Chapter 10

Sebastian’s POV

I barely slept that night.

The argument with Seline  replayed in my head. 

The vasectomy, Mr. Caldwell's threat and my plan B.

I got  dressed and ready for work hoping the office activities would clear my  thoughts.

Halfway down the staircase I found Seline sitting on the couch, wrapped in a robe, hair messy like she hadn’t slept either.

“Sebastian,” she said softly, voice small. “Can we talk?”

“I'm running late for work, can it wait till I get back?” 

“It can't wait. Not anymore. So you really thought I wouldn’t notice? That I’d stay in the dark while you plotted and schemed?”

“What are you talking about?” I stepped closer, wondering what the issue might be.

She laughed softly, but there was nothing warm in it.

“You agreed to the vasectomy, didn't you? Smart man. But you must have thought I was dumb. You froze your sperm, didn’t you?”

“How…. What are you talking about?” I managed to ask. 

“I saw the messages about a year  ago,” she interrupted, “And just in case you were hoping I’d let it slide… I destroyed it. Every last sample. No heir. No chance. And the company? Well…” Her voice dropped to a low, “It will slip from your grasp, too.”

I staggered back, trying to process her words. 

My carefully constructed plan, the only  hope that I might have an heir, now shattered. 

“You… what? How…?”

She moved back and started laughing sarcastically.  

“You thought you were clever. Thought you had a secret. But secrets have a way of revealing themselves, don’t they? I’ve always been two steps ahead.”

I clenched my fist by my side. I felt  rage, disbelief, and a bitter, aching pain in my chest. 

I wanted to scream, to shake her, to demand why, but the words were  stuck in my throat. I was too shocked to say a word.

The cold, hard truth settled in my mind. 

I nearly collapsed. Every hope I  had harbored, every hope for a child, ripped away by the one person I had thought I could trust.

“This… this isn’t possible,” I managed to say, “You can’t do this. You don’t have the right”

“Oh, I have every right. You thought our marriage was a partnership? You thought I’d play along while you built your little family? Think again.”

“You and your father made it a partnership, are you attracted to me? Do you even love me? I did the Vasectomy your family requested for peace but the sperm freezing was my plan. You had no business with it.”

“How could you act with such calculated cruelty, you are so evil, you are way too evil for my liking.  I continued.

The war was no longer just for legacy, it was personal and dangerous. 

××××××××÷÷

I stormed into the office looking like a mess. My  jacket slung over one arm, with my  tie slightly loosened. The staff saw me and were surprised. 

“Morning, sir,” My assistant greeted me, standing by my desk “Everything okay?”

I didn’t answer immediately. “Fine,” I said slowly, “Carry on with your activity.”

She  walked away, sensing I  wasn’t in the mood to be disturbed. My  office had always been my command center, a place of control but now, there's no control.

First it was Zara's absence. Now it's Seline who's bent on destroying my life.

I couldn’t work. My mind was completely consumed by Seline’s betrayal. Everything in the office suddenly became a background noise. 

I stood up and walked around my office. I couldn’t concentrate. 

The reality of losing control over everything made me restless. 

“How… how did she even know?”

Philip, my senior analyst, entered. “Sir, the board  meeting is fixed for tomorrow.  Everything is set.”

“I don’t care about the meeting for now, reschedule” I snapped.

My voice echoed in the room. “Nothing matters right now!”

Philip was quiet, he  nodded quickly. “I… I understand, sir.” He said and left my office.

I ran my hand through my hair like I was going mad. I screamed and started saying to myself. 

“She destroyed it… all of it. Everything I kept for myself. And she’s laughing about it.”

Mike ran into my office when he heard me scream. 

“Sir, what troubles you?” He asked. “Please take a moment and relax, do sit.”

“No!” I  shouted. “There’s no sitting. No waiting. She has  destroyed something that wasn’t hers to touch. And now I have to face it.”

I grabbed my coat and stormed out of the office because nothing in the office is going to make sense until I get answers.

The moment I entered my car, my phone rang.

“Alex Caldwell” Seline’s brother 

 “Yes?” I said.

“Sebastian,” Alex’s tone was sharp, “let's meet and talk.Now.”

“Can it wait, I'm in the middle of something important. I'd call you when I'm free.”

“No” Alex said. Leave whatever you are doing and come to the Manfila Club.

The line went dead.

I wasn't comfortable with the arrangement, but i had to know whatever Alex wants to say. I asked my driver to take me to the Club.

By the time we reached the dimly lit club, Alex was pacing.

“You brought me here for what exactly I asked.

“Straight to business. You think you’re in control of everything, don’t you? Your empire, your life… your family.”

“Watch your tone. How dare you talk to me in that manner “

“Relax. I’m not here to fight. I just… wanted to make sure you know how precarious your little world really is.”

“Precarious?” I  echoed. “Explain.”

Alex leaned closer, voice dropping. “You’ve got plans, don’t you? You wanted a child, a legacy. But life… has a way of intervening. Don’t think everyone’s blind to what you’ve been doing.”

“My personal life is not your business. Stay out of my way.”

“Not a threat,” Alex replied. “A reality check. 

Think carefully about the people you trust and the secrets you keep. They have a way of coming back.”

The Caldwell family seems to have a way of frustrating me.

“Do you enjoy playing this game?” I said, moving backward.

“Someone has to,” Alex said. “And Sebastian… someone always wins in the end.”

Without saying anything further,  I turned around and walked away.