Chapter 76
Sebastian walked in while Scarlett was absorbed in her drawing.
Scarlett had forgotten to lock the door after her bath. Despite Sebastian's heavy footsteps as he strode in, she remained completely unaware of his presence until he reached her side.
She removed her earphones and looked up, her expression darkening when she saw him. "What is it?"
"Tomorrow we're returning to the Seymour Villa," Sebastian stated flatly, clearly not a request but a notification.
Already irritated, Scarlett grew even more annoyed. "Why should I go back there?"
"It's Edie's birthday. Everyone from the Seymour family will be there."
His reminder caught Scarlett off guard. Only then did she remember that August 27th was indeed Edith's birthday.
Recalling her past appearances at these celebrations, her frown deepened. "I'm not going."
Despite her beauty—or perhaps because of it—every year she attended, she was accused of stealing the spotlight. Even in the most ordinary dresses, she faced humiliation. She had no desire to endure that again.
"Are you sure?" Sebastian didn't seem intent on forcing her.
Scarlett made a noncommittal sound and resumed her drawing. But she quickly stopped again, giving Sebastian a sarcastic look. "Or do you want a repeat of last time?"
She was obviously referring to their previous visit to the Seymour Villa.
"No," Sebastian's expression remained unchanged. "If you're not going, just don't leave the house tomorrow."
His warning only heightened her sense of mockery. "Thanks to you, I can't go anywhere for the next few days anyway."
Sebastian paused on his way to the bathroom and turned back. "What do you mean?"
Scarlett felt he was playing dumb and just smiled. "Nothing."
Since she wouldn't elaborate, Sebastian didn't press further. He entered the bathroom, and soon the sound of running water filled the silence.
Scarlett's drawing motion faltered briefly before continuing.
The evening remained relatively peaceful. Sebastian showered upstairs, then, despite Scarlett's struggles, carried her to bed.
Two lonely souls, with Scarlett undressed—embraces easily led to hormones rising, resulting in lovemaking.
Afterward, Sebastian assumed Scarlett would fall asleep, but instead, she propped herself up and, despite her trembling hands, began searching through the bedside drawer.
"What are you looking for?" He lit a cigarette, holding it between his lips as he pulled her into his arms and reached into the drawer she'd been searching.
Scarlett had no strength left, so she allowed Sebastian to help. Her stamina had always been poor, and Sebastian's was too good—one session nearly drained all her energy.
Finally, his hand touched something—a square-shaped box. Sebastian frowned, pulling it out to find an unopened pack of morning-after pills.
His expression instantly darkened, and his arm tightened around Scarlett. "You take these?"
Scarlett raised her heavy eyelids, thinking: 'Isn't this what you wanted?' But she had no energy to speak, so she just lifted her hand, gesturing for Sebastian to open the pill pack for her.
Sebastian didn't move.
"Could I really get pregnant?" Scarlett gave a light, bitter laugh.
No one answered her. In the dim light, there was only the sound of Sebastian silently opening the pill package.
He seemed upset. He had already extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray on the nightstand. The pill box was mangled in his hands, the pill almost forcibly torn from its packaging.
There was no water by the bed. Scarlett took the pill and, without waiting for Sebastian to get water, simply chewed and swallowed it.
The bitterness immediately flooded her taste buds, momentarily contorting her features.
"Water." Sebastian returned with a glass.
But Scarlett pulled up the covers and lay down to sleep. "I already took it."
Each word she spoke released more of the bitter taste in her mouth. It didn't have to be this way, but Scarlett seemed to relish this bitterness, the lingering taste keeping her alert.
Even though her body was exhausted to the point of shutting down, her mind remained clear.
"Absolutely not..." she murmured as consciousness began to fade.
Beside her, Sebastian was wide awake. He looked down at Scarlett as she drifted off to sleep, raising his hand to caress her cheek.
---
For the next few days, Scarlett didn't step foot outside Windchime Villa.
Although MRK released an announcement the next day stating that Scarlett was innocent in the matter and had disciplined the employee who had spread rumors, the notice still didn't lift her suspension.
As a result, Scarlett rested for a full week.
The day after their seafood dinner, Chris flew to Pinecrest City for a competition.
Before leaving, he messaged Scarlett, promising to bring her famous local snacks from the back state when he returned.
Dennis had been busy lately, but he hadn't forgotten to message Scarlett. Though he often talked about random things, his sense of boundaries was good, so Scarlett enjoyed chatting with him.
As for missing Edith's birthday party, apart from David calling to yell at her, everyone else in the Seymour family acted as if Scarlett didn't exist. Scarlett welcomed this invisibility.
Meanwhile, Sebastian came and went from Windchime Villa daily, even sleeping in Scarlett's room every night. If she hadn't been off work, she couldn't have handled Sebastian's intensity.
Scarlett had recently taken on several private design commissions, surprisingly discovering she could earn money this way. She found herself unable to stop.
But soon, MRK called.
"Scarlett, how's your rest going?" It was Hatty on the phone, opening with pleasantries. Her light tone suggested nothing serious was happening.
Assuming it was just a casual check-in, Scarlett replied without thinking, "Pretty good. What's up?"
"Mr. Shawn Wright came to the company and asked about you."
Scarlett was surprised. "Asked about me?"
"Yes, he wanted to discuss specific design plans with you. He also wants you to track the implementation process from start to finish." Hatty explained in one breath, then couldn't help laughing.
"Adele volunteered herself, but Mr. Wright shut her down so completely she couldn't say a word. Haha!"
Hearing the laughter through the phone, Scarlett couldn't help smiling too.
"So what about Mr. Wright now?"
"He has left. He said you should go to the city hall tomorrow to find him. He'll be waiting in his office."
Scarlett nodded. She hadn't resigned, and the week-long break aligned with their "suspended pending investigation" directive. Now, with Shawn speaking up, her suspension would naturally end.
"Okay," she didn't refuse, nodding slowly.
Hatty's call ended quickly. Thinking about going to city hall tomorrow, Scarlett got up to find something to wear.
Just as she was struggling to decide between several outfits laid out on the bed, Sebastian entered from the doorway.
He glanced at the outfits on the bed. "Going out?"