Chapter 10 Meeting Sebastian (Two)

• “I’ll come with you,” Belinda said, after some moments and hurried after them, leaving Carol and Sebastian sitting alone at the dining table. They sat in tense silence for what felt like an eternity, although the silence was probably tense only to Carol. As far as she was concerned, it wasn’t her job to make small talk with this stranger whom she didn’t even know, but she did not want to come off as rude, so she cleared her throat to get his attention.
• “Hello.” She said when he finally looked at her.
• He did not reply immediately but continued to stare at her as though he did not know what to make of her.
• “I hope the food was to your liking.” Carol tried again and then mentally kicked herself. What was she doing trying to make conversation with this man who couldn’t even be bothered to talk to her? He was a billionaire, after all, and clearly did not appreciate fraternizing with low-class people, if the behavior that he had been exhibiting all evening was anything to go by.
• “Yeah.” He said shortly and stood up to go outside, leaving her sitting there all by herself.
• Carol sat there for some minutes after he left, berating herself for even trying to strike up a conversation with such a stuck-up asshole after which she began to dial her sister’s number for the umpteenth time that evening. To her immense surprise and relief, Victoria picked up the phone on the third ring.
• “Where the hell are you?” Carol asked without preamble.
• “Hey. Hold your horses. I’m almost home.” Victoria replied, slurring her words. She sounded as drunk as a skunk.
• “You’re almost home? That’s all you’re going to say after being noticeably absent from a dinner that was held for you and making mom and dad look like fools?”
• “Well, that’s no fault of mine. They brought this on themselves, so don’t blame me. I’m actually doing them a huge favor, so pardon me if I decide to drink a little.”
• “What on earth do you mean by that? Also, I hope you’re not driving in the state you’re in.”
• “I’m not in any state, mother. I’m just a little tipsy. See you later.” She said and ended the call.
• Carol sighed, wondering what her sister meant, but deciding to wait for her to get back before she questioned her. It was not wise to ask her about something that was clearly upsetting to her, while she was driving and drunk at the same time. Sebastian did not come back, so Carol sat alone in the dining room, playing a game on her phone to while away the time as she waited for her sister to show up. Sure enough, Victoria drove into their large compound less than fifteen minutes later. Carol flew down the stairs and met her sister halfway.
• “Hey,” Victoria said coldly, pushing past Carol.
• “Really? You had us all worried. Where did you go to?” Carol called after her, noting that Victoria was not as drunk as she had first thought. At these questions, Victoria whirled and turned on her sister angrily.
• “Who do you think exactly? You’re not my mother and you have no right to ask me all these questions or monitor my life. Even my mother does not have the right to do that. I’m a fucking adult in case you failed to notice and your constant monitoring and whining about how I live my life is really irritating. I’ve had it up to here.”
• Carol watched her rant, mouth agape. She hardly saw her sister in this sort of rage and it was clear that something was eating her up.
• “Well, I was just worried about the way you disappeared. I didn’t mean any harm. I’m sorry.”
• “Yeah. Whatever. I’ll just go to bed so that I can wake up refreshed to begin a life of misery tomorrow. Oh, and I don’t want to hear anything from you about how I don’t have to do it. I kind of have to, so I’ll rather not listen to any judgmental lectures or advice from you. My life sucks enough as it is.” Victoria said, and turned to walk up to her bedroom, before stopping short. Standing only a few feet away were their parents, Sebastian, his uncle, and the middle-aged woman from earlier, who happened to be the uncle’s wife. From their expressions, it was obvious that they heard some of the conversation between the two women.