Filed to story: Watch Out, I’m The Lady Boss (Eleanor & Sebastian) Book PDF Free
Before I could say a word, Sebastian cut in.
“You’re not my mother. And my wife doesn’t owe you a visit.”Gwendolyn’s left cheek twitched, the smiling mask slipping a little.
Sebastian didn’t lower his voice.
Didn’t care that the room was full of people pretending not to eavesdrop, even as their ears were twitching like antennae.
“Sebastian…” Gwendolyn’s voice wobbled. A trembling hand pressed to her chest like she’d been stabbed.
“All these years, I’ve treated you like my own son. I never once minded your… your situation, being born out of wedlock. How can you say that to me?”She was already dabbing at her eyes.
I shot Sebastian a glance, bracing for his reaction.
She hadn’t used the word exactly, but it hung there, unspoken-illegitimate.
I’d heard the whispers.
The moment Sebastian returned to Skyline City, the gossip spread like wildfire.
There were different versions, some nastier than others.
Tow which one wakite, and I wasn’t close enough to him to ask Sebastian’s lace seas granite. he was rattled, he didn’t show it “Out of wedlock” he said coldly “You know damn well who was the one cheating while still married.”
He shot Reginald a withering look, who seemed to have just realise he’d been bled of five million times for The colour drained from his face as the maths caught up with hin Then Sebastian turned to Gwendolyn If you want to make a scene in front of everyone, I’m more than happy to settle things right here,
That was when the young man who’d been standing off to the side like a mildly interested bystander finally stepped in.
Seb, don’t say that about Mum,” he said, not quite confrontational, more placating.
“She didn’t mean anything by it, alright? She just meant you two haven’t come to visit. Chill out.”That had to be Declan, Gwendolyn’s youngest and most coddled.
He had the kind of flawless skin, bright teeth and peachy complexion that only came from never having worked a day in his life.
Spoilt? Almost certainly.
Useless? Probably.
But at least he had enough guts to defend his mother, I’d give him that.
I knew he didn’t hold a position at any LGH subsidiary, which made sense the moment Sebastian said:
“Your stipend next month-“He didn’t even need to finish.
Declan folded instantly.
He grabbed Sebastian’s hand, then thought better of it and let go when Sebastian didn’t return the gesture.
He gave a sheepish grin.
“Come on, Seb, big bro, don’t do that to me. You’ve already cut my stipend twice in two months. Any more and I’ll be living under a bridge.”Sebastian said nothing, just tapped his finger against his arm, waiting.
Declan blinked, then lit up like he’d finally decoded the unspoken command.
He turned to me with a face-splitting grin.
“Eleanor, right? I’ve heard so much about you. Congrats on the wedding. May your future be filled with sunshine, rainbows, and ridiculous amounts of happiness. You and Sebastian are perfect together. Anyone can see that.”I shook the hand he offered.
“Thank you.”It was hard to dislike him, even knowing who his mother was.
Speaking of…
Declan added, “Don’t mind Mum. Half the time she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
“Declan!” Gwendolyn snapped.
He waved her off like a fly.
“Anyway, you should come round more. I can show you around. Or-” He caught Sebastian’s look and backpedalled tast.
“Or Seb can show you. You’ve got to see the indoor pool. I redid the whole thing. It’s basically a spa now. You’d love it.”Then he looked at Sebastian like a golden retriever waiting for praise.
Sebastian’s tone softened just a notch.
“Your stipend’s as usual.”Declan straightened.
“Thanks, bro!”I watched the easy rapport between them, fascinated.
I really liked that, despite Gwendolyn, Sebastian didn’t hold it against Declan.
He even seemed to indulge him.
I didn’t learn the truth until much later: when Sebastian had been shipped off overseas with barely enough stipend to cover food and shelter, it was Declan who’d quietly siphoned off money from his own generous allowance and sent it to him. 1
Proof that, occasionally, the apple does fall far from the tree.
Declan turned to Gwendolyn.
“Mum, seriously, it’s a happy day. Don’t say anything that’ll ruin it. Just zip it and smile for the cameras Gwendolyn blinked, stunned.
“What did I even say?”She might’ve brushed off anything from Sebastian with that frosty composure of hers, but coming from her own son, that cut deeper.
“Just don’t say anything stupid,” Declan said offhandedly.
Gwendolyn’s face turned an alarming shade-red, then purplish-like she was this close to throttling him on the spot.
Sebastian gave Declan an approving nod, then turned to Gwendolyn told you I’d bring my wife today. Anyone gives her trouble, they’re taking me on.”His voice was low, but it carried.
Loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
The words weren’t just meant for Gwendolyn.
They were a warning shot to the entire Laurent clan.
Anyone who’d been whispering behind my back a second ago suddenly remembered how to shut up.
A few awkward beats passed before the party resumed its rhythm, the chatter awkward at first, then slowly picking up pace again.
Sebastian took my hand and led me to the enormous sofa in the centre of the room.
I braced myself for the glares, the barbed questions, the sudden onset of passive-aggression.
But instead, everyone smiled.
Some even tried to make it look convincing, though it was obvious they were clenching their molars behind those well- practised grins.
I’d thought Sebastian’s (allegedly) illegitimate status would’ve put him in a precarious spot with the family, but apparently not.
They were treating him like royalty.
No one dared raise their voice, not even Reginald.
Which made me think-if people did suspect our marriage was a sham, would anyone actually have the guts to say it out loud?
Probably not.
So why, exactly, was Sebastian still going overboard with all those rehearsals?
It wasn’t like we needed to sell the act that hard, but he’d been treating this like some kind of military drill.
Then there was the whole thing about his grandfather, Edouard Laurent.
According to Sebastian, the old man was on his deathbed at a nursing home and just wanted to see him get married before he went.
Hence the fake marriage.
Hence the real marriage certificate.
But when I finally saw Edouard, sure, he looked old and a bit frail he needed a cane-but he didn’t seem like he was about to kick the bucket.
His attitude towards me landed somewhere between Reginald and Declan-not overly warm, but not icy either.
Polite. Neutral. Watchful.
Which tracked.
He wasn’t like his son, Reginald, who wore every thought on his sleeve like a bad name tag.
Edouard hadn’t built an empire by being the type to blurt out anything without weighing it first.
He thanked me for my gift, even complimented my dress-very grandfatherly, very smooth. ird didn’clonow any better, I’d have thought he actually liked me.
Then the party got properly underway.
There were speeches, gift-giving, cake-cutting, photo taking the whole shebang.
Not long after, Sebastian was called into the study by his grandfather Twas left alone on the sofa, quietly matching names to faces and of serving the dynamics of a multi-branch I felt it almost immediately-that creeping sensation of being walied.
Not just the polite kind, either.
This was surgical, skin-peeling scrutiny.
I tried to ignore it, but one particular stare coming from my right was doing a fantastic job of making my shoulders lock up.
I turned my head and locked eyes with a woman in the corner.
She wasn’t blinking-
Fuck.
Isobel Brooke.
The jolt that went through me was embarrassingly visible-I actually flinched.
Her gaze hadn’t changed since high school.