Chapter 159
A faint smirk curled at Sebastian Valdemar's lips, dark triumph flashing in his eyes.
He leaned in close to Evelyn Roland, his warm breath grazing the delicate curve of her neck.
Their proximity was intimate enough for their heartbeats to echo against each other. Evelyn's spine stiffened, her fingers trembling slightly.
To onlookers, they appeared as a picture-perfect couple lost in whispered affection.
Sebastian's arm tightened around her slender waist, his palm pressing possessively against the dip of her spine.
"Youโ!" Fury ignited in Evelyn's gaze, but with her secrets held hostage, she had no choice but to endure his audacity.
"Bear with me a little longer, Miss Roland," Sebastian murmured, his voice a low, intoxicating rasp.
Evelyn mentally shredded him to pieces.
Fiona Valentine clenched her skirt, nails digging crescent moons into her palms. She watched as Sebastian tilted Evelyn's chin up, his gaze tender as springwater.
The sight stabbed through her heart.
Sebastian's obsidian eyes held Evelyn captive, dark and fathomless. For a fleeting moment, she forgot to pull away.
Fiona finally broke, fleeing the scene.
Evelyn snapped back to reality, shoving Sebastian away. The sudden emptiness in his arms made his expression shutter closed.
"That poor girl must be blind," Evelyn scoffed.
The memory of Fiona's tear-streaked face left an uncomfortable weight in her chest.
Sebastian's demeanor cooled, as if his earlier tenderness had been an illusion. "Thanks for the cooperation."
Hypocrite.
Evelyn met his gaze, her voice icy. "Remember your promise."
If he dared expose her identity, she'd make him regret it.
Her defensive stance only amused Sebastian.
Countless socialites threw themselves at himโyet this woman recoiled. The thought inexplicably grated on him, his canines itching.
"How could I forget Miss Roland's words?" His lips curved with mocking amusement.
Evelyn suddenly stepped forward, invading his space. Sebastian didn't flinch.
"Stay away from me," she enunciated sharply.
Like a bristling fox, he mused.
Evelyn strode off, her retreating figure radiating finality.
Sebastian watched her go, his gaze deepening.
The Roland heiress? Interesting.
Bianca Savigny burst into the cafรฉ, breathless, scanning the room.
As she brushed past Sebastian, the scent of aged wine clung to her.
His brow arched. A winemaker this young?
Evelyn lingered at the street corner, observing Bianca's frantic search.