Ava's steps faltered.
A wave of irritation rose within her. Since when had he become so nosy?
After a moment's hesitation, she turned with furrowed brows, about to say something when the partially closed door was blown open by a gust of wind. The people inside glanced over and immediately spotted her and Sebastian standing in the hallway.
The elders inside had already seen her—there was no way she could avoid going in now.
Ava cursed under her breath.
Seeing this, Sebastian discreetly averted his gaze, saying nothing more as he turned and entered the private room.
Ava followed right behind him.
Fortunately, she had taken the time to apply full makeup today, and her lipstick color was bold enough to give her presence. The only imperfection was that she hadn't had time to style her hair properly.
Had she known Sebastian would be at this dinner, she would have chosen an even deeper shade of lipstick and worn that sexy little black dress of hers...
...
Lost in her scattered thoughts, Ava completely failed to notice the waiter who had just turned around with a serving tray. By the time she snapped back to reality, it was too late to avoid a collision.
In that instant, a flood of emotions—frustration, resentment, embarrassment—surged through her.
Just when she thought she was destined to make a fool of herself in front of Sebastian, the man walking beside her suddenly moved. A cool sensation spread across her wrist.
His well-defined fingers gently gripped her slender wrist, and Ava could distinctly feel the warmth from his palm transferring to her skin.
His touch was pleasantly cool against her skin.
Ava's breath caught, her mind going blank for a moment. When she came to her senses again, she found herself pulled into Sebastian's arms.
The distinctive crisp, wintry scent that was uniquely his unexpectedly filled her nostrils, rushing straight to her brain.
She could hear her own heart pounding violently.
The waiter, who had just been warned by his supervisor that the VIP guests in this room couldn't be offended, now faced this major mistake. Seeing what happened, he bowed repeatedly in apology: "I'm so sorry, ma'am. Are you alright? I truly apologize."
Hearing this, Ava finally snapped back to reality and immediately sprang out of Sebastian's arms.
She moved so quickly it was as if she were fleeing from the plague.
The lingering warmth in his palm had not yet faded when the man inwardly laughed coldly, taking in every detail of how desperately she tried to escape him.
Ava quickly composed herself and waved dismissively: "It's fine, don't worry about it."
The waiter hadn't expected that Ava would not only be breathtakingly beautiful at first sight, but also so approachable. Feeling grateful, he bowed in thanks while sneaking another glance at the woman before him.
This hotel was one of New York's most exclusive high-end establishments, frequented by the wealthy and powerful, including socialites and minor celebrities.
But this woman was, by far, the most stunning person he had seen in his years working at the hotel, among all the diverse and distinguished clientele he'd encountered.
Meanwhile, the elders at the table had all come to their senses. Penelope looked at the two of them with a teasing smile and said in a playful tone, "It's been a long time since we've seen Avie and Bastian together. Now that I see them, I realize what a matching pair they make."
Henry Anderson chimed in: "Indeed, they're the perfect example of a talented man and a beautiful woman."
"..."
To prevent things from becoming even more awkward, Ava quickly smiled and changed the subject. Looking at Henry Anderson, she said with respectful charm, "Hello, Uncle Anderson. It's been years, and you look even younger and more handsome than before."
"Our Avie always knows what to say! Uncle Anderson is getting old—what handsomeness are you talking about?"
Despite his words, Henry Anderson was grinning from ear to ear, his fondness for Ava growing even stronger.
He then quickly added with a beaming face, "Don't just stand there, Avie, come sit down! Your father mentioned you just finished a show this afternoon. You must be hungry. I've ordered many of your favorites, so please eat up!"
"Thank you, Uncle Anderson," Ava replied with a smile.
By the time she finished speaking, Sebastian had already taken his seat, and the only empty chair at the entire table was right next to him—as if it had been planned in advance.
Seeing this, Ava hesitated for a moment.
But then she thought, it's just a seat. They were already at the same table anyway, so the distance hardly mattered.
If she were to change seats now, it would seem as though she still harbored feelings for him.
With this in mind, Ava gracefully sat down in the empty chair.
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Sebastian. He maintained his usual detached demeanor, calmly lifting his teacup for a sip, as if it made no difference to him whether the person next to him was human or thin air.
Once everyone was seated, they ate and chatted.
When the conversation turned to work matters, Ava's father couldn't help but praise Sebastian: "Bastian is now a rising star in New York's business world with limitless potential. I saw in the news today that BrightCore Inc's third-generation smart home robots are about to hit the market!"
Ava instinctively looked up in Sebastian's direction. BrightCore Inc Technology had rapidly risen in the tech sector over the past two years, becoming the undisputed leader in the domestic market. Even abroad, she had heard of them.
Henry Anderson smiled and said, "Don't even mention it. When I asked him to join the company, he refused. He insisted on starting his own business. He's so busy that he's running himself ragged, and I barely see him a few times a year. Not like our sweet and thoughtful Avie."
Hearing this, Penelope cast Ava a sidelong glance of disapproval and replied, "If only she were that thoughtful. A few years ago, she ran off abroad without a word and stayed away for years."
"That's not fair," someone interjected.
Henry Anderson: "Avie graduated from a top-tier art school abroad—one that many dream of attending but few ever get into. I heard she just wrapped up a major show this afternoon. To be running things independently at such a young age... her future is limitless."
Ava smiled sweetly: "Thank you, Uncle Anderson. I'm grateful you're setting the record straight. Otherwise, my mom would think I'm just wasting time by not coming home!"
Hearing this, Henry Anderson chuckled.
Then he asked with a smile: "Avie must be twenty-three now, right? Do you have a boyfriend?"
Penelope sighed softly: "That's what worries me. She's had plenty of admirers growing up, but I've yet to see her bring a boyfriend home."
"What about Bastian? Does he have a girlfriend?"
Henry Anderson waved his hand dismissively: "I wish he did. Bastian inherited my difficult temperament—most girls probably couldn't handle him. Not like our Avie, who's both brilliant and beautiful. I wonder who'll be lucky enough to have our Avie as a wife."
Ava: "..."
The back-and-forth between the two was painfully obvious—they might as well have arranged her and Sebastian's marriage on the spot.
She finally understood. This wasn't a welcome-home dinner at all; it was a blind date disguised as one.
With this realization, Ava picked up her teacup from the table and took an absentminded sip, trying to mask her discomfort.
She also stole a quick glance at Sebastian.
He maintained that detached demeanor, sitting there calmly as if the elders' conversation had nothing to do with him—as if he weren't the other person being discussed.
Ava felt this dinner was going to be even more unbearable than she'd imagined.
Penelope had already discussed the matchmaking with Jacob beforehand. Jacob had no objections—Sebastian was his longtime friend with impeccable abilities and character. If he became his brother-in-law, all the better. But ultimately, it was Ava's decision, and on this matter, he unconditionally supported his sister.
Jacob had intended to observe Ava's reaction to all this, but when he turned to look, he saw his sister taking a sip from an empty teacup.
"?"
Jacob leaned over and whispered: "Why are you drinking from an empty cup?"
"..."
In her twenty-three years of life, Ava had never felt so mortified.
She remained silent, quickly glancing at Sebastian to make sure he hadn't noticed before breathing a sigh of relief.
Seeing Ava's silence, Penelope teased: "When she was little, she couldn't go three sentences without mentioning 'Sebby.' I was worried she'd distract Bastian with puppy love and interfere with his studies. Who would have thought they'd grow so distant as adults?"
Ava: "..."
She would have loved to have had a teenage romance with Sebastian—if only he'd been willing.
Back then, she'd faced more rejection pursuing Sebastian than she'd had hot meals. She knew he'd be hard to win over, but not that hard.
She'd tried every method of courtship she could find online or in books, but nothing worked.
Ava, the princess who had always been the center of attention and gotten everything she wanted, couldn't handle the rejection. Finally, she resorted to her ultimate move: when Sebastian was weakened by a fever, she pinned him to the bed and kissed him forcefully, then brazenly demanded he take responsibility. Through a combination of sweet talk and persistence, she finally won him over.
She still remembered exactly how Sebastian looked in that moment.
Burning with fever, his usually cold and otherworldly face now bore a sickly pallor. His normally clear eyes seemed clouded. The last thing he'd expected was her sudden kiss, and his eyes registered obvious shock.
As if unable to process what had happened, he stood frozen in place.
With her plan succeeding perfectly, Ava smiled with mischievous triumph. "You kissed me, so now you have to take responsibility. Otherwise, I'll tell my brother you took advantage of me."
"From now on, I'm your girlfriend. You have to treat me even better than before, understand?"
The man's Adam's apple bobbed in resignation, his voice hoarse and barely recognizable: "Understood."
...
Back then, she had poured her entire heart into Sebastian. Now, thinking about it calmly, she realized it had all been one-sided infatuation.
With this thought weighing on her mind, Ava's eyelashes fluttered downward as she cut in: "Mom, that was just me being childish when I was young. Let's not bring it up again."
Hearing this, the man who had shown no reaction until now raised his eyes slightly, his emotions unreadable.
Penelope, oblivious to the emotional maze in Ava's heart, found this strange: "Bastian took such good care of you when you were little. Why shouldn't we mention it?"
Before Ava could respond, the man beside her spoke coolly: "Avie is Jacob's sister. Taking care of her was only natural."
With these words, the expressions of the elders around the table varied. Sebastian couldn't have been clearer—he saw Ava as nothing more than a sister.
Hearing this, Ava, as if he had struck some raw nerve, added: "Sebby is right."
A flicker of disappointment crossed the eyes of both families' elders. After all, given how well the two families knew each other, strengthening their bond through marriage would have been ideal. Unfortunately, since there was no spark between the two, they had no choice but to let it go.
Seeing this, Ava felt her own tension dissolve into relief.
But as that sudden surge of emotion subsided, an inexplicable feeling welled up inside her. Somehow, the sweet and sour ribs in her mouth seemed to have lost their flavor.
Perhaps because she was distracted, Ava accidentally bit the inside of her cheek. The metallic taste of blood immediately flooded her entire mouth, making her wince in pain.
She couldn't help but recall five years ago, when he had similarly brushed everything aside with a casual remark, shattering all her beautiful, illusory dreams.