เข้าสู่ระบบSebastian's POV The phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times. My eyes remained fixed on the rain-soaked road ahead while my thumb tapped impatiently against the steering wheel. Come on... Pick up. The call continued ringing until it disconnected. I stared at the dashboard for a brief second before exhaling sharply. "Seriously?" I clenched my jaw. "Is this girl for real?" "Can't she answer a phone call?" The Bluetooth screen returned to her contact information. Petal Viotto. I had barely known her name for two minutes, and she was already testing my patience. Outside, rain lashed against the windshield with increasing force. Students hurried past beneath colorful umbrellas while cars formed long queues outside the college gates. I glanced toward the entrance. Nothing. No sign of her. Maybe she hadn't heard the phone. Or maybe... "She's one of those spoiled kids who ignores unknown numbers." The thought crossed my mind. After all, Penelope h
Sebastian's POV The rhythmic thud of rain against the windshield filled the silence inside my Rolls-Royce. Only a few minutes ago, the roads had been dry beneath a bright summer sky. Now, dark clouds swallowed the afternoon, and rain poured from the heavens as if it had been waiting for the perfect moment to descend upon New York. The windshield wipers swept back and forth in a steady rhythm. Swish... swish... swish... Traffic had slowed considerably. Headlights reflected off the rain-soaked asphalt, stretching into long golden streaks. Pedestrians hurried beneath umbrellas while others ran for shelter, laughing, complaining, or simply accepting defeat against the weather. I had never liked rain. Not because it was unpleasant. Because it disrupted everything. Schedules. Traffic. Plans. Today's plan included finally seeing Penelope after ten long years. A faint smile tugged at my lips. Ten years... How much could change in ten years? Apparently, everything. I reached f
Sebastian's POVAfter ten years...I was finally back in New York.The city hadn't changed as much as I expected.The towering skyline still pierced the clouds. The endless traffic still flowed through the streets like veins carrying life. The familiar noise of sirens, impatient horns, and hurried footsteps blended into a rhythm I hadn't realized I'd missed until now.Home.No matter how luxurious the places I had lived abroad were...Nothing compared to the feeling of returning to your hometown.Or sleeping in your own bed.The moment my head had touched the pillow in my penthouse two nights ago, every ounce of exhaustion from the long flight had caught up with me. Jet lag had been merciless, but somehow it felt worth it.I had spent the last two days doing exactly what I wanted.Nothing.No unnecessary meetings.No social gatherings.No celebrations.Just work.The company never stopped moving simply because its CEO changed countries.Reports continued arriving.Meetings continued o
Petal's POV He drove in an eerie silence. Not the peaceful kind. Not the comfortable kind. It was the kind of silence that settled heavily inside the car, pressing against every corner until even breathing felt louder than it should. The rhythmic sound of the windshield wipers swept back and forth across the glass. Swish... Swish... Swish... Rain continued to fall relentlessly outside, blurring the city into streaks of grey and silver. Neither of us spoke. I didn't dare look at him again. Instead, I turned my face toward the window. Tiny droplets raced one another across the glass, merging into larger streams before disappearing at the bottom. Streetlights reflected on the wet roads, their colors stretching into shimmering ribbons beneath the rain. Under different circumstances... I would have loved this weather. Rain had always been my favorite. There was something calming about watching it from a warm place. Something peaceful. But today, the rain outside wasn't
Petal's POV My hand continued moving across the canvas without stopping.The gentle rain I had been painting moments ago slowly disappeared beneath restless brushstrokes. The delicate shades of blue and grey blended together into a chaotic mess.I didn't even notice when the umbrella I had carefully painted became darker.Messier.Almost violent.Before I realized it, my brush had formed a pair of piercing eyes.Dark.Cold.Furious.I stopped.A faint smile escaped my lips."Looks like I painted him again..."My fingertips brushed lightly over the dried edge of the canvas before another memory swallowed me whole....I still remembered how he had led me toward the passenger side of the car.He didn't ask.He simply walked ahead with the umbrella shielding me from the relentless rain.And strangely...Without arguing...Without questioning...I followed him.Even now, years later, I couldn't explain why.Normally, I questioned everything.Especially strangers.But around him, my thoug
Petal's POV The red strokes on the umbrella I was painting never changed.No matter how many years passed in the memory.No matter how many times I replayed that rainy afternoon.The color remained the same.Just like Sebastian's temper.Just like the anger that always seemed to live somewhere beneath his skin.As the umbrella unfolded above my head that day, shielding me from the relentless rain, I finally got a proper look at him.And the first thing I noticed wasn't how handsome he was.Or how tall he was.Or even how expensive his clothes looked.No.The first thing I noticed was that he looked furious.His jaw was clenched so tightly that I could see the muscles ticking beneath his skin.His dark eyes weren't even looking at my face.They were fixed on my shoulder.His expression somehow darkened further.I blinked.Confused."What in the world is wrong with him?"The thought immediately appeared in my head."I just met him for the first time.""And all I'm getting is anger."My
author's pov“Did he threaten you? Is Sebastian blackmailing you to say all these?” Max’s voice sliced through the silence like a knife. His eyes were pinned on his daughter, Petal, searching for any flicker of fear, any hesitation, any sign that she wasn’t speaking her truth.Petal froze. The weig
author's povThe living room was filled with a heavy silence, the kind that settles when truth threatens comfort. The clock on the wall ticked steadily, an unwelcome reminder of the moments slipping away, each one more tense than the last.Max sat on the sofa beside Penelope, his posture upright bu
Author's POV“PETAL, DOWNSTAIRS NOW!”The words struck her like a jolt. Her breath caught in her throat. Her body remained frozen for a moment. But then, as though on autopilot, she stood up, her knees trembling beneath her weight. She slowly walked toward the door, each step heavier than the last.
author's povBefore she could stop herself, her lips moved."I don’t love you," she said flatly, almost as if she was speaking to herself. The words slipped out, raw and honest, slicing the tense air between them.For a brief moment, there was silence. Sebastian's dark eyes narrowed, not in rage, b







