When she was 16, she had spent an entire month rehearsing the words in her head before finally working up the nerve to confess to Trevor, timing it carefully for a moment when none of the Levine family elders were home.
She stood outside Trevor’s bedroom with her head lowered, staring fixedly at the tips of her shoes, her heart pounding as she gathered every ounce of courage she had and knocked on the door.
The door opened slowly. She still didn’t dare lift her head to look at the boy she loved. Her cheeks flushed, and with all the strength she could muster, she blurted out, “Trevor, I like you.”
It was a moment she never wanted to remember again. A man’s voice, apologetic and calm, sounded beside her ear. “Rena, Trevor’s room is downstairs.”
Serena jerked her head up in panic, only to realize that the person standing in front of her wasn’t Trevor at all-but his uncle.
A bath towel was draped casually around the man’s body, the faint scent of body wash lingering around him. His eyes curved slightly at the corners, carrying a trace of confusion.
Serena didn’t dare meet his gaze. She threw out a hurried apology and bolted downstairs without looking back. For months after that, she hadn’t dared set foot into the Levine residence.
…
“Hey, Serena, you there?” Trevor tugged her arm, snapping Serena back to the present.
She immediately lowered her head, her voice softening. “Hey, Mr. Sebastian.”
Trevor clicked his tongue inwardly. She was all claws and attitude with me just now, but the moment she sees Uncle Sebastian, she’s all well-behaved.
“We were just talking about you, Uncle,” Trevor said with a smile. “You’ve been away for years-we really missed you.”
Sebastian pulled out the chair beside Bryce and took off his jacket, draping it over the back. He casually rolled up his shirt sleeves. “Is that so? I seem to remember that when I went abroad, Trevor, you were the most delighted.”
“That was ages ago,” Trevor muttered, feeling awkward.
“Sorry for being late, Dad. I’ll drink to that.”
Bryce’s eyes crinkled into a smile. Everyone knew Sebastian was his favorite son. “Oh, don’t bother,” he beamed. “You just got off the plane-why drink?”
Sebastian only smiled faintly and said nothing, tilting his head back and taking a shot. Afterward, his calm gaze swept over the table before stopping to his left.
“Trevor, have you registered your marriage yet? I came back this time specifically to attend your wedding.”
The glass in Amber’s hand slipped and shattered on the floor. She bent down immediately. “Sorry, I didn’t hold it properly.”
As she spoke, she reached for the shards of broken glass. “Ow!”
“Careful!”
Seeing bright red blood well up from her hand, Trevor rushed to her side at once and gently clasped her hand, his voice full of intimate concern and reproach. “How are you always so careless?”
Then, he turned to the table, announcing, “Grandpa, I’ll take Amber to get her wound dressed.”
Without sparing a glance at everyone’s grim expressions, Trevor wrapped an arm lightly around her trembling back and led her away.
Wow, he really does need to hurry. Any later and that tiny cut will heal on its own.
It wasn’t just Bryce-Nathan and Deanna’s expressions were grim as well. Their son’s little intentions were hardly a secret to anyone.
Deanna smiled faintly and patted her future daughter-in-law’s hand. “Rena, Amber’s been frail since she was little. Trevor’s just used to looking after her.”
Sebastian gave a half-smile as he turned the dish of chicken toward Serena. “Have some chicken. I remember you loved it when you were little.”
His tone was casual, his manner that of an elder, yet it made Serena uneasy. Of all things, she hated hearing about her childhood from his mouth.
She kept her head lowered. “Thank you, Mr. Sebastian.”
…
Until the dinner ended, neither Trevor nor Amber returned to the table.
Serena rose to her feet and inclined her head politely. “Old Mr. Levine, it’s getting late. I have a case in court tomorrow, so I’ll head off first.”
Bryce scolded his grandson inwardly before nodding. “Alright. Work comes first.”
He glanced around the table. “You didn’t drive here, did you, Rena? Let Sebastian give you a ride.”
Serena declined immediately. “It’s fine, Old Mr. Levine. Mr. Sebastian had a drink earlier.”
Oh, imagine how awkward it’d be if he got hauled in for drunk driving as soon as he returned?!
Sebastian chuckled softly. “It’s fine. I have an international meeting later tonight anyway, and was about to head back. The chauffeur can drop you off on the way.”
Just like that, Serena found herself forced into Sebastian’s car.
She tried to open the front passenger door, only to discover that the Levine family chauffeur had locked it. With no choice, she sat in the back seat, offering an awkward smile. “Thanks for the lift, Mr. Sebastian.”
Sebastian’s expression hovered between a smile and something unreadable. “You’re welcome.”
“Where to?” His low voice carried a faint trace of alcohol. “Your marital home with Trevor?”
Serena had been about to shake her head, but then remembered that the Levines were still unaware of their breakup. She paused, then nodded. “Crownshore Villas.”
Sebastian’s expression cooled noticeably. “Crownshore Villas. Drive.”
She turned her body toward the window, doing her best to avoid catching his reflection in her peripheral vision. Even so, the sharp, oppressive presence radiating from him made it hard for her to breathe in the silence.
“Is the street view outside nice?”
“It’s… average.”
Only after answering did Serena realize who she had been replying to.
Sebastian chuckled softly. “If it’s that average, why are you staring so intently? Or is it because you’re afraid of me, so you’re forcing yourself to look at something so painfully ordinary instead?”
At his words, Serena’s body stiffened. She murmured quietly, “I won’t look anymore.”
After that, she leaned to the side and fell asleep.
When she woke, she noticed a blanket draped over her. She gathered herself and said softly, “Why didn’t you wake me up if we’ve arrived, Mr. Sebastian?”
Turning her head, she saw him wearing earphones, focused on his laptop-he wasn’t lying. He really had a meeting.
Serena carefully unbuckled her seatbelt, folded the blanket, and gave a small hand gesture of thanks before getting out of the car.
“Mr. Levine, did you hear something just now?”
Sebastian lowered his gaze slightly. “Yes. That was my nephew’s wife. Let’s continue the meeting.”
…
Serena finally made it out of the car.
She sat down on the couch, her nerves still unsettled. Trevor’s uncle is even harder to read now than he was five years ago.
“Mrs. Levine, would you like something to eat tonight?” Lucy asked.
Serena checked the time-it was already 9 p.m.
“No, thank you.”
With that, she waited another ten minutes.
Her documents were still at her own apartment. She couldn’t very well show up in court the next day wearing a fitted dress. Serena stood up, picked up her clutch, and headed for the door.
“Mrs. Levine, are you going out again?” Lucy asked, surprised.
Serena smiled faintly. “Please don’t call me Mrs. Levine.”
Before long, Trevor will be completely out of my world.
Serena stood at the front gates, waiting for an Uber to accept her request.
The neighborhood was far from downtown, so it took a full ten minutes before a car finally arrived.
But unbeknownst to her, this whole time, a Maybach hid in the shadows of the night.
Sebastian glanced at his watch. “She just got home-and now she’s heading out again?”
…
It wasn’t until Serena collapsed onto the bed in her 1,000 square feet apartment that she finally felt like she had come back to life.
She checked her bank balance-she was just a little short of being able to buy the place outright.
After college, she had mostly lived alone in rented apartments. Donald had never withheld her tuition, but from the moment she came of age, she had already made up her mind to leave home.
The Steeles no longer felt like a place she belonged. And to Donald, she was nothing more than a pawn he could move around when needed. If she truly wanted to break off the engagement with Trevor, her relationship with her father would inevitably become irreparable.
Gradually, Serena drifted into a deep sleep, enveloped in such thoughts.
…
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