The Billionaire's Dangerous Redemption (by Claire Winters) novel Chapter 153

153 Front and Center

Hazel’s POV

The car glided through the evening traffic. Sebastian sat across from me, his face half-hidden in shadow. Cora had resumed her fake sleeping act after our previous conversation about my modeling past. I knew she was listening to every word.

“So they told you that you were better suited for lingerie modeling?” Sebastian asked, keeping his voice neutral.

I nodded, surprised he was continuing this topic. “The agent was actually trying to be helpful. She said my figure would be ‘wasted’ in high fashion.”

The memory still stung a little. At twenty, I’d been crushed to learn my body was considered wrong for the career I’d briefly considered.

“I don’t understand,” Sebastian said, his brow furrowed. “Isn’t beauty the point of fashion modeling?”

I couldn’t help but smile at his confusion. For someone so brilliant in business, he was charmingly naive about certain industries.

“High fashion isn’t about conventional beauty,” I explained. “It’s about clothes hanging perfectly on what amounts to a human clothes hanger.”

Sebastian’s frown deepened. “That seems counterintuitive.”

Before I could respond, Cora suddenly “woke up” with perfect timing.

“God, Sebastian, you really don’t get it, do you?” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Runway models need to be flat as a board. No hips, no chest. Nothing to distract from

the clothes.”

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Her blunt assessment hung in the air. Sebastian’s eyes widened slightly as

understanding dawned. His gaze briefly flickered toward my chest before snapping back to my face.

An awkward silence fell over the car.

“Unlike Hazel,” Cora continued with mischievous delight, “who definitely has curves that would distract from any clothing.”

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I felt heat rush to my cheeks. Instinctively, I pulled my jacket closer across my chest.

“Cora,” Sebastian warned, his voice tight.

But his sister was on a roll. “What do you think, Sebastian?” she asked innocently. “Don’t you find Hazel’s figure rather distracting?”

Sebastian’s normally composed face turned a shade darker. He looked like a man trapped in a burning building with no exits.

“I… That’s not…” he stammered, completely flustered.

I had never seen Sebastian Sinclair at a loss for words. Any other time, I might have found his discomfort amusing, but right now, I was equally mortified.

“Cora!” I hissed, desperate to end this torture.

“What?” She batted her eyelashes. “It’s a simple question. My brother obviously appreciates your figure. Why else would he keep stealing glances when he thinks no one’s looking?”

That was it. I reached over and pinched her arm-hard enough to make my point but not enough to actually hurt.

erated

“Ow!” Cora yelped, rubbing her arm with an exaggerated expression of betrayal. “Violence! See how she treats me, Sebastian?”

Sebastian looked torn between relief at the subject change and concern for his sister.

“You deserved it,” he muttered.

“Fine!” Cora huffed. “You two are ganging up on me. I’m going back to sleep!” She turned dramatically toward the window again, making a show of closing her eyes.

The silence that followed was excruciating. I couldn’t look at Sebastian. The air between us felt charged, like the atmosphere before a thunderstorm.

I stared out the window, watching city lights blur past. Had Sebastian really been stealing glances at me? The thought sent a flutter through my stomach that I immediately tried to suppress.

“I apologize for my sister,” Sebastian said finally, his voice low and controlled once more. “She has no filter.”

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“It’s fine,” I replied, still not meeting his eyes. “She means well.”

“Does she?” Sebastian asked with a hint of frustration.

I risked a glance his way. He was looking at me with an intensity that made my breath catch. For a moment, I thought he might say something more, something significant. Instead, he cleared his throat and shifted his gaze away.

“My sister has always enjoyed creating uncomfortable situations,” he said. “It’s been her specialty since childhood.”

“Siblings can be like that,” I replied, thinking of how different my relationship with Ivy had been. No playful teasing there-just calculated cruelty.

“You’re being kind,” Sebastian said. “Most people would have thrown her out of a moving vehicle by now.”

That made me laugh, easing some of the tension. “The night’s still young.”

From the corner of my eye, I could see Cora’s lips twitch, though she maintained her pretense of sleep.

“About what she said…” Sebastian began, then stopped.

My heart pounded harder. “Yes?”

He seemed to reconsider. “Nothing. It’s not important.”

Disappointment washed over me, which was ridiculous. What had I expected him to say? That Cora was right? That he did find me distracting?

I smoothed my skirt nervously. “The fashion world’s standards are unrealistic anyway. I’m glad I found my true calling in design.”

“For what it’s worth,” Sebastian said quietly, “I’ve always thought the fashion industry’s loss was definitely the design world’s gain.”

Our eyes met, and this time, neither of us looked away. There was something in his gaze-admiration, yes, but something deeper too. Something that made my pulse quicken.

The car slowed as we approached a traffic light. In the red glow, Sebastian’s features seemed softer, more approachable. Less the powerful businessman and more the man

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who kept surprising me with his kindness.

“Thank you,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

The light changed, casting his face in shadow again. The moment passed, but

something had shifted between us. An acknowledgment of something neither of us was ready to name.

From her corner, Cora gave the tiniest, most satisfied sigh, not even bothering to hide her matchmaking triumph.

The car continued through the night, carrying us toward our destinations. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that some invisible boundary had been crossed. Whether that was a good thing or a complication I didn’t need, I wasn’t sure.

All I knew was that Sebastian Sinclair had seen me-really seen me—in a way that had nothing to do with clothes or fashion or business. And despite all my defenses, I had let him.

154 A Charged Silence

Hazel’s POV 1

The car continued its smooth journey through the streets, now cloaked in a heavy silence after Cora’s mischievous comments. Sebastian sat across from me, his face partially hidden by shadows cast by passing streetlights. I tried to focus on the city view outside my window, but my eyes kept betraying me, stealing glances at him.

His jaw was tense. I noticed the way his fingers tapped lightly against his thigh-a subtle gesture I’d never seen from him before. Was he nervous? The thought that Sebastian Sinclair, the epitome of composure, might be feeling as awkward as I was brought a strange comfort.

I shifted slightly in my seat, and his eyes flicked toward me before quickly returning to the window. The space between us felt charged, like air before lightning strikes.

Cora had finally given up her fake sleeping act and was now genuinely asleep, her head lolled against the window. Without her animated presence filling the silence, the atmosphere felt even more intense.

“How much longer until we reach your place?” I asked, desperate to break the tension.

“About fifteen minutes,” Sebastian replied, his voice deeper than usual. “Traffic is light

tonight.”

I nodded and went back to staring out the window. My mind kept replaying Cora’s words: “My brother obviously appreciates your figure.” The memory sent warmth spreading across my cheeks.

A phone rang, cutting sharply through the silence. Sebastian pulled his cell from his pocket, checking the screen.

“I need to take this,” he said apologetically. “It’s my mother.”

He answered, his voice immediately shifting to a warmer tone. “Hello, Mother.”

I pretended to be fascinated by the passing buildings while trying not to eavesdrop, but it was impossible in the confined space.

“Yes, she’s with me,” Sebastian said, glancing at Cora. “She’s fine, just sleeping.”

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A pause.

“No, I haven’t forgotten her medication.” His eyes briefly met mine, and I looked away quickly. “We’ll be home soon.”

Another pause, longer this time.

“I understand. Yes, Mother. Don’t worry.” His voice had taken on an edge of patience that suggested this wasn’t an unusual conversation. “I promise. Goodnight.”

He hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

Sebastian sighed. “Just my mother being… my mother. She worries about Cora.”

“That’s understandable.” I hesitated before adding, “She seems really protective.”

“She is.” His lips curved into a small smile. “Sometimes excessively so.”

Our eyes met again, and this time neither of us looked away immediately. Something unspoken passed between us-understanding, perhaps, or recognition of shared experience with complicated families.

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