"What is it?" Scarlett didn't bother checking the caller ID, answering the call directly.

"Be downstairs in ten minutes. I am coming to pick you up to get married."

Chapter 19

Sebastian’s voice came through the phone receiver, but the content gave Scarlett a sudden fright:

"Get married... ah!"

In her shock, she forgot the pain in her back and tried to prop herself up from the bed with her hands, but a sharp wave of agony shot through her back, making her hands give way as she tumbled back onto the bed.

"What’s wrong?" Sebastian sounded a bit anxious.

She instantly bit her lower lip, swallowing the groan of pain.

"It’s nothing..." Frowning, she slowly rolled over and got up from the bed, asking, "Why such a rush?"

Sebastian paused for a moment: "The matter with your ex-husband has been completely settled. Shouldn't we get married?"

"But this is way too sudden, I’m not ready yet." Scarlett deliberately feigned bashfulness and said.

What a joke; in her current state, even walking caused her pain, so how could she face anyone?

Sebastian let out a soft chuckle: "The wedding itself can be planned slowly. We’re just going to register and sign the papers first."

"Can't we do it another day?" She gritted her teeth and said, "Today is a bit inconvenient."

"Why today..." The man’s voice halted in surprise, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Scarlett touched the wounds on her back. Although they had scabbed over, even the slightest movement brought a flare of pain.

What a precise guess; she truly was feeling unwell.

"Yes, I’m not feeling well."

Hearing this, Sebastian said considerately, "Then let's go straight to the hospital."

"Ah, there's really no need for that," she quickly stopped him.

With her body covered in these kinds of wounds, going to a hospital would ruin everything.

"It's no big deal."

Sebastian froze for a fraction of a second upon hearing her words, as if a realization had struck him, and said, "Then I'll send my people to your place. You won't have to stir at all."

Scarlett thought to herself that this was a disaster; avoiding him was precisely why she refused, so what difference did it make if he came to her place or if she went to find him?

"Is there any absolute reason it has to be today?" She felt like weeping but had no tears.

Sebastian’s voice resonated as usual, carrying a slight static over the line right into her ear, causing her heart to sink heavily into a quiet register.

"Tomorrow is the anniversary of my mother's passing. I want to bring her to meet her daughter-in-law."

His voice sounded slightly deeper than usual, causing her heart to soften as thoughts of her mentor flashed across her mind...

Scarlett gritted her teeth and stood up, saying, "See you downstairs in ten minutes."

…

Inside the car.

She quietly observed Sebastian, noticing that his expression was perfectly composed as usual, though his aura felt a fraction heavier than before.

"Are you alright?" she questioned.

Sebastian didn't offer a verbal reply, instead gently placing a cup of warm brown sugar water into her palm.

Scarlett blinked in surprise at the liquid inside the cup, only to see him draw out a soft blanket, draping it carefully over her lower abdomen and legs as he spoke:

"I am incredibly sorry for making you come outside when you are already feeling unwell."

"I've heard that this can offer some comfort."

With those words, his eyes glinted as he locked his gaze onto her, as if trying to verify whether it had any effect.

Scarlett realized in an instant that he had entirely misinterpreted the situation.

She originally intended to push the blanket away, but a sudden thought made her eyes flash. Accepting the cup of brown sugar water, she smiled faintly and said, "Thank you."

Sebastian’s movements halted briefly, his long lashes lowering slightly.

"Securing this marriage is indeed exceptionally rushed..."

"But I like to think of it as a gateway for us to welcome a fresh life."

Her mind was swallowed by a complex web of emotions.

Particularly when the warnings uttered by the Shadow Master last night echoed right beside her ears, leaving her entirely at a loss for words for a moment.

A violent crash suddenly shattered the silence between them.

The vehicle suffered a harsh shudder, and the driver executed a frantic emergency brake.

They had been hit.

The driver appeared thoroughly rattled, staring at the scene before him in sheer astonishment as he stammered an explanation: "It shot out entirely out of nowhere, it has absolutely nothing to do with me!"

Precisely on the front passenger side, the metal was severely dented where a black car had violently rammed into them.

Sebastian didn't waste a single second on the point of impact, his brows tightly knitting as he turned to look at Scarlett: "Are you alright?"

Subjected to the violent tremor of the collision, her body suffered a harsh jolt, agitating the wounds on her back and causing a sharp groan of pain to slip through her gritted teeth: "Nnh..."

A cold sweat had already broken out across her forehead.

"I'm... I'm fine." She gently pushed Sebastian's stabilizing hand away.

Sebastian’s eyes darkened with a dangerous, icy fury, appearing on the verge of erupting, when someone suddenly rapped heavily against the car window.

"Brother, it's me!"

Chapter 20

The voice belonged to the third young master of the family.

While previously investigating Sebastian's background, she had also conducted a thorough sweep of the family tree.

Outside the window stood a man with fair skin, pink lips, and a chaotic mess of curly hair, possessing a pair of wide, innocent eyes that easily reminded one of a harmless pet rabbit reared at home.

Yet within a treacherous den of wolves like the family estate, how could it possibly rear a harmless pet rabbit?

"What exactly are you doing here?" Sebastian rolled his window down, demanding coldly.

"Just out enjoying the day with a friend!" The young man gestured toward the individual standing right behind him.

That individual plastered a nervous smile across his face, stepping closer to offer a fawning apology: "I am incredibly sorry, Master Sebastian. The fault is entirely mine for colliding into you."

Sebastian's lashes lowered, his expression entirely unreadable.

The individual grew increasingly restless and anxious under his silence, his fingers tightly twisting the edge of his jacket out of pure nerves.

Seeing the tension, the third brother waved his hand to dismiss his associate, leaning directly against Sebastian's car window as a sweet smile curled his lips:

"Brother, he only recently secured his driver's license, and I was merely accompanying him to practice... Please don't waste your energy holding a grudge against him."

Sebastian's gaze turned freezing, carrying an ironclad weight: "Since when do you possess the authority to hand down decisions on my behalf?"

The smile on the young man's face deepened: "Brother... that wasn't my implication at all..."

"He happens to be an associate of mine, after all. Why don't you grant me a shred of face and let the matter drop?"

The young man spoke with an obsequious familiarity, causing Scarlett’s heart to skip a beat.

Sebastian's commanding aura was as heavy as a mountain, exerting an intense pressure that usually kept her from uttering excessive words in his presence; yet this third young master apparently possessed quite the tolerance for pressure, capable of maintaining a coddling act right before this formidable figure.

Sebastian cast a detached glance over him, his tone holding a sliver of quiet mockery: "Since when does your face carry any fraction of value to me?"

His eyes were as cold as ice, radiating an absolute, suffocating pressure as his words carried a subtle edge of disdain.

The young man went rigid for a brief second, and Scarlett caught a fleeting flash of deep resentment darting through his eyes before he smoothly masked it, his guard instantly tightening.

Within a mere fraction of a second, he recovered his flawless composure: "Brother, even if you refuse to grant me any face, surely you must grant some to the elite family."

The elite family?

The mention triggered a memory of the young lady she had observed previously—the eldest daughter of that elite family.

Her mind raced with calculations, and right then, she caught the young man's eyes locking onto her as he added smoothly: "After all, you still harbor an active marriage alliance with her."

A marriage alliance...

Hearing those words, Scarlett was genuinely caught completely off guard, freezing entirely in her seat.

The young man acted as though she were completely invisible, continuing seamlessly: "Once the marriage is finalized, we will all function as a single family. Maintaining harmony naturally yields the finest fortunes for business."

She shifted her head to look at Sebastian, deep suspicion rising in her eyes.

So, he already possessed an active marriage alliance; why on earth had he proposed to secure a marriage with her?