HUSH MONEY


    SEBASTIAN’S POV


    The beautiful woman was tucked up in a ball on my bed, appearing to be sound asleep. Nobody knew


    that the moment Iid eyes on her, my heart suddenly calmed down and it made me wonder how this


    woman, even in her sleep, did this to me.


    “Celine…” I called out softly as I reached out and tucked the hair behind her ear after giving it a light


    sweep across her face.


    “Don’t leave me…” she mumbled, her eyes still closed. It appeared as though she was having a


    nightmare. “Would you please stay…?


    2”


    She quickly wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her head in my chest, her body shook


    violently.


    “Don’t go, mom…” She snorted, pleading. “Don’t leave me…”


    I was slightly stunned. She was having a dream about her mother.


    “I’m hurting…” she murmured again. “I’ve never been in so much pain in my life…” she whimpered, her


    tone so full of anguish that it couldn’t help but shake.


    Her cries got softer and softer, and I couldn’t help but notice how tightly closed her eyes were and how


    her eyebrows were knitted together. Her long eyshes were still stained with crystal tears, and her


    small mouth appeared to be pouting because of all of the pent-up


    emotion.


    However, while she was in my arms, her body gradually became more rxed. This was the very first


    time that I had seen her in such a


    state.


    In her waking state, she resembled a hedgehog and she would p rickle


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    and stab anyone who approached her in order to keep them at bay.


    At this very instant, my heart softened for her. Not only at this time, but also, I believe… quite some


    time ago, she was the one who brought a warmth to my heart.


    “Excuse me, Mr. Harvey! Miss Lauren!” That was our humble ser vant Voltaire speaking.


    He was a worker at the vi, and the type of work he did most often involved physicalbor. His voice


    was by far his most impressive talent. Because of the distinctive sound of his voice, he was typically


    assigned to watch the entrance to the guard pavilion.


    But why the hell was he even here in this ce? What were Brylee and Jake doing outside of my


    room?


    “What are you doing here, Voltaire?” I heard Jake ask the se rvant. “I thought you were at the


    pavilion…”


    “I was moved here to clean up… In an hour, the party wille to an end, and the masters and the


    other guests will retire to their rooms.” he exined. “Are you looking for a room to sleep here?”


    Voltaire’s voice was like thunder that woke up Celine, and when our eyes met, she abruptly sat up and


    pushed me away from her.


    “What are you doi-”


    “Ssshhh…!” I hushed her, covering her mouth with my hand, but her


    eyes widened in protest.


    “Have you seen Seb?”


    Celine stopped struggling against my hold when she heard Brylee ask. from the outside, so I slowly


    removed my hand from her mouth.


    Voltaire’s booming voice continued to resound as he mumbled, “No, I didn’t see the young master


    coming up…”


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    “Is that so? I was looking for him downstairs, but he wasn’t there. I came here to look for him in his


    room…” Brylee said with a tone that suggested she was a little worried.


    “But to be honest, I didn’t see himing up. I was just sweeping the floor over here a moment ago…”


    “What about Celine?” Jake asked as well. “Uh… The girl who looked exactly like her…”


    “I didn’t see anyoneing up here, Sir. I’m sorry…” Voltaire


    answered politely.


    “Can we take a look in his room?” It was quite clear that Brylee did


    not believe him.


    There was a brief interval of silence before we heard the sound of the door to my room opening. I could


    feel Celine suppressing her breath.


    “There is no one here…” Jake remarked and shortly thereafter, my room’s door was shut and the two of


    them exited the room.


    However… under the bed, in the confined space, Celine and I were entangled together, our eyes


    meeting as we looked at each other.


    Celine let out a sigh of relief and began to crawl out under the bed, but I grabbed her small hand and


    entwined it with mine to prevent her from escaping.


    “W-what are you doing?” She quickly untangled our fingers and rolled away before I had a chance to


    make a move.


    At the following instant, she stood up and brushed the dirt off of her dress, and at the same time, I


    slowly rolled out under the bed and


    reached out to dust some dirt on her hair.


    “This is my first time hiding under the bed…” I said, and I didn’t know whether tough or cry.


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    If word got out about this, I would certainly be stripped of the dignity. I’ve worked so hard to maintain for


    so long.


    As soon as Celine heard me say this, she stopped brushing off her dress and looked up at me. “Is this


    your first time?” she asked, and I could tell by the way her eyes lit up that she was plotting something


    nefarious just by looking at her. “Two thousand dors!” she stretched out her little palm and said,


    “Hush money!”


    I chuckled, shaking my head. This woman is unbelievable! “So cheap!”


    Celine shed me a harmless smile, and then slowly walked toward me. My eyes went wide when she


    wrapped her arms around my neck, and immediately afterward, fire ignited within my body.


    “Celine…” I mumbled in a h oar se whisper as my eyes darted back and


    forth over her naturally pink lips.


    “The cost of physically touching you at this very moment is two thousand dors. Do you really think


    that price is reasonable?” She shed a grin as she removed the wrapping around my neck, then


    turned around and walked toward the door.


    I heaved a sigh as I watched her turn around, leaving me all by myself with a hard body.


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