Chapter 165

The butler and servants, reacting instantly, quickly disappeared. Everyone in the household knew Sebastian and Stephanie were not related. If Sebastian intended to harm Stephanie, they were wise to feign ignorance; witnessing anything untoward might prove fatal. Soon, only Stephanie and Sebastian remained.

Stephanie blinked up at him, her heart pounding. She tried to pull away, but Sebastian held her firm. "What's with your neck?" he asked softly.

Stephanie's heart leaped again. "Uh… well… I got bitten by a bug last night," she stammered. If he could ask that, he clearly remembered nothing of the previous night. She recalled him pinning her against the sofa. Had she not struggled so fiercely, her neck wouldn't be marked.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Another bug?"

Stephanie nodded frantically. "Yes! Another bug!" What else could she say? She couldn't tell him he had been kissing her. He'd been gentle at times, but also brutal. She could still feel the sting of his bite on her lips.

Sebastian's fingers brushed her swollen lips. "This bug is impressive… it even managed to bite here."

Stephanie's face burned. Flustered, she nodded. "Yeah, it was really tough. I couldn't shake it off."

Sebastian tightened his grip. "You even tried to fight it off?"

"I did," Stephanie replied, though she hadn't dared to actually hit him. A single slap might have jolted him awake, creating an even bigger problem.

Sebastian chuckled. "I'll have the butler thoroughly 'debug' your room."

"Yes! And please, stop drinking when you go out." His stomach was already delicate, and besides, who would force him to drink so much? More importantly, drinking caused him to lose control and do things he couldn't remember.

Sebastian toyed with a strand of her hair. "What does my drinking have to do with your… condition?" Stephanie sensed a hidden meaning in his tone. Pulling away from his touch, she tried to rise, but his grip remained firm.

She whimpered, "Sebastian, let go of me!"

"You haven't explained the connection yet."

"There is no connection," Stephanie insisted. The connection was his drunkenness, his amnesia, and the potential for an unplanned pregnancy if he'd actually slept with her. The thought made her glare. "Just don't drink anymore, okay?"

Amused by her frustration, Sebastian pinched her cheek. Before they could continue, Elliot entered. Stephanie instinctively struggled, but Sebastian released her, murmuring, "Eat your breakfast like a good girl."

Elliot showed no surprise, as if accustomed to such scenes. Sebastian rose and headed toward the living room, followed by Elliot. "Fred wants to see you," Elliot said.

Fred was Chris's father. Unable to see Sebastian himself, Fred's anxiety had grown. The Hart family mine was depleted, making a new source crucial for the Ashfords. Fred's arrival was therefore unsurprising.