The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Sebastian landed heavily on the mattress, letting out a muffled groan.

In that instant, their lips collided.

Time seemed to freeze.

In the darkness, they were so close that Citrine could feel his warm breath tracing along her ear.

Her eyes flew wide, her mind wiped completely blank.

Sebastian was even more stunned, frozen in place. They were pressed tightly together, and as he registered the softness of her lips, his heart pounded wildly, his breathing turning rapid and uneven.

He drew a shaky breath before letting out a low, awkward laugh, his voice soft and gentle. "Are you just going to lie here all night?"

"Your hand-" Citrine turned her face away in a hurry.

Only then did Sebastian realize where his hand was firmly gripping her slender waist. He immediately let go, stammering, "Sorry, I didn't mean—"

If it weren't so dark, she would have seen the tips of his ears burning scarlet.

Slowly, Citrine pushed herself off his chest, about to get up, but her knee brushed against something. She pressed her lips together, instantly realizing what it was. Her cheeks flamed.

Sebastian let out another stifled groan, his voice low and husky. "Easy... try not to move so much."

"Sorry," she whispered, swallowing hard, mortified by what she'd just done. She hardly dared to breathe, much less move again.

Sebastian sat up, gathering her gently and setting her beside him.

He'd thought maybe the sudden rush of heat between them would fade once they calmed down, but instead, the memory of that accidental kiss only made his heart race faster.

Citrine looked calm on the outside, but inside, her heart was an uncontrollable thunder.

She wanted to hold herself together, but this time, she simply couldn't.

Silence stretched between them in the dark, drawing out the awkward tension. Finally, Citrine broke it.

"My phone... Let me see if I can find it."

Sebastian quickly fumbled through his bag and pulled out his phone.

"Great, mine's dead too."

Citrine pressed her lips together. "Well, looks like we'll have to make do for the night."

"It's late anyway. We should try to get some sleep." She flipped back the covers and climbed into bed first.

Sebastiandingered at the edge of the

mattress.

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She couldn't see him, and moment, there

, no movement from 918

his side.

She thought maybe he was embarrassed, so after a pause, she lifted the other

side of the blanket. "Come on, it's late. Just lie down."

Sebastian's heart gave a little jolt, but in the end, he got in beside her.

Lying side by side in the darkness, he suddenly spoke up. "Citrine, when we get back, I'm resigning from CICI Group."

She stiffened. "Why?" Before, she'd urged him to leave, but he'd refused. Now, suddenly, he was the one bringing it up.

She'd always known he'd leave

sooner or later, but she hadn't

expected it to be so soon. The

realization stirred something bittersweet inside her.

Sebastian smiled, playing it off. "If you get too close to the moon, it's easy to start thinking you can touch the light."

He knew she had at least a little affection for him. He said it half in hope, half in challenge he wanted to see how she'd respond.

Citrine didn't answer right away.

She'd always understood how he felt about her, and she'd used that affection more than once.

But what did he mean by this?

Was he saying he didn't want to love her anymore?

Her brow furrowed, and for the first time, she realized that his words left a strange ache in her

chest-something she couldn't quite name, but it wasn't pleasant at all.