Page 14 of Forever His Favorite
Sebastian’s gaze drifted slowly to the table, piled high with greasy food. His face tightened, displeasure cutting across his sharp features. “Whose idea was it to eat all of this?”
Harold immediately stepped in front of Emily, puffing his chest and squaring his shoulders as if shielding her from a wild animal. “I-it has nothing to do with Miss Emily. I bought all of it!” His voice wavered slightly under Sebastian’s penetrating gaze.
He turned to Emily, eyebrows drawn together, muttering under his breath, “But… didn’t Leon say on the phone that my bro wouldn’t be back until tomorrow?”
Emily nodded innocently, lips pursed, confirming that she had heard the same thing when Leon had answered his call. Her hands fidgeted slightly, the thin fabric of her night suit brushing against her palms.
Sebastian’s eyes flicked sharply from Harold to Emily, then back again. He leaned in just slightly, the intensity of his stare making Harold swallow audibly. “Are you upset that I came home early… to my own house?”
Harold’s head bobbed immediately, an automatic nod. Emily smacked his arm, snapping him back to his senses. He shook his head frantically, forcing a strained, nervous grin. “O-of course not!”
Sebastian didn’t blink. His stare drilled into Harold like a warning laser. “Clean this up. Then head back to the company. I need you on the Smith project. Prepare all documentation for the presentation two days from now.”
Harold’s jaw practically hit the floor. “Seriously? The Smith project? They require, like, twenty levels of checks before you can even start the documentation! How am I supposed to finish that in two days, bro?”
Sebastian’s gaze hardened even further. “Finish the Jaguar project after that.”
Harold’s eyes widened in horror. “You’ve got to be kidding—” He cut himself off as Sebastian’s stare pinned him in place. Groaning, he scrambled to gather the plates, muttering under his breath, “Fine, fine! I’m going, alright?! Unbelievable…!” His hands trembled slightly as he stuffed trash into bags.
Emily bent down to help him without a word, silently collecting the mess.
But then Sebastian’s deep, low voice cut through the quiet, startling her. “Mrs. Graves. Come with me to our bedroom.”
Emily froze, hands still hovering over a half-empty bowl.
Harold’s head jerked up, wide eyes fixed on her, silently screaming‘you’re in trouble’.
Emily pressed her lips tight, trying not to gag on the food still in her mouth. She shot Harold a sad, almost scared glance before forcing her legs to move, following Sebastian up the stairs.
He strode ahead of her with long, confident steps, each footfall echoing slightly against the wooden steps. Emily hesitated for a fraction of a second before taking another step. She glanced back once—Harold was already dumping the last of the food and bolting out the door.
Once inside the bedroom, Sebastian stopped and turned to face her. His tall frame loomed in silence, his presence heavy.
Emily’s heart hammered in her chest. Her palms felt clammy, her fingers curling into small fists at her sides. Her gaze flicked nervously to him, then back to the floor, then to his dark, unreadable eyes.
‘Is he going to scold me?’ she wondered anxiously. ‘He didn’t say anything in front of Harold, but he definitely doesn’t look pleased.’
Chapter 6 Shackled
Emily’s heart raced, her palms damp as she stood before Sebastian. That familiar shiver of unease crawled up her spine—the kind that always came whenever his dark, unreadable stare locked onto her in the past. There had been a time when just one look from him like this had been enough to make her tremble.
Now, things were different. These days his gaze often softened when it landed on her, filled with warmth she hadn’t thought him capable of. Affection. Possessive, but gentler than before. Yet at that moment, the sharpness in his eyes as he glared at Harold had dragged her back to the past, to the cold, ruthless man who had once terrified her.
Her nerves twisted tight when he stepped toward her. Her instinct braced for a scolding, a lash of words, but instead, his hand slid to the back of her head, his fingers threading lightly into her hair. He drew her forward with something startlingly tender.
His voice dropped, velvet-soft, wrapping around her like silk. “I was gone for two days. Aren’t you going to tell me you missed me?”
Emily froze, her throat catching. A tiny, inward groan echoed in her mind. ‘Who’s going to tell you that? If I say it, you’ll just getmore smug.’ She bit her lip, then forced a careful smile. “Yes… of course I missed you.”
The icy edge in his eyes melted instantly, replaced by a warmth so tender it made her chest tighten.
He released her and strode toward the table where he had left his suitcase. Emily’s eyes followed him, curiosity pricking at her, anticipation fluttering low in her stomach. His tall frame bent slightly as he reached for a small box and then turned back toward her.
“I brought this for you,” he said evenly, extending it toward her. “Don’t eat them all at once. You’ll get sick.”
Emily blinked, surprised. She lifted the lid with careful fingers and gasped softly. Inside lay rows of her favorite dark chocolates, each piece glossy and rich. They weren’t just chocolates. They were rare, dairy-free, and expensive, the kind she had only tasted twice in her life.
She gasped softly, delight sparking across her face. Her eyes widened with wonder. “How did you know I like these? These are so hard to find.” She eagerly popped one quickly into her mouth, the bitter richness melting across her tongue. A radiant smile spread over her face before she could stop it.
