Chapter 292

Chapter 292

Lisbeth had never forgotten those shoes from her limited vantage point. They were from an ordinary brand—white sneakers. But on one of them was a splash of red. A very obvious red stain.

It looked like… paint.

Lisbeth didn't have time to think. She took off after him, already dialing Sebastian's number.

The call connected. Lisbeth spoke quickly.

"Wall Street. Get here now. I saw the guy who broke into the hospital room last night."

She sent her location and hung up.

What she didn't know was that the person who'd answered wasn't Sebastian.

---

In the living room, Qiana sat on the couch, looking at the location Lisbeth had sent. She pulled out her own phone and forwarded the location and message to Leopold.

Then she placed Sebastian's phone back on the coffee table, arranging it as if she'd never touched it.

A moment later, Sebastian emerged from the bathroom, a drop of water still clinging to his fingertips.

Qiana pulled out a tissue and handed it to him. "I'm so sorry to make you come all this way…"

"It's fine."

Sebastian sat across from her, his gaze cool. "You've had plenty of time to think. What's your decision?"

Qiana's hands rested on her lap, fingers lightly smoothing the fabric of her skirt. "It's not that I don't want to help you… I just really don't want to go up against her. You don't know how relentless she can be."

"But isn't that why you came back? To get revenge?"

Qiana smiled bitterly. "Revenge is one thing. But my own life matters more. If I can't even live peacefully, what's the point of revenge?"

Sebastian heard the retreat in her voice. "So you're giving up."

"I…"

Qiana was, in fact, planning to give up.

She'd only wanted to use this situation to get close to Sebastian. Now that she'd achieved that goal, she didn't want to invest more time and energy into it.

And she didn't want to make another enemy.

Sebastian stood, his expression detached. "Looks like I wasted my time coming here. If you don't want revenge and you won't help me, then there's nothing more to say."

He picked up his phone and turned to leave.

Qiana quickly stood up. "We used to work together. Are you really just going to abandon me like this?"

Something about her words felt off. Sebastian turned back, his gaze landing on her with mild confusion. "Do you hear yourself? Abandon you?"

He gave a faint, humorless smile.

"Like you said, we were colleagues. We worked together once. How does that translate to me abandoning you? Your life and mine were never intertwined."

Their relationship was perfectly ordinary. If not for that incident, Sebastian never would've looked into her at all. And there was something he needed to make clear.

"You came to me. Not the other way around."

Qiana's face went pale. She suddenly realized that the graceful, reserved young man from years ago had become a mature, composed man with an overwhelming presence.

Sebastian didn't just smile and accept people's demands anymore. He pushed back. He was sharp. Even though his face still wore that gentle mask, his eyes were full of frost.

"That's not what I meant. I haven't been back to this city in so long. My family's not here. I don't know anyone… You're the only person I can rely on. I'm not trying to cling to you. I just hope that before I get back on my feet, you could help me out a little when it's convenient. Don't shut me out."

Sebastian listened to her speech and finally understood. He suddenly realized why Lisbeth had been so unhappy that day at the restaurant.

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He cursed himself silently. So stupid. He wasn't particularly perceptive when it came to emotions. He'd never realized this woman had feelings for him.

But to avoid any misunderstanding, he asked bluntly, "Do you have feelings for me?"

Qiana hadn't expected him to be so direct. The emotions she'd buried were suddenly dragged into the open. Admit it or deny it—she couldn't decide.

But her silence was answer enough.

Sebastian took a deep breath. "Did you show up at that restaurant on purpose?"

Qiana shook her head quickly. "Of course not! I ran into Leopold by chance. He said he was a friend of Ms. Whitaker's and that he had something to tell me about her. That's the only reason I went to the restaurant with him."

It didn't sound entirely full of holes, but it wasn't exactly convincing either.

Sebastian didn't believe her. "I don't care why you were at that restaurant. What I can tell you clearly is that the only person I love is Lisbeth. No matter where we end up, I will never be with anyone else."

He might not be great at reading other people's emotions, but he was excellent at rejecting them.

He could smile gently and say the cruelest things.

"You're a good person. I hope you find your own happiness someday. But it won't be with me."

Qiana had never imagined that the first time she opened her heart, this would be the response. She hadn't even confessed yet.

What was this?

Qiana felt both unwilling and humiliated. "You've only been together for how long? How can you be so sure you'll never change?"

She stepped in front of Sebastian, looking up at him.

"Sebastian, we're adults. When we talk about relationships, we shouldn't just think about love. We used to work at the same company. I know you. You know me. We work incredibly well together. I know you love acting—otherwise you never would've joined the industry. Even though you've left, deep down, you still have that passion…"

Sebastian listened to her go on. The version of him she described sounded both familiar and foreign. Like him, but also not.

For example, she said he'd loved the entertainment industry.

But he'd never loved acting.

Quite the opposite. He'd never liked playing someone else's life. It made him feel split.

That's what he thought, so that's what he said. "I think you've misunderstood something. You only knew me for one year. The truth is, I'm not what you think. I never liked acting. I have no regrets about leaving the industry. I have everything I need. So when it comes to relationships, I don't need to weigh the pros and cons. I only think about love."

Other people might need to calculate. But he didn't.

"No one can stop me from making my own decisions. Not even my family." Sebastian looked at Qiana's pale face. "Do you actually like me? Or do you like the person you imagined I was?"