Home / Billionaire / The CEO's Second Choice / 19. The Masquerade Memory

Share

19. The Masquerade Memory

Author: J. Tarr
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

Sebastian

My body feels stiff.

I opened my eyes to sunlight and felt a weight pressed up against me. I glance down only to see the sleeping face of Elena wrapped up in my arms. We had fallen asleep on the L-shaped couch last night; I was up against the armrest and she was lying on her side in between my legs with my arms wrapped around her. How did we get in this position?

My heart starts to race when I realize that for the first time in years I had slept well; no nightmares had plagued my sleep. Was it because I had Elena in my arms?

I peer down at her again and my heart skips a beat; she truly was an exquisite beauty. How could I have been so foolish as to cheat on her with Sarah so many times? She was the woman I had dreamt about long after we met at the masquerade ball, the one who had not been scared to call stiff customs ‘stupid’.

My rebellious heiress.

And I had almost thrown it away for an office fling, a

Locked Chapter
Continue to read this book on the APP
Comments (2)
goodnovel comment avatar
Bella Jersey
Why did Sebastian still keep the mask?
goodnovel comment avatar
Bella Jersey
What does this mean for Sebastian and Elena?
VIEW ALL COMMENTS

Related chapters

  • The CEO's Second Choice   20. A Moment With The Brontë Sisters

    I rushed out of Sebastian’s room after putting the mask back where I found it. The man I had shared a connection with at the masked ball was Sebastian, who was also coincidentally the man I despised above all else.Did I still despise him, though?I sit down on my bed in a daze. Could Sebastian have felt the same way about me at the time? It would explain why he came to see me the following weekend, but he asked for Eliana Wiltshire, not me. Was he mistaken as to who I was?My mind was working overtime at what I had discovered and suddenly 5 years seemed even further away than before. Maybe this whole thing was an enormous coincidence.Sebastian and I were always in the midst of banter whenever we met in the past. He displayed an open dislike towards me and vice versa. He couldn’t possibly be that sweet gentleman from so long ago.I saunter towards my bathroom to have a soak and to forget that I found that damned mask.Two hours la

  • The CEO's Second Choice   21. The Rebellious Heiress Strikes Again

    I get up from the couch and grab my things before heading back to my room. Sebastian had no emotion on his face when I made that remark. This was for the best, I knew it was. The two of us cannot grow closer, not when my freedom was only 5 years away. My studies and my new life lay across the ocean, not in this villa where I felt trapped.Passing Sebastian’s room, I see that he left it ajar and I could hear his shower going. My mind goes back to his well built body that I spied this morning and I groan inwardly. This attraction would never be extinguished unless I did something about it. He needed to despise me again, go back to calling me fat and screwing his employees.Wait, what? Did I really want him to go back to that woman?I sat down on my bed and an idea came to mind, so I grabbed the laptop on my bedside table. This villa felt like an endless snow in prison, so I will escape to some place sunny. I looked up different places to visit where it would

  • The CEO's Second Choice   22. Business or Pleasure?

    *Trigger Warning - Possible Sexual Assault* It was Saturday, day six of me being here, and I still could not find my phone. I did not want to know how pissed off Sebastian was with me by now. It was not deliberate; I hope he knew that. Why was I so worried about what he thought about me and my vacation? He probably had other women in his bed by now. I was terrible at remembering numbers, and I never had to call him before, so I just did not bother. I could not recall his company’s name either, so I could not call him at work to tell him I had lost my phone. It was dusk, and the sun was starting to set, so I decided to head out to a cocktail bar tonight and let my hair down. Obviously, I would not be drinking because of my low tolerance for alcohol, but I would sip on shandies. I took the elevator down to the lobby, and the hotel concierge greeted me. “Benito, do you have a lost and found? I seemed to have misplaced my cell phone.” I ask him, still wor

  • The CEO's Second Choice   23. Lost, Drugged and Punished?

    Elena Ugh, the sun is too bright. Did I fall asleep next to the pool again? I slowly opened my eyes, trying to register where I was, but everything was too blurry. Gosh, did I get sunstroke or something? My throat felt absolutely parched and I could do with an ice-cold juice right about now. I try to sit up and blink back the blurriness, and thankfully it worked some. And now I wish it didn’t; I was in a hospital room. How did I get here? What happened? I got up from the bed, intending to walk towards the bathroom I had seen and fall forward onto the floor hard. “Ah, shoot,” I say heavily disoriented and try to get up from the floor, but my body would not reciprocate. I felt incredibly weak and dizzy from the fall. Tears prick the corners of my eyes at the uncertainty. Why couldn’t I remember anything? Why did my body feel so weird? The door in front of me opens as I try to lift myself up again, “Elena!” Was that… was that Seb

  • The CEO's Second Choice   24. Admissions and First Editions

    ElenaWe have arrived in London, and I forgot it was winter over here.The drive back to the villa in Kensington has my stomach in knots and I am fraught with nerves. Ilse will be so upset with me! She will give me that disapproving look until she was ready to forgive me, and I do not blame her.Sebastian has not uttered another word to me, and I don’t know if I was thankful for the silence or disappointed. His phone rings as we near the villa, “Sebastian,” he answers his phone monotonously, and I am left wondering again what type of boss he was. “No, I haven’t forgotten about the dinner, Sarah. I’ll be in the office in the next hour or two, bring the figures along and we can go over it while we wait for Darcy.”Excuse me, what? Sarah, as in his mistress?I couldn’t help myself and started eavesdropping terribly. “Yes, I am aware of the time. I said I would be in the office with

  • The CEO's Second Choice   25. Cruelty and the CEO

    Sebastian did not come home that night, I know because I stayed up all night reading the set of books he got me. I know that he didn’t take the Phantom because I heard the Bugatti start up and speed away, but not return and I stayed up until 2 am reading. Something which I deeply regret now as I realise the designer from Dior would be here at 9 am. I drag myself out of bed to have a cold shower that would wake me up. Ugh, I never learn from staying up so late to read; I always regret it the next day. After my shower, Ilse informs me that the designer had arrived and showed her into my room. A beautiful, petite blonde woman with the face of a pixie enters and introduces herself, “Mrs Dumont, lovely to meet you, Meghan Black.” She says with an American accent. I offer her a smile and shake her hand, “Please call me Elena,” I say and she nods then immediately dives into the aspects of the dress. She takes my measurements and listens to my likes and dislikes and what I a

  • The CEO's Second Choice   26. No Punishments?

    Elena My heart dropped. “Oh, come on. You couldn’t possibly have been serious about that?!” I cry out in surprise, trying to pull my wrists out of his grip, but he tightens his fingers. “Do you know me as a person who goes back on their word, Elena?” He asks, still wearing that naughty grin that I want to slap off his face. Sebastian slowly walks me backwards. “I warned you about rolling your eyes at me. Your parents obviously never punished you for misbehaving when you were a child, hence your bratty behaviour.” “I’m not a brat!” I tell him, and I feel his bed behind my legs. He was standing so close to me right now that I could feel the heat emanating from his skin. Chuckling, he shakes his head then looks at me with that stupidly sexy Greek God smoulder in his eyes. “By saying that you have just proven that you are a brat who needs to be punished.” Before I knew it, Sebastian threw me backwards on the bed and I landed with

  • The CEO's Second Choice   27. Coffee Shop Blues

    A pair of blue eyes regard me with curiosity and a dimpled smile, and I could do nothing but smile as my self esteem drops once more. I must look crazy to this beautiful newcomer. I shake my head. “No, I have a bit too much on my mind to read at the moment. Came here to take my mind off things but the silence just fills my head with more questions.” Okay, why was I telling this absolutely gorgeous blonde-haired Adonis everything? As he stood up and walked towards me, I noticed that he was actually quite tall, had long blonde hair that was not tied up and was dressed in all black; the same as me. “May I join you?” he asks me and I gesture to the chair in front of me. “Please do,” I answer, grateful for the company. He sits opposite me and I get a whiff of his cologne, one I could not quite place. It wasn’t as sexy and overwhelming as Sebastian’s, but it would definitely remain in your senses. I lace my fingers underneath my chin and look at him

Latest chapter

  • The CEO's Second Choice   The Forgotten Valentine - Chapter 4

    Sebastian The following day I had a bouquet of Elena’s favourite flowers delivered to her office along with her favourite delicacies. I apologised for not being able to join her that evening for a Valentine’s Day dinner. In return, she sent me a timepiece with the same apology. I had felt incredibly uneasy since Elijah’s visit yesterday. His words hit home and made me wonder just who exactly I am working myself to the bone for. Granted, I am doing this for my family, but who says they will all still love me when my workload starts to lessen? So, I asked my PA to begin compiling the resumes of suitable candidates to stand beside me as my COO. I just have to face tonight, and then I will be free to spend my time with my family again. I hope after this Elena will still feel the same about me, surely our love wouldn’t crack under this little pressure, right? Shaking my head, I dive into what leftover work I had yes

  • The CEO's Second Choice   The Forgotten Valentine - Chapter 3

    Sebastian I’ve been stranded at Heathrow for the last three hours and it is pouring with rain. My flight to Tokyo has been delayed due to some unforeseen weather conditions and because of that, I have missed out on an important merger. Bollocks. Luckily I asked my assistant to let the four CEOs know about the delay and she is yet to get back to me on what their answers are. So for now I am stewing in my anger while sipping bourbon in my private jet. I’m not angered at the fact that my flight is delayed, no, I am angered because this was supposed to be my last international meeting for the next three weeks or so. I wanted to spend that time with my family, I wanted to make time for them because truth be told, I barely see them anymore. Yes, I am married, but I might as well not be with how busy I am. This doesn’t mean that I love Elena any less, not at all. She’s the love of my life and completes me; however, I

  • The CEO's Second Choice   The Forgotten Valentine - Chapter 2

    Elena “I’m stealing you away for lunch. And before you even try to protest, Jess cleared your schedule last week to accommodate me.” The voice of Isaac came as he burst through my office door. I look at my watch; 3 pm already. “Wait, you had Jess clear my schedule?” I ask, blinking in surprise when he nods. “It seems to be the only way to get some bloody free time out of you!” He says, shaking his head. “I can’t believe I have to schedule myself into my own sister’s life.” I sigh as he says this, especially when a sad look crosses his eyes. Getting up from my office chair, I walk around my desk and take his hands in mine. “All you had to do was call me, you tart. I always have time for you,” I say, offering him an apologetic smile. He shakes his head again, bopping his red curls. “I’ve been trying for the last month, love,” he says, slipping his arm in mine. “But now that I have you for the afternoon, you’re no

  • The CEO's Second Choice   The Forgotten Valentine Part 1

    It's been eight years since Elena and Sebastian's love story unfolded. Both of them now lead hectic lives as CEOs of their respective conglomerates, neither stopping for a breather at all. However, this busy lifestyle has caused both of them to lose sight of one another and the intimacy is now non-existent.Valentine's Day should be spent with a loved one, as they’ve always done over the years. But what happens when the day slips their minds and they choose to spend it with another person?*** A lighthearted and free special Valentine's Day episode *** xxxxxxxxxxxx Elena If anyone told me eight years ago that I would be the owner of three literary houses, I would have told them to sod off. And if they told me that I will end up as a wife to Sebastian Dumont, I would have had them locked up. Now I couldn’t be happier being both. Sitting in my quant office, I feel nothing but content while a smile slips onto my face. Is this really what th

  • The CEO's Second Choice   65. For As Long As We Both Shall Live

    Elena I walk out of Wiltshire Towers with a smile on my face - I had just sold my family’s dynasty for a cool six billion, which is currently being donated to various organisations. I know what you’re thinking; I sold my family’s legacy for gain, but in all honesty; I didn’t feel attached to the Wiltshire name. I was never proud to be a Wiltshire heir, not with the way my family always used to treat me. Yesterday I received the news that Eliana had committed suicide in prison. She left no note behind to indicate why she did it, but I knew. The guilt over what she did to her own sister became unbearable. Eliana was never the tough one. She never needed to be tough for anything and I had a feeling her heart eventually got the better of her. My sister was never evil - she just grew bitter and jaded. After I left the prison that day, I had Sebastian put steps into motion for us to legally adopt Morgan, Eliana and Robert’s daughter. We were met with some d

  • The CEO's Second Choice   64. Intensive Therapy

    Elena“I believe in you, Elena. Not too long now.” Marcus, my physiotherapist, urges me on while I do my leg exercises. It has been close to four months since the accident and I can walk on crutches, but the biting cold of winter in London has made it difficult. The pain when I wake up in the morning is dull but bearable and nothing anti-inflammatories could not fix, although I tend to not take them as much due to my weak disposition. What else can I do but grin and bear it?I know that this is necessary for me to walk again, but damn it.You would think the physio would hurt more, but it’s the sessions with my therapist that do. I have been weaned off my anxiety medication and he’s placed me on a light antidepressant. The reason for this was because I realised that I was slowly getting addicted to the anxiety medication. I popped one whenever a wave of anxiety hit and it was happening too often to count. My therapist pra

  • The CEO's Second Choice   63. Rest In Peace, Elena Wiltshire

    Sebastian Elena Dumont has died, perished in the hospital after not waking from her coma. Well, that’s what we paid the press to report. We needed to weed Robert and Eliana out and think this would be the best way to do it. After Isaac’s confession, we decided to work together and concluded that the only way to get them out of France was to pretend Elena had died. A funeral was scheduled the day after tomorrow and the ‘will’ would be read this afternoon. Francis, the driver has confessed his role in the attempted murder of Elena and my son and said that Robert paid him close to 2 million to do it. We handed him over to the police and Isaac let them know about NCA’s involvement. Isaac has found the reason for Robert and Eliana’s actions and concluded that it was all for greed - Eliana grew jealous of my and Elena’s love and hated that she gave up the chance to be the Dumont Matriarch. Robert, who was stupidly in love with her, started killing off the

  • The CEO's Second Choice   62. Isaac Mortimer Wiltshire

    Elena“I’ll ask it again, who the hell are you?!” Sebastian repeats, and I am left stunned on the bed, unable to move or pull him off my best friend. Isaac was dainty and didn’t know how to fight. Why was Sebastian doing this?! Then Isaac takes Sebastian’s hand from around his throat and twists it before shoving him away gently.Uh, excuse me, WHAT?!“I would appreciate it if you did not touch me,” Isaac says in an accent that didn’t quite match him… a Cockney accent. “Isaac… What’s going on?” I ask, flabbergasted at the scene in front of me. Sebastian looks over at me. “Elijah just called me with some interesting news. He’s had Isaac investigated since he showed up at the hospital after your accident. We noticed that my death threats and attempts on my life started after you met Isaac and did some digging. The identity he gave does not e

  • The CEO's Second Choice   61. Home

    ElenaThe familiar winding road to our villa brings a smile to my face. We were going home, all three of us. I looked over at Sebastian in the driver’s seat and little Aaron next to me in the car seat, and my heart felt full. I was well on my way to healing, had my husband by my side, and my baby was safe and healthy. Despite knowing my sister might have been behind my attack, I was still happy.I almost didn’t get into the SUV when we left the hospital because I started having a panic attack. Scenes from the accident came flooding back to me, but Sebastian and Isaac managed to calm me down long enough to get into the vehicle before the paparazzi arrived. My two loves, I still can’t believe how blessed I am to have them both in my life.“We’re home,” Sebastian says with a smile and we make eye contact in the rearview mirror. Home. I never realised it before, but I never had a home. Wiltshire Estate was just th

DMCA.com Protection Status