Natalie sat on the stairs, waiting until she saw Timothy leave in a huff before she came down. She hadn''t heard what the two of them were talking about.
The living room was far from the staircase, and the wind and snow outside were fierce.
As she descended, Sebastian''s eyes snapped open. His gaze was deep and bottomless, but it softened in an instant. His voice was hoarse. "Is Grandmother asleep?"
"Yes, she''s asleep," Natalie replied.
She sat down across from him. There were still a few grueling hours to get through. She had to stay for dinner with his grandmother before she could go home.
Natalie took out her phone to work. Keith had asked her about a few things, and she handled them quickly.
Sebastian watched her, her head bowed over her phone again. The Natalie whose eyes used to be filled with only him was gone.
The two of them sat in silence until dinner, with barely any conversation.
Dinner was avish spread. Mrs. Griffith had hired two chefs for the asion, and they had even prepared Natalie''s favorite grilled kebabs. Natalie ate with genuine enjoyment.
Only after dinner did Mrs. Griffith allow them to leave.
"Sebastian, Natalie, drive safely on your way back."
Mrs. Griffith walked them to the door, her instructions full of care.
Sebastian said, "Don''t worry, Grandmother. We''ll get home safely. You should go back inside and rest."
Mrs. Griffith smiled and waved them off.
Sebastian left with Natalie and got into the car.
Before Natalie could even reach for her seatbelt, Sebastian moved first, leaning across her to grab it.
His face brushed against her chest as he moved.
The soft contact made a jolt run through Sebastian''s body. A faint, clean scent enveloped him, and his entire body tensed. The desire for her had been rampaging through his mind every night.
Natalie blinked. He had done that on purpose, trying to get handsy.
Sebastian pulled the seatbelt across and fastened it for Natalie.
He looked up, meeting her flushed face and darting eyes. She looked adorable when she was shy.
Natalie was fuming. His sheer presence was so overwhelming it always left her flushed and breathless, her heart racing against her will. "Mr. Griffith," she said bluntly, "I''m perfectly capable of buckling my own seatbelt."
Sebastian smiled. “As long as I''m here, I can take care of these little things for you."
Her face was cold, and she was clearly unimpressed. "There''s no need. In the past, whenever Joanna was in the car, you''d always have
her sit in the passenger seat ?nd situn make me sit in the back. It always made me ufortable. I never actually wanted to be in the same car as the two of you."
"You''re a pretty domineering person. If I refused to get in, you''d call me dramatic. But if I did get in, you''d have your mistress in your heart while putting on show of affection right in front of me. I always thought it must have been so difficult for you.”
Sebastian felt a wave of helplessness. Whenever the past came up, the atmosphere between them became heavy.
“Let''s go home,” he said, his tone deep. He didn''t want to bring up a single thing from the past.
Natalie fell silent as well. She knew Sebastian hated talking about the past.
But that was exactly why she wanted to needle him.
Sebastian drove back. As they left the vi''s main gate, a ck SUV began to follow them.
Sebastian was simmering with anger, and Natalie was looking down at her phone. Neither of them was paying attention to the other.
And neither noticed the SUV following them.
Once they were out of the residential area, Sebastian finally turned his head to look
at Natalie. "Put your phone away. You''ll get carsick."
Natalie was messaging Marshall. He
had asked if she had any ns for the holidays, telling her to let him
know because he wanted toe visit on the second day of the new year Hearing Sebastian''s voice she looked up at him, her expression nk. "Mr. Griffith, what did you just say?"