Chapter 10
A wary Matthew sized Sebastian up. “This is…”
Sebastian swept his gaze across the two, then settled it on Jasmine. “Are they your friends?”
A cold smile crept onto her lips. “More like acquaintances.”
Timothy’s expression dropped at her words. “What are you saying, Jas? We’re the best of friends! Aren’t you here to see your mom?
“Why is a man picking you up? Who is he?”
Sebastian took a step forward and stopped beside Jasmine, his stance resembling that of a protector.” My name is Sebastian Campbell… I’m Jasmine’s fiancé.”
The big reveal after the dramatic pause drained all the color from Timothy and Matthew’s faces. “F-
Fiance?”
Matthew was in disbelief. He looked at Jasmine with a pained look and asked, “What’s going on here, Jas? Didn’t you say-”
“Say what? That I love you guys and will marry one of you?” She let out a cold laugh, shook her head, and added, “Snap out of your delusion, Matthew.”
Meanwhile, Timothy’s eyes were fixed squarely on Sebastian. He muttered to himself, “Campbell… As in the Campbell family of Jenvil?”
Without entertaining them, Sebastian wrapped a scarf around Jasmine and led her into the car. “Go on in.
It’s cold out here.”
That intimate gesture shocked both Timothy and Matthew. She obediently got into the car, and as Sebastian closed the door and turned to face them, his gaze had turned icy.
“Jasmine is the only daughter of the Lane family in Jenvil. Seven years ago, she ran away from home to escape an arranged marriage,” Sebastian stated calmly, but each word hit like a blade.
“Looks like you two are the ‘best friends’ she made in Horinton.”
The news hit the two men like a tornado. They had known Jasmine came from a well-off family, but they had never imagined she was the heiress of one of Jenvil’s most powerful families!
Words struggled to come out of Matthew’s mouth. “I…”
Sebastian said nothing more and turned to get into the car. The convoy slowly pulled away, leaving Timothy and Matthew in place like statues.
Inside the car, Jasmine stared out the window at the two shrinking figures in the distance. Suddenly, she
found it all absurd.
Seven years of genuine affection amounted to nothing but the act of their chasing her to the airport and saying nothing to make her stay.
“Do you regret it?” asked Sebastian.
She turned to him. “What should I be regretting about?”
“For not telling them who you really are.”
He looked at her, his eyes deep, a faint smirk playing on his lips. “If you’d told them earlier, maybe they wouldn’t have treated you like that.”
Jasmine laughed, looking out at the scenery flashing by. “You give them too much credit, Mr. Campbell. Even if they’d known who I was, they would have betrayed me nonetheless.”
Sebastian was silent for a moment before handing her a velvet box. “It’s a gift for our first meeting.”
She opened it, and inside lay an emerald bracelet. “This is…”
“It’s a family heirloom passed down for generations to the daughter-in-law,” he explained softly, like he was commenting on the weather. “My mother asked me to give it to you.”
Jasmine carefully put the bracelet away, her heart tightening. “About our engagement-”
“It’s nothing more than a business arrangement-one with mutual benefits,” he interrupted her.
“You don’t have to worry that I’ll interfere with your freedom. Once we get married, I’ll support you in everything you do, be it running Lane Group or something else.”
Her hand gripped the bracelet. All of a sudden, Jasmine found herself moved to tears. For the last seven years in Horinton, she had never been treated with such respect.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
Sebastian glanced at her without another word. The convoy ultimately arrived outside the Campbell
residence.
Jasmine gazed out at the familiar scenery. It felt like a lifetime ago..
Seven years ago, she had fled this place as a naive, headstrong girl. Now she was back, carrying the weight of every scar she had earned along the way.
