Sebastian walked her toward his car, his tone steady and firm. "You''ve been drinking. You can''t drive. Come with me. I have a driver.


    "I''ll go with you. I''m Annie''s godmother, after all. One more adult can only help, especially if somethinges up and you need an extra hand."


    Reese stopped in her tracks, suddenly realizing she''d actually had a drink earlier. She''d been so flustered she''dpletely forgotten.


    A little kid with a high fever was nothing to mess around with. She didn''t want to waste another second here. Without arguing again, she pulled her hand out of his and hurried straight toward the ck Bentley parked at the curb.


    "Hurry up," she called over her shoulder.


    Sebastian watched her rushing off and, for a moment, something warm flickered in his eyes before he quickly followed her.


    With his reputation, Sebastian drew attention wherever he went. Earlier, people had kept their distance because it was obvious he and Reese had something serious to talk about. But now, with the two of them leaving together in such a rush, the room buzzed with whispers.


    "What''s going on? Is Mr. Ratcliff leaving with Reese?"


    "Weren''t people saying Reese was the one who got in the way between Mr. Ratcliff and Sofia? I don''t buy it. If anything, it looks like he''s the one chasing after her."


    "Exactly! I mean, even when he was with Sofia, he never looked this attentive. Did you see his face just now? He looked seriously worried. He''s really into her."


    "No wonder Mr. Ratcliff was hovering around Ms. Meyer all evening. He seemed annoyed whenever anyone else tried to talk to her."


    The gossip drifted over to Leslie, who stood frozen, watching Sebastian leave without even a backward nce. He''de to this event with her, but now he was acting like she was invisible, following after Reese like nothing else mattered. Fury burned in her chest, so hot it made her whole body ache.


    Sebastian was supposed to be her partner tonight. Now he''d just left her behind, treating her like she was nothing. How was she supposed to just ept that?


    "Wow. Looks like Sebastian''s really in deep this time."


    She hadn''t even noticed when Neal came up beside her, following her gaze. His voice was somewhere between teasing and sympathetic.


    "Honestly, the only other time I''ve seen him act like this was when he was dating you, right?


    "With Sofia, it was always more like a business deal. He never went out


    of his way for her like he is for- Reese. Just now, he was practically glued to her like he was teritied she''d disappear.


    Leslie''s nails dug into her palm, but she forced herself to keep a polite, gentle smile on her face. "If Sebastian''s found someone he really cares about, then I''m happy for him.


    "But it looked like Ms. Meyer was pretty cold to him just now. The two of them seemed to be fighting-she barely even looked at him."


    "Well, he kind of brought that on himself," Neal said, rolling his eyes. His voice wasced with exasperation "He was so ice cold to Reese before, hurt her so much. Now he wants her back? Not gonna happen that easily."


    He paused, ncing at Leslie with a hint of regret. "Honestly, if you hadn''t gone abroad back then, maybe you''d be the one marrying Sebastian. Reese wouldn''t even be here."


    Leslie''s smile tightened even more. Trust Neal to poke her right where it hurt.


    She lowered her head, trying to hide


    the resentment and frustration swirling in her eyes. "After what happened between Sebastian and Ms Mayer, the Ratcliff family insisted he take responsibility. If I''d stayed, I only would''ve made things harder for him."


    But deep down, she knew the truth. Even if she''d stayed, Sebastian would never have married her.


    After their rtionship came out, Mr. Ratcliff had called her in and told her, point- nk, to leave Sebastian.


    The Ratcliff family didn''t need to use Sebastian''s marriage for a business alliance, but there was no way they''d let their heir marry someone with a questionable reputation.


    She''d felt helpless, angry, but in the end, she had no choice but to give up.


    Her dad had gone to prison for a fatal drunk driving ident. Her mom raised her alone with nothing but grit. If the Ratcliff family hadn''t stepped in to help, she never would have made it this far.


    But that help showed her what money and influence could do. She''d worked so hard to get close to Sebastian, believing he was her shot at a better life.


    Then Mr. Ratcliff''s words brought her crashing back to reality.


    Someone like her would always be a stain on Sebastian''s future. Maybe he loved her enough to ignore it for a while, but love fades, doesn''t it?


    Better to walk away while things were still good, so he''d always remember her fondly, instead of waiting for the day when they''d both end up hating each other.