Chapter 145 Sweet and Sour Games
Cecilia
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I greeted him with most professional smile as he stepped into the dining room. “Good evening, Alpha Sebastian.”
Alpha Sebastian stared at me for a moment, his expression unreadable.
He took a seat across from me, his eyes drifting to the conspicuous gift box sitting between us. “What’s this? For me?”
“Just a small token of my appreciation,” I quickly explained, leaning forward slightly. “For everything you did in Boulder. I wasn’t sure how to properly thank you, so… this is from my personal collection. It’s a porcelain piece I’ve treasured. I hope you’ll like it.”
His expression grew noticeably colder.
I placed my hands on the table, fingers interlaced, desperately maintaining my smile while he sat in stony silence.
The atmosphere between us thickened with tension.
“Let’s eat before the food gets cold,” Liam suggested from nearby, breaking the uncomfortable
silence.
I picked up my chopsticks, grateful for the distraction.
Alpha Sebastian remained motionless, the air around him dense with displeasure.
I sighed inwardly. He was unhappy–very unhappy. But why?
What was he really thinking?
Despite Liam’s culinary brilliance and the exquisite abalone with its perfect soft center, everything tasted like cardboard in my mouth.
Such a waste of good food.
After a few bites, Alpha Sebastian stood up and walked toward the balcony.
I set down my chopsticks and followed him.
His balcony was more like a small garden–Liam clearly had a passion for plants.
Various flowers and shrubs thrived under his care, their fragrances mingling with the moonlight
and evening breeze, creating an almost dreamlike atmosphere…
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“Sit,” he commanded.
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Alpha Sebastian approached a small round table, pulled out a chair for himself, then gestured for
me to join him.
He leaned back cas
legs crossed, gaze fixed on the distant skyline. “I believe Secretary Moore
has something else to say. You can speak freely now.”
My throat tightened.
I took a steadying breath. “Alpha Sebastian, I know this matter was resolved so smoothly because
of your help behind the scenes. You didn’t say anything, but I can’t pretend I don’t know. After
thinking it through, I decided I needed to thank you properly.”
“Thank me properly? With a porcelain piece?” He didn’t turn his head, just slid his gaze slightly
toward me.
His tone revealed nothing of his thoughts.
“I know it’s nothing,” I said quickly, already cringing. “But you don’t exactly need… stuff. Or money.
Or anything, really. You’ve done so much for me, and I–I just wanted you to know I’m going to work
harder. Be more dedicated. Like… fully committed.”
His brow quirked ever so slightly. “Until death do us part?”
I choked. “What? No! I mean–not no, but not–ugh. That’s not what I meant.”
He finally turned, reached for a bowl of grapes on the side table, and started peeling one like he
was auditioning for a fruit–themed art school. Elegant. Painfully slow.
When he finally spoke, his tone was maddeningly calm.
“So let me get this straight… You’re calling it gratitude, but really you’re just doing your job.
Meanwhile, I’m paying your salary. So in this ‘thank you‘ scenario, I’m getting shortchanged.”
My cheeks burned with embarrassment.
After a moment of silence, I abandoned my pretense. “I know what I owe you can’t be repaid so
easily. But besides this, I don’t have anything else to offer.”
He looked up, and for the first time, really looked at me.
“Don’t you?” he said softly. “You know exactly what else you could offer. That’s why you keep
insisting you can’t. You want to clear your conscience–but at the lowest possible price.”
My thoughts laid bare before him, I felt utterly exposed.
Alpha Sebastian’s tone softened. “The fact that you recognize my help and feel you can’t pretend
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ignorance–that’s enough for me. Even if you offered yourself as payment, I wouldn’t accept. I don’t
make trades like that with you.”
And then–because apparently this man lived to confuse me–he held out the peeled grape to my
mouth.
I blinked. “What…?”
“Taste it,” he said. “See if it’s sour. I hate sour grapes. Consider this your official debt repayment.”
I opened my mouth on autopilot and let him pop the grape in.
Big mistake.
It was like biting into betrayal. Sour didn’t even begin to cover it. My entire face contorted like I’d
just licked a lemon during a wind tunnel experiment.
He stared at me, dead serious. “Sweet?”
I nodded too fast. “So sweet. Honestly. Incredible. Peak grape.”
He pushed the entire bowl my way. “Great. They’re all yours. Liam grew them himself–claims
they’re good for… facial nerve stimulation.”
Because they make you grimace so hard, I thought silently.
I forced myself to eat the death–by–sourness grapes.
Though the experience was excruciating, at least they were natural and organic.
Liam emerged with two bowls of ice cream, noticing the grape skins on the table. “You like them,
Cecilia?”
“…Um-”
Not wanting to discourage his enthusiasm or risk being forced to eat more, I quickly changed the
subject. “This ice cream looks delicious!”
“Try it. I made it with the finest cream,” Liam said, handing me a bowl.
I ate and complimented him sincerely. “It’s delicious, truly.”
“Better than the ‘incredibly sweet‘ grapes?” came a sly question from beside me.
I froze, speechless.
“You have good taste, Cecilia,” Liam beamed. “I’ll pack some for you to take home. The grapes are
a bit sour, I admit, but grapes should have some tartness to them.”
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Liam happily went to pack grapes for me.
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I glanced at the remaining grapes on the table and quickly took another spoonful of ice cream.
Alpha Sebastian was eating his portion too, taking one spoonful after another.
So he likes ice cream, ought to myself.
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