The Cursed Proposal

Chapter 18: Ghost of Yesterday

Kaya woke up sore all over, especially in her arm, which had throbbed all night, making restful sleep impossible. Despite insisting that the staff not worry about her, they'd stayed vigilant, fussing over her well-being even as morning arrived.

The staff treated Sebastian with an icy disdain colder than the North Pole's highest peak. They were frustrated with him for allowing the accident to happen to Kaya, and they made it clear by ignoring their usual routine for him. Even Mr. Penn focused solely on Kaya's well-being, abandoning his duties to Sebastian. Kaya tried to explain the accident and reassure them that Sebastian had managed everything so she could rest leisurely, but they dismissed her attempts, saying this was how their master should treat her.

When Sebastian entered the kitchen for his breakfast and papers, Mrs. Adelberth barely glanced his way, ignoring him entirely. He moved to the dining room after answering a call, leaving Kaya feeling guilty. She thought about sharing her fruit salad with him as a small peace offering.

As Kaya approached the dining room, the sound of sirens from the TV caught her attention. She saw Sebastian watching a new report and on the screen was the wrecked orange the very car that had nearly taken her life. The sight triggered memories of the accident, clawing their way back: tires screeching, metal crunching. The walls seemed to press in, the room shrinking as if the car were closing in on her all over again.

Her breath hitched, and the bowl slipped from her fingers, shattering on the floor with a loud crash. Her legs were weak all of a sudden, she would have fallen to the floor if a pair of strong hands hadn't caught her mid-air and lifted her onto the dining table, safely away from the glass shards. She barely registered the voice speaking surrounding her as she was lost in a daze.

"Sunshine, hey. Are you okay, love?" Sebastian's voice cut through the fog, his hands cupping her face as he gently tilted her gaze up to meet his. Kaya closed her eyes, trying to stay focused on the present, and opened them again to find the worry etched in his eyes.

"Yes, sorry. I think yesterday's accident is still a bit haunting me. It'll pass. I'm sure," she murmured, placing her hands over Sebastian's, giving him a comforting stroke to assure him that it was a momentary relapse, nothing more.

Sebastian leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as if grounding himself, while Kaya continued stroking his hands. The staff busied themselves clearing the broken glass, but Kaya caught a few of them hiding smiles, clearly amused by the intimacy between her and Sebastian, a closeness that felt far from pretense.

***

"But Bastian, I'm bored. I need something to do if you want to keep me glued to your side all day," Kaya protested as they approached the elevator in his office building's private parking lot. Today Sebastian chose to be dropped off in the basement of his office parking lot since the lobby was in chaos from the paparazzi trying to ask for a statement of yesterday's hit-and-run.

"I'll be so green with envy seeing all of you working while lounging on your office sofa all day like a sloth," she added, trying to stall her impending boredom.

"You have your laptop and those 'innocent' romance novels on your Wattpad," Sebastian teased with a knowing grin. "You'll be too absorbed to notice the hours passing." His tone held a playful edge, his grin widening. "Please, Sunshine, don't insult my intelligence. I know how 'innocent' those stories really are."

Kaya's eyes widened. "You went through my phone? Big pervert!" she blurted, momentarily forgetting her reluctance to follow him into the office. Margaret, standing nearby, stifled a laugh as Kaya accused her boss of being a peeping Tom.

Fumming, Kaya sank into the office sofa and promptly put him on her silent treatment, ignoring all his attempts to provoke a response. Sebastian undeterred, threw out playful remarks, glancing over occasionally as he worked. Kaya meanwhile, kept her eyes glued to her laptop, annoyed at his ridiculous insistence that she stay by his side.

She preferred the solitude of the mansion, where she could research freely, unbothered by the need to maintain an "appropriate" posture or mind her appearance around others. Thankfully, Margaret had lent her a lap desk to make the day slightly more bearable.

"I have a meeting downstairs," Sebastian said after knocking lightly on the coffee table to get her attention. "Want Margaret to stay with you, Sunshine?"

He flashed her a sweet smile, one that nearly broke through her resolve. But she was determined not to forgive him just yet. With an exaggerated huff, she tucked her hair behind her ears, revealing her earbuds as if to show she couldn't care less. She caught the amused gleam in Sebastian's eye, which only made her hold her ground with more determination.

***

Kaya spent the afternoon diving into research about the driver who'd hit her. Robert Benson's life seemed picture-perfect for a suburban father with no debts, and no signs of financial trouble. Aside from a few parking tickets, his record was spotless. The idea that he'd suddenly drive under the influence in broad daylight felt off to Kaya like there was more lurking beneath the surface.

After running through Benson's background, she shifted her focus to the news footage of the accident, looking for a new angle. The truck had violated the red light and crashed into Benson's car almost intentionally. Intrigued, she tried to trace the truck's ownership, but hours of sleuthing had left her stiff and restless.

She stretched her legs and took a walk around Sebastian's office, her gaze landing on an old family portrait hanging on the wall. The painting was large and intricately detailed, almost lifelike. Fascinated, Kaya reached out, her fingers brushing over young Sebastian's painted hand when a red light blinked, revealing a concealed keypad behind a crack in the frame.

A secret compartment? Her mind buzzed with excitement. Since she didn't know how many attempts she could try, she could use a light dusting of face powder to reveal fingerprints left by Sebastian on the pad. She took out her face powder and the clear tape she always had in her bag.

Kaya put a thin layer of her face powder on the keypad and then she put the clear tape on top to reveal fingerprints. The pattern showed a six-digit code with two of the digits being seven.

She thought back to significant numbers in Sebastian's life. She looked through his things and searched his information online and found out that this was Sebastian's father's old office which means the code was likely tied to important dates in his life.

The number seven seemed significant—Sebastian's parents were married in July, and he was born on the seventh of February. She guessed: seven, seven, two, then filled in the rest with her gut—nine, three, five. Fingers crossed, she pressed enter...

To her amazement, the hidden door slid open. Thrilled, she stepped inside, finding herself in a dimly lit archive room, rows of boxes stretching before her. She moved to the farthest, dustiest corner, her finger tracing labels with name and project codes that hinted at secrets long buried.

A label caught her eye-"Project Orion"-alongside a stack of files and a strange device that looked like a mix between a smartphone and a small computer. But just as she picked it up, the lights flickered, and a quiet hum filled the room. She froze, realizing she wasn't alone. A shadow moved at the edge of her vision, and a deep, gravelly voice echoed from the entrance.

"Kaya... you shouldn't have come here."

Her heart dropped. She whipped around, clutching the device in her hand, and found herself face-to-face with a figure she never expected to see—Sebastian's father, Theodore.

To be Continued.