Chapter 13 Taking Responsibility
Sebastian glanced at her unintentionally, his body tensing up.
In the next second, he pulled Vanessa over, pressing her against the wall, to examine the faint yet visible marks beneath her collarbone.
The marks on Vanessa's body seemed to have been there for a while, the edges gradually fading but not completely gone.
Sebastian's gaze shifted as he noticed them.
He stared intensely at Vanessa, his voice suffocating. "How did you get those marks on your body?"
"Mr. Landon..." Vanessa, startled, nervously tugged at her clothes. Her eyes avoided Sebastian's questioning gaze.
Sebastian held her wrist while gripping her chin, demanding, "Speak! How did you get these marks?"
Tears streamed down Vanessa's face, but she forcefully bit her lip and said nothing.
"Jack!" Sebastian's voice turned cold. "You handle the rest of this."
"Alright," Jack nodded.
Sebastian pulled Vanessa behind him and entered the elevator with her.
——
Isabella was having dinner in her suite when she heard the door opening. She turned around. "Mr. Landon? Vanessa?"
Sebastian ignored her, pulling Vanessa into his room.
He slammed the door shut, and she heard it being locked.
Images flashed through Isabella's mind: Sebastian, full of anger, clutching onto Vanessa, whose clothes were disheveled and eyes were teary. They seemed to have been drinking. Had Vanessa done something wrong?
As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she heard Vanessa's cries from inside the room.
Isabella put down her things and walked toward the door, pressing her ear against it. She heard Vanessa's voice, "Mr. Landon... Mr. Landon..."
"Take them off!" Sebastian's voice was filled with anger.
Vanessa's crying grew louder.
Suddenly, Isabella felt an inexplicable surge of courage. She raised her hand and knocked on the door forcefully. "Mr. Landon!"
"Ah!" Vanessa's voice of surprise came from inside the room. "Mr. Landon, please... Mr. Landon..."
Isabella suddenly stopped knocking on the door and felt wetness on her face. She raised her hand to touch it and realized that she was crying.
They were both adults, and they had returned drunk. Combined with what she just heard, it was clear what had happened inside the room.
Unable to restrain her sadness, Isabella's tears continued to fall.
She stood outside the door for a moment before turning around and leaving the suite.
In the room, Vanessa took off her shirt and only wore a bra on her upper body.
Sebastian stood before her, his gaze sweeping over the various deep and shallow marks on her body.
Memories of that passionate night rushed through his mind, but when he looked at Vanessa's face, he felt complex emotions.
After a while, he asked in a hoarse voice, "Were you the woman from that night?"
Vanessa clutched her body and sobbed.
She silently admitted it.
Sebastian took his coat from the nearby rack and handed it to Vanessa, "Put your clothes on."
Vanessa took the clothes and draped them over herself, then Sebastian asked, "What do you want?"
Vanessa hesitated for a second, then kneeled on the ground, "Mr. Landon... I was drunk that night, and I know you didn't mean... I'm sorry... I truly didn't have any malicious intentions... I won't speak of this, and I have no demands... Mr. Landon, I only ask that you don't fire me!"
Sebastian looked at her, his expression complicated, "I’ll take responsibility for you, but as you know, office relationships are prohibited in the company. Resign on your own, and after that, I’ll have Jack pick you up."
Vanessa widened her eyes, "Mr. Landon..."
Was he asking her to be his woman?
"If you don't want to resign, you can continue to stay at the company, but I’ll give you compensation."
Sebastian vividly remembered her innocence and tightness that night, as well as the touch of red that had been left on his sleeping bag the next day. He was not an irresponsible person. Since he had found her, he should take responsibility, especially since he hadn't rejected her that night, but rather liked her.
Zoe had grown old, and her greatest wish was for him to get married soon. In the past, he didn't have any plans to do that, but now that this had happened, it made sense to give Vanessa and himself a chance.
"I'm willing!" Vanessa said, "I'm willing to quit my job at the Landon Group for you."
"Alright." Sebastian nodded.
——
Isabella only realized that this place was quite remote after leaving the restaurant. It was more than twenty miles away from the city center, and there were no taxis to be found. Most of the people who came here were here for business.
She had nowhere to go, so she sat by the fountain when she got tired.
"Isabella?" a familiar voice called out.
Isabella turned around and saw Charlie.
A few other men in suits were with him. When they saw Isabella, they stopped in their tracks and visually inspected her up and down.
"Hello, Charlie." Isabella stood up and greeted him.
Charlie asked, "What are you doing here?"
Isabella answered truthfully. "I came with my boss."
Charlie looked at the restaurant and asked uncertainly, "Your boss came here to discuss business?"
"Yes," Isabella replied.
Charlie wanted to ask her more, but Jack came over at that moment. "Why are you here, Isabella? I've been looking for you for a long time."
Isabella's eyes were still red. "I'm sorry, Mr. Brown. I came out for a walk, and I'm sorry for worrying you."
"Come back with me. Mr. Landon is waiting for you," Jack said.
"Okay."
Isabella lifted her foot to leave but Charlie stopped her.
"Mr. Brown?" Charlie looked at Jack, then at Isabella, and finally understood. "Your sister said you found a job. Are you working at the Landon Group?"
Isabella hadn't told Charlie or Nina about her job at the Landon Group. She knew Charlie's personality and was afraid that he would brag about her.
She obviously couldn't avoid it right now and could only respond quietly.
Charlie immediately became excited. "Isabella, you're amazing! It's such a big deal that you're working at the Landon Group. Why didn't you tell me and your sister?"
"I was planning to tell you after the internship period..." Isabella tried to explain.
"Your boss bringing you here to discuss work shows that he values you. You'll definitely be promoted eventually! This is a huge thing, Isabella. I'll tell your sister when I go back tonight. She'll be thrilled," Charlie said, looking at Jack. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Brown. I'm Charlie from the W.S. Group, and I'm Isabella's brother-in-law."
Jack looked at the business card Charlie handed him and frowned.
Isabella felt her face turning red with embarrassment.
After they entered the elevator, Jack asked, "Was that really your brother-in-law?"
"Yes," Isabella nodded.
Jack continued, "I haven't interacted with him, but I've heard other people talk about him. He harbors evil intentions."
Isabella already knew that, even if Jack hadn’t said it.
Jack usually didn't talk much or speak nonsense. He must have had a reason for mentioning this.
"Mr. Brown, if you have something to say, you can just say it," Isabella said.
