Chapter 17
Sebastian turned to look out the window. “When you ran away from the engagement seven years ago, I was actually relieved.”
Jasmine stared at him, surprised.
“I’d just taken over the family business at that time. We were surrounded by problems, and I didn’t want to drag you into it,” he explained softly. “But now, it’s different. I have the power to protect you.”
A tremor ran through her chest. “You remembered me?”
He chuckled lightly. “Of course. At the engagement party for the Campbells and Lanes that year, you wore a pink dress and hid in the garden, crying.”
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “You saw that?”
“I did. At that time, I thought, ‘This girl is something else. She clearly doesn’t want the marriage, but still agreed just so her parents wouldn’t be disappointed.”
Jasmine hadn’t expected him to remember their encounter so vividly. For a moment, she was at a loss for
words.
“Later, I heard you went to Horinton, and I…” Sebastian suddenly paused. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter
anymore.”
She perceptively caught the shift. “You kept tabs on me?”
Sebastian didn’t deny it. “The Campbells have eyes in Horinton, too.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Did that mean he had known about her time in Horinton all this while-about Timothy and Matthew?
Sebastian seemed to read her mind. “It’s all in the past. What matters now is you’re my fiancee again.”
He rose to his feet and asked, “There’s a party tonight. Come with me?”
Jasmine nodded. “Sure.”
Once he left, she stood before the mirror, her eyes fixed on the pink diamond necklace around her neck. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.
Seven years ago, she had left the engagement without even seeing Sebastian’s face. She never imagined
he had remembered her all this time.
Her phone buzzed at that moment. It was a message from Charles. “Ms. Lane, Lynette came to the company today and caused a scene, asking to see you. Security escorted her out in the end.”
She set down her phone and turned to the window. Outside, the skyline of Jenvil stretched beneath a golden afternoon sun. The city that raised her now welcomed her back in full splendor.
As for those three in Horinton, they were about to learn the cost of crossing the Lane family’s heiress.
