Chapter 42

Back in the office, Abigail suddenly remembered that she still hadn’t properly thanked Sebastian. She sent him a message, and his reply came quickly: "Just a thank you?"

Abigail was confused, her mind racing. Does he think a simple “thank you” is insincere? That’s fair. He went all the way to Fletcher Group for me. A verbal thank-you might really be too little.

She sent a text again: "When are you free, Mr. Robinson? Let me treat you to dinner."

After sending the message, she set her phone aside and turned her attention to her inbox.

“Abigail? I thought you took the day off?” Timothy walked into the office, visibly surprised to see her.

Abigail realized what she had forgotten: she forgot to cancel her leave. Only when Timothy asked her did she remember that.

“Mr. Newman, I finished my thing, so I came back to work,” she explained.

Timothy said in surprise, “That was fast. No need to take a full day off. You just came in late. We won’t count it as leave.”

“Oh, thank you, Mr. Newman,” Abigail said.

Timothy waved her off. “It’s nothing. Just focus on your work.” With that, he left the room.

Abigail sat back down and checked her phone again. Sebastian had already responded to her: "Tonight."

Tonight? Treating the big boss to dinner? Obviously, a regular restaurant won’t do, she thought.

Then she picked a suitable restaurant and sent the address with a message: "Let’s meet here after work."

In the CEO’s office, Jeremiah nervously finished his report. He glanced at Sebastian and noticed something rare–Sebastian was smiling. It was subtle, but Jeremiah was certain that he was smiling.

“Jeremiah,” Sebastian’s tone carried a rare trace of lightness. “We’re off on time today.”

The sudden call of his name startled Jeremiah. When the words registered, his eyes widened in disbelief. He almost blurted out, “Are you serious, Mr. Robinson?”

Instead, he responded, “Yes, Mr. Robinson, I’ll inform everyone.”

He sneaked another glance at Sebastian, who was looking down at his phone, his voice now back to neutral. “Mim.”

Relieved, Jeremiah headed out to make the arrangements, barely suppressing his excitement.

“Finally! A normal workday. I’ve been working so much overtime that I’m about to go bald,” Jeremiah thought.

After work, Abigail joined the flow of employees leaving the building. The Uber she called was already waiting and once seated, she messaged Sebastian: "I’m on the way. How about you?"

It was a soft probe, but his reply came quickly: "Just about to leave."

Reassured, she didn’t send anything more—she didn’t want to seem like she was rushing him.

At the same time, Jeremiah returned to the office with documents and saw Sebastian standing, clearly getting ready to leave.

He checked the time and noticed it was the end of the workday.

“Mr. Robinson actually meant it," Jeremiah wondered, a bit surprised. He then asked in a light tone, "Mr. Robinson, where are you going? Shall I get you a ride?"

Sebastian replied, “No need. Just go home. I’ve already asked the driver to come pick me up."

Hearing that, Jeremiah let out a breath of relief. “Got it, Mr. Robinson.”

Jeremiah could barely hide his grin. Sebastian shot him a glance and then left.

Inside the private room, the atmosphere was particularly quiet. Abigail glanced up, watching Sebastian as he studied the menu. Though half his face was hidden behind the mask, his well-defined jaw and lips made it clear that his features were striking.

“Just the stuff on this page,” Sebastian finally said, breaking the silence.

His voice snapped Abigail out of her daze. Quickly standing up, she said, “I’ll get the waiter to take the order.”

She stepped out in a bit of a fluster, taking a deep breath outside the room to calm her racing heart.

When she returned with the waiter, Sebastian was gazing out the window. He turned around when he heard the door open, and their eyes met. At that moment, Abigail was struck by a deep sense of familiarity.

Maybe it’s because he’s Clark’s brother, she told herself. Their eyes are really similar.

Once the food was ordered, the room fell silent again. They weren’t close. Abigail wasn’t a talkative person, and Sebastian clearly wasn’t either. Luckily, the restaurant served food pretty fast. Amid the awkward silence, Abigail finally said, “Mr. Robinson, please enjoy the food.”

The entire meal was accompanied only by the soft clinking of cutlery. Abigail silently regretted everything, thinking, If I’d known it would be this awkward, I wouldn’t have offered dinner.

When the last bite was done, she felt a sense of relief and suggested, “It’s getting late, Mr. Robinson. Shall we go?”

Sebastian lifted his gaze and said in his usual neutral voice, but Abigail thought she caught a hint of disappointment in his tone. “You don’t feel like staying with me, huh?”

Abigail looked at him, stunned. He was already standing, not waiting for her answer. Seeing her expression, he urged, “Aren’t you coming?”

Abigail was a little speechless, and she thought, Did I imagine that?

She nodded and replied, “You can leave first. There’s a lot of food left, I’ll ask them to pack it." Her tone was natural. After speaking, she called the waiter to pack the leftovers.

Once the waiter finished packing, she headed downstairs to settle the bill. She noticed Sebastian had already left. She mumbled to herself, Funny. He even said I don’t feel like staying with him. Seems he is eager to leave.