Sebastian's Devious Trick

DING. DONG. DING. DONG.

Irene groaned harshly as she heard her apartment bell ringing without stopping. She massaged her forehead, which felt sore after trying to create a new jewelry design all night.

Countless drawing papers were scattered on the table. Some of the papers looked crumpled as Irene kept crumpling them whenever she was not satisfied with the design.

She narrowed her eyes and looked at the clock on her phone.

5.45 AM

It was a fucking five in the morning, and someone was already ringing her bell!

Irene's fucked-up mood was only getting worse. She even thought about kicking the person who was already ringing her bell so impatiently.

Could it be someone Sebastian had sent to pick her up?

But why did he have to pick her up before the sun had even risen?

DING. DONG. DING. DONG.

Irene clicked her tongue. She swore a few times while picking up the paper stuck to her cheek. After gathering her consciousness, she walked toward the intercom before opening the door.

While holding her head, she clicked the smart intercom to see the person who had pressed the bell repeatedly. "Who—"

Irene closed her mouth tightly and opened her eyes widely as she noticed many people standing in front of her apartment's door. Most of them were carrying large cameras on their shoulders.

Question after question bombarded her as soon as the reporters knew Irene had turned on her intercom.

"Miss Irene, are you the sister of Miss Catelyn Russell?"

"Is the news true?"

"You claim yourself to be more talented than your sister. Can you prove it?"

"Miss Irene, please open the door. I would like to hear the story of your sisterhood with Miss Catelyn Russell."

What kind of nonsense was this?!

Irene turned off her intercom reflexively, then hurriedly looked at the hot topic news on her phone. An article that became a hot topic appeared in the top column. Her hand shook, and she gritted her teeth because she couldn't accept her name appearing in the news without her knowledge.

HOT NEWS: Catelyn Russell's Step Sister Wants to Steal Her Sister Fame.

What the Hell was that?! Irene didn't even say anything to the reporters!

She scrolled through the news and saw an anonymous person who claimed to have heard Irene blatantly say that she was more talented than Catelyn. Because of that statement, many reporters were trying to dig up her information, even looking for her personal data.

Irene kicked the sofa in front of her because she couldn't contain the anger in her heart. Over the years, she had tried to avoid public attention because she didn't want to become the center of public attention due to family scandals or gossip.

However, her efforts came to naught in one night as an anonymous scoundrel created a fake news story about her. But how was it possible for an anonymous person to make her name a trending topic?

No. It was possible if an influential person asked the media to heat up the topic about her.

He hurriedly looked for Sebastian's business card that Amber had given her, then called that number as soon as possible. Within a second, her call was immediately connected to an asshole who loved to use that sneaky trick.

"What have you done, Mr. Delacroix?" Irene bit her thumb, her feet pacing the apartment as she stared at the door.

"I don't understand your question," Sebastian spoke calmly, but Irene could hear the mockery in his tone. "I just saw the news, and your name has become a hot topic overnight."

"Stop pretending you know nothing. I know you're the one who put those fucking news about me. You're also the one who told the fucking reporters my address, so I had no choice but to move into your house if I wanted to live a quiet life," Irene guessed.

Irene could hear the sound of the coffee machine from Sebastian's place. She grunted at the fact that he could enjoy his morning leisurely while she suffered headaches from the terror of the reporters in front of her apartment.

"Be careful with your words, Miss Russell. You shouldn't accuse people carelessly." He sipped his coffee once and said, "It might be just a coincidence."

"I don't believe you."

"But I do believe in myself."

Oh fuck that narcissistic behavior.

Irene thought Sebastian would have a cold and scary personality when they met for the first time. However, it turned out he had a worse personality than that.

"Just be honest with me. Is living in my house that bad?" asked Sebastian.

"No, it's not about the house, but you, Mr. Delacroix." Irene continued, "Like I said, I can't live with a stranger."

"Oh, you hurt my feelings. We've talked for two days, but you still consider me a stranger." Sebastian chuckled. "But it's fine by me because you're the one who is helpless here. Catelyn Russell's name is rising because of her stolen designs, so I'm sure the reporters won't leave you for another month."

Irene also knew that, so she always tried to hide her family's identity and never invited strangers to her apartment. If her name had already appeared in the media spotlight, Irene could only surrender and live in terror of the reporters.

She didn't expect Sebastian would do such a nasty thing to get her to move into his house.

"Mr. Delacroix, won't my bad image will also affect you after we get married?"

Sebastian, "News in the media will eventually fade and facts can be filled with lies as long as the media is within my grasp, so why should I worry about such a trivial thing? However, why are you accusing me of being—"

Irene cut him off, "But I can't live in peace at this rate! I might not be able to develop new jewelry designs if those reporters keep banging on my door."

"You still have a choice, Miss Russell," Sebastian said meaningfully.

Irene flopped onto the sofa and leaned her head back. "Those reporters might follow me if they find out I'm moving house."

"You don't need to take anything with you, so no one will know you moved out," he reassured her. "I will prepare new clothes and new things for you. However, if you still want to take your old things, I will have someone else bring them to you."

Irene closed her eyes, thinking for a few moments. Sebastian's offer had not harmed her so far, so she should be fine if she accepted it.

"We're just strangers, but why do you insist on bringing me to your house?"

Sebastian, "We're not strangers, Miss Russell. At least I know you're someone I can trust."