Chapter 275

“Anything is fine,” Stephanie replied. She was unusually quiet. After witnessing what had just happened, her response was somewhat absentminded.

Sebastian said, “It’s snowing heavily today. How about—”

“How about something spicy?” Stephanie finished his sentence before he could. Whenever the weather got especially cold, she and Ella always went out for spicy food.

Sebastian tapped her forehead lightly. “Do you think you can handle that right now?”

Stephanie pouted. “Alright, fine.”

She still had injuries, and given where they were, eating anything spicy was definitely out of the question.

Sebastian lowered his head, pressing his forehead against hers to check her temperature. “Your body temperature is still unstable.”

Stephanie instinctively pulled back, but her hands lost their balance, and she fell straight onto the bed.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “Stefi, what do you mean by that?”

Stephanie’s face froze instantly. “I, well, I just slipped, and that’s all.”

“Oh my god, I’m losing my mind. He leans in, and I just collapse onto the bed? That totally looks like an invitation! But I swear it’s not!” she thought.

Her face turned red again. Everything that had happened since last night still felt like a dream. She had not even fully processed the shift in their relationship.

Instinctively, she grabbed the blanket and tried to pull it up. But before she could, Sebastian leaned down, and the moment his lips met hers, there was an undeniable depth of longing. He had yearned for her for years. He had endured for so long. Now that he finally had her, he could not get enough. Just as things were about to spiral out of control, Sebastian suddenly pulled away.

Stephanie had already been feeling nervous, her cheeks flushed. Now, seeing him withdraw so abruptly, she blinked in confusion, her wide, dewy eyes looking at him with pure innocence. Sebastian’s warm fingers brushed against the corner of her eye. “Save that look for later,” he murmured.

“What?” Stephanie was still a little dazed.

Sebastian let out a helpless sigh, quickly stood up, and walked out without another word.

As he left, Stephanie noticed him deliberately tugging his shirt loose as if trying to cover something up.

That evening, Stephanie felt much better and went downstairs to eat dinner. Sebastian had not come down yet, and about ten minutes later, he appeared at the top of the stairs. He was wearing a robe, and his damp hair was still dripping water.

Seeing Stephanie downstairs, he frowned slightly. “Why did you come down? I will tell them to bring your meal to your room.”

“I wanted to eat here,” Stephanie said. She did not like eating in her room. Besides, if the food was brought to her room, Sebastian would definitely have them portion it out for her. Right now, she was injured and needed to replenish her strength; she had to eat more.

Sure enough, as soon as she sat down, she started devouring her food. Sebastian watched her with an unreadable expression but said nothing.

Stephanie looked up. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“You’ve already had two servings,” Sebastian said.

She froze for a second. ‘See? The moment night falls, he starts monitoring how much I eat,’ she thought.

“I’m injured. I need a lot of nutrients, so of course, I have to eat more,” Stephanie reasoned.

Sebastian paused for a moment, then a small smile appeared on his lips. He nodded. “Not bad. That’s a pretty solid excuse.”

Stephanie muttered, “It’s the truth.” Saying that, she picked up a forkful of beef and put it on her plate.

Ever since Sebastian had come here, she had barely eaten her fill at night. But today’s meal was light and simple, which did not affect her appetite at all.

After dinner, Sebastian walked Stephanie back to her room. The moment they arrived, he turned and grabbed the medicine box from the cabinet before heading toward her.

Stephanie’s breath hitched. “You? Wait. I—I can do it myself.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “Yourself?”

Stephanie nodded furiously. “Yes, I can do it myself.”

Sebastian chuckled. There was a newfound amusement in his indulgent smile, something that had never been there before. Stephanie suddenly had a bad feeling about this.