Chapter 19

Sebastian sipped his water. “Why is ‘Weston Crabapple’ your nickname?”

“No particular reason,” Eleanor explained. “Last year, I visited Weston City with some of Sandberg Group’s higher-ups to inspect a project. I stood under a crabapple tree while listening to one of them give a speech, and a journalist took a photo of me. The photo was released online as part of a news article on the inspection, and some netizens took notice. The photo spread, and I somehow went viral. Later, the netizens found my social media account, and I gained followers. They nicknamed me ‘Weston Crabapple.’”

“Since we’re now in the era of the internet, I figured it’d be good for my career if I built my reputation that way and used social media to my advantage. That’s why I’ve worked on it like it’s a side gig.”

Eleanor had inherited her parents’ sharp business instincts and always stayed ahead of the times. She was good at seizing opportunities, too.

Sebastian looked at her, taking in her delicate features and captivating beauty. His gaze darkened.

She didn’t notice as she ate her cake thoughtfully. She continued, “Still, I’m not a huge influencer or celebrity—paparazzi wouldn’t be following me around for no reason. Besides, it’s not like they don’t know who I am. Aren’t they afraid I’ll sue them for libel? And it only took a few hours to make the incident appear on the list of trending topics. That’s a bit far-fetched, isn’t it? Do you think someone orchestrated this to get at me?”

Sebastian’s eyes glinted darkly. He put down his glass of water, his indifferent tone taking on a hint of deadliness as he said, “That has to be the case.”

“Who could it be?” Eleanor already had a suspect in mind. “Brenda?”

Sebastian immediately said, “It can’t be her.”

Eleanor had only been throwing around guesses without really analyzing the matter, but Sebastian’s decisive denial made her feel indignant. She eyed him and sneered. “So defensive of your ‘ex-wife,’ huh?”

Did he have that much faith in Brenda’s character? Did he like her that much? Was he so reluctant to hear her name being besmirched?

She’d originally been enjoying the cake, but it now tasted pretty bland. She threw her spoon aside, no longer in the mood to eat.

Sebastian didn’t look too pleased. “What ex-wife?”

“Brenda,” Eleanor looked away. “She almost became your wife. Doesn’t that make her your ‘ex-wife’?”

Based on that logic, wouldn’t that make Maurice her “ex-husband”? Sebastian’s eyes darkened. The atmosphere instantly turned tense.

No one spoke for the next five minutes. Eleanor couldn’t stand being given the cold shoulder, so she kicked his knee under the table. “Say something.”

He looked at her. “Like what?”

“You haven’t forgotten the agreement we made on our wedding night, have you?” Eleanor enunciated. “We are husband and wife! You have to be on my side; I don’t care how much you like Brenda. You’re not allowed to help her backstab me, or I’ll castrate you!”

Sebastian snorted. “Could you bear to do that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

He grabbed Eleanor’s foot and looked down at it. She’d taken off her shoe, revealing her dainty toes. Her nails were a pale shade of pink. There wasn’t a spot on her body that wasn’t beautiful.

His gaze darkened as he said huskily, “Because you can’t bear to lose a man who can make you scream. Remember how you kept screaming my name last night?”

Eleanor’s face turned beet red. She cried in embarrassment, “Shut up, Sebastian!”