Chapter 648 The Conflicted Seraphina
Seraphina was floored by what Sebastian had just dropped on her.
What did he mean by saying he had twenty percent of Everhart Bank's shares? And what was all that about Dashiell taking them away in some shady way?
What kind of backdoor deals had they been making without her knowing?
Sebastian saw the shock on Seraphina's face and kept going, "I'm sorry, Seraphina. There’s a lot I didn’t tell you, not because I didn’t want to, but because they wouldn’t let me."
"What’s going on?" Seraphina asked, her nerves starting to fray.
Sebastian sighed, "When Dashiell forced you to marry him because of his disability, Mr. Everhart gave me twenty percent of Everhart Bank's shares to make me leave you. I didn’t say no. I didn’t want Dashiell to get you in such a dirty way without paying a price. Actually, Mr. Everhart giving me those shares made Dashiell super jealous."
Seraphina bit her lip, feeling like she’d been played.
She didn’t think twenty percent of the bank’s shares was a big deal; it was the feeling of being left out that stung.
She stayed quiet, her emotions all over the place.
Sebastian, acting like he didn’t notice, went on, "I took those shares. Do you know what the catch was?"
Seraphina shook her head, too tired to guess anymore.
"The catch was that I couldn’t have a sexual relationship with you," Sebastian said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.
Seraphina stared at him, stunned.
"Do you get now why I always kept my distance?" Sebastian asked.
Seraphina nodded, realizing Sebastian couldn’t bear to lose those shares.
She suddenly felt like a pawn, traded and valued by those closest to her.
"It’s not that I didn’t want to; I just didn’t want Dashiell to win. When your marriage was falling apart, he threatened me multiple times to give back the shares, but I never agreed. I admit I was stubborn. Why should Dashiell get to mess with us like this?" Sebastian said, anger in his voice.
Seraphina stayed silent.
"But recently, I did give them back, no strings attached," Sebastian said with a self-deprecating smile.
Seraphina’s eyes widened.
Sebastian continued, "It was the day we made up. Remember when I helped you pack your things, and Dashiell called me to his office? He forced me to sign the share transfer agreement. If I didn’t sign, he’d keep hurting you. He doesn’t really love you. Everything he did was to make me scared of losing you. He knew I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you, so when you showed him any affection, I’d give him the shares to save our relationship. He knows you’re the most important person in my life, and I only have you."
Listening to Sebastian, Seraphina felt a weird sense of rejection.
She said, "Since those shares were given to you to make you leave me, isn’t it only fair to give them back after all this time?"Sebastian was taken aback.
He didn't expect Seraphina to react like that.
From what he knew of her, she’d usually be just as outraged as he was.
Sebastian had always felt like he was on the losing end in this whole mess, especially when it came to Dashiell.
And Seraphina was always quick to feel for others.
Sebastian tried to explain, "I just said I was unwilling. Why should I let Dashiell push me around like this? Only I know the pain I went through giving you up. I really didn’t want Dashiell to win. But he’s smart. Even if I didn’t want to, he had ways to make me give in. I originally wanted to give the shares back to Mr. Everhart. I admit I was selfish and scared of losing you, so I gave the shares to Dashiell. The only condition was that he’d leave you alone."
Seraphina’s eyes welled up with tears, a strange sadness washing over her. She couldn’t tell if Dashiell was really as bad as Sebastian made him out to be.
Was it really just about the shares?
Sebastian went on, "Seraphina, I didn’t want to tell you because I was afraid you’d be upset, afraid you couldn’t handle the truth. But more than that, I was scared of losing you and letting you down. Today’s events were planned. I showed support for Dashiell at the meeting to make him drop his guard. My goal, which I won’t hide from you, is to get Dashiell out of Everhart Bank. If he stays, with his current status and achievements, Mr. Everhart will trust him more. If Mr. Everhart stays with Magnolia, Dashiell will get more, and eventually, Everhart Bank will be his."
Did Dashiell really have such ambitions?
"But Everhart Bank is your family’s. I can’t just watch Dashiell take it!" Sebastian reached out to hold Seraphina’s hand.
Seraphina pulled away, making Sebastian freeze. She truly resisted him.
She didn’t know if she was resisting Sebastian himself or the secrets he’d kept from her.
She just wanted to run away.
The more she knew, the more she wanted to avoid it.
"Seraphina, believe me, everything I do is for your good. You may not see it now, but you’ll understand how ambitious Dashiell is. From the start, he was after Everhart Bank’s assets!" Sebastian said firmly, "But don’t worry, I won’t let Dashiell win. Now that we’re together, I have to protect you."
Sebastian’s promise didn’t mean much to Seraphina.
She felt like what he said wasn’t what she wanted to hear at all.
She didn’t want him to protect her, nor did she want him to guard the Everhart family’s assets.
She always thought Atticus wasn’t stupid.
If Atticus were dumb, he wouldn’t have built Everhart Bank to what it was.
And if Atticus trusted Dashiell, who was Sebastian to question him?
If Dashiell really wanted Everhart Bank, would he need to wait until now?
With Magnolia’s influence over Atticus, it would’ve been easy for Dashiell to succeed.
But Seraphina didn’t want to doubt Sebastian either.
She always felt that Sebastian wouldn’t lie to her.
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