True to his word, Sebastian spent the next several days at the Saunders estate, learning all of Citrine's favorite dishes from the family chef. He was a quick study, mastering the recipes in just a few days, leaving the family with nothing to critique.

After that dinner, their relationship deepened, and for the next half a year, they were inseparable.

Then, a few days ago, Citrine received an unexpected call from Phipps. They agreed to meet at a coffee shop near her university.

When she arrived, Phipps was already there. Citrine calmly took the seat opposite him.

She gave him a cool, measured look and said, her voice laced with irony, "Mr. Jeff, this isn't the first time you've sought me out. Let me guess what it is this time."

She paused, a humorless smile playing on her lips.

"You want me to leave Sebastian."

As Phipps started to nod, ready to present his terms, Citrine cut him off, preempting whatever he was about to say.

"Sorry, but I can't grant your wish. I'm not leaving him."

She leaned forward slightly, her demeanor shifting, becoming the decisive, formidable woman she was in the boardroom. "Because I've just recently realized something myself. I love him. And I want him by my side, always. Mr. Jeff, I'm a very busy woman. I only came here today as a courtesy to tell you to stop trying to contact me."

With that, she offered him a polite, dismissive smile, picked up her bag, and walked out.

Once she was outside, the triumphant curve of her lips slowly flattened.

It was clear Phipps was getting impatient. He was probably close to making a move against Sebastian's second personality.

*No, that can't happen,* she thought. *I don't want to lose him. I want him to stay with me forever.*

Citrine's brow furrowed as a radical

idea, one she had been pushing away, fought its way to the surface of her mind. A wave of anxiety washed over her. Her fingers instinctively searched her pocket for a cigarette before she remembered she had quit. FindNovels

The urge was overwhelming. She drove to the nearest convenience store and bought a pack.

Back in her car, she lit one up, and the familiar bitter taste calmed her frayed nerves. She sat there, smoking one cigarette after another as her thoughts raced.

It wasn't just about Phipps wanting to eliminate Sebastian's alter ego. There was more.

Sebastian had no idea he had

dissociative identity disorder. He

didn't know that his other self-his primary personality-was the chairman of the Stellaris Group If be found out she had been hiding this from him, he might resent her for it. FindNovels

Her mind had never been in such turmoil. She knew she couldn't put it off any longer. She had to tell him.

Just as she was trying to figure out how to break the news, her phone rang, jolting her from her thoughts. She pulled it from her bag, and her expression softened instantly when she saw the name on the screen.

She answered, and his warm, gentle voice filled the silence.

"Baby? Don't tell me you forgot about our dinner at your favorite restaurant tonight."

Even through the phone, she could hear the affectionate, teasing tone in his voice.

His words made her blood run cold. She had completely forgotten their five o'clock dinner reservation. A glance at the clock confirmed her fears it was already six. She was an

hour late.

FindNovels

Guilt washed over her. "Oh, God. I'm so sorry. I got held up and completely lost track of time. I'm on my way now."

"It's okay," he said, his voice as soothing as ever. "Don't rush. I'll be right here waiting for you."