Chapter 24

Cassandra had known that Sebastian had never liked her from the very first time they met. There was a time when she'd tried hard to win over the people around Gregory's, in hopes of belonging to his world. But everything was in vain, no matter how much effort she put in. She remembered that during Sebastian's birthday that one year, she noticed he suffered from symptoms of poor blood circulation, so she'd carefully devised a prescription of herbs to nourish his body. Then, she'd spent another week refining the ingredients into easy-to-take pills before sealing and labeling each neatly. She'd presented the gift to him herself at his birthday dinner. He'd looked at her with a faintly amused expression and took it over, saying with a faint, ambiguous smile, "How thoughtful." But when she left the dinner, she'd noticed the pills tossed in the trash can by the door. Her first reaction back then had been hurt and confused. She'd even wondered if she'd chosen an appropriate gift. Now,