The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

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.

He'd always thought of himself as level-headed and hard to read, but in the two times he'd met this girl, he'd never managed to figure her out.

Citrine realized he was trying to cheer her up and paused, surprised-she hadn't expected someone like him to bother comforting anyone.

Thinking of Sebastian's impressive reputation, Citrine's gaze sharpened. Someone like him would make a far better ally than an enemy. Quietly drawing him closer now would only help her in the future. She doubted he'd disappoint her.

Shaking off her gloomy thoughts, Citrine smiled and asked, "What about you? What do you do when you're feeling down?"

Sebastian blinked, clearly caught off guard by the question.noveldrama

Usually, he'd relax by smoking a cigarette or working out at the gym.

But glancing at the girl in front of him-still too young to legally drive-he hesitated.

"I usually read a bit, or head to the arcade to play games and distract myself," he said after a pause.

He wasn't exactly a saint, but he wasn't heartless enough to set a bad example for a kid.

Citrine nodded, though Sebastian couldn't tell if she'd actually been listening.

"Wanna go out and have some fun?" Sebastian checked his watch. There was still plenty of time left in the day.

After a moment's hesitation, Citrine nodded.

She popped back into the private room to let her friends know, then headed to the front desk to check out.

Sebastian quickly got permission from his manager and led Citrine to the nearest arcade.

He bought a hefty stash of tokens at the counter.

Remembering how 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 anything you like? Want me to win one for you?"

Citrine's eyes lit up. "Sure."

They walked over to the machines together, and Citrine pointed out her favorite- a big plush fox.

Sebastian fed in a token, maneuvered the claw right above the largest fox, and hit the button with confidence.

Both of them watched, anticipation shining in their eyes, as the claw descended— only for the plushie to slip away at the last second.

"No worries, I must've missed the mark. Let's go again."

"Go on, I believe in you." Citrine encouraged him, noticing how determined he looked.

But the second try ended the same way-the prize slipped right out of the claw.

Truth was, this was Sebastian's first time at an arcade. He'd never played with these machines before, and he hadn't expected something that looked so easy to be so tricky in practice.

Embarrassing, really.