Sebastian

At 7pm sharp, I arrived at Dansville, waiting patiently outside the Treble's house. I sent a text message to Sweet, letting her know we would have dinner together. Even though she didn't respond, I continued to persist and attempted to see her. I felt a deep sense of desperation and urgency to have a conversation with her in order to resolve the misunderstanding between us.

If she's not ready to talk, then at least I tried and let her know that I'm here whenever she is.

I was disappointed to find their house locked and the lights off. Everyone went out and would probably be back soon. But Dansville is a small town, so you could easily find anyone. Max quickly figured out where the Trebles were.

"They're having dinner at a seafood place. They'll likely be back in an hour or two."

"I'll stick around." I said and settled back inside the chopper.

Two hours later and the Trebles still haven't arrived. Max's team told me the family watched a Marvel movie. It would take another two hours for them to get back.

"Are we going to take off, sir?" Manfred, the pilot, asked.

"No. We'll wait until I see Sweet."

It didn't matter to me if I'd spend the night here. I wouldn't leave until I talked to her. I was really, really missing her and not being able to see her felt like something was eating my gut slowly.

"Sir, they're coming home." Max informed me just before midnight.

My heart was racing faster in anticipation of seeing Sweet. I hopped out of the chopper, clutching a bouquet of roses I personally got from the florist.

The Treble family's van parked outside their house. They all stepped out of the vehicle and gave me a look.

I said "Good evening" to everyone.

Mr. Treble twisted his lips, not happy to see me, while Erin just nodded at me.

"Good evening as well, Sebastian. Have you waited for long?" Mrs. Treble asked.

"Just a few hours, Mrs. Treble."

I looked at Sweet. When I saw her, my heart filled up with emotions. I totally missed her. She had her hands in her pants and wouldn't even look at me.

"Sweet. Can we have a talk?"

At first, she hesitated and glanced at her parents, then she nodded.

Everyone went inside the house, and there were just the two of us outside.

I greeted with a "Hi," and she just nodded. "I got this for you." I gave her the bouquet, and she said 'thanks' coldly.

I was dying to give her a big hug and a deep kiss, but she was being all cold and distant.

She led me towards the patio. I pressed my lips together, thinking about the photos of her and Hamilton in that same spot, hugging. But I had no choice. There was nowhere else we could properly talk.

At the patio, we sat on the wicker chairs, and she placed the flowers on the table. She seemed hesitant to speak, so I just went ahead and started.

"It's not what you think."

"Then tell me what it is." She answered.

Inhaling deeply, I prepared myself to speak.

"Yes. It started off as a revenge plan. When you exposed me on TV, I was overwhelmed with anger. Everyone, including my family, whom I relied on so much, turned their back against me. I was being hunted by the media and the paparazzi, invading my privacy. People branded me as the world's most despised individual. I felt judged and pushed around, which made me really mad. No one has ever done this to me before, and all I could think about was getting revenge."

"Is toying with my emotions your way of seeking revenge? How could you do that? You led me on, making me think you were serious about me."

I raked my hair in frustration.

"I screwed up. That was not the right thing to do. But I swear, I'm totally serious about you now." I tried to touch her hand, but she pulled her hand away. "Yeah, I was just pretending at first, but my plan totally backfired. The more we went out, the more I realized I wasn't pretending and actually caught feelings for you. Revenge was the last thing on my mind. All I wanted was to spend time with you."

She shook her head and shot me a glare. "You expect me to just believe you and jump into your arms? I'm not falling for that trick again. Your sweet talking doesn't work on me anymore."

I squeezed my lips. I was hurt, but I get that she was hurt more.

"I'm not expecting you to do that. I did something terrible and hurt you. All I'm asking is for you to consider what I said and hopefully forgive me."

"It's way too overwhelming for me. I know I can forgive you eventually, but I'll never forget what you did to me." She averted her eyes away from me. I could see tears welling up in her eyes. Then she went on, "I don't think I can reconsider. Betrayal is a big deal to me."

My heart sank, hearing what she said. I felt like my world collapsed in front of me.

"Sweet please."

"We're done, Sebastian. And that dating deal we have is over. I already did what I had to do."

I looked at her with a weird expression and frowned.

"Just like that? You can't throw away everything that we had."

"Yes, just like that."

"No," I shook my head, not believing her. "We've had some incredible times together. They were actually the best moments ever, for both of us. You told me so. We can't just end it like that. Let's make more great memories together."

"It's not that simple," she said, shaking her head. "It's painful to think back on all the amazing times we had, starting from day one. Those memories meant a lot to me and it sucks to find out they weren't real."

"Oh Sweet. I'm not lying, I swear on my ancestors. I quickly gave up on getting revenge once I started liking you for real. You're everything to me. I love you. Please give me another chance. I promise I'll make things right."

She froze, staring at me.

"Stop. Please don't drop the L-bomb, it just makes things worse. You said it yourself, you don't believe in love." She stood up abruptly, and said, "it's been a long night for me. It's late and I'm exhausted. I'd appreciate it if you could leave now."

I reluctantly stood up and turned to face her. "Okay, I'll leave now. But I'll be back."

Feeling incredibly low and disheartened, I left. Before I boarded the chopper, I took a moment to glance back at her. But she was gone on the patio.

She was really hurting. Mom could be right that I should give Sweet some space and time to heal. But coming here and explaining my side might make her change her mind about ending things.

"How's it going, boss?" Max asked.

"Not a good sign."

I dropped like a rock at the chopper, feeling like my chest was under a ton of weight.

"That douchebag completely ruined everything. Now, I'm not sure if Sweet would ever forgive me, you know?"

My hands were shaking with anger, thinking about how Tucker stabbed me in the back.

Later, I drowned myself with alcohol in the penthouse. I haven't slept in 36 hours. Maybe some booze will knock me out. I drank half a bottle of whiskey but still couldn't sleep.

I opened Instagram, hoping my phone would make my eyes hurt. But then I saw Tucker's story. You won't believe it! That idiot was at a karaoke bar, having a blast, singing and drinking with his pals.

I was boiling with rage. Not thinking clearly, I grabbed my car key and went to the parking area.

"Where are you heading, sir?" Max asked when he caught me in the parking area.

"It's time to confront that damn bastard."

Later, Max and I walked into the karaoke bar, looking for Tucker. I found him in an exclusive room, lip-locking with a woman in a revealing dress.

I was so mad and drunk; I went straight to Tucker and grabbed his collar.

He got up and faced me. His eyes popped out in shock when he saw me. Before he could even speak, I landed a solid punch in his face.

He got thrown onto the couch. The woman screamed her head off and ran outside the room.

"Take it easy, man." Tucker shielded himself with his arms.

"You idiot. You double-crossed me." I yanked on his collar again and gave him another blow.

He totally face-planted on the floor, crying like a little kid.

"I'm so sorry, man. I had too much to drink, I got carried away... I shouldn't have said that to Sweet."

"You jerk! You hurt the woman I love. Now I'm hanging by a thread, terrified I'll lose her."

He sat down and grabbed my pants.

"It was tough for me, man. I felt hurt too. I see you as my best friend, like a brother to me. But you abandoned me when Sweet arrived."

"If you really treated me like a brother, you wouldn't have done this to me." I shoved him off and stormed out of the bar.