me, and my life's been really peaceful."

"So please, keep spending time with Jasmine, okay? Do it so I can have some peace and quiet."

"How about it?"

Hearing Elena's cold sarcasm, Sebastian's face also grew ugly.

He recalled what he'd seen earlier—Elena and Roman standing close together, their movements so intimate. In his anger, his words came out dripping with mockery. "Elena, you don't want to see me, do you?"

"You only want to see Roman, don't you? You only want to be with him, living some sweet little life together?"

Hearing him lump her together with Roman, Elena frowned. "When did I ever say I wanted to live some 'sweet little life' with Roman? Sebastian, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want! Do you think everyone's like 'that'?"

"Haven't you?"

Sebastian looked at her cold demeanor toward him, and the fury in his chest grew stronger.

Jealousy was about to consume him completely, and his words became sharper and more cutting. "I just saw you two standing so close together! You looked like you were about to kiss!"

"Elena, can just anyone get close to you? Can anyone get a little warmth from you? Can you give your heart to just anyone? Including your ex-husband?"

A crisp slap rang out. Sebastian's face snapped to the side, his hair falling forward to cover his eyes, revealing only his tightly clenched jaw.

"Sebastian! Don't push it!"

Elena couldn't take it anymore. She cursed out loud.

"What I do is my own business. You don't get to lecture me!"

"You should worry about yourself before you worry about anyone else!"

"Get out!"

With that, Elena turned, yanked open the door, and slammed it shut.

The hallway fell silent, only the overhead light still glowing.

Sebastian gently touched the cheek that had been slapped, his eyes flooding with complex emotions.

He didn't know how things had ended up like this.

On the way over, he'd planned to talk things through with Elena, to clear up the misunderstanding.

But the moment he saw the car downstairs, his emotions spiraled out of control.

Especially when he saw Elena and Roman looking so close—he couldn't stop himself from saying those hurtful things.

Now, Sebastian was starting to regret it.

He stared at the tightly shut door, reaching out as if to knock again.

But his hand hung in midair, unable to fall.

He didn't know how much time passed. The hallway light went out, plunging him into complete darkness.

Finally, he let out a sigh, turned, and strode away.

Inside the apartment, Roman looked at Elena's dark expression. Recalling the conversation he'd overheard earlier, his eyes flickered briefly. Then he stood up, poured her a glass of water, and handed it over.

"What's up with Sebastian? Why'd he come and then leave? Isn't he going to come in and sit for a bit?"