Chapter 34 He Couldn't Tell Who It Was That Night

Chapter 34 He Couldn't Tell Who It Was That Night

Emma's pupils contracted sharply, as if every drop of blood in her body had frozen solid in an instant.

She clenched her fists, nails digging deep into her palms, using the pain to suppress the scream clawing up her throat.

How could she have forgotten about the surveillance footage?

Terror flooded her, icy water running down her spine, making her entire body tremble. She stood frozen in place like a prisoner awaiting execution, listening to Aiden's response on the other end of the line.

A few minutes later, Aiden's voice came through with a hint of difficulty. "Mr. Carter, I just contacted the hotel. They said too much time has passed—the recordings from those days have already been overwritten by new footage."

Those words were like a lifeline, pulling Emma back from the edge of a cliff.

She nearly collapsed on the spot but didn't dare show even a flicker of relief. She could only maintain that pitiful, tear-stained expression of wounded innocence.

Sebastian's brow furrowed deeply, his frustration finding no outlet. The pressure in the study dropped like a stone.

No evidence.

He ended the call, his ice-blue eyes locking onto Emma again, suspicion and disgust written plainly across his face.

"Get out." The words came out cold and sharp, as if even looking at her was a waste of his time.

Emma's entire body shuddered, as though those icy words had pierced straight through her. Tears finally spilled down her cheeks.

She didn't defend herself. She just looked at him once more, her eyes filled with the pain and despair of being misunderstood, then turned and stumbled out of the suffocating study.

Only after she'd closed the door and cut herself off from that freezing gaze did Emma dare lean against the hallway wall, gasping for air. Her back was already soaked with cold sweat, her heart hammering wildly.

That was a close call.

She'd just dodged a bullet.

Just then, the villa's front door swung open from outside, and a man in an outrageously loud Hawaiian shirt walked in—handsome, with an air of reckless confidence.

He caught sight of Emma's disheveled, tear-streaked state and let out a low whistle, a teasing smile spreading across his face.

"Well, well. If it isn't Sebastian's little kept woman. What's with the tears? Did he hurt your feelings?"

The newcomer was Eric Owen, Sebastian's childhood friend.

He'd just flown back from abroad and heard Sebastian had been in a car accident in A City, then returned to the old estate. Knowing the Carter family vultures were probably circling, he'd rushed over immediately.

He'd stopped by the company first and run into Aiden, who'd casually mentioned that Sebastian was in a foul mood and that Emma had gone over to keep him company.

Eric had immediately pictured something rare—a man made of steel actually rattled by emotions, caught up in something messy and human.

Emma saw him and quickly wiped her tears, forcing a smile and shaking her head before hurrying downstairs.

Eric raised an eyebrow but didn't press. He headed straight for the study and pushed open the door.

"I've got to hand it to you, Sebastian." Eric strolled over to the liquor cabinet with practiced ease and poured two glasses of whiskey. "I come back and hear you've been in a car accident, had a blowout with the family, and I'm thinking you've finally lost your mind. Turns out you're just tangled up with a woman?"

He walked over with the glasses, nudging Sebastian's elbow lightly. "That girl crying her eyes out downstairs—she the one who's got you all twisted up? I'll give you this, she's easy on the eyes. Right up my alley, actually."

Sebastian didn't respond to the teasing. He took the glass and downed it in one go.

The liquor burned down his throat, but it couldn't touch the restless irritation building in his chest.

Eric watched him stay silent and assumed he'd hit the mark. His grin widened. "What, you two have a fight? She's just a woman. Smooth it over and you're golden. Someone actually getting under your skin is a rare sight—I thought you were married to spreadsheets for life."

"It's not her." Sebastian finally spoke, his voice rough, carrying a weariness he hadn't even noticed himself.

Eric blinked. "What do you mean, not her?"

Sebastian turned and leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, the dim light casting deep shadows across his sharp features.

He stared at the amber liquid swirling in his glass, his ice-blue eyes dark and unreadable.

"Emma and I—it was a mistake." He spoke slowly, giving Eric a brief rundown of that night, leaving out every detail about Sophie.

Eric listened, and the smile gradually faded from his face, replaced by something more serious. He knew Sebastian's character—he wouldn't joke about something like this.

"So you're saying you got drugged, and then Emma showed up claiming she was the one from that night?" Eric rubbed his chin, brow furrowing. "But now you think she's lying?"

Sebastian didn't answer. He just poured himself another drink.

Silence was answer enough.

Eric studied him, finally understanding the source of all that frustration.

Sebastian had a thing about being clean—mentally, emotionally. He hated being manipulated or lied to more than anything.

"Why the sudden doubt?" Eric pressed. "I thought you'd already accepted it was her."

Sebastian's fingers tightened around the glass, knuckles going white.

His mind betrayed him, flashing back to Sophie's pale face, to that soft, warm kiss with its faint sweetness.

His throat worked as he swallowed, and finally he admitted the truth gnawing at him.

He looked out at the night, voice low. "I'm not sure the woman from that night was who I thought she was."

Eric froze mid-sip, glass still in hand. He circled Sebastian slowly, as if seeing his oldest friend for the first time.

"Wait, I didn't hear that wrong, did I?" He raised an eyebrow, looking completely baffled. "There's actually a woman out there who'd turn down a chance with you? A top-tier catch like you, and she's pushing you away? What's her deal—you work too much? Too moody?"

It made no sense. In their circles, women would do anything to get into Sebastian's bed.

Now someone had landed the opportunity of a lifetime and was desperate to distance herself? The whole thing reeked of something off.

Sebastian ignored the commentary, draining his glass in one swallow. The burn scorched down his throat, but it cleared some of the fog in his head.

"She's different."

Simple words, but they carried absolute certainty.

Eric caught the weight in that statement and dropped the teasing, his expression turning serious. "All right, we'll table that for now. Tell me about the car accident in A City. What happened? I heard you nearly shook hands with the Grim Reaper."

Sebastian walked to the window, gazing out at the darkness, recounting the incident in a flat tone.

When he got to the part about the truck losing control and barreling toward them, his voice hitched almost imperceptibly.

"...My secretary was in the car with me. She reacted faster than I did."