The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 80

It wasn't until Citrine's voice broke through the haze that Sebastian snapped back to reality.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have work?" Citrine stared at him, eyes never leaving his face.

"I finished my tasks for the day, so I thought I'd come here for some fresh air." Even as he spoke, Sebastian couldn't help but glance at Citrine's left ear.

Realizing what he was doing, he quickly looked away. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare."

Citrine's expression didn't change; she didn't seem to think there was anything to apologize for. She spoke up herself, "I hurt my ear when I was little. Can't hear out of it anymore."

Her tone was so light, Sebastian couldn't detect any emotion, not even a hint of sadness.

In this moment, Citrine was nothing like the girl he remembered from the last time they'd met. Now, she seemed wise beyond her years, her eyes holding feelings he couldn't even begin to decipher.

Worried he might upset her, Sebastian dropped the subject of her ear. He tried to lighten the mood with a teasing smile. "Feeling down? Want to talk about it?"

Today, there was a deep sadness in Citrine's eyes-so deep that Sebastian felt a pang in his chest just looking at her.

always thought of himself as level-headed and hard to read, but in the

was trying to cheer her up and paused, surprised-she hadn't expected someone

like him would make a far better ally than an enemy. Quietly drawing him closer now would only help her in the

and asked, "What about you? What do you do

off

cigarette or

girl in front of

bit, or head to the arcade to play games and distract myself," he

a saint, but he wasn't heartless enough to set a

tell if she'd

fun?" Sebastian checked his watch. There

a moment's hesitation,

into the private room to let her friends know,

his manager and

stash

much girls seemed to love stuffed animals, Sebastian glanced over at a row of claw machines. Leaning down, he asked in a gentle voice, "See