Filed to story: Watch Out, I’m The Lady Boss (Eleanor & Sebastian) Book PDF Free
“She wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t.”
Rowan’s brow creased.
“I’ve met Mrs. Laurent before. She didn’t strike me as the type to pull something like this.”
Sebastian watched her from the corner of his eye.
She’d been in the background since the photo surfaced, quiet, observant.
Now she was defending Eleanor.
That threw him.
Rowan glanced at the man on the floor.
“Could be a mix-up. Or he saved the wrong number.”
“I didn’t!” The man raised his voice.
“That’s the number that called me. Every time. If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you.”
He pulled out a scratched phone, tapped quickly, and held it up.
Sebastian didn’t even glance at it.
If the goal was to frame Eleanor, every detail would’ve been planted.
The others gathered around the screen.
“It’s the same number he said before.”
“Multiple calls. Looks real.”
“Christ. It’s Mrs. Laurent’s.”
“Wait, when did he get married?”
Their voices dropped as Sebastian’s head turned.
The silence that followed felt sharp.
He stared at the man.
“You’re lying.”
The man’s eyes widened.
He slammed his palm against the floor.
“I’m not I’ve got no reason to lie! If I made this up, that guy there would’ve broken my jaw by now! She called, she told me to follow you. She wanted to know who you were eating with, who you were seeing. That’s all. I told you everything.”
One of the executives gave a dry chuckle.
“Looks like Mrs. Laurent is the worrying type. I get it. My wife used to do the same thing.”
Another chimed in, tone light.
“Yeah. It’s actually a good thing. I mean, it’s not a paparazzo or something like that.”
Sebastian didn’t speak.
The air in the room thinned.
Rowan’s voice broke through, clipped and breezy “Can’t blame her entirely. She probably panicked. You’re always out, dinner meetings, late nights… She’s young. Got in her head, that’s all. She likely thought this was the only way to make sure you weren’t… fooling around.”
She smiled faintly as she said it.
Sebastian stepped forward, stopped in front of the man on the floor, and drove his heel into the back of the man’s hand.
The man screamed, spine arching.
He tried yanking his arm back, but Sebastian pressed harder.
“Say it again,” Sebastian said quietly.
“Who sent you?”
The man’s mouth opened, but only sharp breath came out.
His legs jerked.
When he tried twisting away, Sebastian shifted his weight, grinding down.
The man sobbed through clenched teeth.
“I told you everything. I don’t know her name. I didn’t see her face. She paid me, told me where to go. That’s it. I swear. Just let me go, I’m not lying, Please…”
Rowan stepped closer, voice softer now.
“He doesn’t look like he’s bluffing. But still… maybe it’s worth asking Mrs. Laurent directly, Sebastian? One more call couldn’t hurt.” a Sebastian lifted his foot slowly.
The man on the floor curled his hand against his chest, teeth clenched, eyes wet.
Sebastian’s fingers tightened around his phone.
He tapped the screen, held it to his ear, and waited.
Still nothing.
That same flat, synthetic voice came on: The number you have dialed…
He lowered the phone.
She should’ve left the venue by now.
Her phone should’ve been on.
Someone muttered near the wall, “Guess she’s panicking. Must’ve realized she got caught.”
Rowan’s voice followed quickly.
“Don’t be too hard on her. She probably just didn’t think it through. No real harm done, anyway. She caught me in the shot, but who cares? I don’t blame her. Just talk to her when you get home.”
Sebastian looked at her.
“It wasn’t her.”
Rowan’s lips parted again. Her voice was soft, vaguely confused.
“How do you know?”
“My wife would never pull something behind my back. This man’s story is crap.”
“But…”
“If Eleanor really hired him, he’d have delivered the photos directly to her. Quietly. No one else would’ve seen them. He wouldn’t have leaked them online. That makes no sense.”
He watched Rowan’s face while he spoke.
Her lashes fluttered once. Her pupils tightened.
“If my wife really hired him, the photos would’ve been complete. Nothing trimmed. That post cut Cas out completely. And what kind of idiot uses her personal number to call a paparazzo directly?”
Then he smiled.
“Actually, I wouldn’t mind if she did. At least I’d now she cares what I’m up to. I’d take that.”
He glanced around the room.
No one knew what to say.
Sebastian added the final nail in the coffin, “By the way, my wife’s out of town. She didn’t know I was having dinner here tonight. This man said he was sent here to watch me, which means someone knew my exact movements.”
Sebastian’s voice rang out.
“Only the people in this room knew I’d be at The Corner Table. So let’s see. Which one of your thought you were clever enough to set this up?”
Someone blurted out, high-pitched, “It wasn’t me!”
Another chimed in at once.
“I swear, I didn’t even know you were coming until you walked in!”
“I didn’t have time to call anyone! I just got here”
“It wasn’t me either!”
Their voices overlapped, rushed and clumsy.
Sebastian’s gaze shifted past the group and landed on Cassian.
Cassian raised both palms.
“Don’t look at me. I worked my arse off getting you here. Why the hell would I sabotage it with a camera crew? What do you think I am, brain-damaged?”
Everyone had spoken now.
Except Rowan.
She straightened, forced a strained smile.
“It definitely wasn’t me. I just got back to Skyline. I don’t even know how to contact someone like that. And I wouldn’t do something this underhanded.”
Sebastian said calmly, “Seems no one wants to admit it. Fine. I’ll send the guy to the station. The police will get the truth out of him.”