Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Sebastian looked at my reddening eyes, silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out his hand.

I instinctively shrank back.

His hand paused mid-air, then descended. His index finger knuckle gently scraped across the tip of my nose.

The gesture was light, carrying a hint of helplessness and a touch of indulgence.

"Late at night—don't overthink." His voice was low with a barely perceptible rasp. "Go to sleep."

I stood frozen as he turned, closed the study door, once again shutting out that light and commotion.

I touched my nose tip where the warmth of his knuckle still lingered.

That surging grievance suddenly dissipated. But what replaced it was an even heavier, more helpless sense of guilt.

He hadn't blamed me. He'd even comforted me.

The more nonchalant he was, the more I felt like an immature burden who only caused him trouble.

The next day, I got up early.

The new company address was the office building I'd signed the contract for.

Since the fire had destroyed so much, lots of office equipment and files needed to be repurchased and reorganized.

I simply announced a company-wide day off, keeping only a few core staff to help prepare the new office with me.

Arriving at the new location and seeing the spacious, bright new office, everyone's faces showed the relief of surviving a catastrophe and anticipation for the future.

"Alright, everyone, thank you for your hard work today!" I clapped my hands, rolling up my sleeves. "Let's do this ourselves! First, let's assemble all this new office furniture!"

"Yes!"

Several young employees immediately got to work enthusiastically.

I didn't idle either, picking up a screwdriver to crouch down and study an office desk diagram.

"Ms. Neville," my assistant came over, taking the work from my hands. "You should rest. Why would you need to do this kind of thing yourself?"

"It's fine," I smiled, finding another part to start screwing in. "Working together with everyone is lively. Besides, I want to quickly get familiar with our company's new members."

My gaze seemingly casually swept over several busy figures.

Eric was just an intern. There had to be someone behind him.

That person was very likely hidden within my company.

An insider harboring resentment toward me, or perhaps bought off by Monica or someone else.

Only by integrating with them could I discover flaws in the most unguarded moments.

After a morning of collective effort, the new office had begun taking shape.

Exhausted and sweating, I was leaning by the window drinking water when my phone vibrated.

A message from Sebastian.

Very brief—just one line.

[I won't be home for dinner tonight.]

My heart plummeted.

Last night, though he hadn't said it explicitly, I could feel he actually cared.

Those shareholders' words couldn't have had no effect on him.

Was he not coming back today because he was deliberately avoiding me?

That text was like cold water, extinguishing the tiny bit of warmth that had just risen in my heart.

Looking at the busy street outside, I suddenly felt somewhat lost.

Just then, my phone rang again.

This time, an unknown number. I casually declined it, but the caller stubbornly called back.

Somewhat impatiently, I answered. "Who is it?"

"Sophia, it's me."

Beauchamp.

His voice sounded strange, carrying a suppressed, urgent questioning. "Are you alright?"

I frowned, finding this baffling. "What do you want, Mr. Jennings?"

"Sebastian... he hasn't done anything to you, has he?"

Too lazy to deal with his nonsensical concern, I hung up directly and blocked him.

But his interference made that uneasy feeling in my heart even heavier.

That evening, I returned to the apartment.

The place was empty, filled only with cold silence.

I cooked myself a bowl of noodles, eating without tasting, then sent my assistant a message.

[Help me check what the Jennings Group has been up to lately.]

Putting down my phone, I walked to the entryway and opened that storage cabinet.

Those two bags containing menswear still lay quietly in the deepest corner.

I stared at them for a long time before finally closing the cabinet door.

Perhaps these things would never be given away.

Early the next morning, I'd just arrived at the company when my assistant knocked and entered.

Her expression was somewhat strange as she placed a file on my desk. "Ms. Neville, the information you requested."

I opened the file. Just looking at the first page, my pupils constricted sharply.

"The Jennings Group's subsidiary specializing in new energy—yesterday, within an hour of market opening, its stock plummeted in a cliff-like drop, nearly collapsing." My assistant's voice carried undisguised shock.

"Preliminary estimates show the Jennings Group has at least three billion dollars in cash flow locked up. And this is just the beginning. The subsequent chain reaction could severely damage the entire Jennings Group."

My hand gripping the file unconsciously tightened.

Three billion dollars.

What a massive strike.

"Was the cause determined?"

"Yes." My assistant took a deep breath, seemingly also digesting this shocking news. "The Jennings Group recently went all-in bidding on an overseas lithium mine project, investing huge amounts. But just before contract signing, the project party suddenly announced the partner had changed to the Clifford Group."

"Not only that, the Clifford Group released information saying they'd long possessed internal reports showing that mine's reserves were inflated and it had serious safety hazards. The Jennings Group jumped straight into a pit dug just for them."

My mind went "boom."

Sebastian hadn't just intercepted the project—he'd set up a trap in advance, waiting for Beauchamp to throw in his entire fortune before pulling the rug out.

I suddenly remembered Beauchamp's inexplicable phone call.

"Sebastian... he hasn't done anything to you, has he?"

So he wasn't concerned about me.

After being precisely sniped by Sebastian and beaten without the ability to fight back, he was terrified Sebastian would use similarly ruthless methods against me.

So Sebastian's entire day of absence yesterday, that "I won't be home for dinner"...

He wasn't avoiding me at all.

He was avenging me. Using the most direct, most ruthless methods to strike back at everyone who'd bullied or schemed against me.

An indescribable surge of warmth exploded from deep in my heart, instantly flooding through my entire body.

Looking at those shocking numbers in the file, what appeared before my eyes was Sebastian's cool, calm face, and those eyes carrying helplessness and indulgence when he'd scraped my nose.

This man...

He never said anything. He only acted.

"Ms. Neville?"

Seeing my prolonged silence, my assistant tentatively called out.