Half-Hearted: Mr. Sinclair, Stop the Act!-Chapter 224: Accept or Reject

Sienna Monroe slightly gathered her thoughts and met his deep, mysterious phoenix eyes.

She slightly moved the hand that was held in his palm.

But as soon as she moved, Sebastian Prescott’s grip intensified.

He was determined not to let her break free.

She had no choice but to give up, moved her lips, thought for a few seconds, and didn’t evade further.

She candidly expressed her thoughts, "Ending my marriage with Caleb Sinclair brought sadness, but more than anything, it was a relief—a feeling of finally escaping that hellhole."

Faced with this relief, the so-called pain is insignificant; after all, it’s better than rotting away in that dirty and corrupted marriage until the end."

"Using you as a means to heal from Caleb Sinclair’s hurt isn’t fair to you, would cause you harm, and isn’t the best solution for me."

"I understand your intentions and trust your character, but... too much has happened recently,

I don’t think I currently have the mental strength or ability to peacefully and objectively deal with or manage another relationship. To be blunt, I’m more afraid of making the same mistakes again."

Only fools capsize twice in the same gutter.

The phrase "using you to heal" metaphorically resembles a tilted balance.

One side is heavy, the other light.

Over time, issues are bound to arise.

Agreeing to Sebastian now is easy; it’s merely a matter of moving her lips.

But she knew she wouldn’t be able to handle the chain reactions that their union would trigger.

Be it Eleanor Troy or Claire Grant...

No one can assertively say that a relationship will endure from its beginning to its end.

The marriage with Caleb Sinclair, which she once deemed the most beautiful and happy, turned out to be the best, yet the most typical example.

If it ends up being a complete mess, then perhaps it shouldn’t start at all.

She did not doubt Sebastian’s integrity or genuineness, but affairs of the heart inevitably lead to a slew of complications.

If this can be considered melodramatic, then she’d rather be melodramatic for once.

To be blunt, she’s merely self-serving.

During the silence, Sebastian still stared at her that way.

Perhaps there was a small whirlpool hidden in his eyes, ready to swallow her whole in an instant.

This made the words she wanted to say lodge momentarily in her throat, rendering them unspeakable.

Suddenly, she felt her lips were a bit dry under his gaze and instinctively licked them with the tip of her tongue.

In that brief moment, the soft, moist tongue drew in a wisp of cool air into her mouth.

She swallowed her previous words and continued, "What I just said might be unpleasant to hear; I’m not comparing you to Caleb Sinclair, but... I didn’t intend to rush into..."

A new relationship.

What’s more, she’s only been divorced for over a month.

Such a seamless transition is irresponsible both to her and to Sebastian.

Their differing heights made Sebastian’s view clear from this angle.

He slightly rolled his throat, understanding what’s unspoken from her expression.

Not so fast...

It indicated he was indeed too eager.

Her words could already be considered a gentle refusal.

But it could also be seen as a veiled form of consideration and deliberation.

She needed more time to ponder whether their relationship could break through the thin wall.

From the first confession to now, it’s only been over a month.

Yes, he was indeed a bit hasty.

Since it’s merely a matter of time.

Then it’s not difficult.

Moreover, her calmness and composure in speaking honestly with him is quite good.

At least it shows that her words are carefully thought out.

The interactions in recent days show that Sienna Monroe doesn’t actually reject his pursuit and contact.

She simply can’t yet overcome the chasm left by Caleb Sinclair in her heart.

No problem, he’ll wait patiently.

He’ll also do his best to help her bravely cross that chasm to enter his harbor.

After considering, he pressed his lips, his clear voice slightly deep, "I understand. No rush, take your time to think, and let me know your answer once you’ve decided.

Whether or not it’s fair doesn’t matter to me; what matters is the result. What I want is merely the result."

Saying this, he slightly strengthened the grip on her hand, and his thin calluses gently rubbed her palm.

Sparking a subtle itch.

Sienna instinctively retracted her hand again, but Sebastian didn’t allow her.

He said, "Even if your answer in the future continues to be refusal, it’s okay, don’t carry a psychological burden, I respect all your thoughts."

To be honest, he has never pursued a girl, and even recently leaned on last-minute preparations, studying what girls like and find interesting.

Sienna Monroe didn’t expect him to say this.

For a moment, she was somewhat dazed.

Result...

He only wants a result...

Acceptance or rejection.

She initially thought her words tonight served as an answer.

After all, she’s already expressed this thoughtfully.

He’s a smart man, even those words spoken subtly, he should understand.

Actually, she doesn’t wish for this issue to cause a fall-out or unpleasantness with Sebastian.

However, once it happens, awkward encounters in the future are inevitable.

But what she didn’t expect was that he, like an exam proctor, disregarded her, the candidate writing fiercely on a blank sheet, and simply extended the timeframe for answering this declaration of love.

The positions remain unchanged: he continues to pursue her, and she continues to consider.

This is the first time a confession has been refused without being successfully rejected.

Yet upon closer inspection, under his gentle and unhurried approach, she didn’t feel any discomfort or resistance.

Sienna Monroe’s heart immediately grew more complex.

To say it’s a mix of emotions isn’t an exaggeration.

She moved her lips, uncertain of what to say for a moment.

Luckily, Sebastian’s phone rang at that time, inconveniently disrupting the lingering silence and the wisps of enchanting atmosphere in the air.

His phone was on the coffee table, so he temporarily released her hand to retrieve it.

After glancing at the caller ID, he answered, listening to what the caller said before speaking, "Alright, thank you."

After hanging up, he looked at her, his expression unchanged, his tone steady, "The surveillance video near Pinnacle Market has arrived; hold on, it’s clearer on the computer."

Having said that, he stood and went to the study to fetch his laptop, then returned to turn it on.

The sofa was about a meter away from the coffee table, so Sebastian simply put the computer on his lap and scooted closer to Sienna.

He opened his email, clicking on an unread message.

Inside were four video clips of similar lengths.

Matching the four cameras outside the market, each was from different angles.

Sienna Monroe sat close to him, watching the flowing crowd in the video intently.

Upon seeing the second video, she vaguely spotted a familiar silhouette and hurriedly wanted to pause the video.

Just then, she touched Sebastian’s warm, dry knuckles, hesitated a moment, and discreetly moved away, dragging the video’s progress bar back slightly.

Then she enlarged that frame.

In the video, Vivian Nash had just stepped out of a taxi, wearing a chic outfit, a mask, and a white hat.

Trailing eight or nine meters behind her and Sebastian.

Concealing herself, behaving suspiciously.

Attracting several glances from the passing pedestrians.

By the third video, where she and Sebastian were exiting the market together, Vivian hid in a corner, the surveillance camera capturing only half of her figure.

She pressed her lips tightly, her expression slightly tense, affirming, "It’s her!"

Sebastian glanced at her without speaking.

His fingers moved slightly, watching the remaining video clips, and his expression wasn’t much better.

A sharp intuition told him Vivian Nash’s actions were definitely not mere stalking; there had to be more.

The first thought that came to his mind was scoping out the place?

Especially given the precedent set by Caleb Sinclair’s extraordinary means, he couldn’t help but think more.

Having been a lawyer for so many years, he knew that normal thinking cannot precisely guess what an evil heart plots.

Human nature, this thing, never reaches a height.

What is certain now is that Vivian Nash tracking Sienna Monroe definitely isn’t for any benevolent reason.

The video paused automatically, plunging the spacious room into sudden silence, causing the atmosphere to tense abruptly.