Sebastian’s POVI have never seen Scar so happy with her laughter reaching her eyes...when she left with her friends.She never laughs with me, she just smiles at me -- she used to smile at me, but not anymore. Not for months. But even before when she did, it was different from the laugh she had with her friends. Her smile at me was always timid and restrained, like a puppy scared of being hurt, but also desperately flatters people for food.She wasn’t happy with me. I made sure of that.I thought I was just “not loving” her. I didn’t. I don’t! And because of that, I never cared if I was hurting her. She forced my hand, and I used that to justify everything.The past three days were really rough for me.I couldn’t stop thinking about Scar’s accusation, of how horribly we have been treating her. I felt sick of myself every time I think of the phrase “blood vessel”. I kept searching in my memory for clues to justify my actions. Maybe she deserved it, maybe she brought that to herself, ma
Sebastian’s POV“Gab,” I pull his phone away, demanding, “I thought you want Scar to leave? Ava wants her gone.”“I want her to leave YOU, not the city!” Gabriel fights me for his phone, “What if Ava needs her again?!”My blood runs cold.Is this really the Gab that I know? The popular homecoming king? The nice big brother that Ava always shows off? The friend who I thought could have my back?When he sees a girl, his own baby sister, nothing but an emergency help for Ava?A... blood vessel?“Calm down,” I can’t help my tone dropping cold, handing him his phone, “it was three days ago. By the way, that actually was what the whole fuss was about.”“Huh?” Gabriel calms down and blinks, seemingly surprised, “Ava told me it was something about mom...?”Yeah. About how Anna lured Scar back.“She hasn’t been talking about leaving for a long time now, ever since...” Gabriel glances at me, and immediately I realize the words he didn’t say--Ever since I married her. I feel sick again.“She has
Sebastian’s POVAdrian Dunn is bad news.He inherited from his father not only the biggest newspaper in town, but also his cold dark view of the world from the last century. He believes not in law, but in power; not in just, but in narratives. He hurts people without a blink even if they are innocent, and he protects those whom he cares to no boundaries.I stand against everything he is, and that puts his target on my back.“What do you say, Seb-babe?” Adrian smirks. As if the bruises on his cheekbone doesn’t hurt at all.Right. I also hate his lousy low-taste nicknames.“Fuck off, Adrian,” Gabriel stands up, using his “intimidating walk” on Adrian -- pressing his bulky features into his face.Adrian is my height, but Gabriel is almost 6.5 feet, bulky no less. I think that’s why he got his bully name even though he doesn’t really do the bully shit. Also why Adrian calls him “bear”.Adrian is not flinching.“You don’t want to fight me, teddy bear,” Adrian doesn’t even put his icon fake
Scarlett’s POV“Ewww! That’s the truth???” Aurora exclaims, “You SLEPT with him?! Seriously?!”After running into Gabriel at Nightingale, we couldn’t stay there. Instead, we found a small, random bar down the street. A quiet, cozy small place, perfect for girls' talk.Lilith closes her eyes with a desperate look, dying under Aurora’s judgy looks, “Accidently, okay? The key word is accident!”Now that makes sense. Lilith used to be the one handling most of my “code reds”. I can’t imagine two enemies just suddenly fall in love. But then again, Gabriel looked deeply in love though...“But Gabriel?!” Aurora takes a deep breath to calm herself, only to burst out again, “It’s...Gabriel!”Lilith looks just as devastated as Aurora.“When was that?” I ask. If it’s recent, then we might need to buy another set of pregnant tests. A baby not born out of love is the last thing we want...again.Lilith glances at me before darting her eyes off to her glass.“What?” Aurora and I exchange a confused lo
Scarlett’s POVHer words are too shocking that I even forget to cry: “...what?”“You know how Damon was the constable of the Villa area at that time, right?” Lilith asks.Vaguely.“On that day, he was called to the Knight’s house. The neighbors called it in, or something like that. The point is, the Iron Lady made a huge fuss that day, and Ava was the fuss!”“...what?” I blink, not catching up at all.The Iron Lady is Sebastian’s grandma. She basically raised Sebastian after his parents died in a car accident, while protecting the family business against the sharks. Hence her nickname.“Let me,” Aurora pats me on my back, her tone patient and calm, unlike the anxious Lilith, “that day Sebastian took Ava back to meet with his grandma, because...he wanted to marry her, and he needed his grandma’s blessing.”Sebastian can hurt anyone for Ava, but not Granny. He loves her and respects her to the most.“That’s what you couldn’t tell me?” I frown in confusion. So he proposed to Ava. Not like
Scarlett’s POVThey only knew I had “something” Sebastian wanted, and I forced his hand with it. I only told Aurora three days ago when there was no way to hide anything about my family issue anymore.“Hmmm...” I cut in before Aurora could tell her, hesitating. Aurora purses her lips.I don’t want to let too many know about the blood transfusion thing, because I don’t want to be seen as a victim. That’s Ava’s specialty. Besides, with Lilith’s temper, there is little telling what she would do if she knew about Jack Fuller’s deal.“What?” Lilith darts her eyes between me and Aurora, “What can’t I know?”I suddenly understand why Lilith would struggle to tell me that secret. Sometimes there are things that you keep from your loved ones, only to protect them.“You should have told us, Scar, a long time ago,” Aurora says gently. She is the most sensitive among us, and she is the most mature, “I understand your concern, but we are not ‘people’, we are your friends, and we would understand yo
Scarlett’s POVI choke on my drink. It gets in my nose and tears spout out.“I mean...” After a string of heavy coughs, I finally came back to life with the help of several tissues. Lilith and Aurora glare at me like I’m some criminal, “I told you, unprecedented treatment. The doctor had only a theory in his mind when we started, so...”“Exactly how many times did you donate?!” Aurora demands. She is like a mom again.“Five...” I flinch, feeling guilty though I had no reason to be.Every time it was a failure, all but this last time. And even before it cured her, he kissed her as if he was sure he no longer needed me. I can’t look back at myself to see how pathetic I was.“Every time was within safe range, though.” I add, but they are not hearing it.Aurora loses her cool, ranting to Lilith about any and every bit of “crime” she knows about the Fullers. Lilith ignores my effort to explain as she curses with Aurora, demanding to know more. I enjoy how they defend me, but also worry abou
Sebastian’s POV“Why? Did something happen to Ava?” Scar frowns with a shrug, folding her arms.She is not even trying to be sarcastic, and that’s the most sarcastic part.I thought my words would make her happy, like before. I know she is really hurt this time, but I thought her eyes would light up with sparkles even though she would try to maintain a cold face to fish for more comforting words from me, like before.But there is none.I never knew her watery purple eyes could be so cold like dry ice. It stings to look at her eyes like that.You really want a divorce? I dare not ask. She would only say yes, even just to hurt me.My mind has been in turmoil since Adrian messed it up. I can’t imagine Scar asking for a divorce for real, but she hasn’t been home for almost a week now, and she is not planning to any time soon. I’m not used to this. The whole house feels different now.It’s no longer a home. Just a house.I used to think it was silly for her to stay up for me when I got home
Sebastian’s words freezes Lilith. His accurate intuiation shocks, but not as much as his aggressive eyes. Looking into his eyes, Lilith knows she can’t win this fight without needing him to say those words. She has seen how tamed this man can be in front of Scar, and that gave her the illusion that he is not dangerous. Not as how any man in his position holding his kind of power should be.How wrong was she.When it comes to anyone but Scar, he is still the predator who is to be reckoned with.She frowns and tries to run, but the man wouldn’t let her open the door: “If you know that Silco might harm Scar and you hide it from me, then it’s on your hand when Scar gets hurt.”“It’s on me when I refuse to deliver Scar into YOURS hands, which are holding Ava Fuller’s filthy bloody ones?!” Lilith fights back fiercely, “Don’t make me laugh! I come here because YOU begged to make amendment, no the other way around!”The man doesn’t show it, but Lilith could see that her words sting. If there
Does she really treat Sebastian differently?Scar doesn’t like touching this question. It stings. He is like a wound on her heart that just won’t heal. Every scar he left on her remains hurting, bleeding, and corrupting nonstop, yet she just can’t seem to gouge it out.If only she could.Why is it so hard to just cut all ties with this man? However she warns herself of the danger this man poses, she keeps finding him back in her life, closer and closer.Unlike Ava who has never even apologized for what happened but basically took all the harm she did on Scar as okay, Sebastian apologizes. He puts up the genuine guilt act all the time. Doing the right thing, that’s his brand. He takes all his chances to apologize, but he still doesn’t understand--His fault is not giving Ava a key to his house. It wasn’t even falling for that simple lie when the
Scar couldn’t answer Silco’s question.What kind of a question was that?! She doesn’t treat them differently! They are all her enemies, and they all played a part in that horrifying night five years ago! When Ava bullied her, Sebastian took Ava’s side; when Ava needed her blood, Sebastian was the one plugging the tube into Scar’s wrist; when Ava tried to murder her child, HIS child, he gave Ava the key to their house! So of course she treats them differently! If Ava was a murderer, then Sebastian was just a stupid tool Ava used; if Ava wanted her dead, Sebastian only failed to protect her.So why that question?!Why SHOULD she treat them as equally evil? She doesn’t only because she is a fair person!Having a bloody battle in her mind, Scar couldn’t help but feel angry when she couldn’t pin down where the anger comes from.It was a simple question, one that she does have an answer for.So why couldn’t she?Why did she feel guilty when Silco asked that, and why did she run from that qu
Silco finally nods with a proud smile, seeing Scar had led her to where he was leading her to go: “I think that would raise our chances by a lot, princess.”Scar’s eyes beam, not at the coming win, but at the proud look from Silco.She doesn’t even realize it.Never in the first twenty years of life has she tasted what being proud of feels like, and that’s not because of a lack of trying. For a very long time, she believed so long as she worked hard, she would get the praise from Jack and Anna just like Ava. She never did.It feels amazing.While Scar is enjoying her newfound secret, forbidden satisfaction, Lilith is amazed at the closeness shared between Scar and Silco that her best friend doesn’t seem to even notice herself. Does Scar still remember that she doesn’t even know the identity of this man? Scar looks up at him like a little lamb at her shepherd.What’s with this sudden, almost-father-daughter vibe?!“So we just wait?” Scar asks Silco, “What if they don’t make a move?”“Y
“Silco!” Still in the euphoric state, Scar springs off the sofa, demanding the man like a little girl, “You knew him?! Elijah Green? Did you know what a weirdo he was?! Who tells people that they look like their dead friend on the first time they meet?! Why on earth did you make me go to that horrible party?! You owe me an explanation!”Silco lets out a smirk, “Dead...friend? Interesting...” He laughs at her pout, rubbing her hair as he leads her back to the sofa: “The party was horrible? Then why did I hear that the Fuller’s mother-daughter pair put on quite a show to entertain?”Well, it WAS quite enjoyable when they panicked as their lies spilled all over the floor before Scar picked it up for them.Scar sticks her tongue out.“Sure, she begged me for mercy,” Scar shrugs, throwing herself back into the sofa with a loud sigh, “but they only wanted to keep up their lies in front of the Green Lady. I have been calling her about our deal and she hasn’t picked up yet. Pretty sure I got
“I have heard a lot about you,” Elijah Green grins at Scar, giving a meaningful glance in the Green Lady’s direction.The Fullers are pasting around the Green Lady again, like two buzzing flies that would always come back. Looking over, Scar couldn’t help but let out a snort, “So have I.” She says with a cold voice, “Is that what this conversation is for?”If he is here to fight for Ava, too. Scar frowns. She swears to God! She would—“I think they are lying to mom,” Elijah Green answers tamely, as if he doesn’t even hear the sarcasm in Scar’s tone. In Scar’s surprised look, the man laughs like a marshmallow, with a childish, mischievous shade in there, “Anyone who looks so much alike my dear -- hmm -- friend, couldn’t be a bully.”Every time he says that, he adds a pause in there as if it originally wasn’t a “friend”, but something else there. Weird. Scar thinks.“...but I bet you are fierce, no? I bet you are kind to people, but take the stand if needed,” Elijah Green is still going
Sebastian is afraid.Never in his life has he been so. How could he not? He is in the face of his final judgement. He only got through the past five years lying to himself that Scar hated him because Alice died, when he managed to save Alice. That’s his one shred of hope. That some day, when he could tell Scar that, all will be forgiven and forgotten.But that’s precisely why he dared not touch it. Because deep down, he knows that the answer is likely to be no.He just doesn’t know how to survive that answer. If his actions would never get forgiveness from the one person he can’t live without. Then what?It takes him all his willpower to force his eyes up to meet Scar’s. His throat so dry that it starts hurting. He grips a fist, hides it in his pocket with his whole body stiff like a rock.There is storm in Scar’s eyes.There is anger, of course. Anger for all that has happened. Anger for all his stupid mistreatment and self-righteousness. Anger for all the hurt he used to meet her lo
In so many years to come, Sebastian would be grateful that Scar caved, again.He could see the struggle in her eyes, and the familiar fire that would have driven her to call off the deal. But for several long seconds, she doesn’t say anything.He takes that as an “in” and drags her away.He is not sure what he would have done if Scar chose Scott. It’s not like he could really keep her away from the lead of her mom’s case. He has investigated for so many years, just so he could give her what she wants when she wants it.Just not Scott.Or any other men.“I didn’t know you were interested in eye candy,” Sebastian squeezes Scar's hand punishingly when he notices that long after they arrived at the small table across the room from Scott, she is still gazing in that direction.Scar frowns at his sting. What’s his problem?? Ever since she enter Ava’s proud event, he has been a bother none stop. Just because he has got something that she’s interested, he thought he could walk over her??“I g
“Stop it! We weren’t talking about you!” Scar frowns, stepping up for Scott. She can’t have Scott being a target of Sebastian because of her.Scott might be next in line to inherit the Green empire, but he has never spent a day in his life fighting in the business world. How’s that fair?!Scott smirks at Sebastian from behind Scar.Sebastian is boiling. “Hiding behind a woman? Is that all you got?!”“Am I supposed to be ashamed? For hiding behind Scar?” Scott grins, not seeming to be offended at all as he drawls with that annoying smirk, “I don’t know. It sounds like you are upset that you don’t get to do the same.”Sebastian’s eyes are murderous now.Scar’s eyes open wide. She has never seen Sebastian like this. Losing his cool in front of anyone. Sarcasm and personal attack? Is this man really the white knight who always dominates in any room?He looks like an ordinary, jealous husband.The thing is, he is no longer her husband to have the right to be jealous of men she talks to!“W