Chapter 9 I Will Be There

• With a swift pull, she ripped off the bandage.
• Sebastian knitted his brows, his gaze falling upon her swollen, red arm.
• Annabeth's arm had just been set after a fracture, and movement was still somewhat challenging. Nevertheless, she endured the pain and managed to pull the shirt halfway onto her body.
• Sebastian simply watched as Annabeth struggled bit by bit to put on that piece of clothing.
• She was resolute in her action, showing no sign of giving up. She did not even let out a single groan of pain.
• Sebastian's brows furrowed even more deeply.
• “I'm dressed. Can I go now?” The clothes were loose on Annabeth, which made her already petite figure appear even more frail.
• Sebastian, a man of his word, said, “Okay.”
• Annabeth didn't wait for his agreement before she got out of bed. However, due to the fracture in her lower leg, she stumbled and fell straight to the ground.
• Sebastian watched on with a cool detachment.
• Annabeth glanced at her lower leg. The bone had already been set, but walking would be a bit challenging for the time being. It wasn't a major issue.
• She rose once again and walked toward the door step by step. Throughout her departure, she didn't spare Sebastian a single glance.
• The setting sun streaming through the floor-to-ceiling window cast a faint shadow on Sebastian's face. The interplay of light and dark on his countenance only served to give him an air of enigmatic allure and chilling indifference.
• “What's your name?” The man's voice suddenly rang out.
• Annabeth, who was limping, stopped in her tracks.
• “Axel Yardley.” She reckoned it was more polite to introduce herself with her real name.
• A hint of a smile appeared on Sebastian's face, but Annabeth had already continued on her way.
• Sebastian watched her figure recede into the distance, then promptly reached for his phone.
• “Let her go.”
• “Yes, Mr. Brooks.”
• After hanging up Sebastian's call, Sven was left puzzled, wondering about the woman's background.
• Not only was she the first woman Sebastian brought back to the estate, but she was also the first person he personally had him escort out.
• Despite his confusion, he still had to carry out Sebastian's orders. He took out a remote control and pressed a few buttons.
• In an instant, the directive was received by every guard throughout the estate and by the remote AI system.
• As Annabeth made her way out of the estate, her path was clear and unobstructed. The main gate before her opened automatically as if someone was controlling it.
• She wasn't surprised, given that the high-tech advancements in Mariglade were much more impressive. However, her curiosity about the man's identity began to grow.
• It seemed she had encountered a rather significant individual. She hoped this wouldn't cause her any trouble in the future.
• Sven, clad in a suit, entered the room.
• “Mr. Brooks, she has already left.”
• Sebastian hummed nonchalantly, his gaze fixed on the view outside the floor-to-ceiling window, his expression somewhat gloomy.
• Sven added, “Mr. Brooks, the security cameras around the estate captured her hailing a taxi. After getting into the taxi, she headed south.”
• As he spoke, he pulled out a small notebook. “The license plate number of that taxi is—”
• “Did I ask you to note down the license plate number?” Sebastian interrupted, annoyed. Where that fearless woman goes and which car she took is none of my concern!
• Sven immediately shut his mouth. Mr. Brooks seems rather moody today...
• After a while, Sebastian asked, “What is the number?”
• Sven flipped open his small notebook and read out the number “IM1ASS”. After doing so, he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right.
• “Find the company that owns this car right away, and track the vehicle's route,” Sebastian ordered in a cold voice.
• “Understood.” Upon receiving the instructions, Sven immediately set off to carry them out.
• After Sven left, Sebastian glanced at the bed, strewn with discarded bandages and torn pieces of clothing.
• Is she... from the Yardley family?
• At that moment, Sebastian's phone rang.
• “Sebastian, all of us are waiting for you at The Sparrow. We booked the entire place just as promised. Now, we only need you to join us.”
• Xavier's voice resonated from the other end of the phone.
• “Have you run naked?” Sebastian asked placidly.
• “Um... Does it count if I wore boxers?” Xavier spoke so quietly that his words were barely above a whisper.
• Sebastian flashed a faint smile, but his voice stayed icy. “No thanks.”
• Just as he was about to hang up, Xavier said, “Wait! Sebastian, aren't you curious about the girl you brought home? We have the surveillance footage from the mountain pass that day...”
• “Send it to me,” Sebastian said in a commanding tone.
• “Sebastian, that's not fair. You initiated this bet...” Xavier's voice of discontent echoed persistently.
• Sebastian massaged his temple and said, “All right, I'll be there in a bit.” He was indeed quite curious about the girl.
• Annabeth stood right in front of the main entrance of Redwood District.