「Three or four minutes later」
Sydney Sawyer, who had been so resistant just moments before, was now sitting in the passenger seat of Sebastian Lockwood's car.
She originally wanted to sit in the back row, but Regina Lockwood had been so enthusiastic, she'd pulled open the passenger-side door herself. Faced with such insistent hospitality from an elder, Sydney could only bite the bullet and get in the car.
Sebastian Lockwood glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
She was sitting perfectly still, her back ramrod straight, clutching the purse on her lap with both hands and staring straight ahead. The way she looked...
She looked for all the world like a martyr bravely marching to her execution.
'Sitting so straight and proper!'
Sydney Sawyer was already feeling flustered. When the car hadn't started after a long moment, she turned to look at him, only to find Sebastian Lockwood's hands resting on the steering wheel as he stared intently at her.
His gaze held the ghost of a smile, and it sent an inexplicable flutter of panic through her, causing her face to flush with heat.
"Wh-what's wrong?"
Sebastian Lockwood reminded her in a low voice, "Your seatbelt."
Sydney Sawyer hurriedly reached for it. She must have yanked it too hard, because the belt jammed. Just as she was about to ease up and try again, another hand reached over.
He leaned in, his upper body dipping toward her.
Gripping the strap, he fluidly pushed it into the buckle with a CLICK.
From this angle, Sydney Sawyer could clearly see the thick lashes behind his glasses, which cast a faint shadow across his face. The bridge of his nose was straight and high, and his features were sharp and well-defined.
She unconsciously held her breath, her lips pressed into a thin line. He was impossibly close.
Her heart pounded like a war drum, THUMP-THUMP-THUMP, and heat surged through her. She could feel her face burning.
"There."
After fastening her seatbelt, Sebastian Lockwood pulled back and settled into the driver's seat. But he remained angled toward her, his gaze deep and inscrutable.
"Where to?"
Sydney Sawyer froze for a second before saying in a low voice, "The Emperian."
Her voice was faint and weak, and she even stammered a little.
Sebastian Lockwood's expression shifted slightly. He let out a low "mhm," straightened up, and started the car.
Sydney Sawyer, however, felt that the car was unbearably hot and stuffy, almost to the point of suffocation. She lowered the window a crack to get some air.
A bit of yellow, cotton-like fluff drifted in on the wind, and Sydney Sawyer let out a sudden sneeze. Sebastian immediately closed the window using the remote controls.
"There's a lot of plane tree fluff in Keston. Be careful you don't have an allergic reaction."
Sydney Sawyer rubbed her nose and said confidently, "It's fine. I'm not allergic to this."
The main streets of downtown Keston were lined with two rows of plane trees, supposedly planted during the Republican Era. They had grown beautifully, and their yellowing leaves in autumn were one of Keston's signature sights. But in early spring, the cottony fluff from the trees would fill the air. At its worst, it looked like a blizzard, and for many residents of Keston, it was a source of unspeakable misery.
For anyone with rhinitis or sensitive skin, this season was a living hell.
...
Just then, Sydney Sawyer's phone vibrated. It was a call from her father.
He was, of course, calling to ask about the matchmaking meeting.
"I'm sure Andrea just wasn't thinking straight," Edwin Sawyer said, his tone resigned. "I watched that boy grow up. There's nothing wrong with his character or his capabilities. It's that woman who's just too manipulative..."
Sydney Sawyer just gave a few half-hearted replies.
Her father's meaning was self-evident:
'He still wanted to go through with the marriage alliance.'
The Sawyer family's business had been declining for years, while in contrast, the Wyatt family's was thriving. The problem was, Regina Lockwood was good friends with Jane Spencer. Ever since Edwin Sawyer had divorced Jane Spencer, the Wyatt family had always given the Sawyers the cold shoulder whenever they tried to curry favor.
'Now that he finally had an opportunity like this, of course he didn't want to let it slip by.'
"...Anyway, I think Andrea is a good kid. There's no way he'll end up with that woman. Even if she's pregnant, the Wyatt family will never let her into their family."
"A child?" Sydney Sawyer frowned.
"Apparently, reporters photographed the two of them at the hospital for a prenatal checkup. The entire Wyatt family is in a panic, spending a fortune on damage control. Very few people know about it right now."
Sydney Sawyer hummed a quiet response. 'No wonder Regina Lockwood was in such a hurry earlier,' she thought.
'Those two probably went to the hospital to get their heads checked. Some reporters can really spin an elaborate fantasy from a single photo.'
"Okay, I get it," Sydney Sawyer replied distractedly.
Sharing the same enclosed space with Sebastian Lockwood, she felt as if the very air was saturated with his presence.
To her, that presence was...
Lethal. And dangerous.
She was keeping her voice low, so she was naturally in no mood to deal with her father or gossip about Andrea Wyatt.
Edwin Sawyer didn't seem to notice anything unusual about her voice. "So, are you coming home for dinner tonight?"
"I'm not coming back tonight. I just found a new place, and I need to get it organized."
"Honestly, child. There are so many empty rooms at home for you to use. If there's something you're not happy with, you can just tell me. If you think getting around is inconvenient, I can arrange a driver for you. If that's still not good enough, I'll buy you a condo in the city."
"Dad, there's no need to go to all that trouble. Mom found the apartment for me."
Hearing that his ex-wife had found it, Edwin Sawyer knew better than to say anything more.
"So where is this apartment? Is the neighborhood safe? What's the condition like? Do you need my help? Just tell me if you're missing anything."
"Dad, you don't need to worry. I'm a grown woman now..."
"In my heart, you'll always be my little girl."
After hanging up, Sydney Sawyer finally let out a long sigh of relief.
In reality, in all the years since her parents' divorce, she could count on one hand the number of times she had seen Edwin Sawyer. He had long since started a new family and now had a son and a daughter. In the end, their relationship had simply grown distant.
——
There was no music or radio playing in the car, and with no one speaking, the silence felt a bit oppressive.
Sydney Sawyer was torn. A part of her wanted to be closer to him, but another part felt that being this close, this suddenly, was more than she could bear. She kept waking her phone's screen to check the time.
'The Emperian is downtown, and the restaurant is in the city, too. We should have arrived by now, logically speaking.'
"Where are we now? How much longer do you think it'll be?" Sydney Sawyer asked quietly.
"Soon."
Sydney Sawyer pressed her lips together. 'That answer...'
'Is as good as saying nothing at all!'
After another ten minutes or so passed, she tried again. "Is the restaurant very far from The Emperian? It's taking a while to drive there."
Just then, they hit a red light. Sebastian Lockwood stopped the car, turned his head to look at her, and said, "Are you suggesting I'm... slow?"
Sydney Sawyer's eyes widened. "!"
'Those words...'
'Why did that sound so strange?'
"Actually, driving a little slower is a good thing. Safety is what's most important, after all," Sydney Sawyer said with an awkward laugh.
Sebastian Lockwood nodded. "There's a speed limit in the city. But I can drive very fast, you know. Do you like a fast ride?"
Sydney Sawyer's breath hitched. "I-I'm fine with whatever."
'What kind of ridiculously suggestive question was that?'
'Was she overthinking it?'
'Sydney Sawyer, your mind is in the gutter! What are you even thinking? He's talking about actual, legitimate driving. Your thoughts are so improper, so impure!'
Only later would Sydney Sawyer learn that when a certain someone really put the pedal to the metal, his speed...
...with one press of the accelerator, was enough to send her straight to heaven.