Move In With Me

"Owchh! I totally forgot about you," Victoria muttered to herself upon remembering she was in the second day of well… Mr. Red's visitation..

(Author: Ehem! (Clears her throat))

She carefully packed the warm soup into a thermos, ensuring that every last drop was secured within the metal container. Washing her hands in the sink, she reached for a nearby towel and slowly dried them off. Then, she left the kitchen, on her way to her room to change.

Suddenly, she stumbled upon Sebastian sitting elegantly, with his legs crossed on her bed. She was surprised, wondering how he was still there when she was certain Adrian had sent him away.

"Don't think too much about it, my lady," Sebastian said with a smirk, clearly amused by her reaction.

He looked around the room, studying its contents. "It's a cozy little space, but it suits you well," he added. "You're the very picture of modesty and simplicity."

Clearing her throat, Victoria spoke up. "What are you still doing here, Sebastian? I thought my brother had sent you away. And where is Adrian?" she asked, holding her arm across her chest, feeling slightly self-conscious under his scrutiny.

She was determined to remain calm and collected, even in the face of his enigmatic presence.

Sebastian arched an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "You're asking me where your brother is? How rich," he said, with an edge of humor in his voice.

Victoria couldn't help but roll her eyes. This was classic Sebastian - charming and troublemaking, all at once.

Taking out her phone, she dialed her brother's number. He picked up almost immediately, and she didn't waste any time. "Adrian, where are you?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

While talking on the phone with her brother, Sebastian was busy examining the contents of her room, paying no attention to her. But she couldn't help but look at him out of the corner of her eye, intrigued by his actions. He seemed so absorbed in his own thoughts, oblivious to her presence.

Part of her wished that the man standing in her room wasn't already married. If he wasn't, would she be more open to pursuing something with him?

But then again, she knew that was unrealistic. Even if he wasn't married, they were from different worlds.

And yet, a small part of her wondered if he asked her out right then and there, would she say yes? Would she really be willing to give in to her emotions, even if it meant risking her reputation and status?

She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Are you a chameleon?" Sebastian suddenly asked, catching her off guard.

"Of course not," she answered, her tone a little more snappy than she intended.

"That's good. You wouldn't want your head to fall off from all that shaking," he teased. "No thought is worth all that stress, anyway."

"Hmph!" Victoria said, making a face, which only seemed to make Sebastian laugh harder. She wanted to be annoyed with him, but she couldn't deny that his laughter was infectious.

But just as she was starting to relax, she felt her stomach turn and a knot curl in her system. Panic started to set in as she realized what it meant. She had to get him out of here as soon as possible.

"Ouch!" Sebastian suddenly said, doubling over and holding his stomach. "It feels like a battle is going on in there," he moaned, frowning deeply.

Victoria's eyes widened in alarm. She could tell that he knew what it meant, but she was still surprised by his reaction. Then he asked, with a nervous quaver in his voice, "Is it still...that red stuff? Ehem! I mean that 'Man In Red' stuff?"

Victoria blushed as she looked down, embarrassed by the way he phrased the question. Before she could respond, he spoke again. "Why don't you move in with me?" he asked, his voice soft and sincere.

Victoria's eyes widened in shock and her face turned red at the unexpected suggestion. She was at a loss for words, her mind racing as she tried to process what he had just said. She couldn't decide if she was more surprised or embarrassed.

"Don't misunderstand me, Victoria," Sebastian said, his tone now sharp and cold. "We're enemies, and I'm not asking you - I'm telling you to move in with me. Not because I care, but because when you're injured, I feel the pain. And that's irritating."

With those harsh words, he turned on his heel and left the room, leaving her alone in a cloud of tense silence.

(Author: What was that?)

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Later that evening, Victoria met up with Myra at a restaurant, they had a lot to catch up on. Myra listened in disbelief as Victoria told her what had happened with Sebastian earlier that day.

"Wait, what?!" Myra exclaimed in surprise. "You're not saying you're moving in with him, are you?" She was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

"Calm down, Myra!" Victoria said, rolling her eyes. "I'm only going to be staying with him for a few days. Nothing much."

"How is that not a big deal, Vicky?" Myra asked, still struggling to believe what she was hearing. She was clearly thrilled by the news, but she was trying to play it cool. "He's your ex-boyfriend. And besides, I'm dying to meet him!"

"I told you we had to keep our relationship a secret before because he was a public figure, right?" Victoria said, sipping her tea through a straw.

"Yeah. Who is he?" Myra asked, her attention and eagerness peaked.

"Sebastian Quinn."

...

NEXT DAY

"Madam, please tell me what I can do to make you happy!" Buck pleaded, his voice quivering with fear. "If Mr. Sebastian finds out that you've been crying, he'll kill me!"

Buck was truly terrified.

Sebastian and Victoria had agreed that she would stay with him for four days. Though reluctant at first, she had finally accepted because of Mr. Red. According to Sebastian, having her close by was the only thing that could ease his mind.

After spending time with Myra, Victoria discovered a shocking truth. Myra's sister, who had just returned to town with her daughter, was none other than Sebastian's wife. Myra was furious, and she told Victoria that she didn't want anything to do with her anymore.

Myra wouldn't answer her calls or respond to her messages, no matter how many times Victoria tried to reach out. She felt so hurt and abandoned, like a ghost haunting the empty halls of the house.

Sebastian had been absent from the house ever since Victoria's arrival. Maybe he was avoiding her, she thought. He had left her in the care of Buck, one of his trusted servants, instead.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and yelled out, "It's all that fool's fault! If he wasn't such a cheater, none of this would have happened!"

"Ma'am, who are you talking about?" Buck asked, his voice sounding serious but his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Should I go and kill them for you?"

Victoria couldn't help but laugh, despite her frustration. If only Buck knew that the person she was referring to was none other than his employer, the man who paid his wages! Could he kill his Boss?

A devious idea began to form in Victoria's mind, and a metaphorical lightbulb lit up above her head. Sniffling, she wiped away her tears and turned to face Buck.

"Buck," she began.

"Yes, ma'am?" he responded.

"I need some ice cream to help me feel better," she said with a mischievous grin.

Well, here's the logic. Ice cream doesn't quite go well with the Man In Red.

(FEW MOMENTS LATER AT SEBASTIAN'S CONFERENCE ROOM)

"Here's all the work we've completed this week, sir," the employee said, handing Sebastian the paperwork.

As Sebastian reached out to accept it, he suddenly felt a knot in his stomach. "Ow!" he exclaimed, doubling over in pain.

He leapt out of his chair, clutching his stomach with one hand and grabbing his butt with the other. He raced out of the conference room, his face contorted with pain and his movements making quite a scene.

Sebastian burst into his office, where he found Connor hard at work. Before he could get a word out, he moaned over in pain.

"Conn... AHH!" he moaned, struggling to speak through the agony as he grabbed unto his butt. "I need... I need..." he managed to croak out.

"Are you alright?" Connor asked, a note of concern creeping into his voice. "What's wrong? What's going on?" His expression turned worried as he watched Sebastian's erratic behavior.

"My stomach feels like it's about to explode!" Sebastian managed to get out, his words coming out jumbled and incoherent.

He gave up on trying to explain and instead just yelled, "Victoria!!!!!" at the top of his lungs.