Sebastian rested his back against the chair and smiled at Cherise.
Sunlight filtered through the glass window, casting a mysterious shadow on his sharply defined face.
Cherise cleared her throat. âNo.â
But she did hate him, especially when Lennon mentioned that Sebastian was determined to prevent Damien from succeeding.
Deep down, she held some resentment towards him.
In other words, even if it were not Sebastian and were someone else, Cherise would still find the person despicable. He took advantage of the Lenoir familyâs crisis to enrich himself.
Despite knowing the situation involving the Lenoir family and that the shares could not be sold at such a low price, he still took advantage of Tristanâs financial difficulties. He secretly purchased the shares while Damien was away. He even refused when the Lenoir family offered to repurchase the shares at a higher price based on market value.
Seeing such despicable behavior, Cherise would never have bothered to meet him if he hadnât been her desk mate.
Her grandmother reached the ripe age of eighty-six when she left this world. It was a life well-lived, ye Cherise still felt a pang of sadness whenever she thought of her. She regretted not spending much time with her grandmother after her separation from Damien.
Seeing Cheriseâs eyes lose their sparkle, Sebastian pursed his lips and frowned. âIâm sorry, I probably shouldnât have brought this up.â
Cherise snapped back to reality and smiled at him. âIts okay. My grandmother passed away peacefully with her family by her side. She didnât suffer. It was simply the natural course of aging. In a way, it was a blessing.â
âThatâs true,â Sebastian observed Cheriseâs forced smile and silently pushed a slice of cake to her. âHave something sweet. It will improve your mood.â
Cherise nodded and slowly began to eat the cake.
âI never imagined that your grandmother was already gone.â Sebastian sighed. âI remember when she came to school to bring you lunch, she would often bring me a portion as well.â
âShe would always tell me, âStudy hard, chubby.â I still remember it to this day,â he chuckled.
His words prompted Cherise to recall scenes from her middle school days in Shawbury.
Back then, her grandmother would come to her school every lunchtime, carrying a small cloth bag. The bag contained her lunchbox wrapped in a cotton cloth.
Although the lunchbox was old, the food was always freshly cooked and the most delicious.