The way Sebastian said Noelle’s name caught her off guard. Meanwhile, Denise’s warm, unwavering gaze stayed on her as if she were reluctant to look away.
This was the first time Noelle sensed such wholehearted fondness from someone she barely knew.
“William and I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time, Noelle. We didn’t expect you to drop by today. We weren’t prepared at all.”
Noelle frowned ever so slightly.
What did that mean? Was she not supposed to be here?
She pressed her lips together and hesitated briefly before saying, “I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Cole. I should’ve thought it through and called ahead.”
William chuckled. “You’ve misunderstood, young lady. What Denise means is that we weren’t ready to
host you properly.
“I heard from Sebastian that you’d wandered around the yard for a while, and that’s on us. Please forgive our poor hospitality.”
“Relax, Noelle. It’s just us here,” Sebastian murmured a reminder.
Denise eagerly continued, “We’ve sent all the other guests away to give you our full attention. Have you eaten yet? Tell me what you’d like, and I’ll cook.”
Sebastian smiled faintly and leaned in to whisper into Noelle’s ear, “My mom doesn’t cook often.”
Flustered, Noelle waved her hands. “That’s not necessary, Mrs. Cole. I came just to wish Mr. Sebastian a happy birthday and to bring the gift my mom and I prepared.”
William stepped in to reassure Denise, saying, “You’re just too eager. Can’t you see she’s still the same young lady she was as a child?
“Once she gets used to us, we can keep her for dinner. There’s no rush.”
In the end, Denise relented. “Fine, fine. If Noelle’s too shy, I won’t overstay her welcome.” Then, she waved a hand at Sebastian. “Go on and open your gift!”
Mary’s gift was a pair of gold cufflinks. Though they weren’t made of the purest gold, they still gleamed with the rich warmth of near–pure 22K gold.
Sebastian smiled as he ran his thumb over them. “Please thank Mrs. Spencer for me.”
Compared to the cufflinks, Noelle’s bottle of perfume felt almost personal. It seemed almost like something one might give a close friend.
A hot wave of embarrassment crept up her neck as she realized she’d made a mistake again.
Chapter 15
2/2
How could she have thought of giving a bottle of perfume?
But to her surprise, Sebastian treated the bottle of perfume with utmost respect. In this case, it meant unboxing it immediately and spraying it onto his wrist.
He lowered his head to take a whiff of the scent. Then, his expression softened. “This is incredible. I
haven’t smelled such a nice perfume in years.
“Thank you for the gift, Noelle. I love it.”
Sebastian made no effort to hide his delight, which helped Noelle feel a little better. Though her gift was
not the best compared to his other gifts, it was fine as long as it was up to Sebastians‘ liking.
Since Noelle wasn’t staying for dinner, she decided not to stay any longer. After a few polite exchanges,
she rose to leave.
Denise then winked at Sebastian and gestured, saying, “You should see Noelle out, Sebastian.”
So, Sebastian set the gifts aside and took Noelle’s hand with practiced ease. “Come on, Noelle. Let me take you home.”
Noelle’s eyes flicked to the edge of Sebastian’s cuff, where the carpal bones at his wrist stood out so strongly beneath his skin that she couldn’t look away.
Soon, she had followed Sebastian all the way to his car.
By the time they circled the driveway and drove out, Noelle was surprised to see the once–crowded yard
now empty save for the housekeepers cleaning up the mess.
The car had barely gone past the gates when Sebastian let out a sudden sneeze. It was as if he’d
suddenly been ambushed by an invisible allergen. Even Noelle couldn’t help worriedly ask, “Are you alright?”
But Sebastian merely pulled over, sneezing again and again.
When he finally lifted his head, the tip of his nose was flushed pink,
From Noelle’s seat, she could see the flush spreading down his jaw to his throat.
Sebastian then helplessly told the truth, “Noelle, I think I need a doctor and can’t take you home anymore.”
Chapter 15
Chapter 16