Chapter 6

The woman approached and stood between Sebastian and me. I stood there for a second, unsure how to react or what to do. The woman was shorter than me, but she had an imposing presence that made me doubt everything; she had eyes as dark as night and short black hair perfectly tied up.

"Ma'am, I..." I tried to say.

"Mom, please," Sebastian said.

"Mom?" I said. "Then you must be Mrs. Blake...right?" I said, quickly standing up.

"Kristine Blake," she said, in a friendly tone. "You're Sofia Reign, aren't you?"

I nodded.

"You look a lot like...your father," she said, as if hesitating before speaking.

"Ma'am... If you encounter any problem with Sebastian and me doing some kind of business together, I..."

"Oh!" she interrupted. "No, no. Don't think I'm a meddling mother. It's not that I mind you doing business together or being friends... It's just that... I wouldn't want you to get involved... otherwise," she said, glancing at the bed.

"Oh! No!" I replied quickly. "I... I had a minor anxiety attack in the street, and Sebastian was taking care of me..."

She calmed down at that moment; I could see her shoulders relax, and she began to breathe differently. I saw Sebastian tilt his head slightly, and the woman took my arm.

"Sebastian... you don't mind if I... talk to Sofia for a bit, right?" Sebastian's mother said, but more than asking, it seemed like she was giving him a heads-up.

She gently pulled me by the arm, and I followed, while giving Sebastian a look that I hoped he understood. We went downstairs, and I couldn't help but notice the walls covered with family photos and decorations. Suddenly, I saw a picture of a young Sebastian with his mother. The woman with the short, somewhat long hair looked familiar, so I stared at the photo longer than I should have, and she noticed.

"Is this you?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"That's me when I was younger... I was pretty, wasn't I?" she said jokingly.

"Gorgeous," I said honestly, turning to her. "I think I recognize the photo from somewhere."

She smiled, but her jaw was tense; I could tell. There was something about her that unsettled me, but I simply decided to shake off the feeling. Since my mother died when I was little, I've had a lot of trouble relating to older women. We continued downstairs until we reached the living room, where she had me sit down.

"So, you had a... panic attack?" she asked cautiously.

"My dad passed away last week..."

"I heard, I'm sorry," she said quickly.

"It's okay... I've been suppressing my feelings until now, and I think it all came out."

She took my hands and looked me in the eyes as she spoke.

"Listen, I want you to know that my family supports you whenever you need it. The only thing I ask is that you please don't get romantically involved with my son..."

"Can I... ask why?"

"Yes, of course. The truth is, your father and I were very good friends, and for a while, we thought we might be related, but we never confirmed our connection... So I'd be afraid that you and Sebastian might... You know..."

"Oh! You mean we could be like distant cousins?"

"It's a possibility," she said, with a soft laugh.

Then, almost immediately, the attraction she felt for Sebastian's physique and the fact that he was so handsome took a back seat. If there was a possibility that he and I could be family, the idea of ​​asking him to marry me or even the idea of ​​us being anything more is completely unthinkable. She started talking to me and asking me a few questions in the most tender and sweet way possible, just as I feel that a warm mother could be.

Finally, Sebastian came downstairs wearing a long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had a serious but warm expression. It made me feel strange.

"Sofia, come on... I'll take you home," he said gently.

"Yes, that's fine," I said, looking at Sebastian's mother again. "I hope to see you soon, ma'am. It was lovely talking to you."

We left the room, and when I looked back, I could see a large mansion behind me.

"Oh... wow..." I said softly.

"What's up?" Sebastian said with a laugh. "Do you like it?"

"It really does look wonderful," I said almost without thinking.

"So... what did my mom say?" Sebastian asked.

"Oh... she said we could be cousins," I said jokingly.

Sebastian nearly choked and stopped dead in his tracks, staring intently out the window. I turned around too and saw his mom watching us leave with a curious look.

"So that's what she said?" Sebastian replied.

"Wouldn't that be outstanding? Having such a handsome cousin I could introduce to my friends?"

He was silent for a minute. "Let's just focus on getting you home safe and sound, okay?" he said, holding out his hand to help me into the car.

I took his hand and got into the car. Now I was wondering if it was possible that we were actually cousins. Do we have such good genes in our family? We got in the car, and although there wasn't much to talk about at first, it was super easy to keep the conversation going. We talked about the business, the possibilities, and what I could do now that Roy had refused to accept the deal.

"Don't you have another option?" Sebastian asked.

"I was going to ask you, but now that we could be cousins, I only have one option left, and I don't want to do that..." I said, looking out the window.

"What option?" Sebastian said, still staring at the main road.

"I... I have another ex," I said.

"But why do they have to be your exes?" he said, frowning.

"Because... I don't trust letting a stranger into my life just like that. My exes might be complete jerks, but at least I'm prepared now, and I know their flaws very well."

"And what was the problem with this other ex?" he asked.

"He... He's a damn egocentric narcissist, obsessed with money. He thinks the world revolves around him and that he's the victim of everything that happens to him."

"Meaning?" he asked again.

"Ugh, I broke up with him because he worked for his father and kept asking me for money for basic things, splitting the bills 50/50 and stuff like that."

Sebastian glanced at me sideways with an expression that told me a lot. Then he looked back at the road ahead where he was driving and let out a soft laugh.

"You weren't just laughing..." I blurted out.

He started laughing for real, and I couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"Damn, Carlos was my last option." I said, somewhat resigned.