The next day, Thalia slowly opened her eyes.
Her hangover made her head pound mercilessly.
Looking down at the pajamas she was wearing. Thalia was momentarily bewildered.
How had she gotten homest night? Who had changed her clothes?
She only remembered going out for drinks, with Victoria urging her to check out The Dreamboys.
She couldn’t hold her alcohol well and had gotten drunk after just a few sses.
Vaguely, she recalled thinking she’d seen Asher.
Was it just her imagination?
Reaching under her pillow for her phone, Thalia called Victoria.
The phone rang twice before someone answered.
“Hello?”
Thalia was startled.
“Sebastian? Why are you answering? Where’s Victoria?”
Hearing Thalia’s voice, Sebastian instantly became fully alert.
He had been sleeping peacefully with Victoria in his arms when the phone rang. In his drowsy state, he’d assumed it was his own phone and answered it without thinking.
The realization of what he’d done rmed him considerably.
Sebastian’s mind raced as he quickly fabricated an excuse. “Victoria left her phone in the downstairs loungest night. She’s still asleep upstairs in her room. Did you need to speak with her about something<b>?</b><b>” </b>
Thalia couldn’t yet know about his rtionship with Victoria.
He wasn’t concerned about gossip for his own sake.
If word got out, people would merely consider him adies‘ man, but for a woman, it would be entirely different.
People would gossip behind Victoria’s back, saying she was shameless for getting involved with how u
14:51
using her of incest and loose morals. The rumor mill could be merciless, and the resulting bacsh might be
devastating.
Thalia didn’t question his exnation. “Oh, I see. When she wakes up, could you ask her to call me back?”
Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief. “Of course.”
After hanging up, Sebastian nced down at Victoria beside him. “Awake, are you?”
Victoria’s face still showed signs of sleepiness, her eyes half–open as she murmured a soft “Mmm.”
Having just woken up, Victoria’s voice was incredibly soft and sweet. That single sound was enough to ignite Sebastian’s desire.
He leaned down to ce a kiss on her lips. “Fancy another go, darling<b>?</b><b>” </b>
Victoria, hearing this, snapped fully awake. She clutched the duvet to her chest, her eyes wary. “Get off!”
Sebastian’s gaze was tender, his lips curving into an indulgent smile. “Do you have any idea how irresistible you look right now?”
Victoria held onto the duvet tightly, so nervous she began to stammer: “S–Sebastian… don’t you dare<b>. </b>Last night…st night we were bothpletely stered. We’re adults–I can pretend nothing happened. From now on… <b>we </b>can just go back to being like brother and sister.”
Sebastianughed<b>, </b>raising an eyebrow. “I wasn’t drunkst night. I waspletely sober.”
Victoria’s eyes widened in shock.
Sebastian continued leisurely: “Darling, I was entirely clear–headed. I knew exactly what I was doing. The truth is, I’ve been aware of my feelings for you for quite some time, but I’ve been holding back. Last night, when you were flirting with that host and leaning against him, I simply couldn’t control myself any longer.”
Victoria looked incredulous. “You… you’ve fancied me all this time?”
Sebastian nodded.
“Since when?<b>” </b>
“I’m not sure exactly when it started. I suppose it developed gradually over time.”
Victoria bit her lip. “But <b>I</b>… I’m not ready for this.”
Sebastian gently caressed her face, asking softly: “Darling, do you fancy me? Not as a brother, but as a man<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“Absolutely not!” Victoria denied vehemently.
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Sebastian chuckled softly before leaning down to kiss her again. “That’s alright. We have plenty of time to develop those feelings.”
He deliberately emphasized a certain word.
Victoria’s face flushed crimson to the tips of her ears<b>. </b>
What followed was another bout of passion.
Several days passed in London’s winter snow, and soon it was mid–January.
That day, Thalia received a call from the head of Sinir & Klein.
“Thalia, I hear you y golf?”
Thalia wondered who had mentioned this, then remembered filling out an intake form when she first joined the firm. Under “hobbies and interests,” she had written that she enjoyed ying golf.
Thalia replied: “Yes, that’s right. Is there something specific?”
The head partner chuckled warmly. “I have an important client, Mr. Johnson from Caresol Group. He’s quite fond of golf. I’ve arranged to y with him at St. Andrews Links on the 18th. I’d like you to join us.”
Thalia thought that apanying the head partner should be straightforward enough, so she agreed: “Of course<b>, </b>I’d be happy to.”
“Mr. Johnson has several cases he might be willing to entrust to our firm. If we secure the deal, you’ll receive a 20%mission. Thalia, I know your family is quite well–off and you’re not concerned about the money, but as solicitors, we need to continually develop our negotiation skills through practical experience.”
The fact that Thalia was the Winters heiress had already spread throughout the firm, and the head partner had certainly heard about it.
“I understandpletely.”
“Excellent. Prepare yourself well. My assistant will book your flight ticket.”
“Very good.”
After ending the call, Thalia nced at the calendar on her desk.
January 13th already.
It had been thirteen days since New Year’s Eve.
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She and Asher hadn’t seen each other for nearly half a month.
During this time, she had thrown herself into work, trying desperately to stay busy. Whenever she had a moment’s respite, her thoughts inevitably turned to Asher, causing her heart unbearable pain.
Entertainment news was filled with stories about Asher and Laurina.
Thalia didn’t actively seek out such information, but she frequently overheard colleagues gossiping about them.
“Have you seen what’s trending? Laurina Kensington and the ckwood heir are holidaying in the Maldives. They make such a perfect couple–they’re absolutely gorgeous together! I’m totally shipping them!”
“My idol’s beauty is beyond question. She’s undeniably the top female celebrity in the industry! No one else is worthy of the ckwood heir.”
“Hey, isn’t Thalia from our firm the Winters heiress? Did you know she was almost engaged to that ckwood bloke?”
“Yes, yes, I heard about that! It’s true–the ckwood heir used to be Thalia’s boyfriend. I even saw him outside our office once. He’s incredibly handsome in person!”
“Really? Thalia and the ckwood heir were together before?”
“Shh… keep it down. Don’t let Thalia hear us…”
Thalia stood at the doorway of the break room with her water cup, listening to their conversation. She paused, sighed helplessly, and walked away without saying anything.
Sometimes, when she saw Laurina’s giant billboards on the LED screens at shopping centers, Thalia would unconsciously stop, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
So that was the type of woman he preferred.
Strikingly beautiful, exuding charm and allure when she smiled.
Soon, the day of the business trip arrived.
Thalia boarded the flight to Edinburgh with the head partner.
As they walked past the first–ss section, Thalia unexpectedly caught sight of that <b>face </b>she had been longing for day and night.
She stopped abruptly, her expressionless face showing a momentary crack in herposure.
Asher sat there in a ck coat, looking dignified and elegant as he worked on hisptop.
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Beside him, Laurina was smiling radiantly.
Sensing an intense gaze, Asher looked up from hisptop screen and met Thalia’s eyes, momentarily stunned.
The atmosphere grew awkward.
The air seemed to be permeated with a subtle hint of jealousy, tinged with bitterness.
Laurina smiled brightly and greeted Thalia: “Miss Winters, we meet again.”
<b>(</b><b>11</b>)