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.

in the

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

than an enemy.

"What about you?

clearly caught off guard by the

a cigarette or

front of him-still too

to the arcade to play games and distract myself,"

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

nodded, though Sebastian couldn't tell if

watch. There was still plenty of time left in the

a moment's

to let her friends know, then headed to

quickly got permission from his manager and led Citrine

stash of

over at a row of claw machines. Leaning down, he asked in