Hearing my voice, Sebastian Forrest instinctively turned around. His gaze softened the moment he saw me, and a smile spread across his face. He quickened his pace to meet me, his hand finding mine naturally. "I went looking for you at your company, but your colleague said you’d gone to the coffee shop..."
As he spoke, he glanced at Julian Hayes trailing behind me. A smirk played on his lips for some reason, and he gently ruffled my hair as he always did, though this time the gesture was tinged with a showy possessiveness.
"Chel... Chelsea?"
Lena Leighton stared at me in utter astonishment, as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. "How can it be you?"
I looked back at Lena, surprised that she recognized me.
As if a thought suddenly struck her, Lena turned her head to look at Sebastian Forrest. "Sebastian, I want to talk to you..."
Sebastian Forrest’s brows knitted together, clearly displeased by her familiar address. His voice turned cold. "I have nothing to talk to you about."
With that, he took my hand and turned to lead me out.
But just then, someone in the crowd shouted, "It’s Lena! AHHH, it’s really Lena! Lena, I love you! Can I have your autograph?"
"Lena! Can I get an autograph too?"
The moment those words were spoken, the crowd erupted into chaos, with everyone surging forward.
People on the fringes of the crowd heard the commotion and rushed over, phones in hand. Some were taking pictures, others were recording videos, and still others were brandishing notebooks, hoping for an autograph.
The scene quickly spiraled out of control.
Sebastian and I hadn’t made it out yet and were instantly shoved back by the throng. Thankfully, he was there to shield me, keeping me from falling.
But just then, a girl in the crowd was knocked over, and she stumbled uncontrollably, crashing into my shoulder.
Even though Sebastian reacted in a flash, raising his arm to block her, she still collided with me.
And the crowd was still pressing in.
"What’s all this shoving for?" Sebastian’s furious roar instantly silenced the noisy scene.
Everyone’s eyes were on him, but he couldn’t have cared less. He scanned the crowd with a cold expression. "Get out of the way!"
Sheer, overwhelming dominance.
These were just celebrity fans; none of them had ever encountered someone with a presence like Sebastian Forrest. The crowd fell dead silent and even began to part, spontaneously clearing a path for him.
Once Sebastian and I were clear of the mob, I glanced back at Lena, who was still trapped. Just then, a few burly bodyguards pushed their way in to escort her toward a van parked at the curb.
"What are you looking at her for?" Sebastian Forrest said, turning my face back to his. "Look at me."
I met his gaze instinctively and saw a smile twinkling in his deep eyes. Then, his lips parted slightly, and in a deep, magnetic voice, he asked, "What did you call me just now? Say it again, I want to hear it..."
"Huh?" I froze for a second. ’What did I call him?’
Seeing the confusion on my face, the smile in Sebastian’s eyes deepened. He reached out and pinched my cheek. "You can’t have forgotten already, can you? Need me to help you remember?"
As he spoke, he slowly leaned in to kiss me...
I quickly covered his mouth, glancing around shyly. "Stop it, we’re in public!"
Sebastian caught my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm. "Are you going to say it or not?"
’By now, I remembered what I’d called him. But back then, I only blurted it out because I saw Lena bothering him. I wanted to stake my claim and let her know he was a married man now... a married man she couldn’t covet!’
’But now—’
’For him to ask me to say it again on purpose... I actually felt a little shy.’
"Oh, stop it. I have to get back, I have work this afternoon!"
Sebastian watched me and narrowed his eyes. "Not gonna say it, huh? Then I’m kissing you..."
Seeing the wicked grin on his face as he cupped the back of my head and started to lean in, I knew that given his personality, he would absolutely go through with it.
"Hubby... There, happy now?"
"I didn’t hear you!"
"Sebastian Forrest, you’ve gone too far!"
"Hahaha..."
When I followed Sebastian back to his office, before I could even sit down, Henry Paxton walked in with a slight frown. "President Forrest..."
"What is it?"
"The rumors about you and Miss Leighton are trending."
"Trending?" Sebastian’s brow furrowed as he took the tablet directly from Henry Paxton’s hand. His voice was flat but sharp. "Go find out which bastard paid for this."
’It was common knowledge that you could pay to get on the trending list. Other than major breaking news, trivial little things like this would never make it there on their own.’
"Yes, President Forrest."
’After Henry Paxton left the office, I lowered my eyes thoughtfully. I had a feeling Lena’s sudden return to the country wasn’t so simple...’
’It felt like someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.’
’Why would Lena, who was thriving abroad, suddenly announce she was returning to develop her career here?’
’Why did she come straight to Sebastian’s company to find him right after getting off the plane?’
’Didn’t she know that with her level of fame, meeting anyone at a time like this would throw them right into the center of a media storm?’
"What’s wrong?"
Just as I was lost in my thoughts, Sebastian suddenly leaned in front of me. "What’s on your mind?"
I looked up at him, unable to resist asking the question I’d always been curious about. "So, what was the deal with you and Lena back then? Why were there rumors about the two of you on the school forums?"
’It wasn’t that I was supremely confident in myself; I just knew Sebastian’s personality. When he wanted something—or someone—he was steadfast for years, even decades. He would never change his mind halfway.’
"What’s this? Are you jealous?" Sebastian asked, a grin on his face. His eyes were sparkling with anticipation.
"I am," I said, deliberately teasing him. "To be honest, I always thought you and Lena were a couple..."
"Nonsense!" Sebastian pinched my nose. "You and I are the couple!"
"Then why were there rumors about you and her?"
"It was all your fault..." Sebastian huffed, and his gaze actually held a hint of resentment.
"Because of me?" His expression made me laugh. I was used to his usual noble, aloof, and untamable demeanor. This pouty look was a first, and it was refreshingly new.
"Why do you say it was because of me?"
Sebastian pulled me into his arms. His voice was rich and deep, like the low notes of a cello. "Do you remember Valentine’s Day from your freshman year?"
’I thought back carefully. Valentine’s Day, my freshman year?’
’I did have some memory of it.’
’Back then, I was chasing Theodore Grant, and it was the Valentine’s Day of my first year at Kington University, which I had worked desperately to get into.’
’It was also the first day of school after the winter break.’
’I originally thought Theodore Grant would be at school too, so I brought the chocolates I had carefully prepared to give to him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t there, but I happened to run into Sebastian Forrest...’
I blinked rapidly, then stared at him with a completely blank expression.
’Huh?’
’Don’t tell me it was all because of that box of chocolates I casually gave him?’