The CEO’ s second choice
Chapter19 The Masquerade Memory

Sebastian

My body feels stiff.

I opened my eyes to sunlight and felt a weight pressed up against me. I glance down only to see the sleeping face of Elena wrapped up in my arms. We had fallen asleep on the L-shaped couch last night; I was up against the armrest and she was lying on her side in between my legs with my arms wrapped around her. How did we get in this position?

My heart starts to race when I realize that for the first time in years I had slept well; no nightmares had plagued my sleep. Was it because I had Elena in my arms?

I peer down at her again and my heart skips a beat; she truly was an exquisite beauty. How could I have been so foolish as to cheat on her with Sarah so many times? She was the woman I had dreamt about long after we met at the masquerade ball, the one who had not been scared to call stiff customs 'stupid'.

My rebellious heiress.

And I had almost thrown it away for an office fling, all because I had needed to feel wanted by someone.

Last night she had confessed to me that she was a virgin, saving herself for her husband and one true love, and it had honestly made me see her in a different light. She was the polar opposite of Eliana in every way. The fact that no other man had seen what I had thrilled me; Elena was perfection in every sense of the word.

Finding out the man she loved and saved her virtue for had been lying broke her spirit. So I would need to be there for her in every way possible, even if she didn't need me.

I kiss the top of her head and draw her closer to me, her sweet perfume muddies up my mind and I close my eyes to savour the moment. She stirs in my arms, then snuggles deeper into my embrace. I realize then that she must be cold, and move to pick her up and carry her to the bedroom.

"...Sebastian..." I hear her voice call to me in a whisper and peer down, only to replace her eyes closed and her eyebrows bunched together in a frown. "... can't... feel..." She continues to mumble nonsensically in her sleep, then her mouth opens a bit and then she was fast asleep again.

The whole thing made me smile. Was she dreaming about me?

I see Ilse in the foyer and cock my head towards the top and she proceeds to follow me. I had a feeling that I was late for work and my first meeting for the day. As we get to the landing, I walk straight to my bedroom and lay Elena down, "I need to shower then head out to work. Will you please keep an eye on her for me, Ilse? You and no one else." I say to my trusted help, and she nods, "Certainly, sir. I will go and fix her a nice oatmeal breakfast so she can get her energy back." Ilse says, then nods to me as she walks out.

She truly was a God sent.

I cover Elena with my blankets then head towards my shower to get ready for the day.

Elena

I stretch out and realize that I was back in my bed; but something felt different, something smelled different. Wait, how did I even get back here? That's when I hear it: Sebastian's voice. I open my eyes and peer out from under the blankets, only to see him standing there glistening and with a towel around his waist.

"Yes, reschedule this morning's appointment as I will be in late. 10 am is fine, Anne." He says then I hear him put his cell phone down on a surface in front of him and his footsteps retreat towards his massive walk-in. From this angle, I could see that Sebastian had an incredibly well-built body. No wonder his chest felt rock hard when he pulled me against his body during our dance at the wedding. I hear a flutter of clothes coming from the walk-in, then hear him spritz on his cologne and his footsteps as he appears at the entryway. He had not buttoned his shirt up as yet and my mouth went completely dry at the sight of his chiselled chest. He had well-toned six-pack abs, a firm upper body and those yummy V lines and headed straight into his crotch area.

Lord have mercy.

I blush as I realize that I had been staring at him. "You're awake, petite pâquerette," He says with a smile, calling me little daisy yet again. If he noticed I was staring, he mentioned nothing. He continued to button up his shirt, then walked towards the cabinet where he had left his phone. I nod, “Yes, I am. Uhm... How did I get into your bed, Sebastian?" I ask him, genuinely confused.

He smiles at me, "We fell asleep in the conservatory. I woke up about 40 minutes ago, then I realized that you were cold and that I was incredibly late for work. I hope you don't mind me putting you here while you sleep. You looked so peaceful, I did not want to wake you."

I returned his smile. That was incredibly kind of him. "Thank you, Sebastian. But I think I need to head to my own room," I say while getting out of bed. But as soon as I took two steps toward the door, I sav stars and faltered, falling forward. I braced myself for the fall, but it never came. Sebastian lifts me up and puts me back into his bed, "Easy, Elena. Your blood sugar must be low, seeing as you have not eaten since your brunch yesterday. Ilse will be up soon with your breakfast, but for now, rest in my bed for as long as you wish."

Why was Sebastian being so kind to me?

"Thank you," I say again as I lay back down on the bed and try to get my bearings. Sebastian smiles at me then grabs his suit jacket and speaks while he affixes his cufflinks. "My sleep in has caused a delay in meetings, so I might be out a bit late this evening."

Why was he telling me this? It wasn't like I was going to wait up for him...

I nod anyway, "I understand. I apologize for keeping you up so late, Sebastian." I say, but I only see a gentle smile crossing his face, "It was worth it, Elena. I got to know you better." He says before grabbing his briefcase and phone, then he walks towards me and plants a kiss on my head. "I must be off. Have a lovely day, petite pâquerette."

And with that, he was off.

I watch as he retreats out of the room, and let out a breath that I did not know I was holding. My eyes scan the room and then it hits me again; I was in Sebastian's room. He had carried me up from the conservatory and put me into his bed.

What happened that he suddenly felt the need to be so kind towards me?

I snuggled deeper into his comforter and could smell the remnants of his cologne. Closing my eyes, I willed sleep to take me, but I was way too strung out to fall asleep again. A knock on the door roused me out of my thoughts; Ilse walked in with a tray and a big smile plastered on her face.

"Good morning, Ma'am," she says as she approaches me.

"Good morning, Ilse. Please, you need to start calling me Elena. You're practically my mother at this estate." I told her as I sat up and her hand flew to her chest. "Oh, my. I couldn't!" she exclaims, yet again being overly dramatic, and all I could do was smile at her. She sets the tray down in front of me, "You need to eat up and get your energy back, Mrs Dumont. Then we can move you over into your own room if you'd like."

When she said that, a naughty smile crossed her face. What exactly was going through Ilse's head?

"Yes, I think I will go over into my own bedroom. I am dying to have a soak with the jets on." I say as I spoon the yummy oatmeal into my mouth. The first bite was absolutely divine! This woman really knew how to make simple oatmeal taste like fine dining. "Wow, this is delicious!" I comment and see her beaming at me.

"Thank you, Mr Dumont had these flown in from France. They're hand-rolled in a little cottage off the coast of Marseille with no danger of being cross-contaminated with peanuts." She says and I nearly choke on the spoonful of porridge in my mouth. "That must have cost a fortune!" I cry out. Yes, I was used to living in luxury, but when she explained it like that, it sounds like he moved mountains for a simple bowl of oatmeal.

Ilse nods, "Mr Dumont spared no expense and only bought the best so there would be no danger of your allergies being affected." She says then turns on her heel and walks out. Stopping at the door, she turns around to face me, "When you're done, you can leave the tray here and I will send for someone to collect it."

I nod and offer her a smile, which she returns, then she leaves the room. Polishing off the delicious bowl of oatmeal, I stood up from Sebastian's bed and stretched. My body was feeling a bit stiff after sleeping on the couch in the conservatory, but I felt oddly refreshed.

And in a snooping mood.

I look around Sebastian's room and note that there was nothing out of place. My husband was a true perfectionist. Striding towards his walk-in, I am taken aback at the array of Tom Ford and Armani suits he owned, mostly in black and charcoal. His closet was the same size as mine, but he owned things that cost more than the wedding ring on my finger.

I might have misjudged Sebastian's wealth; the man could buy 10 estates similar to the one my parents owned and not bat an eye. I walk over to his vanity section and note that his collection of cufflinks was impeccable. Other than the cufflinks, he seemed to have no other display of jewellery.

His walk-in still had the remnants of his cologne and I breathed it in while closing my eyes, then I suddenly realized where I was and blushed. What the heck was I doing in here? Sebastian and his walk-in should not make me as curious as it did, so I turn around and turn to walk out, but then something caught my eye.

On the shelf next to his floor-length mirror was an intricately made masquerade mask. Taking it off the shelf, I scrutinized it; it was black and silver with a silk ribbon that tied around the wearer's head. Why did it look so familiar?

A frown furrows my brow "You're such a brat, Lady Wiltshire."

He took my hand in his and offered me a smile; "Not to worry. I prefer honesty anyway, Lady Wiltshire."

I am suddenly taken back to the masquerade ball from a few years ago when I met the man I had an instant connection with. The man who promised to come to see me the following weekend and never did; instead Sebastian showed up asking for Eliana Wiltshire.

"I feel podgy next to my family at times, especially when we're at social gatherings."

"Podgy? You cannot be serious."

"But I am the Podgy Heiress."

My eyes widened, and a realization hit me like a bucket of ice-cold water; Sebastian showed up at my family's estate to see Eliana Wiltshire, but I was fumbling over my words because I had thought he was absolutely gorgeous.

"You are the Podgy Heiress, are you not?"

"I beg your pardon?!"

Oh my God.

The man I met at the masquerade ball promised to come to see me, and he did.

It was Sebastian Dumont.