THE BILLIONAIRE’S BROKEN VOW

Chapter 6. Sebastian Beaumont.

~Kate~

The moment the words left his mouth, my heart dropped.

He wants me to attend their grand dinner? What kind of twisted joke was this? It wasn’t enough that I’d stumbled across him today—Sebastian Beaumont, my ex-husband, in the last place I expected, acting like we were nothing more than old acquaintances. As if he hadn’t once shattered my world with one signature on a divorce paper. And now… this?

Why can’t he just leave me alone? Why now? Why here?

Cole’s head shifted between us, his eyes narrowed in subtle confusion before settling on me. I could feel his silent questions. They burned through the air between us like smoke.

“You want my assistant to attend the dinner?” Cole repeated, slowly, trying to make sense of it. But I could see it…his posture tightening, his confusion turning into concern. He was clearly thrown off.

Sebastian didn’t look at him. His gaze was pinned on me like he didn’t hear anyone else. Like Cole wasn’t even in the room.

“Yes,” he said, smoother now. Too smooth. “It would be… helpful for her to see how things work on the corporate-social end. If she’s going to represent your interests,” he added, his voice dipping, “she should be familiar.”

There was a tense, loud, abd defending silence. My breath stilled in my throat. What the hell was he doing? What the hell was he implying?

It wasn’t just the words, it was the way he said them. Like every syllable was a private whisper only I could decipher. Like there was a second meaning to it. Like this wasn’t about business at all…and it wasn’t.

His eyes, still locked on me, were saying everything his mouth couldn’t. He missed me, and now he was trying to sneak back in through the cracks.

Cole’s jaw flexed. He straightened, and for a second, I thought he might say something, maybe might defend me or shut Sebastian down, but he didn’t.

He watched me instead, he watched how I shifted in my seat, how I avoided Sebastian’s stare even though my skin still prickled under it.

“I can manage my assistant’s schedule,” Cole finally said. But his tone was cold steel wrapped in velvet.

Sebastian gave the faintest smirk. “Of course. It’s only a suggestion.”

He leaned back, casually, like he hadn’t just lit a match and tossed it into a room full of gasoline. I hated him, but underneath the chaos, and nerve, I felt something else…desire, confusion and fury.

It all tangled together in a fire I couldn’t put out. And Cole? He felt it too. I saw it in the way he turned back to his drink, jaw tight, mind clearly spinning. They were both on edge.

Sebastian finally turned to Cole, giving him a polite nod, then stood up from his seat, brushing invisible creases off his suit. “Excuse me.”

He didn’t wait for a reply before stepping out of the room into the hallway.

Cole’s confusion only deepened. He slowly turned to me, eyes landing on me gently.

Cole didn’t say anything at first. He just stared at the door, his brows furrowed in a quiet storm of confusion and calculation. Slowly, his eyes shifted…to me. Gentler now, but still filled with unspoken questions.

I couldn’t take the weight of that stare. I stood too, not even sure why. Maybe I wanted to escape before he said something I couldn’t lie my way out of.

“Stop.”

His voice was calm, and commanding.

I froze, fingers stiff at my sides. “…Yes?”

He rose from his seat. No rush, no aggression. Just… intent. Every step he took toward me felt like it pulled something tighter in my chest.

When he was close enough that I could smell the hint of cedar and spice on his skin, he spoke again.

“Tell me, Kate…” his voice was quiet, low enough that it made my stomach tense, “…what was that about?”

My lips parted. “What was what about?”

I feigned innocence, eyes wide, lashes lowered. But I felt exposed. Like he could see past the façade, peel back the skin and bone and touch every secret I was trying to keep buried.

“You know him,” Cole said, not quite a question. He took another step closer, his voice dipping again. “Mr. Beaumont. You know him, don’t you?”

I swallowed hard. I felt my walls almost crumble, but I forced myself to stay still, to meet his eyes with something that looked like strength.

“No, sir,” I replied, my chin tilting up. “He must have said all those things because…” I hesitated.

“Because what?” he asked smoothly, his gaze sharper now. A single brow lifted in curiosity.

I scrambled for a lie. Something quick. Something safe, but it didn’t come.

“…Maybe he was just looking out for me,” I said finally.

His expression didn’t shift right away, he just stared. And then, he smiled slightly. Like he knew I was full of it, but he didn’t plan to press harder.

“Oh,” he murmured. “I see.”

He tilted his head as his eyes scanned my face for a beat too long. My skin felt warm under the heat of it. Then, without breaking eye contact, he leaned closer, close enough for his breath to graze my cheek.

“You’re attending the dinner,” he said simply.

My breath caught.

“I didn’t—”

“I wasn’t asking,” he added in a soft tone, but it felt dangerous.

The air between us thickened, slow and syrupy. Something inside me shifted, and coiled. I knew that look, I knew what it meant. But I couldn’t back away…I didn’t want to.

“And since you’re coming with me,” he added, straightening himself, “I’m taking you shopping.”

“…Shopping?” I blinked, caught completely off-guard.

“For the occasion. The dinner. You’ll need a few dresses.” His smile was subtle and confident “Something that turns heads.”

He stepped back, finally giving me room to breathe again.

“I’ll have my driver pick you up tomorrow,” he said, already turning to leave. “Clear your afternoon.”

I stood frozen, mouth parted, heart thudding wildly. Clear my afternoon? What the hell was happening?