Chapter 239

Cecilia's pov I watched as Evelyn and Vance approached, and to my surprise, I felt myself tense up a little. Evelyn always had this unsettling grace--like she knew everyone's secrets and kept them in alphabetical order. Evelyn didn't hesitate. She walked straight up and said, "Sebastian, I'm so sorry. That was my fault. I let it slip. But Cece was really worried when she heard you might be in danger. She insisted on coming. She was genuinely concerned." She sold it well--calm, sincere, and deliberate. But I knew exactly what she was doing: trying to keep Sebastian from shutting down and to salvage whatever spark might still exist between us. Sebastian's shoulders relaxed. The anger in his face eased. He looked at me. "Really?" "Umm..." I faltered. Which was ridiculous. I was normally pretty good at lying. I could fake enthusiasm for budget meetings. I could charm intel out of enemy agents. But now, with something that was... sort of true? I choked. After a few painful seconds, I finall