52 The Private Number
The email from Sebastian Sinclair’s chief of staff glowed on my screen, making my heart race. Seven o’clock. A car coming to pick me up. The day stretched ahead like an
eternity, w
I tried focusing on my work, but my mind kept drifting to Sebastian and the bracelet now adorning my wrist. Why had he helped me? What would he want in return?
“You re sighing every five minutes. Cherry observed, dropping a stack of fabric swatches on my desk. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I lied, fidgeting with my pen.
“It’s about Mr. Sinclair, isn’t it?” She leaned forward, lowering her voice despite us being alone. “Everyone’s talking about what happened at the auction.”
“I thought the video disappeared.”
“The internet has memory, even when content vanishes. Cherry tapped her temple. “People saw what happened. They just can’t find proof anymore.”
I glanced at the clock: only ten in the morning. Nine more hours until I’d face Sebastian.
“I don’t know what to do.” I admitted. “Should I thank him? Offer repayment? Pretend it never happened?”
Cherry’s eyes widened. “You haven’t thanked him yet?”
Guilt Gared in my chest. “Well, no. Everything happened so fast.
“Hazel!” Cherry looked scandalized. “The man spent three hundred million dollars to help you. At minimum, a thank–you call is required”
She was right. Good manners demanded I acknowledge his help, regardless of his
motives.
“But I’m seeing him tonight” I protested weakly.
Which makes it worse that you haven’t called yet. It looks like you’re only responding because he sumexned von
Xbit my lip, knowing she had a point. My pride had kept me from reaching out first What would someone like Sebastian Sinclair think of me? A nobody designer too intimidated to even express gratitude?
“You’re right. I sighed, reaching for the business card in my drawer. “I should call now
“Good luck, Cherry squeezed my shoulder before leaving my office
Alone
stared at the embossed number on the card. My finger trembled as I dialed, each ring amplifying my anxiety
“Office of Sebastian Sinclair,” answered a crisp female voice. “How may I direct your call?
Hello, this is Hazel Shaw,” I said, my voice higher than usual. “I’d like to speak with Mr Sinclair, please.”
There was a brief pause. “Regarding?”
“It’s personal. About the auction this weekend.”
“One moment, please.”
Lexpected to be transferred to voicemail or told he was unavailable. To my surprise, after only a minute of hold music, a deep male voice came through the line.
Hazel
Just my name, spoken with warmth that caught me off guard. Not “Miss Shaw or any formality, but “Hazel” – as if we were familiar
“Mr. Sinclair I managed, clutching the phone tighter. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything important
“Not at all. His voice was smooth, controlled, yet somehow intimate. “And please, call
me Sebastian
Sebastian” 1 repeated, the nahe feeling foreign on my tongue. “I wanted to call and thank you for what you did at the auction, Getting my mother’s bracelet back means
more to me than I can express
Tm glad I could help
An awkward silence followed. The enormity of what he’d done made my planned words seem inadequate.
“About the amount, I began hesitantly I know it’s substantial, but I intend to repay you. It might take time
“That won’t be necessary; he interrupted firmly
“But three hundred million dollars-
Was the price required to secure the bracelet.” he finished. “Nothing more
I frowned, confused by his dismissive tone. “I can’t just accept such an enormous gift.”
“It wasn’t a gift, Hazel. His voice softened. “It was a correction of an injustice
My breath caught. How did he know about the bracelet’s history? About my family’s betraval?
“Even so I persisted, “I’d like to at least buy you dinner to discuss this properly. That is, if you’d be willing”
The line went silent. Had I overstepped? Presumed too much familiarity with one of the most powerful men in the country?
“Dinner would be perfect, he finally replied, surprising me again. “Does tomorrow evening work for you?”
Tomorrow? Not tonight?
“I thought your assistant mentioned a car coming tonight?” I asked, confused.
That was before you called” he explained smoothly “I prefer this arrangement. You Kaking the initiative shows character
Heat crept up my neck at the compliment. “Tomorrow works for me
Excellent. I’ll send a car to your apartment at seven.
“Thank you, I said, feeling oddly breathless. Until tomorrow, then”
“Wait, his voice stopped me before I could end the call “Let me give you my private hamber. In case anything changes
My heart skipped a beat. His private number? The one undoubtedly few people possessed?
“Oh, that’s not necessary
Ris he insisted gently. “Write this down.
4 scrambled for a pen, hands trembling slightly as he recited a number that wasn’t on
the business card.
Got it, I confirmed after repeating it back.
“Good.” Was that satisfaction in his voice? “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Hazel.
“Likewise, I managed before the call disconnected.
I stared at the number I’d written, feeling strangely giddy. Sebastian Sinclair, the notoriously private billionaire, had just given me direct access to him. Not through assistants or formal channels, but a direct line.
What did it mean?
I’d expected coldness, condescension, or at least formal politeness. Instead, he’d been warm, almost familiar. As if buying me a three–hundred–million–dollar bracelet was
the most natural thing in the world.
Cherry poked her head in. “Well? How did it go?”
“He gave me his private number,” I blurted out, still dazed.
“His what?” Cherry’s jaw dropped. “That’s–that’s huge, Hazel. No one gets Sebastian Sinclair’s private number
And we’re having dinner tomorrow. My suggestion, his agreement.
Cherry collapsed into the chair across from my desk. “You know what this means,
That he’s being courteous to someone he helped?
“No” Cherry shook her head emphatically Men like Sebastian Sinclair have people to be courteous on their behalf. If he’s giving you personal access and accepting dinner Invitations, he’s interested in you.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I protested, though my heart fluttered. “He barely knows me “He spent three hundred million dollars on you and then erased all evidence of it from the internet Cherry pointed out. “That’s not normal behavior, even for billionaires” couldn’t argue with her logic, but I also couldn’t entertain such fantasies. Men like Sebastian didn’t fall for women like me. There had to be another angle.
“Maybe he feels sorry for me. I suggested. “After all, he witnessed one of the most humiliating moments of my life.”
Cherry rolled her eyes. “Pity doesn’t cost three hundred million dollars.”
I glanced down at the number I’d written, feeling a strange mix of hope and terror Whatever Sebastian Sinclair wanted from me, I’d find out tomorrow. His private number felt like a key to a door I wasn’t sure I was ready to open.
Yet as I saved it in my phone, I couldn’t help the smile spreading across my face. For the first time since Alistair’s betrayal. I felt something other than pain or anger.
I felt possibility.
