Chapter 436 Should We Start Closing the Net Now?
"Seb, thanks a ton!" Sharon looked up at him, tears sparkling in her eyes. It wasn't just gratitude for the countless times he'd saved her from danger over the years, but for the unwavering love he had shown her.
Seb reached out to wipe away her tears, his voice soft as a whisper, "More than a thank you, what I really want to hear is 'I love you.'"
Sharon blushed and looked down, "There are people around."
She was shy and not used to showing too much affection in public.
Seeing her cheeks turn pink, Seb felt a rush of happiness and grinned, "Alright, then tell me when we get back tonight."
Sharon nodded, "Okay."
Seb pulled out a chair for Sharon and handed her the menu. "Take a look. The foie gras and caviar here are pretty good."
Sharon nodded, opened the menu, and ordered what Seb suggested, along with a few of her favorites. She looked up at him. "What about you?"
Seb smiled, "I'll have the same as you."
Sharon turned to the waiter, "Alright, then two of what I just ordered."
The waiter confirmed their order and left the private room.
Soon, the waiter returned with the appetizers and a small pink box. "Mr. Smith, Ms. Roach, our restaurant is having a raffle tonight. The winning number gets a mystery prize. Would you like to join?"
Sharon's curiosity was piqued. "What's the mystery prize?"
The waiter smiled, "You'll find out if you win."
Sharon asked, "How do we participate?"
The waiter handed her the pink box. "Just draw a ball from inside. If your number wins, you get the mystery prize. If not, there's a consolation prize."
Sharon reached into the box and pulled out a ball but didn't open it right away, looking at Seb. "You should draw one too."
Seb nodded and casually took a ball from the box.
After the waiter left, Sharon teased, "When I open this, there won't be an engagement ring inside, will there?"
Seb raised an eyebrow, "You can see if you open it."
Sharon opened the ball, revealing just a number slip. "Looks like I was wrong."
Seb smirked, "Do you want to marry me that badly?"
Sharon replied, "No, I just thought the atmosphere tonight was nice and you might propose."
She didn't want to admit she was a bit disappointed. If Seb had proposed tonight, she might have said yes.
Seb said, "Sorry to let you down. I thought it might be too soon, but maybe I should start planning."
Seeing the faint smile on Seb's face and his calm demeanor, Sharon huffed, "I don't want to get married!"
"It's me who wants to marry you. I dream about it." Seb's expression was serious, with no hint of a joke.
Sharon's face heated up again. She quickly looked away, not daring to meet his gaze, her ears turning red. Could he stop saying such sweet things so seriously?
Sharon spent the entire dinner blushing.
Halfway through the meal, the raffle results were announced. Neither Sharon nor Seb won, and they got consolation prizes—two teddy bears as tall as half a person. The mystery prize turned out to be a five-day, four-night luxury trip for two to Ice Flower Island, won by a young couple.
Seeing Sharon a bit bummed about not winning, Seb tried to cheer her up, "If you want to go, we can leave tomorrow."
Sharon looked up and shook her head. "No way, the lab's too busy right now. I can't just leave."
Seb frowned, "Alright, then when you get some time off, we can plan a trip with the family."
Sharon nodded. "Sounds good."
As they walked out of the restaurant, Seb draped his coat over her shoulders and held her hand as they made their way to the parking lot. Halfway there, it started to snow.
Sharon stopped, her face lighting up. "It's the first snow of the year!"
Winters in Metropolis were typically marked by cold winds and persistent dampness, so the appearance of snow was an infrequent and welcome delight.
She reached out to catch the snowflakes, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Seb watched her with a tender smile, his eyes full of love. She was mesmerized by the snow, and he was mesmerized by her.
By the time they got back to the car, their heads and clothes were dusted with snow. Seb opened the car door for Sharon, turning on the heater as soon as they were both inside and taking Sharon's cold hands in his warm, dry ones.
The moment he held her hands, Sharon felt a jolt, a tingling sensation spreading from her hand to her heart. Her hand instinctively curled, her fingertips lightly brushing Seb's palm.
Seb felt a tickle in his palm, like being brushed by a cat's tail. He looked at Sharon with an intense gaze, making her heart race. She instinctively tried to pull her hand away. But Seb held on tight, intertwining their fingers, and leaned in closer.
As their lips met, fireworks exploded outside the window. After what felt like forever, Seb finally let go of Sharon, who was almost out of breath.
Her back was pressed tightly against the passenger door, her lips red and swollen like ripe cherries, tempting and irresistible.
Noticing Seb's gaze on her lips, his eyes deep and predatory like a beast eyeing its prey, Sharon felt her heart skip a beat. She quickly covered her lips with her hand. "It's late, we should head back."
Seeing the wariness in her eyes, Seb couldn't help but smile, "Alright."
After fastening Sharon's seatbelt, Seb started the car. It took an hour to drive back to the villa. As they pulled up in front of it, Sharon began to unbuckle her seatbelt, ready to get out. But Seb caught her hand, gently yet firmly.
"What's up?" Sharon looked at him, puzzled.
Seb took out a box tied with a ribbon and handed it to her. "I didn't get an engagement ring today, but I did get you a gift."
Sharon was surprised. "But I... didn't get you anything."
She hadn't even realized today was the anniversary of their first meeting.
Seb said, "It's enough that I got you something. Having you with me is the best gift."
Touched, Sharon decided she would get Seb a gift in return.
Seb added, "Go on, open it."
Sharon took the box, "What did you get me?"
Seb smiled, "Open it and see."
Sharon untied the ribbon and opened the box to reveal a heart-shaped sapphire necklace. The sapphire was a light blue, crystal clear, and absolutely stunning. Sharon loved it at first sight.
Sharon beamed, "It's so beautiful!"
Seeing her reaction, Seb smiled softly, "Let me put it on for you."
Sharon nodded. "Okay."
He took the necklace out of the box and leaned in close to put it on her. The sapphire pendant gleamed brilliantly against her white knitted turtleneck sweater, making it almost impossible to look away.
He could already imagine how stunning Sharon would look wearing this necklace in the summer. Her collarbones were beautiful, and any jewelry would look perfect on her.
Seb said, "It looks amazing."
Sharon replied, "Thank you."
Seb said, "Sharon, what should I do? I want to kiss you again."
Sharon looked up and met his intense gaze, her hands unconsciously tightening. The next second, she hooked her arms around Seb's neck and brought her red lips to his.
It was unclear whose breath became erratic first.
They stayed at the door for over half an hour before finally getting out of the car and walking into the villa. It was already close to ten o'clock, and Demetrius had long gone upstairs to sleep.
Sharon thought Seb would go to the study to work, but to her surprise, he followed her into the bedroom.
Sharon asked, "Aren't you working tonight?"
Seb replied, "No, I have something more important to do."
At first, Sharon was puzzled about what he meant by something important until he held her waist on the bed, making her say "I love you" over and over again. She finally understood what he meant.
In the end, Sharon was so exhausted that she almost passed out, her voice hoarse from begging for mercy, but Seb still didn't let her go.
When Seb carried her to the bathroom to clean up, she glanced at her phone—it was four in the morning.
The next morning, Sharon forced herself to get up, driven by the willpower not to be late. As she got out of bed, her legs gave way, and she fell onto the carpet. Thankfully, it was thick, so it didn't hurt, but her legs were too weak to get up.
The bathroom door opened, and Seb walked out, looking refreshed.
He stopped short when he saw her kneeling on the floor, brow furrowing with immediate concern. Quickly, he rushed over and picked her up, tenderly placing her back on the bed. "I'll call in for you today. You should rest at home."
Sharon said, "No, today's experiment is important. I have to be there."
"But in your current state?" Seb's eyes were filled with concern, and he felt a bit regretful for being so indulgent last night.
Sharon glared at him, "You have the nerve to say that."
She had begged him for so long last night, but not only did he not relent, he became even more excessive.
Seb guiltily rubbed his nose. "It's my fault. Don't be mad. I promise I won't do this on work nights anymore."
Sharon remained silent. After a while, she managed to stand up and pushed Seb away as she slowly walked to the bathroom.
It wasn't until she stood in front of the mirror that Sharon noticed her neck was covered in hickeys, and her lips were bitten, clearly showing how intense last night had been.
Fortunately, it was winter, and she could wear thick clothes. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to go out in public.
After she washed up, Seb had already picked out clothes for her. Seeing her legs still trembling a bit, he asked, "Do you need help getting dressed?"
Sharon replied, "No, you go downstairs."
She didn't really want to see him right now.
Knowing he was wrong, Seb said softly, "Alright, but if you need help, call or text me."
Sharon said, "Got it, now go."
After Seb left, Sharon started getting dressed. By the time she went downstairs, Demetrius had already finished breakfast and left for school.
Dana noticed her walking a bit awkwardly and asked with concern, "Ms. Roach, what happened? Did you twist your ankle?"
Sharon blushed and shook her head, "No."
Dana said, "Then what..."
Before she could finish, Seb interrupted, "Dana, this bread is amazing. Could you grab me more from the kitchen?"
Dana's attention was diverted, and she quickly said, "Sure, I'll get them right away."
Once Dana left, Sharon quickly walked over and sat across from Seb.
Seb said, "If you're really uncomfortable, don't push yourself."
Sharon nodded. "I know."
After breakfast, they headed to the office.
All morning, Sharon mostly sat whenever she could, so it wasn't too exhausting. Near noon, she received a call from Leo.
Leo asked, "Sharon, do you have time for lunch? I have something to discuss with you."
Sharon's voice was cold, "What is it? Just say it over the phone. There's no need for us to meet."
There was a brief silence on the other end before Leo's somewhat dejected voice came through, "Do you hate me that much?"
Sharon replied, "I don't want to answer such pointless questions. If you have nothing to say, I'm hanging up. I'm very busy."
To Sharon, Leo was at most a stranger, and she didn't want any further interaction with him.
Leo said, "I want to talk about my mom and Mr. Wright."
Sharon frowned and said coldly, "They're already divorced. There's nothing to discuss. Please tell Ms. Wendy that if warnings don't work, I'll have to take legal action."
With that, she hung up the phone, her mood ruined for the day.
On the other end, Leo put down his phone with a grim expression. He could sense that Sharon's aversion to him was even stronger than five years ago. It seemed his plan needed to progress faster.
The office door suddenly opened, and Ayla walked in, her face glowing with excitement. "Leo, Grandpa agreed to cooperate with Starlight Corporation. I'm going to sign the contract soon!"
Ayla was thrilled, already imagining herself stepping on Damon after securing this deal. A useless person who had been spoiled rotten dared to compete with her for the position of the Bridges Group heir. She would show him what it meant to overestimate oneself.
Leo's eyes flashed with displeasure. He didn't like Ayla barging into his office without knocking.
When Ayla saw him silent, her smile faded a bit, "Leo, why aren't you saying anything?"
Leo forced a smile, "Ayla, I was just a bit surprised. I didn't expect you to actually convince Grandpa. Congratulations!"
Ayla said, "You deserve some credit too. If you hadn't introduced me to Jerry, I wouldn't have had the chance to discuss this project with him. So, what reward do you want?"
Leo replied, "We're a couple. I just did what a husband should do. No reward needed."
Ayla was about to say something when her phone rang. Seeing it was Jerry, she quickly answered.
Whatever he said made her excited, "Alright, Mr. Simmons, I'll be right there!"
After hanging up, she looked at Leo, "Mr. Simmons wants me to sign the contract now. After I sign it, let's celebrate tonight."
Leo said, "Sure."
Not long after Ayla left, Leo received a call from Jerry.
Jerry asked, "Mr. Wendy, should we start reeling them in now?"
Leo replied, "Not yet. I still have some information to gather. Wait for my signal."
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