Chapter 148 The Montclair Way

Chapter 148 The Montclair Way
Sienna
The flight back to Clairelle was quiet, but the second the cab pulled up outside the building, my stomach sank. Impending doom might sound dramatic, but anyone raised by hyper-protective parents knows the exact flavor of dread I was feeling.
Sebastian squeezed my hand tightly as we stepped into the elevator. I glanced at him, watching the faint tension in his jaw. I was actually starting to feel nervous for the man.
Ding.
Deep breaths, Sienna. They're just your parents.
I tried telling myself that, but the second the elevator doors slid open to the main floor, I saw the living room filled to capacity. It looked like an entire family summit was underway, with almost everyone gathered—minus Julian and Gaven.
“Oh, my baby!”
My mother instantly pushed off the sofa and hurried toward me, wrapping her arms around me in a suffocating hug that forced me to let go of Sebastian’s hand.
Over her shoulder, I caught Sebastian’s eye and gave him a forced, helpless smile.
She pulled back, holding me by the shoulders to inspect every inch of my face and clothes. “Gosh, you’ve grown so thin! And why is your skin darker? Good thing I bought a new skin-brightening cream. Come, have you eaten? Let me cook something for you right away.”
“Mom,” I let out a heavy sigh.
Being the only girl with three brothers meant I was suffocated with affection. My mother seemed completely frozen in my teenage years, constantly forgetting I was a grown woman who lived on her own.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Mom, this is Sebastian,” I said, stepping aside to gesture toward him.
She turned, blinking at him. “Oh, yes! Dante’s friend, right?”
My head snapped toward Dante, completely bewildered. I thought my brother had briefed them on everything?
Dante sat on the arm of the armchair with a slow, mischievous smirk, offering zero help. The jerk had deliberately left them in the dark just to watch me squirm. I had been stressing myself out the entire flight over a conversation he didn’t actually start.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Sebastian said smoothly, extending a hand with his usual formal grace. “I must say, I did not expect you to be so young.”
Instead of shaking his hand, my mother stepped right up and pulled him into a sudden, tight hug. Sebastian stiffened instantly, his posture going rigid before she finally released him.
“Oh, handsome and charming,” she beamed, patting his arm. “Well, any friend of Dante is family here.”
Dante, Theo, and Ares sat in total silence on the couches, casually watching me handle the impending trainwreck.
“Where’s Dad?” I asked, trying to steer the room back to reality.
“He went to grab groceries the moment he heard you were coming,” Mom said dismissively. “You know how he is—he’ll cook enough food to feed the whole city just for you.”
I rubbed my forehead. I just wanted to get this confession over with in one clean shot.
“Mom, actually, no. Sebastian isn't just a friend. He’s...” I hesitated, my voice trailing off.
My brain completely stalled. What were we actually calling this? We were comfortable enough to be in each other's skin, but neither of us had bothered putting an official title on whatever we were doing.
I glanced back at Sebastian, silently begging for assistance. A faint, knowing smirk touched his lips.
“Her lover, ma’am,” he supplied easily.
I bit the inside of my lip to keep from smiling, but any amusement vanished the second I looked back at my mother. The warmth on her face evaporated, her expression twisting into utter horror.
“Your lover?” She stared between the two of us, her voice dropping. “He’s the same age as Dante!”
This exact overbearing, suffocating control was the reason I’d rebelled so hard when I was younger. My parents had kept me on such a tight leash that the moment I tasted freedom, I went wild just to feel in control of my own life.
“Does his age really matter, Mom? As long as I—”
“Of course it matters!” Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. She turned her glare onto Sebastian, her eyes narrowing. “Did you prey on my daughter when she stayed at Regalia? When she was only nineteen?”
My mouth dropped open. If anyone was the predator in that scenario years ago, it was definitely me.
Sebastian didn't flinch. He met her sharp gaze with steady, unwavering respect. “I would never dream of doing such a thing, ma’am. If there is any way I can demonstrate the sincerity of my intentions, I am more than willing to do so.”
“Oh, don't use that polished way of speaking with me,” she scoffed, crossing her arms. “Demonstrate, is it?”
I massaged my temples, feeling a headache coming on. “Mom, please don't start.”
“My daughter has never brought a boyfriend home,” she continued, ignoring me completely. “She deserves someone who is willing to prove he will go to any length for her, and—”
The chime of the elevator cut her off mid-sentence, the doors sliding open to reveal my father bursting into the foyer.
Oh, great. Here comes the rest of the storm.
“Is that my baby girl?” Dad called out, carrying a massive box while a line of hired help followed behind him loaded down with dozens of grocery bags. “Take all of that straight to the kitchen, please.”
“Yes, sir,” the staff murmured, hurrying down the hall and leaving the family alone.
Dad rushed over, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug and planting a firm kiss on the top of my head before setting me down. As soon as he let go, his eyes caught the dead-serious look on my mother’s face—a look she almost never wore.
“What’s going on?” Dad asked, his eyes shifting over to where Sebastian stood.
Sebastian took a polite step forward. “It is an honor to meet you, sir. I am Sebastian, Sienna’s—”
“Lover,” Dad finished the sentence for him, his voice flat. “I’m not blind, son. I know what a man with motives looks like.”
Mom stepped up beside him, her arms tightly folded. “We were just discussing the tradition, Ronald. The test we require for any man who wants to pursue a woman in this family.”
I rolled my eyes so hard it almost hurt.
“Oh, that,” Dad grunted, giving a firm nod. “Do it.”
“Follow me, young man,” Mom ordered, turning on her heel and heading back toward the private elevator.
Sebastian looked back at me for a split second, his gray eyes searching mine for guidance. He usually looked to me for reassurance in these moments, but he knew as well as I did that pushing back right now would only make my parents twice as ruthless. He gave me a single, quiet nod, then turned and followed my mother out of the penthouse.
“Dad!” I snapped the second the elevator doors closed. “Are you serious?”
My father just looked at me, his expression entirely unreadable.
“The man wants you, Sienna,” he said quietly. “Then he needs to learn the ways of this family first.”