Victoria With Another Man

Sebastian pulled his car up in front of the school. He got out and opened the back door, revealing his daughter, Sage. She sat there, her head bowed, wearing her school uniform.

"Come on, we're here at your school," Sebastian said. But Sage shook her head, not lifting her gaze.

Sebastian's frown deepened as he looked at his daughter. For weeks now, she had been so withdrawn, nothing like her usual self. He needed to get to the bottom of it.

"Sage, you've been at home for weeks now. You need to go to school and learn." He spoke in a calm but firm voice.

Sebastian's voice was kind but firm. He was worried about his daughter. It wasn't like her to be so withdrawn and he didn't know what to do. He just wanted her to go to school and learn like she used to.

"You've got to go to school, Sage," he repeated. "You can't stay home forever. Don't you want to study and become Daddy's manager anymore?"

Sage shookher head more forcefully. She was proving stubborn this time but why?

Sebastian's frustration grew, and he threatened her. "If you don't get out of the car, I'll call your teacher. And you know how strict he can be."

Sage finally looked up at her father, her eyes brimming with tears. In a small voice, she said, "Daddy, please. I don't want to go to school."

Sage's tear-filled eyes met Sebastian's, and he felt his heart ache. How could he make her understand? He tried again. "Sage, please. I know you're scared, but you need to go to school. It's not healthy for you to be cooped up at home like this."

He tried to keep his voice gentle and reassuring, but inside he was filled with worry. What was going on with his daughter?

Sebastian knew that Sage wasn't going to back down easily, especially when she was in this emotional state. She knew that his weakness was seeing her upset, and she was playing on that.

He sighed and pulled out his phone, sending a quick text to one of her teachers. Within minutes, the teacher arrived. "Good morning, Mr. Quinn," the teacher said, his tone warm and friendly.

Sebastian turned and saw the teacher standing there. He was wearing tan slacks, a blue button-down shirt, and he had glasses perched on his nose. "Hello, Mr. Mackenzie, how are you?" Sebastian greeted him.

"I'm doing well, Mr. Quinn," Mr. Mackenzie replied.

He paused, a concerned look crossing his face. "I've noticed that she hasn't been in school for a while now. She's one of our brightest students, and the school hasn't been the same without her." Mr. Mackenzie's eyes widened as he spoke, as he exaggerated his care for her.

Aah! She was a spoilt brat, pampered like an egg and everyone in the school knew about it. They didn't like her that much either. In fact, they only loved and cared about her last name - Quinn and not her.

Scratching his brow, Sebastian replied. "Yeah. She's been… err… having health issues but she's in school today. Just make sure to take care of her."

"Of course, I'll take good care of her," Mr. Mackenzie said, bowing slightly.

Mr. Mackenzie stretched himself into the back seat of the car and pulled Sage, exerting a bit of force as he dragged her out.

Sage attempted to resist Mackenzie's actions, but her efforts were in vain. She gazed up at her father, her eyes pleading with him not to allow Mr. Mackenzie to take her to class. However, Sebastian simply looked at them with a blank expression. He believed he was making the right decision by sending her to school, not the wrong one.

"Leave her to me, Mr. Quinn. I will take care of your daughter," Mr. Mackenzie stated. With that, Sebastian entered his car, preparing to depart.

As soon as Sebastian got into his car, his phone rang. He had connected his phone to the car's Bluetooth system, so he simply tapped the screen and put his phone on speaker. "Hello, Brandon," he said.

"Good morning, Mr. Sebastian," came the reply. "I have the information you asked me to gather, and I'm ready to present it to you."

"What information are you referring to?" Sebastian asked, sounding annoyed. He leaned back in his chair, visibly tired and frustrated. "I instructed you to have it ready within a week. Is it ready now?"

Brandon, on the other end of the line, responded, "Sir, today marks a week since you assigned me this task."

Sebastian sighed heavily, running his hands through his hair in frustration and exhaustion. "Indeed, it's been a week. Today makes it more then a week, Brandon."

However, Brandon seemed unaware that a week had passed due to his heavy workload. "I apologize, Sebastian. I've been swamped with work and didn't realize. I'm sorry."

Sebastian, trying to refocus the conversation, said, "It's alright, Brandon. I understand. Please, continue. I'm eager to hear about the information you've gathered on Victoria."

"Sir, I've just sent you all the details via email, so I'll keep it brief," Brandon informed, prompting Sebastian to pay close attention as he mentally took note.

Continuing, Brandon added, "Throughout this week, I observed that she's been going to work and living a normal life. However, on three separate occasions, I spotted her with a man. On one occasion, she was with a younger man, whom I discovered to be her brother through research. But the other man isn't her brother."

Upon hearing this, Sebastian's face tensed, his hands clenched. He thought to himself, 'She's dating again,' but refrained from vocalizing it. It remained a thought.

Returning to Brandon's call, he inquired, "Did you gather any information about this man? Who is he?"

Brandon responded, "I'd rather not disclose that, sir. I've sent you the information to your phone, so please check it out."

"Thank you very much, Brandon," Sebastian acknowledged before ending the call.

Sebastian opened his email, scrolling through the contents Brandon had sent. Among the images were three featuring the man Brandon mentioned, while the other depicted Victoria's brother, as previously discussed.

As Sebastian gazed at the man's face, he already recognized the individual from the images.

The first photo showed the man with Victoria at an amusement park, the second captured them standing close together in front of a company, and the third depicted the pair dining at a restaurant.

A surge of anger flooded Sebastian's heart as he clenched his phone tightly. In a moment of intense fury, he uttered stern words, his eyes blazing with anger. "Why does it have to be you?" he said, his tone firm.

The atmosphere around him turned icy, resonating with an aura of coldness.

Sabastian's phone rang again, and he sighed before glancing at the screen—it was Oliver, his secretary. Reluctantly, he answered the call, anticipating it might be work-related.

"What is it, Oliver?" Sabastian asked, a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"Sir, have you forgotten about the meeting with Leading Tech? You're supposed to sign a contract with them today. I thought you were already there," Oliver said, sounding concerned.

He continued, "Sir, you're late. I'm at Leading Tech, waiting for you. I thought you had arrived before me. Did you forget about the meeting? I informed you earlier and even sent you a message."

Sabastian, not willing to listen further, replied, "I'll be there," and promptly ended the call without waiting for a response.

Sebastian let out an angry groan. Everything that was happening in his life wasn't going well. He felt this was one of the saddest moments he'd experienced.

His dissatisfaction with his so-called wife, his daughter's sudden behavior changes, and the news about Victoria moving on so easily, all infuriated him. Additionally, he had forgotten about his collaboration with Leading Tech.

As he started his car's engine, intending to head there, something clicked in his head. Wasn't it where Victoria worked as his secretary? Realizing he could address two issues at once, he agreed with himself and started his car, driving toward Leading Tech.