So he had heard it all.
Ava cursed under her breath.
She knew she was in the wrong for gossiping about her ex behind his back. Not wanting to engage further, and remembering she hadn't hung up her call—the last thing she wanted was Amelia listening to this live drama—she simply turned her head away and started walking toward the exit, phone still in hand.
To her surprise, Sebastian blocked her path at the doorway.
Ava looked up at him with obvious displeasure: "Is there something else, Mr. Anderson?"
Her tone was characteristically sharp when annoyed, deliberately emphasizing "Mr. Anderson" with extra bite.
Hearing this, the man lowered his gaze and studied her meaningfully for a few seconds before letting out a soft scoff. He spoke with deliberate slowness: "Yesterday I was 'Sebby,' and today I'm 'Mr. Anderson.'"
His lips curled into what seemed like a mocking smile: "You're quite quick to change your tune, Ava."
"Pot, meet kettle," Ava retorted coldly. "Weren't you just pretending we'd never met before? You're no better than I am, so don't act high and mighty."
With that, Ava dismissively pushed him aside: "Move. You're in my way."
Her gesture seemed to strike a nerve in Sebastian. He frowned slightly, instinctively grabbing her arm with force, as if trying to hold onto something precious he'd lost and found again.
Ava hadn't anticipated his reaction and was completely unprepared. The pain in her arm dissolved what little self-control she had left, and she lashed out: "What the hell is wrong with you, Sebastian? Don't you know a good ex should be like they're dead to you?"
"You probably wouldn't want your new girlfriend knowing you have an ex like me, would you?"
At these words, the man immediately caught onto a particular phrase, narrowing his eyes as he lowered his gaze: "What's this? Are you jealous?"
"?"
Ava looked at him in disbelief, as if she'd just heard the most absurd thing in the world.
But Sebastian didn't appear to be joking at all. He kept his head down, staring at her intently, patiently waiting for her answer.
After a moment of standoff, Ava looked at him and let out a cold laugh: "I'm just worried she might feel inadequate."
With that, she walked away in her high heels without looking back.
Left behind, Sebastian watched her retreating figure, his eyes dark with unreadable emotions.
-
After leaving, Ava had no desire to return to the summit.
Amelia's call had disconnected at some point—perhaps due to a sudden loss of signal, or maybe Amelia had respectfully hung up after hearing Sebastian's voice.
But Ava had no mental energy to dwell on that now. Her mind was in chaos.
She never expected that she and Sebastian would eventually reach this point of bitter confrontation.
Five years ago, she had left the country without a word precisely to avoid scenes like today's. Thinking back, even their worst argument when they were together hadn't been nearly as intense as today's exchange.
They knew each other's vulnerabilities all too well, and now they were using that knowledge to stab each other right in the heart.
From fifteen to nineteen, Sebastian had occupied her entire youth. Though the outcome had been somewhat disappointing, she still didn't want to witness her former love speaking harshly to her now.
It felt like a cruel slap to her younger self who had once been drowning in naive affection—a bitter pill to swallow, yet there was nothing she could do about it.
But they had once been so close...
She remembered the last time the word "jealousy" came up between them was shortly after she started her freshman year.
Ava and Sebastian were three years apart. When Ava was a freshman, Sebastian was already a senior preparing for graduate school.
After spending an entire summer coaxing and persuading him to be with her, Ava wasn't about to let go once school started. Whenever she had free time, she would find Sebastian for a date.
Before long, everyone at A University knew that a freshman girl, more beautiful than any movie star, had managed to win over Sebastian, the notorious ice prince.
The previous rumor that she was his sister was false—she was actually his girlfriend.
Even though Sebastian had a girlfriend, he still had plenty of admirers. Ava wasn't exactly the magnanimous type, and her jealous outbursts were commonplace.
She couldn't be with Sebastian every minute of every day, nor could she stop others from liking him. So whenever she heard that someone had written him a love letter or confessed to him, she could only let her jealousy overflow and vent all her frustration on Sebastian.
Back then, she was young and spoiled beyond reason. She never truly considered who was right or wrong; she just felt that Sebastian was at fault for attracting attention and making her unhappy.
During these times, Sebastian would always soothe her with gentle words, apologizing and trying to cheer her up regardless of who was actually at fault.
But that one time—whether it was because too much resentment had built up or she was just in a bad mood—Ava couldn't remember exactly what she'd been thinking. She only remembered being very angry, and Sebastian couldn't console her no matter what he tried.
That day, in Sebastian's small apartment near campus, Ava threw a major tantrum.
Sebastian, at his wit's end, finally asked what he could do to make her happy.
Ava stared at him for a few seconds, then grabbed his shirt and moved in for a surprise attack.
Sebastian instinctively turned his head away.
Seeing this, Ava grew even angrier: "Why are you dodging? It's not like we haven't kissed before!"
The more Sebastian avoided her kiss, the more determined she became.
Thinking about it carefully, apart from that one time during summer when she'd taken advantage of a vulnerable moment, they hadn't really kissed properly in all the time they'd been together.
After struggling for a while, Ava had completely forgotten about being jealous; she only remembered that he wouldn't let her kiss him.
That day, Ava spent the entire afternoon chasing him around the sofa for kisses, not even realizing when the tables had turned.
She only remembered that when she finally came to her senses, Sebastian had her pinned against the sofa.
He held her there, their breaths mingling, his scent overwhelming her senses.
His voice was deep and low as his lips gently pressed against her ear, his manner utterly sincere as if making a vow: "I promise I'll never make you jealous or unhappy again..."
...
By the time Ava snapped back to reality, night had fallen completely.
She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there. Her feet, still in high heels, had gone completely numb. She struggled for a while before finally managing to stand up, supporting herself against the wall.
After a few minutes to recover, Ava quickly walked back to the venue.
She had been gone for a while now, and Mia must be getting worried about her whereabouts.
When she returned, the summit was just beginning. She followed Mia to their seats in the middle of the second row.
Instinctively, Ava scanned the nearby seats, only relaxing when she confirmed there was no one she didn't want to see.
After what happened in the hallway, she had no desire for a repeat encounter. The last thing she wanted was to face Sebastian again so soon after their confrontation—she wouldn't know how to act around him.
Fortunately, Sebastian never appeared.
Ava remained distracted throughout the event, barely hearing a word of the presentations.
Only when it ended did she notice that the seat diagonally in front of her to the left had remained empty the entire time.
-
Sebastian hadn't expected to run into Ava at the industry summit today either. Their sudden confrontation had caught him off guard, causing him to lose control of his emotions.
He pressed his fingers against his temples in frustration.
This wasn't what he had wanted.
After Ava left, Sebastian had no interest in attending the summit anymore, so he called Daniel to pick him up.
Before Sebastian even reached the car, Daniel immediately sensed the aura of negativity surrounding him—his boss was clearly in a terrible mood.
Sebastian was always the picture of calm self-control, never allowing his emotions to surface. Even during the most challenging negotiations, he could calmly grip his opponent's throat while casually enjoying their expressions.
In other words, nothing ever seemed to affect him. This was the first time Daniel had ever seen him so visibly displeased.
"Mr. Anderson."
Daniel carefully rose to greet him, reaching out to take the suit jacket from Sebastian's hand.
The sight left Daniel confused.
The autumn night was freezing—Daniel felt cold even in his overcoat, so why would Mr. Anderson go without his jacket?
As he pondered this, Sebastian coldly instructed: "Get rid of it."
As though the jacket had personally offended him somehow.
"Yes, Mr. Anderson."
Daniel automatically responded, glancing down at the suit jacket in his hands.
If memory served him right, this jacket had just arrived last week—a custom Italian handmade piece that cost half a year's salary.
Seeing Sebastian approaching the car door, Daniel had no time for further contemplation. He hurried over to open it for his boss.
Not knowing what to do with the jacket yet, he brought it into the car and placed it on the passenger seat.
Once inside, Daniel glanced at the rearview mirror and cautiously asked, "Where to, Mr. Anderson?"
"Back to the office."
Daniel nodded: "Very well, Mr. Anderson."
Soon, the car was smoothly cruising along the main road.
In the back seat, Sebastian sat with his legs crossed, leaning back with a deep frown, vigorously massaging his temples.
Ava had infuriated him, and now his temples were pulsing with pain.
Seeing this, Daniel tentatively spoke up: "Is your headache acting up again, Mr. Anderson? Would you like me to contact a doctor?"
"No need," Sebastian shook his head.
Since Sebastian declined, Daniel fell silent and focused on driving.
Not long after, he heard his boss speak in a detached tone: "Tomorrow, inform HR to transfer Aurora to another department. She won't be accompanying me to events anymore."
"Yes, Mr. Anderson."
Daniel's instincts told him that something major had happened today, and Aurora was somehow involved.
Perhaps Aurora had developed inappropriate feelings that Mr. Anderson had noticed?
But on second thought, that seemed unlikely.
Everyone in the company knew that Aurora was completely detached from emotions and relationships, interested in nothing but work and money throughout her life, which was precisely why Mr. Anderson had chosen her as his decoy in the first place.
But if there was nothing between them, why would Mr. Anderson suddenly reassign her position for no apparent reason?
Before Daniel could figure out the connection, he heard the person in the back seat instruct again: "Also, those false rumors circulating outside—clear them up as quickly as possible, by whatever means necessary."
In the past, those rumors had saved him a lot of trouble. No matter how outrageous they became, as long as they didn't cross any lines, he couldn't be bothered to address them. But now things were different...
Though confused, Daniel still responded, "Yes, Mr. Anderson."
"By the way, how far along is last month's acquisition of Eternity Studio?"
Daniel took a few seconds to recall what "Eternity" referred to. Since it was just a small studio without much scale, lower-level staff had been handling it, so Sebastian's sudden question caught him off guard, leaving him unsure how to respond.
After hesitating for a moment, Daniel replied, "It's still in progress. I'll submit a detailed report tomorrow. It should take at most another month."
The man's face was hidden in the darkness of night, his expression unreadable, his voice deepening:
"Make it quick."
It was almost time to spring the trap.