A problem in the present
905 Words
Reina’s POV
I couldn’t take it anymore.
The distance, the silence, the way Sebastian had been acting like nothing happened between us — it was beginning to get under my skin. I found him in his study later that afternoon, seated behind his desk, his attention buried in some documents as usual. For a moment, I just stood there, watching him, wondering how someone could feel so close one night and so far the next.
“Sebastian,” I called softly.
He didn’t look up immediately. “Hmm.”
That alone irritated me.
“I think we need to talk,” I said, stepping closer.
“About?” he asked casually, flipping a page as if this conversation meant nothing to him.
I clenched my fingers. “About us. About… what happened the other night.”
He finally looked up, but his expression was calm — almost indifferent.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he replied. “You’re overthinking it.”
My chest tightened. “Overthinking? You walked out on me.”
“I had something to handle,” he said simply.
“That’s it?” I pressed. “That’s all you have to say?”
He leaned back slightly, his gaze steady on mine. “If you want, we can go out tonight. Dinner. Maybe that will distract you.”
I stared at him, stunned.
That wasn’t what I wanted.
Not even close.
But he had already returned his attention to his files, effectively ending the conversation.
“Fine,” I muttered, turning away. “Dinner it is.”
But as I walked out, one thing became clear — Sebastian wasn’t just distant.
He was avoiding something.
---
The restaurant was elegant, just like everything associated with him. Soft lights, quiet music, and an atmosphere that screamed wealth and control. Yet somehow, sitting across from him felt more uncomfortable than being alone in the mansion.
He hadn’t changed.
Cold. Distant. Composed.
“So,” I began, trying to break the silence. “Is this how you treat your wife after almost kissing her into oblivion?”
A faint smirk touched his lips, but it didn’t last. “You’re still thinking about that?”
“Shouldn’t I?” I shot back.
“You’re making it bigger than it is.”
I let out a soft, humorless laugh. “Right. Of course I am.”
He leaned back, his eyes settling on me with quiet intensity. “You like to argue.”
“And you like to avoid things,” I replied.
“Maybe because not everything needs to be turned into a problem,” he said calmly.
“Oh, I see,” I leaned forward slightly. “So walking out on your wife after—”
“Reina.”
The way he said my name stopped me.
Firm. Controlled. Final.
I swallowed the rest of my words, but the tension between us only grew thicker.
Then suddenly, his attention shifted past me.
And I felt it.
That presence.
“Sebastian.”
The voice was smooth, confident… and unwelcome.
I turned slowly.
She stood there.
Elegant. Striking. The kind of woman who carried herself like she owned every room she walked into. Her eyes moved from Sebastian to me, and when they settled on me… something dark flickered in them.
Spite.
Pure, undisguised spite.
“Well… this is interesting,” she said.
Sebastian didn’t even react the way I expected.
No shock.
No emotion.
Just a slow, uninterested glance.
“Valeria,” he said flatly, as if her name meant nothing.
So that was her name.
“You’ve been hard to find,” Valeria continued, stepping closer. “I almost thought you were avoiding me.”
“I wasn’t,” Sebastian replied calmly. “You’re just not important enough to look for.”
The words landed cold.
Sharp.
Final.
For a brief second, something flashed across her face — irritation, maybe even anger — but she quickly covered it with a smile.
“Oh?” she said softly. “And yet you replaced me so quickly.”
“I didn’t replace anything,” Sebastian said, his tone steady. “I moved on.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
My eyes shifted between them. “Sebastian… who is she?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
And before he could—
“I’m someone he used to know,” Valeria cut in smoothly, though her eyes never left me. That same spiteful look lingered, scanning me as if I were something beneath her. “You must be the wife.”
I didn’t take the hand she extended.
“I asked him a question,” I said calmly.
Sebastian exhaled softly, already losing patience. “Reina, she doesn’t matter.”
That answer surprised me.
But it didn’t end things.
Valeria let out a quiet laugh. “That’s harsh… even for you.”
“No,” Sebastian replied, his gaze now colder. “What’s harsh is you showing up uninvited and thinking you still have a place anywhere near my life.”
That did it.
The smile on her lips didn’t fade, but her eyes hardened.
And this time, when she looked at me… it wasn’t just spite.
It was something deeper.
Something dangerous.
“Well,” she said softly, straightening. “We’ll see about that.”
And just like that, I knew—
This woman wasn’t just part of his past.
She was about to become a problem in the present.
- Writer
