Chapter 82: Something unexpected
When Jazmine Harrison called him "President Crowne," a long silence fell over the room. A silence so heavy, it seemed as though time itself had stopped. They both stared at each other—a lion and a tigress, locked in an unrelenting battle of wills.
Neither of them blinked. Neither of them backed down.
In the end, it was Sebastian Crowne who broke the standoff with a quiet chuckle, striding over to the bar to pour himself a glass of champagne. He took his time, pouring a second glass before walking toward Jazmine.
"How long have you known?" he asked, offering her the drink.
Jazmine accepted the glass with a poised grace. "Actually, I've been suspicious ever since I heard your voice on the phone," she admitted, swirling the champagne lightly. "I would have been a fool not to put the pieces together by now."
Sebastian smirked. "But what exactly gave me away? I'm very interested to know."
She took a slow sip before responding. "Your involvement in my poisoning incident, for one. And then your sudden appearance at the hospital right after... that already raised a red flag. Then there was our phone call, where your voice sounded far too familiar. And let's not forget—the only person who knew I was heading to your office was you. Yet somehow, you were the one who just 'happened' to find me." She let her gaze drift over him knowingly.
"Sunset Square Apartments are President Crowne's personal residence. Then there was your convenient appearance at the hotel at the same time as President Crowne. Your unrestricted access to any room you wanted..." Jazmine let out a small, mirthless chuckle. "I would have to be an idiot not to realize the truth by then."
She placed her glass down, her eyes never leaving his. "If you were actually trying to hide your identity from me, then you did a very poor job. Instead, you brought me to your own restaurant, where the staff treated us as if I was part of the Crowne family." She arched a brow at him. "That is not very much like you. You could have done a better job keeping up the act. You disappoint me, President Crowne."
Sebastian's smirk widened, amusement dancing in his gaze. "Actually, I never intended to hide my identity from you," he admitted, swirling the champagne in his glass. "All those times you assumed I was being careless? I was actually giving you hints."
Jazmine let out a quiet laugh. "Oh? So is that why you attended the fashion show? Was that another way to try and tip me off?"