"Hey, Em. Tell me… how long does it usually take for a bruise like that to heal?"
I froze.
He smirked. "You've got experience, don't you? I'm curious." His eyes locked onto mine.
I clenched my jaw.
"What do you mean? I don't understand what you're saying," I replied, trying to sound calm, though my palms were sweating nonstop.
But to my surprise, Sebastian just kept smiling, tilting his head slightly.
"Uh… maybe a week or so," I finally answered.
Then I immediately groaned inwardly.
Nice, Val. Great job. Why the hell did you actually answer that?
Sebastian chuckled. "Right. Must be nothing new for The Viper."
His gaze lingered on me.
My heart skipped. What? How much does he know?
"Uh, I—no–I mean…" I stammered, completely cornered.
Sebastian leaned closer, whispering, "It's okay, Em. Your secret's safe with me."
I stared at him, confused. Seriously, how much does this guy know?
"Uh, Sebas—" I started, but a staff member suddenly rushed toward us.
"Sebastian, I need you in the office right now," the employee said quickly, barely noticing me.
"Something urgent?" I asked as Sebastian turned back to me.
He nodded. "Yeah, I think so. Let's talk later."
And just like that, he left me standing by the restroom, still dazed.
I bit my finger. This is so not part of the plan.
Pulling out my phone, I called Juno.
"Hey, Val, what's wrong?" Juno picked up almost instantly.
"Jun, it's Code Red."
Silence fell for a second before Juno replied, "Fuck. What's going on? Are you alone right now?"
"Yes. Uh… Sebastian, you remember him, right? He saw me and
Mara fighting at the ring last night. And he knows my alias…"
I glanced around to make sure no one was nearby. "...The Viper."
"What?! How much does he know? No, wait, start from the top," Juno said sharply.
I slipped out to the rooftop, the usual smoking spot where I could breathe a little.
I told Juno everything from the beginning until we came to the same conclusion.
"Okay, I'll ask him to talk tonight. Thanks, Jun. Don't forget to tell Max what happened," I said.
The sky was already dimming when I started packing my things.
Usually, I leave after Leo does unless he's working late, but this time, I had to catch Sebastian before he left.
Unfortunately, just as I was about to go, Leo walked out of his office with a half-empty cup of coffee.
I froze. For no reason at all, it felt like I'd just been caught doing something wrong.
Leo stopped in front of his door, looking puzzled.
"Mr. Leo, I…" I started weakly.
"Are you heading to your blind date?" he interrupted.
I nodded quickly. Whatever. Blind date, fine. I just needed to get out of this building.
Leo glanced at me from head to toe, then simply said, "Okay," before heading toward the pantry.
For some reason, I felt a little guilty leaving before him. I mean he's still my boss, after all.
I sighed, adjusted my bag, and hurried to the elevator.
Ten minutes later, Sebastian finally walked out. He spotted me immediately.
"Hey, Em. Are you waiting for me?" he asked with a smirk.
I nodded.
His smirk faded. "Oh… you actually waited for me?"
"Yeah, I feel like there's a lot I want to ask you," I said, trying to sound calm even though my fingers kept fidgeting with my tote bag strap.
Sebastian looked at me for a moment, then smiled. "Alright. Let's hit that ramen place nearby. I've been wanting to try it but didn't want to go alone."
I nodded again.
"This counts as a date, huh?" Sebastian teased, trying to lighten the tension.
I nudged him playfully and laughed.
Calm down, Val. You've got this. Just keep smiling and act normal.
The ramen place was only ten minutes away by car. As soon as we stepped inside, the smell hit me, rich, warm, and impossible to ignore.
My stomach growled. Loud enough that Sebastian turned and glanced at me.
We both burst into laughter, though I could feel my cheeks heating up.
And that's what I liked about Sebastian. He was warm, easygoing, the kind of person who made people comfortable.
I wish he'd never come to the Slither Ring and seen all my secrets.
We ordered, ate, and chatted casually between bites.
God, I really wished we could stay like this longer.
Too bad by the end of tonight, one of us wouldn't be smiling anymore.
~~~~~
Leonardo's POV
Blind date? Really?
Our wedding is in a week, and she's going on a date?
I sighed, eyes fixed on the coffee machine in the pantry.
"What am I even doing here? I have a freaking coffee machine in my office."
A dry laugh slipped from my throat. "I'm such a coward…" I muttered under my breath.
Moments later, two female employees stepped into the pantry, freezing the second they saw me.
"Uh…we're really sorry, Mr. Leo. We didn't know you were here. Please, take the room," one of them said quickly, eyes glued to the floor.
There it was again, the same reaction I always got.
No one ever looked me in the eye.
No one… except Emily.
I cleared my throat. "No, go ahead. I was just leaving."
I brushed past them and walked back toward my office.
Her desk was empty.
Usually, she'd still be there whenever I left.
God, this is driving me insane.
There's something about Emily I just can't get out of my head.
Back in my office, I quickly gathered my documents, grabbed my bag, and headed for the parking lot.
The streets that night weren't too crowded, just calm enough for me to notice something that stopped me cold.
Emily and Sebastian.
Laughing. Talking. Eating… ramen.
Wait. Is that the same ramen place Sebastian's been nagging me to try?
Holy fuck.
I was so distracted I didn't notice the car in front of me moving again.
The cars behind me honked aggressively, jolting me back to reality. I pulled over a few meters ahead, close enough to still see them.
So this is the blind date he was talking about?
No wonder Sebastian's been acting all flirty today.
Then my gaze followed his hand…
Sebastian's hand, closing over Emily's. And something inside me snapped.
~~~~~
Valerie's POV
"You know, Leo might look terrifying, but he's actually a little kitten," Sebastian said after we finished our bowls of ramen.
"I can't believe that man is a little kitten," I laughed.
Sebastian pointed at me, grinning, and pulled out his phone. "Hold up, you have to see this."
He showed me a video of Leo wiping his tears, nose bright red like a clown, and his ears flushed cherry pink.
"What… what's wrong with him?" I asked, blinking in disbelief.
Sebastian burst out laughing. "Believe it or not, that's Leo when he's drunk. He's a total lightweight. The moment alcohol hits him, he starts watching cat videos and cries over them for hours, until he passes out!"
"No way!" I said, half laughing, half horrified.
"You should try getting him drunk after the wedding," Sebastian teased.
I chuckled, shaking my head.
He set his phone on the table and took my hand. "I know why you wanted to talk in person."
My chest tightened. I wasn't ready.
"Relax, Em. Your secret's safe with me, as long as you keep my… preferences quiet from Leo or anyone else," he added smoothly.
"Uh, are you really okay with what you saw… at the Slither Ring?" I asked carefully.
Sebastian nodded.
"You know, I haven't been completely honest since I started working at Rhys Tech. I—" I hesitated, unsure how to even begin explaining my motive.
This was part of my plan with Juno. I'd try to explain just enough to see if Sebastian could help me with my father's case. If he turned out to be a threat, then Juno and Max would take care of it.
"Em, easy," Sebastian interrupted, his tone warm. "Everyone's got their thing. If boxing's your hobby and you don't want people to know, that's fine."
…Huh?
"Yeah, I was honestly shocked when I saw you there. My first impression of you was totally the opposite of what I saw in the ring. Your eyes…they were blazing. You looked incredible, Em."
I just stared at him. I still couldn't tell if he was being genuine or just playing with me.
"I mean it," he said, chuckling. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. Honestly, you're kind of my role model now."
"Uh… okay, sure. Thanks, Seb," I said, forcing a polite smile.
We ended up ordering dessert, the tension finally starting to fade, until Sebastian suddenly asked, "Oh, right. You're okay, though? I mean… fighting in the ring while you're pregnant? Is your baby safe?"