Yet again

Sebastian’s POV

Seeing her first thing in the morning brought an odd joy to my chest.

I wanted to see her more often. Luckily, my wish was granted—she’d taken Nora’s place in catering to my room.

Nora’s a fine ass, no doubt. But she’s not as compelling as her.

Her curves were more prominent than Nora’s. And her voice—damn, it did me dirty.

I actually wanted to make a move on her, but I held back—not wanting to give the wrong impression.

The way she shut her eyes like she wanted it too...

Her waist in my grip, and there she was, just a breath away.

I wanted to—but I didn’t.

I didn’t want to scare her away.

She lingered a second too long when our skin brushed. Her chest rose and fell, like she was trying to keep herself in check. I noticed. Every damn second.

The faint scent of jasmine on her skin hit me harder than it should have.

She glanced up, lips slightly parted, as if... as if she was daring me.

But I turned away, cursing myself under my breath.

The board meeting starts in thirty minutes, and I wasn’t even dressed yet.

I threw on my trousers and a white shirt, strapped on my wristwatch, slid into my shoes, and flung my suit over my shoulder as I hit the stairs.

“Good morning, Mom. Dad,” I greeted.

“Good morning. Hope you slept well?” Mom asked.

“Yes, I did,” I replied and dove into breakfast.

Dad was already seated, his assistant Larry on his right.

“Morning, Sebastian. I didn’t get to see you last night,” he said.

“Seems you came in late. How was the meeting with Mr. Moreau?”

“It was great. We even spent some leisure time together to celebrate his return to the country,” I said.

I gave a faint smile and continued with my breakfast—avocado toast and tea.

“Good morning, sirs and ma’am.”

Mike, my assistant, walked in, all suited up for the day.

He wasn’t as punctual as Larry, but when it came to management, the guy knew his onions.

“Good morning, Mike. Please, join us for breakfast,” Mom offered.

“Thank you, ma’am,” he appreciated and sat beside me.

Lisa served him the same. He got to work with his fork.

I glanced at my watch. 8:45. I signaled Mike and we got moving.

Dad waited for me to finish—not that he was mindful of time. He hated lateness with a passion.

And just like that, we were off to the office.

Dad and Larry rode in his Range Rover Sport.

Mike and I took my Lamborghini truck.

The drive was quick.

Striding into the boardroom, I took my seat beside my father.

Mike and Larry stayed in their offices since the matter was confidential.

Only board members and executives were present.

The CFO—a man in his mid-fifties—rose to start the meeting.

“Today’s agenda centers on the company’s welfare: the Dubai project’s conclusion, New York reimbursement, and salary increases for workers,” he said, adjusting his tie.

“The Dubai project is a few steps from completion. Construction is in full swing—what’s left is manpower and a board signature. That’s our starting point.”

“Manpower is essential for efficient operation. What strategy can we adopt to attract a massive workforce?”

And that kicked off the discussion.

I listened to every suggestion, weighing each one critically in my mind.

“Before we launch the project fully, let’s put up posters for every position,” Mr. John suggested.

“Agreed. A human resource officer should be put in charge of hiring, alongside a dedicated team,” I added. My father nodded in approval.

None of this required a full board meeting, but for formality’s sake, the board had to be involved.

———

Helen’s POV

I watched Sebastian and Mr. Hartley leave for work as I sat quietly in the hallway, waiting for Sebastian to leave so I could clean his room.

As they pulled out of the compound, I moved quickly.

It was already 8:45 and I needed breakfast before Storm woke up—dealing with her demanded energy.

I spread Sebastian’s towel in the dryer closet, packed his dirty clothes from the trip, and arranged to send them to the dry cleaner.

I fixed his bed, mopped the floor, and made everything neat.

Done, I went downstairs with the laundry bag.

“Good morning, ma’am,” I greeted Mrs. Hartley.

She responded with a warm smile—such a sweet soul.

“When would you like to have your breakfast?” Lisa asked, noticing the laundry bag in my hand.

“Now. Let me just drop this in the laundry basket.”

“Alright, I’ll call James to have them taken for laundry,” she said.

I returned, took my breakfast, and sat on a stool in the kitchen.

“How did it go with Mr. Sebastian?” she asked, curiosity dancing in her voice.

My mind immediately flashed to what happened earlier.

It was impossible to forget. The heat in his eyes, the way he had stood so close. For a moment, I had almost let myself believe—believe that maybe something could happen.

“It was okay. No issue.”

“It couldn’t have been worse anyway. Sebastian doesn’t make impossible demands.”

Yeah... that was true.

I just happened to be a fool, thinking he held me to kiss me.

I gave a small nod and focused on my food. The avocado toast was out of this world—Lisa always delivered.

“Good morning, Mom.”

I heard that high-pitched voice from the living room.

Damn it. Storm’s awake.

Lisa shot me a teasing look, clearly amused at my expression.

“Hurry up. Your boss awaits,” she sneered, half-laughing.

I stood and stepped out of the kitchen.

“Serve my breakfast,” Storm barked the moment she saw me.

“Good morning, ma’am,” I greeted and turned back to the kitchen.

If she had any sense of humor, my greeting would’ve sounded sarcastic. Unfortunately, she didn’t catch it.

Lisa, already used to Storm’s antics, prepared her toast and tea without me asking.

I grabbed the tray and served her at the dining table.

Without waiting for another word, I went upstairs to clean her room.

Luckily, it wasn’t a total mess today.

I made the bed, adjusted her chaotic closet—she had no sense of organization. Her skincare products were all over the place, bathrobe tossed like trash.

Still, better this than broken glass.

But as I smoothed out the wrinkles in her duvet, my mind drifted back to Sebastian. His presence had lingered long after he'd left the room. The way he had looked at me... his gaze like it wanted to devour. It was stupid to even think it meant anything.

Yet, part of me couldn’t shake the feeling that I was a fool for denying what might have been. But it wasn’t my place. I wasn’t one of them.

So, I focused on cleaning, trying to drown out the quiet whispers of my own thoughts.