Chapter 176

Cecilia Harper! That traitor. That spy. That absolutely insufferable idiot. She was going to be the death of me. Sebastian looked like a walking time bomb in my living room—primed to explode and demolish the fragile wall I’d built between my personal life and my professional one. Just looking at him made my pulse spike. But I’d always been good at hiding my true feelings. I pulled myself together, pasted on a serene smile, and turned to Harper. "Harper, how thoughtful of you," I said sweetly, each word dipped in sugar and laced with poison. "Thank you so much, my dearest friend…" I’m going to bury you in your sleep. Harper shrank under my blade-like smile, hands raised like she was surrendering to a ticking bomb. "Oh, no need to thank me!"Her mouth said one thing, but her eyes were screaming for mercy. I felt my chest tighten with frustration as I turned to Sebastian, forcing a layer of icy politeness into my tone. "Mr. Black, a little warning would’ve been nice," I said. "I wasn’t exa