Chapter 16

Sebastian didn’t answer the phone. Eleanor was about to call him again when she remembered him mentioning the night before that he’d be having a video conference at the hotel that morning. He was probably in the middle of it. She put her phone away and strode into the elevator, then headed downstairs and left the company. On her way out, she heard employees whispering about her. Eleanor didn’t even flinch. She got into her car and headed to Starbright Hotel. She’d actually wondered about the penthouse suite at the hotel when Sebastian had taken her there the first time.

Starbright Hotel was the tallest building on Peace Avenue—its geographical location was enough to showcase its opulence and renown. Even a regular suite cost six figures per night, let alone the penthouse suite. Where would Sebastian have gotten the money to afford it? Besides, she was also aware that the suite wasn’t open to the public. In her past life, she’d wanted to find the highest point possible to look up at her parents in heaven after she’d emerged triumphant from her battle with Philip and his family. After searching around, she’d gone to Starbright Hotel. However, she’d been informed that the penthouse suite wasn’t open to the public. Even she’d been rejected, yet Sebastian had easily made his way up there. However, she’d later told herself that there were slight differences in this life compared to her last—perhaps Starbright Hotel’s penthouse suite was open to the public in this life.

No matter how much of a sad sprout Sebastian was, he was still the Porter family’s adoptive son in the public’s eye. He wouldn’t be so broke that he couldn’t afford to stay at a good hotel. That was why Eleanor hadn’t delved deeper. That was just how she was. She couldn’t be bothered to expend energy on people or things she didn’t care about. However, Philip had just told her that the penthouse suite was reserved for Ransom Finance’s scion. Didn’t that mean Sebastian was…

Eleanor tightened her grip on the steering wheel and frowned. When she arrived at Starbright Hotel, she wanted to head straight to the top floor but thought of something and doubled back. She headed to the front desk with a smile and said, “Hi, I’m a customer from the penthouse suite.” The receptionist recognized her. “Good day, Ms. Sandberg. Is there anything you need?” Eleanor’s smile widened. “I wanted to ask how many penthouse suites you have here. I have an important client coming to Jorstone City from out of town, and I wanted to reserve one for him. How much does it cost for a night’s stay?”

She sounded so natural that the receptionist didn’t suspect anything. She answered, “I’m sorry, Ms. Sandberg, but we only have one penthouse suite. It’s not open to the public. You can check out our presidential suite, though. It’s the room type most business travelers opt for, and many people who came to attend the international expo stayed there. We have rave reviews of the room.” Eleanor acted like the realization had just dawned on her. She asked, “How did I get up there if it’s not open to the public?” A trace of awkwardness flickered in the receptionist’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Ms. Sandberg, but I’m not too sure about that. I might need to ask our general manager to speak to you if you need an answer.” Eleanor made a mental note of that. “No, it’s fine. I was just asking.”

She only wanted to verify that the penthouse suite wasn’t open to the public. Now, it seemed it was true. She left the front desk and took the elevator up to the top floor, playing with the pure gold key card that Sebastian had given her that morning. He’d told her to come over after work so he could take her out for dinner. Eleanor entered the suite with a swipe of the key card. As soon as she stepped inside, she heard an unfamiliar male voice ring out in a language she wasn’t familiar with.

“I don’t want to nag, but do you have to put yourself through such trouble? You can just go grab the thing from the Porter residence. They won’t dare say a word.” Then, another man spoke—Eleanor recognized Sebastian’s voice. “You don’t get it. Just drop the subject.” Was that…Criptonese? Eleanor could understand a little bit of it. Sebastian sounded better when he spoke in Criptonese than in Dalean, and he also spoke it fluently and naturally. He didn’t sound out of place—it was almost as though it were his mother tongue.

Eleanor strode past the foyer to find him seated on the couch. He sensed her presence and looked up, slightly taken aback when he saw her. He asked, “What are you doing here at this hour?” The other man seated on the couch turned to look at her. Her gaze traveled between him and Sebastian. “Neft something here… Is this your friend?” Sebastian said, “Yeah. His name is Jonathan Lawson.” Lawson? Eleanor blurted, “From the Lawson family that’s linked to Ransom Finance?” “The one and only,” Jonathan said amicably. “Do you know me?”

Eleanor felt like she got it now… Jonathan appraised her, his gaze filled with the admiration one felt when looking at something beautiful. There wasn’t anything predatory about it. “Aren’t you going to introduce us, Sebastian?” Sebastian didn’t know when Eleanor had heard about Jonathan. His expression turned a little frosty when he saw her staring at Jonathan, and he got up and headed to her. He held her hand and said, “This is Eleanor Sandberg, my wife.” He emphasized “wife.” Eleanor looked at him and noticed the stormy look in his eyes. What was up with him now? The realization dawned on Jonathan. “Oh, you’re the heiress of the Sandberg family that Sebastian married.”

Eleanor raised an eyebrow. Had Sebastian brought her up to his friends? Jonathan gave Sebastian a meaningful look. “I would’ve been confused if you hadn’t mentioned anything, but I get it now. She’s the reason you’re staying in Jorstone City, right? You—” Sebastian shot him an icy look, and Jonathan immediately fell silent, miming zipping his lips shut. Eleanor laughed. She asked tentatively, “Mr. Lawson, you’re from Wavenport City, right? How do you and Sebastian know each other?”

“Yeah, that’s where I’m from. Don’t you know that Sebastian went to college in Wavenport City? We’re college mates. I came to Jorstone City for work, so I took the opportunity to catch up with him. But you can see what he’s like, right? Look at how nasty he is to me. He doesn’t care about our friendship,” Jonathan said. Sebastian could sense Eleanor was interested in Jonathan, and his gaze darkened. He said coolly, “You’ve done what you came to do, so leave if there’s nothing else.” Jonathan pretended to be hurt by his iciness. He refused to leave. “This hotel is mine. What makes you think you can make me leave? I’m not going anywhere.”

Eleanor picked up on that. “Starbright Hotel belongs to you?” He said, “Yeah. I’m a shareholder.”

Chapter 16

Sebastian snorted. Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t I?” Sebastian ignored him and focused on Eleanor. What exactly was it about Jonathan that piqued her interest? She bit her nail, finally piecing everything together. This was probably what had happened—the rumor about Ransom Finance’s scion coming to Jorstone City and staying at Starbright Hotel’s penthouse suite was false. In truth, Jonathan, who was linked to Ransom Finance, was in town and occupying the suite. He’d lent it to Sebastian. That explanation made so much more sense than Sebastian being Ransom Finance’s scion. Ultimately, it all boiled down to people being mistakenly confident that Ransom Finance’s scion was in Jorstone City when they didn’t even know who he was. The rumors had somehow taken such a wrong turn. Eleanor couldn’t help laughing at herself for thinking Sebastian was Ransom Finance’s scion. It was such a ridiculous idea.