Chapter 3
A week passed quickly.
Sebastian returned from Arland, and his private car was already waiting at the airport. As he got into the car, he glanced at the time. It was just around dinnertime.
He turned to Nathaniel and said, “Nathaniel, contact Roxanne and ask her to join me for dinner at Starlight Restaurant.”
Nathaniel nodded respectfully. “Yes, Mr. Hayes.”
He pulled out his phone and dialed Roxanne’s number. The phone rang for a full minute.
He furrowed his brows and told Sebastian, “Mr. Hayes, Ms. Sawyer didn’t pick up.”
Sebastian frowned. In his hand, he held a delicate jewelry box containing a diamond necklace he had won at an auction in Arland.
It was shaped like the sun and sparkled brightly. The moment he saw it, he thought of Roxanne. She was like a little sun.
He knew canceling the engagement party had been wrong. He owed her an apology. But now, she wasn’t answering his calls, and he wasn’t pleased.
Sebastian disliked her acting spoiled and throwing tantrums. He was busy and had no time to coax her.
Expressionless, he snapped the jewelry box shut.
“Take me straight to the villa,” he said.
“Yes, Mr. Hayes,” Nathaniel replied.
The Maybach pulled up at the villa entrance. Sebastian stepped out of the car, his face cold.
The villa was full of housekeepers, all busy with their own tasks. Only Lucy was inside the villa.
Sebastian took off his coat and asked Lucy, who was busy in the kitchen, “Where’s Roxanne?”
A worried expression flashed across Lucy’s face. “Ms. Sawyer hasn’t returned since that day. I’ve called her many times, but she hasn’t picked up. Mr. Hayes, I’m really worried. What if she’s been feeling down because of the engagement cancellation?”
Lucy was the only one truly concerned for Roxanne. She feared the cancellation of the engagement party might have driven her to do something foolish.
Sebastian’s sharp brows knit together, but his voice remained firm. “She won’t.”
Roxanne was always a little sun, optimistic and positive. She wasn’t the type to fall apart over something like this. She was probably just really upset about the engagement party being canceled.
Sebastian sighed, pulling out his phone to text Roxanne.
“Come back. I’ll throw an even bigger engagement party for you.”
The message was sent, but all he got in response was a single gray checkmark. Roxanne had blocked him.
Sebastian couldn’t help but laugh.
Roxanne had thrown tantrums before, but she had never blocked him. This time, she seemed to be quite worked up.
He didn’t feel any real sense of crisis. He just found it amusing. Anyone could see how much she liked him. Her actions were all just a temper tantrum.
Sebastian turned to Nathaniel, who was standing by the door. “Find out where Roxanne is.”
Being the most powerful man in Valoria, Sebastian could easily trace someone’s whereabouts. After all, with the real-name system and surveillance everywhere, it was simple.
Nathaniel quickly pulled up the details. “Mr. Hayes, Ms. Sawyer went back to Riverton. She’s staying at the Sawyer residence.”
Nathaniel showed Sebastian the flight records for Roxanne and footage of her appearing on the surveillance cameras in Riverton.
Sebastian chuckled, shaking his head.
“Was that really necessary?”
He couldn’t believe she actually went back to her hometown.
He turned to Nathaniel and said, “Go pick her up.”
She was making quite a fuss this time. It would be better for Nathaniel to go personally and handle this.
Nathaniel nodded. “Yes, Mr. Hayes.”
…
During her week in Riverton, Roxanne had been living comfortably.
Since no one had maintained her courtyard, much of it had withered. She hired someone to restore it and planted her favorite camellias, as well as a patch of chili peppers. It was her favorite vegetable. In just a week, the place had come back to life.
Lately, Roxanne had been scouting locations in Riverton, planning to open a flower shop. It was something she had always wanted to do. Now, she was finally working to make it happen.
As she watered her plants, a knock came at the door. She’d ordered some nutrient soil, so she thought it was the delivery.
But when she opened the door, she found Nathaniel standing there, impeccably dressed in a suit.
Her lips twitched. She immediately moved to shut the door.
Tall and imposing, Nathaniel reached out and stopped her.
He was Sebastian’s chief personal assistant. He was the one she always had to contact if she wanted to reach Sebastian. And just like always, he regarded her with cold indifference.
His face remained expressionless as he spoke without a hint of emotion, saying, “Ms. Sawyer, Mr. Hayes has sent me to bring you back.”
Seeing that she couldn’t shut the door, Roxanne didn’t bother trying. Instead, she folded her arms.
“Kneel and beg me, and I’ll go with you.”
A rare crack appeared in Nathaniel’s cold expression, followed by a flicker of anger.
His words came out with disdain, harsh and without pity. “Ms. Sawyer, you should know by now that you and Mr. Hayes are not equals. The fact that he even sent me here is already a concession. Keep this up, and you’ll only make things worse for yourself. You should know your place.”
Roxanne raised an eyebrow and looked at him calmly.
Honestly, she was surprised that Nathaniel had come to pick her up. It meant that Sebastian had softened his attitude.
This was the first time over the past seven years.
But did she even want that?
Telling Nathaniel to kneel was excessive. She wasn’t the kind of person to act that outrageously. But an eye for an eye wasn’t out of the question.
Once, when she had a high fever, the housekeepers at the villa were all on leave. Weak and barely able to move, she called Nathaniel for help.
He told her to contact the housekeepers. When she explained there was no one available, he had arrogantly told her to beg him at a time like that.
For sure, Roxanne had refused. But she hadn’t expected Nathaniel to humiliate her so cruelly.
In the end, she had to call an ambulance herself. When she woke up in the hospital, Sebastian wasn’t there.
Nathaniel came and mocked her sarcastically.
She later told Sebastian about it. But before she could even finish, he cut her off coldly. He told her that Nathaniel had been running around taking care of her while she lay in bed, yet she was still ungrateful.
Roxanne had been left speechless. She never understood why Nathaniel treated her so badly. After all, he was just Sebastian’s assistant.
Only much later did she learn the reason.
Nathaniel had grown up in a remote countryside. It hadn’t been easy for him to get where he was now. He owed much of his success to his benefactor—Liana.
Roxanne shot him a cold look.
“I know my place, which is exactly why I left Sebastian. And you, Mr. Olson, should also know your place and get out of my house. Or don’t blame me if I set my dogs on you.”
Nathaniel’s gaze was icy, filled with disdain.
“Playing hard to get? Roxanne, you’ve taken it too far. Do you really think Mr. Hayes cares? If he truly cared about you, he wouldn’t have canceled the engagement party. So, go ahead and try to put on a show, but don’t go too far.”
