Chapter 254 The Unfortunate Mishap with Sebastian
Looking down, Sebastian confidently entered Isabella's password and opened the photo. As for how he knew her password, that was the last thing on Isabella's mind.
She was beating herself up for the umpteenth time for her foolishness. She might as well have handed her face over to Sebastian on a silver platter for him to target! If she could, Isabella would have chosen to jump into the sea!
Sebastian scrutinized the photo for an uncomfortably long time, the corner of his mouth twitched, and his brow furrowed in confusion. "What is this?"
Clearly, the straight-forward Sebastian could not appreciate the charm of the bunny ears, big eyes, and rosy cheeks.
"It's nothing. It's just a selfie that accidentally caught you in it. Now give me back my phone, and I will delete it immediately!" Isabella's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Sebastian's fingers were tapping away at something, and Isabella tried to snatch it back. But instead, Sebastian placed his hand over her face, immobilizing her. She struggled fleetingly but it was no use.
After what felt like an eternity, Sebastian released her and tossed the phone into her lap. Isabella quickly picked it up. She didn't unlock it right away; she clenched it in her sweaty hand for what seemed like ages.
Only when Sebastian picked up another item, examining it, did she hurriedly unlock her phone and open her gallery.
The photo... had vanished. Deleted.
With trembling fingers, Isabella clung to her last shred of hope and checked the recently deleted folder, only to find it empty.
Sebastian didn't allow her... to keep memories.
"Sorry," Isabella clung to her phone, a gesture more merciless than being called cheap. She bit into the tender flesh inside her lip, tasting blood, "It's my fault, I shouldn't have done that."
Sebastian put away his phone, glanced at the aggrieved Isabella, and suddenly felt an urge to hold her tightly in his arms.
It took a great deal of effort to suppress that impulse, and he said in a deep voice, "Don't let it happen again."
"Okay."
The cable car reached the mountainside station, and the attendant opened the door.
Stepping out of the cable car, Isabella followed Sebastian in silence until they reached the cabin retreat area, which was still empty, no sight of company colleagues.
Sebastian signaled Isabella to go ahead and rest in the cabin. At first, she wasn't tired, and the incident on the cable car kept tormenting her until she gradually fell asleep.
Upon waking, she smiled and patted her stomach, "Little sleepyhead."
"Gurgle..." Her stomach growled, and Isabella laughed, "And a little hungry one, too."
She put on her shoes and walked over to the window, looking down into the courtyard where a bonfire party had started. Some colleagues were dancing around the fire, others were grilling food, and a few executives were enjoying drinks and a meal.
There was a variety of activities.
Feeling as if her stomach was stuck to her back due to hunger, Isabella slipped on a jacket. She stepped out the door of her cabin and headed straight for the barbecue station. As she got closer, she overheard some people there whispering to each other.
The discussion was about her, and she stopped in her tracks.
"Can you believe it? She's the other woman. Impressive how she leans on Mr. Lawrence's shoulder despite his obvious distaste," one of them said.
"Look at that foxy act; makes me want to vomit. Pretending to be all high and mighty when you're just selling yourself," another commented.
"Yeah, isn't that what assistants do? Handling all sorts of... “tasks”," someone else chimed in with laughter.
Isabella felt weighed down, each step harder than the one before, her heart torn as these demeaning words pierced it like swords. But then she thought, hadn't she known this all along?
Sebastian's intentions that day were clear; it was not Lynda, it was her.
Sebastian had not said it explicitly at the time, but now she heard the same thing from the mouths of others. The same disgusting, uncomfortable truth.
When her mother was sick and provoked by her stepmother, she passed away hating homewreckers most of all.
Now, she had become the type of person her mother despised. The man she loved had turned her into the very thing her most respected elder loathed – the other woman.
Staggering forward, Isabella clutched her jacket and shook her head vehemently; no, she was not that person!
"Assistant Wallace!" Thomas Sawyer called from not far away, waving his hand, "Come over and have something to eat."
‘Thomas Sawyer's Voice’
Thomas Sawyer's voice boomed across the room and caught Isabella's attention, as it did with the gossiping group huddled together—they all came to a halt and looked in Isabella's direction.
Isabella quickened her pace, not wanting to hear another word from the gossiping crowd.
She forced a smile, pinching her palm in a desperate effort to appear calm and greeted Thomas Sawyer cheerfully, "Good evening, CEO Sawyer."
She glanced around and noticed two empty seats at the table, was this where Sebastian and... Isabella Thompson should have been sitting?
Could there be something going on between these two? A flicker of unease suddenly surged through Isabella's mind.
‘An Unexpected Gesture’
Suddenly, Thomas Sawyer grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the seat beside him. "Assistant Wallace, don't be shy, don't be shy. Fate has brought us together, and who knows when we'll meet again? We must enjoy this gathering to the fullest!"
Isabella's expression darkened, and she couldn't shake the feeling that Thomas Sawyer's thumb had brushed against her skin.
By the time she tried to figure out what was happening, he had already withdrawn his hand, with no hint of anything amiss.
Was it just her imagination?
‘A Toast and a Tactful Offer’
"Let's raise a glass to welcome Assistant Wallace," Thomas announced, sliding a drink toward Isabella. "Since Assistant Wallace is a lady, we won't insist on her drinking alcohol. Assistant Wallace, you can toast with this beverage instead, no objections, right?"
Isabella was one of Sebastian's people, so naturally, no one would give her a hard time.
"Of course, no objections here. Mr. Lawrence also opts for a drink instead of alcohol, which is completely normal. For our company gathering, comfort is key. Assistant Wallace, let's toast," someone chimed in.
Caught off guard and considering Sebastian also chose a non-alcoholic drink, Isabella reluctantly drank the offered beverage.
‘An Inconvenient Enthusiasm’
"Assistant Wallace, try out these chicken wings, they're delicious," Thomas suggested, pushing a plate towards her.
Isabella offered an awkward smile. She couldn't help but feel like Thomas Sawyer was overly enthusiastic tonight, a far cry from his usual demeanor of barely daring to make eye contact with her.
Growing wary, Isabella avoided the food he offered and instead nibbled on a bread roll.
Perhaps sensing her disinterest, Thomas Sawyer left her alone and went back to drinking with the others.
Isabella breathed a sigh of relief.
Her gaze wandered back to the empty seats of Sebastian and Isabella Thompson, her intuition telling her that something was amiss.
Over ten minutes had passed, and they still hadn't come back. An amusing thought slowly took shape.
‘Isabella Thompson had always harbored special feelings for Sebastian, could it be that Sebastian and Isabella Thompson…?’ She immediately dismissed the idea; Sebastian would never be interested in Isabella Thompson.
Was she overthinking things? Why wouldn't her eyelids stop twitching? Isabella pressed her index finger against her right eyelid, and that's when an unusual feeling overwhelmed her. She felt as though ants were crawling on her skin, causing an itchy, tickling sensation.
Had she been drugged?
Isabella's heart pounded wildly, and her mouth was parched. She reached for a bottle of drink to pour herself a glass but halted mid-pour as her head filled with a ringing noise.
Oh no, something was terribly wrong. Sebastian, he's been drugged!
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