Chapter 394: Relentless Pursuit
Reese and Alyssa both paused, Alyssa turning her head to Reese, suggesting, "Shall we call for a designated driver?"
"Yeah"
Knowing that Malcolm had been busy with work these past few days, Reese and Alyssa were hesitant to ask him for a ride.
Alyssa was about to make a call when Sebastian suddenly emerged.
"We'll drive you." He announced.
Startled by his sudden appearance, Alyssa turned to see Sebastian, irritated.
"Who asked you to drive? Besides, aren't you also drinking?"
Sebastian leaned casually on Frederick's shoulder, a hint of smugness in his demeanor.
"I am, but he's not. He can drive you."
"No need, we'll call for a designated driver." Reese firmly declined.
Understanding Reese's intentions, Alyssa continued making phone calls. However, at this hour, designated drivers seemed scarce and hard to find. Despite Alyssa's efforts, no one seemed available to take their booking.
Seeing Reese and Alyssa struggling to secure a ride, Sebastian felt as if even the heavens were conspiring in his favor.
"I told you, at this time, you won't find a designated driver. Instead of wasting time here, why don't we just drive you? With us, you might have been home already." He insisted.
Reese's patience wore thin, and she shot Sebastian a cold glare.
"Shut up!"
Sebastian fell silent with obedience.
Frederick chuckled again from the sidelines, prompting Sebastian to smack Frederick with his hand.
"If you laugh again, I'm going to hit you."
"Come on, don't tell me you're scared of your own sister," Frederick teased Sebastian.
Sebastian shot Frederick a sidelong glance. "Of course, I'm afraid. She's serious about kicking my butt. Don't tell me you're not scared of her. If you're not, why don't you ask her to give you another kick?"
Recalling the recent kick from Reese, Frederick winced, feeling a lingering ache in that spot. He quickly shook his head.
"Forget it. My body can't handle another kick from her."
Sebastian lightly patted his shoulder. "Good, know your limit."
Alyssa scrolled through her phone for what felt like ages, but no luck. Though she was hesitant to accept Sebastian's offer, it seemed there were no other options in sight.
Turning to Reese, Alyssa suggested, "Reese, maybe we should compromise and let them drive us. Otherwise, we'll have to wait for Malcolm."
But Alyssa knew Malcolm's temperament well; once he got into work mode, it was like he shut out the world.
Reese also didn't want to call Calvin at this hour, fearing it might raise Alyssa's suspicions later on.
"Alright, let's have them drive us." Reese conceded.
Sebastian's face lit up with excitement; it felt as if a stroke of luck had descended upon them. He turned to Frederick, nudging him excitedly.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get in the car!"
Frederick pouted, his expression clearly showing his reluctance.
"You're chauffeuring your sister, and want to drag me along too? Fine, but next time, you're buying me a drink." Frederick grumbled.
"Enough already, you've got plenty of cash to cover drinks."
Sebastian shoved Frederick into the car.
In the car, Reese sat at the back with Alyssa. Once again, Sebastian became a chatterbox.
"Sis, what are you guys here for today?"
"Call me by name," Reese coldly refused. She disliked Sebastian addressing her as 'sister' right off the bat. Moreover, they had never met before, let alone spent time together. Relying solely on their distant familial ties was absurd.
None of the Hawthorne family had Reese's best interests at heart. They just wanted to use her.
Sebastian sheepishly shrugged. "Alright, Sister Reese, you're older than me after all. It wouldn't be polite to just call you by name directly."
Ever since Alyssa had seen that article in the media, she had a good idea of what was going on between Reese and the Hawthorne family. As a devoted fan of Reese, she felt obliged to look out for her.
Alyssa spoke up, cautioning Sebastian, "Even if you don't want Reese to return to the Hawthorne family or be part of your family, you shouldn't exploit her like this. The Flynn family isn't to be underestimated."
Sebastian nearly jumped at Alyssa's words.
"Where did I exploit her?" Sebastian retorted incredulously.
"Not you specifically, but your Hawthorne family." Alyssa clarified.
Whenever Alyssa and Sebastian were in the same room, tension seemed to simmer between them, leading to arguments no matter what was said.
Sebastian decided it wasn't worth arguing with Alyssa. His focus was on finding a way to persuade Malcolm to change his mind.
Sebastian attempted to steer the conversation in a new direction. "Sister Reese, what if we agree not to interfere with each other from now on?"
Reese furrowed her brow. "Sebastian, this isn't something you can decide. You knew about the intentions of the Hawthorne family, didn't you? You should know why your father wants me to return to the Hawthorne family. I don't think I need to spell it out; you're well aware."
Reese didn't realize there were others in the car; after all, Sebastian had initiated the conversation himself, leaving nothing to conceal.
Sebastian couldn't thwart his father's plans, but he genuinely wanted to acknowledge Reese as his sister.
An idea popped into Sebastian's head. "Sister Reese, what if we decide our relationship for ourselves, regardless of them? But if the Hawthorne family ever harms you, I'll definitely stand by your side."
Alyssa, listening on the side, almost unable to contain her laughter.
"Sebastian Hawthorne, are you still living in a fairy tale? Yes, you have direct kinship with the Hawthorne family, they're your relatives. But when it comes to Reese and your Hawthorne family, apart from a mere speck of blood relation, it's all empty words. You claim you'll help her, but how? By simply saying a few kind words in front of your parents? Sorry, Reese doesn't need that. She's not lacking family, and certainly not love from those who truly care about her."
Alyssa's words struck deep into Reese's heart, especially the final sentence. Reese felt a warm current gradually thawing her icy heart.
In the past, Reese never dared to hope for someone to truly love her. It seemed too distant, and she wasn't willing to invest the energy and time into expecting such a person. Whether she would be disappointed or not, she didn't want to think about it. Perhaps, what awaited her would only bring pain.
All of a sudden, Alyssa's words left Sebastian speechless.
The car quickly arrived at the Flynn family's doorstep, and Reese stepped out of the car alongside Alyssa.
Sebastian waved to Reese, saying, "Sis, I'm heading back now. See you another day."
Reese couldn't be bothered to reply and walked inside with Alyssa without a glance back at him.
However, Alyssa felt compelled to say something, despite her own lukewarm feelings toward Sebastian.
"Reese, I think this guy actually kind of likes you." Alyssa ventured.
Curious, Reese asked, "How do you figure?"
"Because I see a bit of myself in him. Back when I used to idolize you, it was the same. My world revolved around you, and every time I saw you, my eyes lit up. Maybe he hasn't done much for the Hawthorne family, but being in that kind of environment, he might not have had much choice himself."
Reese's gaze fell on Alyssa, with a hint of complexity in her cold eyes.
Alyssa finally looked up when she noticed Reese's continued silence, and their eyes met.
"What's wrong, Reese? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Did Alyssa say something wrong?
Reese shook her head and, for the first time, reached out to pat Alyssa's head.
"Nothing. I just felt like you've suddenly matured and become more sensible."
It turned out Alyssa wasn't as unreasonable as she seemed on the surface. It's just that in front of Sebastian, Alyssa undoubtedly stood her ground.
Reese had noticed Sebastian's attitude towards her during this period. Initially wary of this unfamiliar brother, she was quite resistant. However, after a few interactions, she found Sebastian's temperament surprisingly similar to Alyssa's.
Upon hearing Reese's praise, Alyssa was visibly thrilled, as if she had eaten honey.
"Oh, come on, Reese. You're making me blush with your praises."
"Go ahead and rest in your room for a while. I still have some work to attend to."
"Besides working in the office, Reese never lets her projects slip behind in her personal time."
Alyssa planned to host a couple of live streams from her room, added, "Alright then, I'll head back to my room."
As Reese pushed open the door to her room, the phone began to ring—it was Calvin calling. Whenever Calvin contacted her at this hour, it usually meant something urgent.
Reese slid to answer the call. "What's up?"
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