Chapter 3: A Scandalous Proposal

JASMINE POV 

Each time I heard that last name, flashes of who I used to be would come back to me. Jasmine, the orphan of the Ice Wolf pack. I remembered her. How miserable she was.

More importantly, it reminded me of Sebastian Carter. 

My chest constricted. I placed a hand over it. Breathing became difficult as it would every time I thought I was about to see him again.

"Mr. Carter!" Brady beamed. He stood on his feet to welcome the young man, who just walked in.

The knots in my stomach loosened. I sucked in air in bouts. 

It wasn't Sebastian. He still hadn't found me after all these years.

Brady shook hands with the man. "Welcome to Greenbrook. This is Dr. Varma, Dr. Banerji, Dr. Jenkins, and Dr. Ross. They are the cream of the crop within these walls."

Carter said, "Nice to meet you all. I hope we have a productive year together." 

We offered him a curt bow. 

I had fallen in ranks. A bitter taste spread through my mouth at the humiliation of bowing to my replacement. A year, I thought. Carter would act as the director for a year until Brady makes the ultimate decision.

It was because my demotion had been sudden. There was no time to prepare, but I still had hope. I could totally salvage my reputation in a year.

Get back in Brady's good books and take my seat again.

That was a good plan. It was my only plan to survive.

After the conference meeting, I walked into Liam Barneji's office, holding my lunch.

"Miracle doctor! I hope my office is glorious enough for your feet." Liam leaned back in his swivelling chair, laughing at me.

I glared at him, and he laughed louder.

My banana peel landed on his face. It glued to him like a starfish, sliding down to his lap.

"Oops. So slippery." I feigned sympathy.

He grimaced. "To think I used to love bananas, Ross." 

A minute passed. I couldn’t stand my thoughts any longer.

"How dare Brady do that to me?!" I threw my hands in the air as I paced about.

This was break time. I didn't have to worry about patients coming in. 

"Can you believe that he made a man who's barely a 1 star in medicine director of the biggest hospital in the country?!" 

Liam trashed the peel and washed his face in the sink beside his desk.

"Don't get too worked up. Brady does whatever he likes. He's the owner."

I snapped at him. "Oh, yeah? I nutured that position for two years, Banerji. Doubled his sales and customer base!"

"Well, news flash, babe. You lost all of that glory in an hour," he gripped the edge of his desk, peering at me, "Instead of sulking in my office, why don't you go find out who posted that video of you?"

"How am I supposed to do that?" 

Liam plopped down in his seat. "And here I thought you were a genius. Does surveillance ring a bell?"

I thought about checking the security footage twice before, but I didn't want to face the culprit. I was too ashamed.

That video was real. I had frozen like a first-day rookie.

"Help me out." My eyes begged him.

He huffed out a laugh. "In your dreams, Ross."

"Barneji." 

"Nuh-uh."

"Even if I take your night shifts for a week?"

His eyes narrowed at me. "Make that two weeks."

"A week and two days."

He didn't cave.

"Four days."

"Dr. Barneji to the rescue!" Liam grinned, "I'll hunt down the enemy and have them make a public apology. You'll see."

I shook my head, livid that I won't have any free time in the coming week. He grinned from ear to ear—on a mission to obviously annoy me.

"Well, my job awaits. Later, Banerji," I muttered and returned to my daily routine of treating patients.

4:25 pm.

The kids enjoyed grocery shopping, so I always drove home from the hospital to pick them up before driving back to the store together.

"Mommy, can we buy some chocolate for Penny?" Emily hooked her arm around the headrest of my seat, craning her neck to see my face.

"Em, I tell you this every week. Penny can't eat chocolate."

As if on cue, Penny growled in the backseat once I refused her a treat.

"But why, mommy?!" Emily whined, stomping her feet on the car carpet. "Fallon gave her dog chocolate, and he was fine!" 

"Yes, but what if it's poisonous to her?"

She sulked, "There's only one way to find out. If you could just—"

"Emily Ross, you will not give your dog chocolate, which could potentially cause her death. Comprende?"

She still sulked, fitting in between her brothers who were more interested in their video game than our conversation.

I parked the Bentley in the store's lot and turned to them, "Penny can't go with us, remember?"

"Whatever, mommy." Emily sulked again, shoving Ezra out of her way. 

A fight broke out between the three of them. I opened the backseat and pried Emily off the boys, warning her.

"Why did you do that to your brother, Em?!"

I had been distracted for a moment. Neither of us saw Penny jump down and run across two empty lots and onto the third. 

The third lot had a black BMW in it. Penny ran over to the owner, who crouched before his front tire.

"Penny!" The four of us screamed in horror as she bit the man’s leg. 

I was at his side in a flash. "Oh, God! I'm so sorry. I'm so so sor—"

The words withered on my tongue when I saw the face of the assaulted man.

"Jasmine?" His icy blue eyes were raw with shock. 

I couldn’t say a word. I saved Penny from his crushing grip first, awe-struck. Oh fuck, Sebastian looked even hotter than I remembered. Eight years had done him good. Too good.

My eyes touched every spot on his face. His chiselled jaw, cheekbones, and lips I never forgot. 

His Adam's-apple bobbed. I gaped at the sight, eyes falling to the view that his half-buttoned shirt left me.

Sebastian was just as tall as he had been, but his biceps and chest looked really ripped. That stubble on his chin and much longer, yummy hair weren't there before.

"Uhm. I'm sorry again..." I croaked, not knowing what else to tell him.

I whirled around and kept the dog in the backseat of the car. Penny knew how to behave herself. I didn't know what had just come over her.

The triplets and I walked into the store, and throughout, I felt his eyes on us. Uneasy heat pricked my back. The memories returned as overwhelming as a sea wave.

*Flashback*

"I'm your Luna, Seb! But you always make me feel like a close second whenever it comes to her!" Talia yelled at her mate right in front of me.

Sebastian couldn't meet my eyes on this terrace. It wasn't his fault. His wolf couldn't resist Talia. He was fated to keep her happy and not me.

"Talia, enough of this! I will not hear another word—"

"Give me what you owe."

"What?" he frowned in confusion. 

"You promised to fulfil my one wish on our mating day, or have you forgotten, Seb?" My eyes met his as Talia made her demands, painful longing passed between us.

I wrapped my arms around myself, rubbing a hand over my stomach for a split second.  

Sebastian had to know the truth. I would tell him today about what I'm expecting.

Talia screamed again, "Seb!" 

"What is it?! What is your wish?" his voice sounded low and defeated, "I will grant it."

Talia's face darkened with evil joy. Her glare fell on me.

"I want her gone!" She pointed at me, hate pouring out of her. "Exiled from the Ice Wolf pack without a penny to her name. Never to return." 

I whipped my head to her, shaking it as if that could help me reverse my fate. "No. Seb, don't listen to her! Don't throw me away."

But he didn't even spare me a glance as he walked away from me, from us...

*Flashback ends*

I tried to hide that I was okay from the triplets, but they knew me just as much as I knew them. Emily and Ezra kept stealing glances at me.

Finally, Ethan tugged at my wrist. "Mommy, are you okay?" 

I forced a smile on my face. "Of course, I am, sweetie."

I was fine, even though my lungs barely functioned and a panic attack almost surfaced. I had to be strong in front of my children.

The three of them played around in the grocery cart, their altercation long forgotten. I wished I had the power to forget that easily like a child.

At the counter, Ezra gasped. "We forgot the milk!" He searched further into the cart.

"Stay here," I told them, "I'll quickly fetch it."

I rushed back to the dairy section, tracing the products on the shelf for my usual.

"You know, you're still beautiful as I remember."

I froze.

When I looked, Sebastian was right next to me, clearly checking me out.

"Why haven't you left yet?" I asked rudely, bringing out the milk I wanted.

He had already finished buying and was on his way out when Penny did that to him.

"I couldn’t." 

My knees wobbled. "Seb, I don't want to talk about—"

"Become mine again, Jasmine." He bent on one knee, opening a diamond ring box.