Reborn, I Refused the Man I Once Forced to Marry Chapter 11

Perhaps Sebastian and I had met before.

The car rolled steadily down the road. Sitting beside him, I couldn’t stop staring.

Sebastian had his eyes closed, resting, when the corners of his lips suddenly curled into a smile.

“Miss Evelyn, aren’t you afraid I’ll get the wrong idea if you keep looking at me like that?”

I quickly looked away and pressed my lips together.

“Have we met before?”

Sebastian opened his eyes. His pale green irises reflected my face.

“Have you remembered?”

I honestly shook my head.

Sebastian suddenly broke into a violent coughing fit.

“Don’t get so worked up!”

I hurriedly reached over to pour him some water.

But he caught my wrist and suddenly pulled me closer.

That familiar fragrance washed over me again.

Sebastian smiled faintly. Every word he spoke carried a hint of helplessness.

“Evelyn Hayes, are you trying to drive me to an early grave?”

Over the next few days, I stayed home to recover from my injuries and spent hours trying to remember.

No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t figure out where I’d met Sebastian.

The effort gave me a headache, so I decided to visit him and ask him directly.

But just as I reached the front door, I ran into my furious father.

He raised his hand to slap me.

“You idiot! How dare you try to murder the First Lady!”

I caught his wrist and frowned.

“Who told you another ridiculous rumor, dad?”

Victoria dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief and spoke through sobs.

“The Bennett family are already waiting outside! How could this possibly be a rumor? Adrian has been handling the Governor’s assignment lately! Are you trying to destroy this family?”

Only then did I learn that the First Lady had been unwell ever since the charity golf tournament.

A few days earlier, she’d suddenly broken out in a rash all over her body, then started vomiting blood and lost consciousness.

The Bennett family had been ordered to investigate.

When they learned that I’d given the First Lady my shawl during the match, they’d decided I was a major suspect and wanted to take me in for questioning.

As luck would have it, the person sent to arrest me was none other than Adrian Bennett, the Bennett family’s Underboss.

I stood at the entrance, looking down at Adrian, who was waiting on the steps with a gun in his hand.

His black uniform made him look stern and imposing. The wind lifted the hem of his coat as he looked at me, his lips pressing together.

“Miss Hayes, please come with us.”

I didn’t move.

“I’m willing to cooperate with the investigation, but I’m not going to a private detention facility.”

“According to alliance regulations, anyone involved in a case must undergo formal questioning.”

Adrian paused, then softened his voice.

“Don’t worry. With me here, they won’t dare lay a hand on you.”

The investigators standing behind him exchanged stunned looks, clearly wanting to say something but holding back.

I let out a cold laugh.

“And what if I refuse?”

Whether in my previous life or this one, Adrian had never understood what I actually wanted.

I couldn’t tell whether he was genuinely naive or deliberately pretending not to understand.

He could certainly guarantee that I wouldn’t be physically tortured. But if I were suddenly taken to a private detention facility under these circumstances, the rumors outside would tear me apart long before I ever got out.

“Why would you refuse? I know you’re innocent. But if we don’t investigate this properly and follow the regulations, who will believe you?”

Adrian’s brows drew together.

“Once this gets out of hand, nobody will be able to protect you.”

Before I could respond, a warm, amused voice came from nearby.

“Naturally, a fiancé should protect his own fiancée. There’s no need for Mr. Bennett to concern himself.”

Sebastian had arrived at some point.

Although walking was difficult for him, he never seemed to rush.

As I watched him approach, a sudden wave of grievance washed over me. My voice even came out a little choked.

“Sebastian.”

“Yes, I’m here.”

He gently brushed the tears from the corners of my eyes with his fingertips. His voice was so tender that I immediately felt safe.

But when he turned toward the investigators behind him, all warmth vanished from his eyes.

“I’m here today. Nobody is taking my fiancée anywhere.”

“Mr. Sterling, I’d advise you not to overestimate yourself.”

Adrian watched the way Sebastian and I stood so close together. His jaw tightened, and his expression turned icy.

“Anyone who obstructs this investigation will be considered an accomplice.”

“I’m naturally far more familiar with these regulations than you are.”

Sebastian produced a black badge.

It bore the Council’s double-wing insignia, with a line of text engraved beneath it.

Sebastian Sterling, Head of the Council Security Division.

Everyone froze.

They’d almost forgotten that the position of Head of the Council Security Division had remained vacant for years.

It wasn’t because the alliance lacked qualified candidates.

The Council had simply been waiting for Sebastian to return.

Five years ago, young Sebastian had been even more brilliant than Adrian.

At twelve, he’d infiltrated an enemy family’s stronghold all by himself, striking so much fear into their hearts that his name alone was enough to make them tremble.

At thirteen, he’d led hundreds of men against a much larger force, planting the Sterling family flag on the territory that had once belonged to the most powerful family in the city.

The older generation had called him a once-in-a-generation genius. The family elders had awarded him their highest honor, put him in charge of the family’s most important operations, and entrusted him with leadership of the Council Security Division.

He’d become a legend while still a boy.

Then an accident changed everything.

He’d fallen seriously ill, suffered lasting damage to his health, and been left with a permanent disability in his leg.

He voluntarily withdrew from frontline operations. Although the elders were reluctant to let him go, they eventually had no choice but to agree that he would no longer participate in outside operations.

From then on, he kept to himself and rarely appeared in public.

A once-brilliant star had quietly faded from the stage.