The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

"Mr. Vesper?"noveldrama

At the sound of his name, the group of people chatting nearby all turned toward the adjacent table, eyes wide in shock.

Sebastian himself hadn't expected to be addressed. The hint of a smile still lingered on his lips, not yet faded.

Seeing that smile, everyone at the table became certain he'd overheard every word of their conversation.

And yet, the person who'd called out to him was completely oblivious, grinning as he said, "Mr. Vesper, you made the right choice coming to the cafeteria today. Honestly, the food here is better than most restaurants in town."

Sebastian returned the smile with a polite nod.

Sensing the suddenly awkward atmosphere, the man made a quick exit.

Meanwhile, the women who had been gossiping could feel their hearts pounding in their chests.

They hurriedly packed up their lunch trays and scrambled to their feet.

The girl in front forced a smile that looked more like she was about to cry. "Pr- President Vesper, what a coincidence. I didn't expect to see you here."

Sebastian looked at them and just gave a noncommittal "Mm."

What did that even mean?

The group grew even more anxious.

The lead woman swallowed nervously and managed a shaky smile. “Mr. Vesper, you don't have to worry. We won't say a word about you and the CEO."

Sebastian kept his head down, silent. The woman shot meaningful glances at her friends, then bowed slightly to Sebastian. "We'll just get out of your way, then." They scurried out so quickly they nearly tripped over their own feet.

Once they were gone, Sebastian finally looked up.

There wasn't the slightest trace of annoyance in his eyes—just a deep, genuine amusement. He was clearly in an excellent mood.

Oh well.

"If there's going to be a misunderstanding, so be it. It's not such a bad thing."

He had no intention of explaining himself.

Within days, the rumors had spread through every corner of CICI Group. Now, everywhere Sebastian went, people eyed him with a strange kind of knowing smile, as if they were sizing up produce at the market.

During a meeting, Sebastian was speaking at the front of the room when he noticed the distracted gazes of his colleagues. He paused, his voice trailing off. "Ms. Brooks, what are you looking at?"

Ms. Brooks was still daydreaming, her thoughts a thousand miles away. Startled, she grinned. "Oh, nothing much. It's just that now that our CEO is dating, as employees, we have to check out her boyfriend properly, don't we?"

The room collectively winced, bracing for the fallout.

Ms. Brooks immediately broke into a cold sweat, realizing she'd just blurted out her private thoughts. She shrank back in her chair.

Sebastian, unfazed, sat down and smoothed the sleeve of his suit. "And? What's your verdict?"

Ms. Brooks swallowed hard. "Well, you're handsome, and our CEO is beautiful. Honestly, you're perfect for each other."

A hush fell over the conference room.

Only after speaking did Ms. Brooks realize what she'd just said. She pressed her

lips together and fanned her mouth, muttering, "Honestly, why can't I just keep my mouth shut?"

Once again, silence descended.

Ms. Brooks sat trembling, convinced her career was over, until Sebastian finally said, “Let's continue the meeting."

She let out a huge sigh of relief.

A few days later, Citrine stopped by the office. Carlotta, after some hesitation, decided to let her in on the latest office gossip.

When Citrine heard the story, she couldn't help but laugh.

She looked at Carlotta, her expression dead serious. "So you're telling me Sebastian's been going around telling everyone we're dating?"

Carlotta started to shake her head but reconsidered and nodded instead.

Citrine was silent for a moment, then couldn't hold back her amusement. She headed straight for Sebastian's office on her own.