Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Chapter 26 Sebastian’s gaze turned sharp. “Just shooting the breeze? Why the blush then?” he pressed, Fiona clammed up, her face on fire. She guiltily turned away and opened the car window, looking outside for an escape.

Sebastian flashed back to their encounter in the hotel’s tool room where Fiona hadn’t shown any signs of bashfulness- no blushing, no gasping, when she was trying to seduce him: Even when he nipped her ear, her reaction was minor. But now, simply talking with Sean had her cheeks all rosy. He sensed there might be something up with her and Sean, and his mood toward Sean grew colder.

“You were pretty forward with me at the hotel, huh? And now you’re acting like none of it ever happened?” Sebastian asked.

Silent, Fiona internally said to herself, ‘I’m not the type to act like nothing went down after flirting. She cupped her flushed cheeks in her hands, scolding herself for her timidity. “Sebastian’s loaded. Just gotta latch on and not look back. No need to freak out!” she reasoned with herself. “I’ve been around. All I did was hug him and talk a bit boldly, and he nibbled my ear. No biggie, right? With the night air brushing her face and her thoughts rallying her spirit, Fiona’s nerves began to settle.

After a bit, Fiona started feeling cold again since she wasn’t wearing a coat. She rolled up the window and turned to face Sebastian, looking obedient “Are you and Sean tight?” Sebastian asked.

“Yeah, pretty much.” Fiona nodded.

“Tighter than you are with me?” Sebastian prodded with a dark cloud hovering over his expression. Caught off guard by the question, Fiona felt a wave of awkwardness. The answer was of course yes, but answering truthfully could tick Sebastian off, and that was sa risk she wasn’t willing to take.

Sebastian didn’t let it slide. “You actually hoped Sean would drive you home. You were worried about ticking me off and losing the breakup fee from the engagement, so you just went along with me driving you. How’d you spin it to him?” he drilled down, cutting to the heart of the matter.

Fiona offered a simple explanation, “Sean and I go way back. He’s not the type to get bent out of shape over this small matter.”

“Oh? So you believe that because we haven’t known each other long, I’m going to make a big deal over a little issue? Sebastian quizzed her.

Fiona gave him a wary look, sensing his confrontational mood. “Mr. Quinn, what’s up with you? You’re acting kinda off”

On the brink of tears, Evan thought to himself, “It’s so obvious. Can’t you tell Mr. Quinn is angry? Pretty sure he’s jealous. Girl, you better smooth things over-like, now!’

“Do you like him?” Sebastian fired off another question.

Startled by the abrupt question, Evan jerked the wheel and floored the accelerator. The car nearly clipped another on the o v e r p a s s. Evan shot a glance in the rearview mirror, yanked the wheel hard, and swerved into the right lane.

Caught off guard by the sudden swerve, Fiona, who hadn’t buckled up, was thrown off balance. She tumbled to the right and landed smack against Sebastian.

Evan glanced at Sebastian, who had instinctively caught Fiona in his arms. ‘Please don’t mess this up by being as blunt as just now, Evan hoped silently.

But as if on cue, Fiona shoved Sebastian away. Straightening herself up, she scolded Evan, “Hey, watch the road, will you?”

Evan was left wordless. ‘Why can’t she just read the room and be a little sweet?’ he thought exasperatedly.

Facing Sebastian, Fiona gestured toward Evan to explain, “That was just an accident cause of him. Sebastian had just flirting. There was no way she was going to let Him lump her in with those shameless Hurts.

Chapter 26 Not to mention, Fiona’s buming curiosity about Sebastian’s supposed impotence had dwindled. She respected him as an elder anyway.

But then she noticed Sebastian’s mood didn’t get any better after her plain explanation. Instead, he seemed even angrier. ‘Why’s it so tough to please him?’ she wondered.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Sebastian said.

“What’s eating you, Mr. Quinn?” Fiona stared at him, a sudden realization striking her. “You’re not angry just because you have to fork over 80 million dollars, are you? You’re just looking for a reason to be mad at me now, huh?”

Sébastian rubbed his forehead. “No.” He caught Fiona’s skeptical look and added with a serious tone, “Really, I don’t care about money.” Fiona cracked a smile and let out a relieved breath. Well, if it feels unfair, I’m down for splitting it 50/50 like we planned before,” she offered.

Staring at Fiona, whose offer didn’t seem all too heartfelt, Sebastian raised an eyebrow and said, “Okay.”

Fiona’s smile flickered out, and she looked kind of bummed. “But didn’t you just say you weren’t into mo Seeing Fiona downcast was enough to soften Sebastian’s irritation, “Gotcha. I was just joking with y you. You can have all the money.”

Fiona’s smite returned. “And the house?”

Sebastian glanced at Fiona’s eager face and felt his mood getting better. “The house is yours too.”

Just then, Evan chimed in, “The place’s been appraised and will change hands soon.”

Fiona’s face lit up. “How much is it worth now?” She looked at Evan.

Evan snuck a glance at Sebastian before answering, “3-3.2 million dollars.”

Fiona’s eyes widened in disbelief. “3.2 million dollars? 7 You sure you’re talking about that house in Griffinview? Who did the appraisal? You think Nathan and the others will go for that?”

Housing prices in Paellan were sky-high compared to those in Jerraloth. With its primo location and cool vibe, Fiona figured the house in Griffinview could easily fetch 20 million dollars on the market. Maybe even more if the house was big enough and well-placed.

She had thought Evan would say 32 million dollars. At just 3.2 million dollars, she’d be swimming in cash.

“If I say it’s 3.2 million, it’s 3.2 million. They’ve gotta take it,” Evan stated firmly.

Fiona shot Sebastian a look of pure admiration. “Mr. Quinn, you’re the real deal!” She shot him a thumbs-up and laid the compliments on thick, “Sure, Sean and I go back, but it wasn’t until I met you that I felt that instant connection, like a long-lost friend I’ve just found. The luckiest thing ever is meeting a top-notch guy like you who just shrugs off money, Mr. Quinn!”

Even though Sebastian could tell her sweet talk was about the money, he cracked a smile anyway.

She continued, “You’re not just loaded but mega generous too. You’re rocking a cool look and an amazing vibe. I haven’t known you long, but you’ve shown me there’s such a thing as Mr. Perfect out there in the world.”

Evan thought to himself, ‘Man, Fiona’s got the gift of gab. I should take a page out of her book. A little flattery could be a lifesaver when push comes to shove.”

Sebastian, now in a noticeably better mood, asked her, “What about Sean? Is he Mr. Perfect too?”

Fiona was momentarily speechless. Does he hape beef with Sean or something?’ she thought. “Totally! What’s up with your questions today, Mr. Quinn? He’s basically my uncle. Having any weird thoughts about him would be all kinds of wrong. And as for you, I totally respect you like an uncle too!”

18:22 Mon, 3 Jun Chapter 26 58%0 “Uncle?” Sebastian echoed her word, then shot a glance at Evan. Evan, who’d been catching the drama through the rearview mirror, quickly looked and raised the partition. “Does she think Mr. Quinn is in the market for a niece?’ he wondered.

away As the partition rose and Sebastian leaned in closer, Fiona instinctively backed off before correcting herself. ‘No way ami chickening out, she thought and sat back up. Regaining her composure, she asked Sebastian sweetly, “What’s wrong, Mr. Quinn?”

Sebastian’s gaze deepened, and he moved in so close that his lips brushed her ear. “Fiona,” he whispered, “what kind of niece gets up on stage, blows her uncle a kiss, and then hugs him, telling him the dance was just for him and asking if he enjoyed the show?”