Chapter 71: Youthful Immaturity

Sebastian After everything that happened the previous night, I spent a long time thinking about my actions.The more I reflected on everything, the more I realized that I had made a mistake without even noticing it.Ever since Claire arrived, I had been giving her far more attention than necessary.At first, I convinced myself that I was only looking after someone who had survived a traumatic experience.Now, I was no longer so certain.Whether I intended it or not, my actions had begun affecting the relationship I had built with Bella.The trust between us had already started cracking.If I continued behaving the same way, the fragile understanding Bella and I had worked so hard to establish would fall apart.That was the last thing I wanted.I silently promised myself that I would start handling the situation much better from now onward.The following morning, all three of us gathered around the dining table for breakfast.The atmosphere remained noticeably tense.Bella concentrate

Chapter 72: Milestone

Bella I could barely contain my excitement as I showed Sebastian the email on my screen. He read through the email from beginning to end.A small smile slowly appeared across his face.Then he looked back at me.“Congratulations, Bella. Opportunities like this do not come around often, and receiving an invitation from someone you have admired for years speaks volumes about everything you have achieved.”I nodded excitedly.“The CEO wants to meet with me personally. They are interested in collaborating with my company on a major project, I honestly never imagined something like this would happen so soon.”Sebastian handed the phone back to me. There was unmistakable pride in his eyes.“Your hard work is finally beginning to pay off, Bella. You have earned every bit of this through your own determination, talent, and persistence.”His words warmed me much more than I expected. As excited as I was about the meeting itself.Somehow, hearing Sebastian praise me felt equally rewarding.I

Chapter 73: Unconvinced

Bella After Sebastian finished treating the small wound on my finger and made sure that the bleeding had stopped, he finally released my hand with visible reluctance.He glanced toward Claire before speaking in a calm voice.“I will see you later when we get back to the house, you should head home first.”Although Claire tried to keep a pleasant expression on her face, I could clearly see the disappointment flashing through her eyes.For a brief moment, she looked like she wanted to argue.However, after realizing that Sebastian had already made up his mind, she forced a small smile and nodded.“Alright, Sebastian.”Sebastian merely gave a polite nod before leading me toward the waiting car.Once we were both seated inside, the driver pulled away from the venue and merged into the busy traffic.I leaned back against my seat, intending to finally relax after everything that had happened.Just then, my phone vibrated.I lowered my gaze and saw that the message had come from my personal

Chapter 74: Defeated Smile

Sebastian By the time Bella and I finally arrived home that evening, exhaustion had begun settling into every part of my body.The day had been far longer than I expected.As soon as I stepped into the living room, I instinctively looked around the house.Claire was nowhere to be found. My brows furrowed even deeper. That did not sound like Claire. Especially after I specifically told her that I would see her once I returned home.A strange feeling of uneasiness slowly settled inside me.Without wasting another moment, I reached for my phone and dialed her number. The call rang several times before ending without an answer.I tried again.Once again…Nothing.I switched to sending text messages instead.Still there was no response.With every passing minute, my concern continued growing.I knew Claire well enough to recognize this pattern.Whenever she became emotional, she had a habit of disappearing and refusing to communicate with anyone.Eventually, my phone vibrated.A message

Chapter 75: Just Me And You

Bella It was already late in the evening when I finally heard the front door open downstairs.For some reason, I found myself instinctively glancing toward the entrance. The moment Sebastian walked inside, I noticed he was not alone.Claire was walking beside him.No…Walking was probably the wrong word.She looked emotionally drained.Her shoulders lacked their usual confidence, and although she was trying to keep her composure, there was something painfully defeated about her expression.I stood from the kitchen island almost immediately.Concern naturally replaced every other thought in my mind.I walked over to Sebastian.“What happened to her?”Sebastian glanced briefly toward Claire before looking back at me.His expression remained calm, although I noticed a trace of exhaustion lingering behind his eyes.“She became frustrated while looking for apartments today, things simply did not go the way she expected them to go, so she is just emotionally drained right now.”I slowly no

Chapter 76: Wave of Dizziness

Sebastian Long after Bella and I left the terrace, my mind refused to calm down.The conversation I had with Claire earlier that evening replayed over and over inside my head.Every single word she had spoken.Every single answer I had given.Especially the moment I bluntly told her that I did not love her.That conversation had forced me to confront something I had spent weeks trying to ignore.If I truly did not love Claire…Then why had it become so easy to reject the possibility of ever being with her?Why had I felt absolutely nothing while saying those painful words?More importantly, if my heart no longer belonged to the person I once believed I cared about. Then who exactly had taken that place?The answer appeared almost instantly.Bella.There was only one woman who occupied my thoughts every single day.Only one woman whose smile somehow managed to improve my mood without even trying. Only one woman whose opinions had begun influencing my decisions without me realizing it