If Donald called, it was never for a pleasant reason.
A message followed immediately. ‘The wedding’s in a few days. Don’t forget to try on your dress tomorrow.’
Serena skimmed it, unimpressed, and let out a short laugh.
How many times did people need to hear it? She and Trevor were over.
…
At the airport, Lucinda burst out of arrivals wearing a cropped top and denim shorts-and promptly shivered as the cold wind hit.
She spotted Serena and charged straight into her arms. “Rena, I missed you to death!”
Serena patted her bare back, half-amused, half-exasperated. “Alright, alright. You look like you flew straight out of summer in Wilry. There’s a wind warning tonight. Put this on before you catch something.”
Lucinda accepted the jacket happily and planted a loud kiss on Serena’s cheek. “You’re still the best. You care about me the most.”
Serena wiped her face with mock disgust. “Enough. You’re gross. Hungry? I drove. Let’s eat.”
Lucinda slipped into her trench coat, a mysterious smile tugging at her lips. “Skipping dinner? No problem. We’re going somewhere else to eat. Trust me, today I’m taking you somewhere you’ve never seen before.”
…
Serena sank into a booth in the bar, the music pounding around her. Lucinda pointed to a line of male models right in front of them, each one looking like he’d just stepped out of a magazine. “Sweetie, what do you think? Like any of them?”
Serena went quiet. She’d always been the good girl, and lately, her heart belonged to Trevor. This kind of pick-a-guy scene was entirely new for her. “Lucy, isn’t this a little much?”
Lucinda waved her hand dismissively. “Not into abs? Fine. How about that twenty-year-old over on the far right?”
Serena hesitated a beat, then nodded. “Okay… him then.”
…
Upstairs in the private room, Sebastian lounged on the couch, barely paying attention. His knuckles tapped against the glass of his drink. He stared through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the dance floor below, lost in thought.
“Hey, since when is our Mr. Levine all pensive?” a man, Julian Hill, smacked his lips, amused.
Sebastian smirked lazily. “Who’s got your kind of brainpower?”
“D*mn!” he muttered under his breath, staring at his phone.
Sebastian lifted a brow, icy. “What now?”
Julian ground his teeth. “Stop drinking. Your niece Lucinda is down there hitting on the male models. Trevor’s fiancee is there too. Oh, Lucinda’s so dead.”
Sebastian’s eyes darkened. He thought he must have misheard. “Who’s there?”
“The Steeles’ unwanted daughter. The one marrying Trevor at the end of the month.”
Before Julian could blink, Sebastian had already braced against the railing and jumped down to the first floor.
D*mn.
…
Serena had just pointed randomly, just looking at his lean frame, which made him stick out next to the muscle-bound models.
Lucinda hadn’t expected her to go for this soft, puppy-like type. “Perfect. Then, you stay. You as well.”
The guy in the white T-shirt sat down beside Serena, his cheeks faintly flushed. “Miss, let me pour you a drink.”
His voice sounded clear and fresh, the kind of warmth that only a college boy’s voice carried.
Serena studied his clean, youthful face. For a moment, she felt herself slipping back to her own university days.
Back in high school, Trevor had been like this, too. He loved wearing white shirts. He looked effortlessly neat, and just standing there was enough to send girls screaming. She never screamed, but deep down she knew he had been devastatingly handsome.
By the time they reached college, he started working out. His frame filled out, but he also grew quieter, more closed off.
“Miss?” The boy looked up at her with that harmless look, biting his lip as he called out shyly.
Serena snapped back to the present and smiled. “How old are you?”
“I just turned nineteen.”
So young. When I was nineteen, I was still chasing after Trevor.
The boy, who claimed to be nineteen, spoke again, his voice hesitant. “Do you want to order another bottle? The cheapest one is fine. Miss, I still haven’t finished my task for today.”
Just as Serena was about to say yes, a pair of arms veined with pale green lines reached out. With effortless force, the man grabbed the boy by the collar of his white shirt and tossed him out of the booth.
The man radiated coldness as he lowered his gaze.
He watched the woman who had just taken a massive gulp of alcohol let out a small burp. “Serena, I tell you to drink less, yet you never listen. Not a single word.”
Startled, Serena lifted her face and looked at the man standing slightly in front of her. Her almond-shaped eyes widened. “It’s you, Mr. Sebastian?”
Lucinda flinched at the way Serena suddenly addressed him. Her hand was still resting on the male model’s firm abs beside her.
Then, a dark, chilling bass voice sounded right by her ear. “Lucinda, just where do you think your hand is going?”
If looks could kill, Lucinda would have been pierced straight through the heart by the man’s ice-cold stare.
Julian clenched his back teeth and shot a vicious glare at the frozen Lucinda. “Sebastian, I am taking Lucinda home first!”
Without giving her a chance to react, he slung her over his shoulder and strode out. His whole presence was cold and sharp.
Sebastian kept one hand in his pocket and let his gaze drift over Serena’s lips, calm and unreadable. “What about you? Are you walking out on your own, or do you want me to carry you?”
Serena was genuinely shaken. “I-I will walk by myself!”
Help, this is a nightmare. I order a male model for the first time and get caught by my ex-boyfriend’s Uncle Sebastian. What kind of luck is this?
The nineteen-year-old college kid watched his two benefactors bolt in an instant. He looked like he was about to beat his chest in frustration. “Miss…”
…
Serena kept her head down as she followed Sebastian into the parking garage. He stopped abruptly, and she walked straight into his solid back. “Ah…”
That hurt.
Serena rubbed her forehead and shot Sebastian a subtle glare.
Sebastian curved his lips into something that was not quite a smile. “It hurts? Good. Maybe it will teach you a lesson, so you stop thinking you can wander into just any place once you get a little bold.”
That set her off a bit. Serena bristled. “I am already an adult. Going to a bar is not that big of a deal, right?”
“Hm?” Sebastian’s low voice lifted slightly at the end. “What did you say? Say it again.”
He did not sound angry at all, yet a chill crept up Serena’s spine. She forced an awkward smile. “Nothing, Mr. Sebastian. I was wrong.”
“Get in.” Sebastian took the back seat, and Serena followed.
“Patrick, step out for a moment.”
The driver, Patrick, complied without a word and closed the door behind him, leaving Sebastian and Serena alone in the car.
“Serena, you into nineteen-year-old college boys?” he asked.
Her lips parted slightly. “No. I do not like him. I was just curious.”
“Curious about what?” He leaned in, and his handsome look closed the distance. “You are getting married in five days.”
Serena rolled her eyes to herself. “I already broke it off.”
Sebastian leaned back into his seat and shot back casually. “Oh yeah? Because my dad is still over the moon, trying to decide whether to wear a tailored button-up suit or a suit on the wedding day.”
At that, Serena’s brows drew together.
They still have not told Old Mr. Levine? Are they seriously treating this like it means nothing at all?
Serena crossed her arms and scowled. “I already said it. I’m not going to the wedding.”
Sebastian’s dark eyes flickered with something she couldn’t read. His voice was low when he asked, “You really mean it?”
“Yeah. Whoever goes is a sucker.”
A faint smile curved Sebastian’s lips. “Got it. I’ll take you home for now. I’ll handle the rest. And if calling me Seb feels weird, just use my full name.”
Serena froze for a second. Saying his full name felt even harder somehow. “Okay, Sebastian.”
Sebastian’s eyes lit up, a warm flicker running through his chest. “Good girl.”
…
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