Chapter 9
Scarlett stared silently at the ceiling, saying nothing.
Something burned in Sebastian’s chest-sharp, restless-but before he could speak, a nurse rushed in. “Mr. Reed, Miss Whitmore is asking for you again. She says the pain’s gotten worse.”
He turned toward the door. “Think about what you’ve done,” he said flatly. “And don’t cause any more trouble.”
The days that followed were eerily quiet. Scarlett barely spoke. Barely moved.
Every day, Lily sent her photos of Sebastian tending to her-feeding her soup, helping her walk.
Scarlett didn’t respond. Not once.
Until discharge day.
That morning, Lily showed up in person.
“Well, look at you,” she said, shaking her bandaged hand playfully. “Only three days in the hospital. You know how long I’ll be staying because of your little stunt? If Sebastian hadn’t flown in a specialist from Europe, my hand would be ruined forever.”
Scarlett’s expression didn’t change. “You deserved it.”
Lily smiled, sweet and venomous. “What’s with the attitude? You know what I’ve always wondered? What does it feel like to love someone so much-only to have him personally throw you in jail? Must’ve hurt like hell.”
Scarlett finally turned to her. “What are you really here to say?”
“Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to tell you a little story.” Lily sat beside the bed, her voice light.
“Back in high school, Sebastian and I were classmates. Every girl in school chased after him. He didn’t even glance their
way.”
Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Except for me.”
“He knew I took my coffee without sugar. Always brought an extra umbrella on rainy days. During student council meetings, he only drank the water I handed him. When he gave school speeches, his eyes found me in the crowd every single time.”
“All the girls were jealous. But he only ever smiled at me.”
“We were this close to becoming something more… and then I got into a car accident. Pushed him out of the way, ended up needing surgery overseas. But we kept in touch. All these years.”
Scarlett’s fingers dug into her palm.
“Eventually, I told him my mother married into a wealthy family. But the heiress of the house bullied her constantly.” She chuckled. “You know what he did? He called your father.”
“Hand Scarlett over to me. I’ll take care of her.”
Scarlett froze. She had always believed it was her father’s decision-sending her to Sebastian, letting him ‘discipline’ her.
Lily leaned closer. “He was top of the class in everything. Controlling people came naturally.”
Chapter 9
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“It didn’t take much to make you fall for him, did it? And even less to get you into his bed.”
“I was furious at first. But then I found out…” She tapped her chin, eyes glittering. “Sebastian recorded every single time.
Security footage. Hidden cameras. I realized then what he was doing.”
“Because someone like you-Miss High and Mighty-would only behave if someone held leverage. And now, with those tapes in my hands… tell me, who exactly do you think you can threaten?”
“When Sebastian slept with you, I think all he ever wanted-was to make sure I had those recordings. So I could fight
back.”
Lily watched, satisfied, as Scarlett’s face drained of color. With a final smirk, she turned and walked out
ג
Scarlett sat frozen. It felt like lightning had struck her straight through the chest. Her blood felt like it had stopped
moving.
She bolted out of the hospital like a madwoman, hailed the first cab she could find, and shouted the address of
Sebastian’s estate.
Once inside, she tore through the house like a storm.
Study drawers-nothing.
Bedroom safe-empty.
Finally, inside the secret chamber, she located it-the encrypted folder on the computer.
Her hands shook as she opened it. And then she collapsed to her knees.
The screen lit up with footage. Footage of her, of them.
Every encounter. From beginning to end.
Clear. Intimate. Catalogued.
