Hearing the analysis of an outsider like Sean Sheffield, Zoe Lancaster couldn’t help but feel her heart skip a beat. She looked across at Simon Hawthorne. The man maintained his usual aloof and arrogant demeanor, looking as though nothing in the world could ever faze him.
How could he possibly—
But Sean’s words didn’t seem entirely false.
She glanced at the two exquisite small bowls and the dining plate in front of her. They were filled with all her favorite foods, meticulously prepared and de-shelled or de-boned. She hadn’t even noticed until now that her bowl had been continuously replenished with peeled shrimp and boneless fish.
Simon cast a faint glance at Sean. His long, slender fingers carelessly swirled the wine glass. "It’s a shame you didn’t become a screenwriter."
Zoe was momentarily dazed, but she quickly snapped back to her senses. She had actually almost believed it just a second ago. Although Simon’s temperament wasn’t exactly easy to get along with, he never lost his composure. Excellent breeding was ingrained in his bones. How could any of this be considered... love?
Sean looked at Simon in disbelief. How could he have misjudged the situation! When had Simon ever treated a woman like this? Even with Peyton Joyce, who had been the center of so many rumors back in the day, he had never seen him act this way! But in the end, this was someone else’s relationship, and it wasn’t his place to say anything more.
The meal proceeded in relative harmony. They played a couple of rounds of cards, and by the time they were ready to leave, it was approaching eight o’clock.
Zoe walked Autumn Linden to the door. She had originally wanted to drive Autumn back herself, but the injury on her arm hadn’t healed yet, making it inconvenient to drive. Simon had already arranged for a chauffeur to drive her home.
After getting Autumn into the car, Zoe gave her a few parting instructions. Simon frowned silently and draped his coat over Zoe’s shoulders. "Alright, she’s an adult, not a child. Do you really need to worry this much?"
Zoe glared at him slightly with her beautiful eyes. "I’m looking out for Autumn. Why are you snapping at me? How baffling."
The man’s long, narrow eyes darkened slightly, but he offered no explanation. Without another word, he half-carried, half-embraced her back inside.
Autumn leaned against the car window, looking enviously at the tall and petite silhouettes. She felt that Sean’s words weren’t entirely baseless. At the very least, from her perspective, Simon treated Zoe exceptionally well. It couldn’t help but make her yearn, wondering what her own future romance would look like.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—
The window was tapped from the outside, interrupting her daydream. She looked up through the glass and met a pair of amorous yet wicked peach-blossom eyes. Startled, she trembled and almost immediately blurted out to the driver, "Dr—"
She didn’t even get to finish the word "drive" before the glass barrier separating her and the man slowly rolled down. The gaze resting on her face felt almost tangible, holding a teasing, half-smile.
Autumn was speechless. She had wanted the driver to drive, not roll down the window!
Sean bent over, leaning both elbows against the car window. Looking at the girl who had instantly stiffened, he scrutinized her from head to toe and clicked his tongue. "Where are your manners, little girl? You didn’t even say hello when you walked in earlier. Is this how you treat the man who saved your life?"
It wasn’t that he intentionally wanted to pay attention to her, but the girl’s reaction was simply too exaggerated. She acted as if he were some sort of vicious beast, which made him feel quite annoyed.
Autumn’s eyes were dewy and wide. She cowered slightly as she glanced at the man in front of her. His distinct masculine cologne enveloped her—an explosive wave of pheromones mixed with a predatory edge that made her heart race in panic.
"Did you need something, sir?" she asked.
At this respectful address, Sean ran the tip of his tongue lightly across the roof of his mouth and chuckled despite himself. He narrowed his eyes and leaned in closer, a wicked glint in his expression. "Forgot about what happened at the bar last time?"
Hearing this, Autumn instinctively clenched her hands into fists, trying her best to keep her face calm. "What bar?"
Seeing the girl’s innocent expression, the smirk on Sean’s lips deepened. "Oh, you really forgot? Is your tolerance for alcohol that bad? What a pity."
Seeing that the man seemed to believe her, Autumn secretly breathed a sigh of relief. But her relief didn’t last for even two seconds before she heard the man say in a breezy, casual tone, "But last time at the bar, you hugged me, took advantage of me, and boldly claimed you wanted to be my girlfriend. You went on about how handsome I am, and how you absolutely must have me—"
"You’re spouting nonsense! I absolutely did no such thing!" Autumn was like a startled rabbit, her entire face flushing bright red. She glared at him indignantly—though entirely lacking in intimidation—flustered beyond belief.
The smirk on Sean’s lips slowly faded. He reached out and pinched her chin. "Didn’t you say you forgot? Hmm?"
Autumn’s face instantly went pale. "I... I..."
She hadn’t forgotten. Though she was a terrible drunk, her memory was perfectly fine. The next day, after sobering up, she remembered exactly what had happened. Including—when he had carried her, the massive, hard object pressing against her—
She wasn’t a naive child who knew nothing of the world; how could she not know what that was? Because of that, she had been trembling in fear ever since, wondering if this man had any ulterior motives toward her. She never expected to run into him again today. She had originally planned to play dumb to the very end, but she never imagined he would be so cunning and hard to fool!
"If you’re this stupid, why even try to lie?" Sean squeezed her chin with just enough pressure, frowning as he gave a soft scoff. "You’re nothing like Zoe. Are you two even biological sisters?"
These words made Autumn unhappy, and she struggled to pull away from his grasp. "Zoe and I are as close as can be! I don’t need you telling me otherwise!" She didn’t have much of an imposing presence, but she remained unyielding. She was like an angry ball of cotton; in front of an absolutely dominant man, this little creature’s anger only came across as adorable.
Sean raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable.
"And another thing!" Autumn sat up straight, looking at him intently, and said in a very serious tone, "I have a boyfriend, so please have some self-respect."
Sean was speechless. What did he just hear? Did she actually think he had inappropriate designs on her? He curled his lips, almost laughing out of sheer exasperation. This little creature actually thought he had fallen for her? How highly did she think of herself? He was just teasing her out of boredom, yet he ended up baiting out her true thoughts.
Looking at the girl’s serious and solemn expression—which still betrayed a hint of a guilty conscience—he pretended not to notice. With a half-smile, he said, "Oh? Is that so? Then what is your boyfriend’s name? I’ve never taken a loss like this in my life. Snatching away a woman I have my eye on... should I just—
"Kill him?" The man’s pleasant voice carried a sinister, chilling undertone.
Autumn had been born into an ordinary family and grew up in a kind, loving environment. When had she ever encountered a psychopath like this? She was instantly so terrified that she forgot how to react.
In the front seat, the chauffeur couldn’t bear to watch. He could naturally tell that Sheffield was just joking around. But—the poor girl was about to be teased to tears. Not in a position to speak up, he simply closed his eyes to it all.
Autumn obviously didn’t have a boyfriend, but she was still thoroughly bluffed. Unable to overcome her own mental hurdle, she finally couldn’t hold back and spat, "Scum!"
Sean frowned.
However, the little girl had learned to be smart this time. She quickly pressed the window switch, completely cutting off the outsider’s line of sight, and urgently told the chauffeur, "Sir! Drive!"
The chauffeur, having had enough of watching this unfold, immediately stepped on the gas.
Sean was left speechless. Watching the car disappear into the distance in a cloud of dust, he lightly stroked his brow bone and let out an exasperated laugh. The little girl couldn’t handle being teased or frightened. If it weren’t for the fact that she was Zoe’s sister, there was no way he would have had such a good temper.
But—he tilted his head in amusement. This girl had quite the misunderstanding. Did she really think he had taken a fancy to her? What was he supposed to do about that?