Abandoned Luna Now Untouchable (Cecilia) novel Chapter 185

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Sebastian drove back to his apartment, his mind churning over the information his men had gathered.

Cecilia had received messages from Amara the night before… He rubbed his temple in frustration.

He had overestimated his mother’s tolerance and simultaneously underestimated her tactics.

After work, Cecilia had arranged to go shopping with Harper.

She needed some noise and distraction to chase away the gloom setfling in her chest.

They shopped until ten o’clock before heading their separate ways.

Cecilia

As I pulled into my parents’ driveway, humming along to the radio with shopping bags filling my passenger seat, I spotted a tall figure standing beneath the Aspen.

My tune faltered immediately.

After drinking too much at lunch and spending the afternoon in a haze, Sebastian had let me rest in my office until closing time.

When I’d gone to his office before leaving, he simply told me I could go home.

I thought I wouldn’t see him again today.

I grabbed my shopping bags from the passenger seat and approached him cautiously. “Mr. Black? What brings you here at this hour?” I stood before him, keeping my tone deliberately casual.

As if I’d just bumped into my boss on the street, nine parts pretense beneath a veneer of friendliness.

The light was dim beneath the tree, though a nearby street lamp cast enough of a glow for us to see each other’s faces.

Sebastian’s sharp gaze drifted from my face to the shopping bags in my hands.

“Sobered up?”

“Yes, completely,” I said with a nod. “I actually have a decent tolerance

-I get tipsy quick but bounce back just as fast.”

“I can see that. That’s almost Olympic-level recovery.”

“I wasn’t even that drunk to begin with. I always know my timits.”

“Yes, you do seem like someone who knows her boundaries,” he said with a quiet chuckle.

tightened my grip on the bags.

The conversation stalled. The air between us turned heavy and still.

My carefully rehearsed nonchalance was starting to unravel like a sweater caught on a nail.

Sebastian just stood there, without saying a word.

His stance was relaxed, but his eyes had that quiet, assessing sharpness-like a lawyer who already knows the answer but asks the question anyway, just to watch you squirm.

I felt a surge of irritation.

“Did you come here just to check whether I could walk in a straight line?”

I snapped, finally cracking.

“Well, here I am. You’ve seen it. Running a damn sobriety test in my driveway. Congratulations. You can leave now.”

Sebastian said nothing.

I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Whatever.” My tone sharpened. “I’m going inside. It’s hot, and the bugs are getting aggressive. Stay out here if you’re feeling generous-maybe they’ll give you a loyalty card.”

I turned to leave.

But Sebastian moved-fast. He stepped right in front of me, blocking my way.

I walked straight into his chest.

Startled, I looked up. “What exactly do you want?” I asked, voice rising.

“It’s late. Are you letting me go to bed or what?”

“Walk with me,” he said, calm as ever.

“No. I want a shower, air conditioning, and to not deal with you.”

“Your temper’s flaring,” he said quietly, like he was noting the weather.

I had the sudden, violent urge to beat him with a bag of frozen pizza rolls.

Instead, he reached out and gently took the bags from my hands.

Then he caught my free hand in his, his thumb brushing softly over my knuckles.

“Just a short walk. Please?”

His touch, damn him, had a way of quieting the storm inside me.

“Half an hour,” I said, narrowing my eyes.

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