"Your wounds have ripped wide open again." Sebastian's eyes glinted sharply as he caught sight of the crimson stains tracing down her back.

Her brow furrowed slightly, keeping her back turned toward him as she spoke with a calculated distance: "It's no big deal."

"I am sorry for startling you." Tracking her defensive stance, Sebastian's sharp intuition instantly deciphered her thoughts.

He was offering an apology for the events of last night.

Scarlett's mind fell into a quiet stun: "There is absolutely no necessity for an apology. Harboring affection for someone is hardly a crime; you've done nothing wrong..."

Sebastian froze for a fraction of a second, pointing a finger toward her back as he explained: "I was referring to making you stir by calling out to you, which caused your wounds to rip open. I am exceptionally sorry."

This time, the one engulfed in absolute embarrassment was Scarlett.

"Haha..." She offered a casual wave of her hand, instinctively turning around as if searching for a hollow void to swallow her on the spot.

"The injuries are perfectly fine..." She pressed her lips together, adding, "Please exit the room for now. I have yet to freshen up."

Sebastian kept his eyes locked onto her back; she was fully aware that a stark smear of crimson must be exposed there.

Deep concern bled into his eyes: "Are you genuinely certain it is not an issue? Do you require my..."

Scarlett firmly ushered him toward the door: "There's no need. Go focus on your corporate matters."

…

By the time she emerged from her shower, she found Sebastian still seated inside the living room.

The hand she was using to dry her hair halted briefly. "Are you not required to attend to your executive duties today?"

Sebastian turned his head to look at Scarlett, freezing for a brief second as his throat subtly bobbed before he replied with a slight awkwardness, "Not today."

He gestured toward the medical kit resting on the coffee table: "Come over. Let me swap out your dressings."

Sebastian shifted his head slightly, the rims of his ears quietly flushing crimson.

Having just stepped out of the bath, the woman before him was merely clad in a simple set of loungewear.

Her entire being radiated the crisp, pure fragrance of freshly showered skin, and damp droplets still clung to the ends of her hair.

As she canted her head down to dry her locks, the loose collar shifted completely, exposing half of her bare shoulder.

Chapter 29

Sebastian had never observed this side of Scarlett before.

She failed to notice his sudden awkwardness entirely, her tracks halting as she said, "I can handle it on my own."

Sebastian tapped the cushions beside him, his tone carrying an unshakeable persistence: "The trauma is located across your back, leaving it entirely inconvenient for you. Let me do it."

This...

Tracking his stubborn stance, a subtle wave of hesitation flashed through Scarlett's mind.

Allowing him to personally administer the topical medication felt a fraction too intimate, didn't it?

Just as she prepared to vocalize another argument, Sebastian arched an elegant eyebrow, demanding, "Do you harbor doubts regarding my trustworthiness?"

Framing the matter in such a light was a bit much.

Sensing the faint hint of hurt glinting in his eyes, her heart softened. She turned her body and eased herself face-down onto the cushions, stating, "Fine, fine. I trust you."

Staring down at the sprawling network of wounds mapping her back, Sebastian's hands instantly clenched into tight fists.

Even though he had already witnessed the trauma back at the medical facility, looking down at the reality once more remained exceptionally difficult to master.

The back before him appeared lean yet radiated an undeniable aesthetic of lethal power; yet across that fair, jade-like skin, a terrifying matrix of whip lashes laid bare.

There were even several traces of deep, ancient scars remaining from her past.

The sight struck Sebastian with a penetrating ache.

"How many contracts have you processed over the years?"

Scarlett remained face-down against the cushions, her upper garments pulled back as she quietly waited for him to reapply the medicine, only to be hit by this unexpected inquiry.

"I have no clear recollection..." She tilted her head slightly, replying, "Ever since I concluded my apprenticeship, my days have been entirely consumed by active missions."

"When exactly did you sustain this particular trauma?" Sebastian's fingertips were warm, gently brushing against a heavy scar tracing her shoulder.

His touch was exceptionally light, pulling away within a fleeting fraction of a second, as if terrified of agitating her pain.

Scarlett's brows knitted slightly as her analytical mind dug through her memories: "I believe I was roughly eighteen at the time? The target possessed a supernatural mastery over blades; this mark was left by his hand."

"What about the one right here?" The man's finger directed her attention toward a scar lining her flank.

"That one transpires even earlier. I believe it was a random laceration inflicted by a stray cleaver that erupted out of nowhere."

"This..." Sebastian appeared to harbor an intense fascination, his touch gently tracing across every scrap of her scars, desiring to unravel the specific chronology underlying each mark.

Sebastian's fingers would have been perfectly fine had he maintained a light touch, but he continued to trace over the sensitive texture of her ancient wounds.

Ordinary people always claimed that scar tissue lacked neural pathways, rendering it entirely devoid of sensation.

She could now verify that theory to be an absolute fallacy.

Otherwise, why did every trace of his touch feel like a sharp electric current dancing across her skin, unleashing a fine, chaotic prickle that pierced straight to her core?

The sensation caused her to suffer involuntary tremors, her fingers clenching into tight fists out of pure irritation.

"How long do you intend to continue this interrogation?" Scarlett finally snapped, cutting him off.

Sebastian's gaze darkened significantly. He withdrew his tracing hand and picked up the topical salve: "I will reapply the medication now."

The salve possessed a thick, viscous consistency, its application radiating an icy chill that mimicked pouring crushed mint leaves straight onto open flesh.

Sebastian wielded a cotton swab, carefully sweeping across her skin stroke by stroke; yet even with his exceptionally delicate movements, the pain remained completely unavoidable.

"Nnh..." A quiet groan of pain slipped through her nose, and she instantly gritted her teeth to suppress the sound.

Sebastian's movements ground to a sudden halt. He reached into the kit and slid a rolled handkerchief between her teeth: "Bite down on this."

Scarlett accepted the gesture without a shred of professional courtesy, clamping her teeth firmly over the fabric.

Once the topical reapplication concluded, Sebastian gathered the medical supplies back into the kit: "We need to let the layer dry completely before we can secure the bandages over it."

"Thank you," she stated with an absolute, detached distance.

Sebastian seemed to pick up on the subtle shift, freezing briefly before commenting, "You appear exceptionally formal today."

Before he could elaborate further, the chime of the doorbell suddenly shattered the quiet.

Sebastian's brow furrowed tightly into a heavy frown.

Scarlett vocalized her confusion: "Who could that be?"

Before Sebastian could utter an answer, the distinct, melodic sequence of the digital lock grinding open echoed through the foyer.

They even possess the security code... Her mind instantly raced with a hundred calculations.

To casually march right up to Sebastian's private residence on the anniversary of his mother's passing, armed with his personal access code, and enter without offering a single announcement.

This individual's standing was far from ordinary.

"My current state is a bit inappropriate, isn't it..." Scarlett looked down at her exposed back as she lay face-down against the cushions, making a move to prop herself up.

Sebastian, however, firmly rooted her to the spot: "There is no necessity."

The moment his words faded, the inner doors were thrown wide open, and a woman's voice rang out with absolute arrogance: "Well, look who's home. Why on earth were you playing dead and ignoring my knocks?"

Chapter 30

The voice carried a light, utterly uninhibited quality, allowing her to easily deduce that the individual approaching must be a fiercely confident woman possessing an absolute aura...

Sure enough, a woman with cascading waves of long hair, striking crimson lips, and a flawless black dress stepped into the living room, her eyes shielded by designer sunglasses.

She padded barefoot across the hardwood floor. Catching sight of the two of them locked in their current positions against the sofa, she slowly slid her sunglasses down, a brilliant smile curling her lips: "Well now, what exactly do we have transpired here?"

A vein throbbed against Sebastian's forehead as he stared at her, barking coldly: "Put your shoes back on."

The woman merely dismissed his demand with a casual wave of her hand, easing herself onto the sofa with an absolute, relaxed comfort.

"I refuse. What are you going to do about it? Hire a detective to throw me behind bars?"