Chapter 11: A Haunting Thought

**Sebastian's POV**

"If I had a choice, I would have let you rot in jail!" he scolded angrily as soon as we entered the house.

I went straight to the couch and plopped down.

"I never asked you to bail me out," I retorted, which only made him angrier.

He stood in front of me, glaring darkly.

"You should be thankful because I still pity you. All you ever bring to this family, especially to your grandfather, is trouble."

"Well—" I stood up. "—thank you for your pity, but I don't need it," I replied coldly.

I was about to leave when he spoke again.

"You're ungrateful child! After I let you live in my house, feed you, and clothe you—"

"I will never be grateful to someone who killed my mother. Between the two of us, you're the one who deserves to rot in jail because you're a murderer!" I shouted angrily.

I stormed out of the house and left. I went to the spot where Nathan, Alex, and I usually hung out. When I got there, they weren't around, so I stayed until my anger subsided.

That night, they invited me to a club to drink.

"You're famous again, bro," Alex teased, yelling near my ear.

"When was Basti ever not in the spotlight? Not a day goes by without him causing some trouble," Nathan replied, laughing.

"That guy deserved what he got. He drives like he owns the road—like he's some kind of king!" I added with a smirk.

"Tsk! Serve him right!"

"I swear, I'm never letting you borrow my car again. It'll be stuck in the repair shop for weeks," Nathan said.

"It's a tie, bro. He didn't just wreck your car; he also messed up mine," Alex said, laughing.

"Sorry, bro. I'll take care of the expenses," I said with a grin.

Nathan shook his head and grinned back.

"Hey, look at that... she's hot, bro, and she seems into you, Basti," Alex said, pointing to a girl at another table who was staring at me.

I smiled at her and raised my beer in acknowledgment.

"Oh, looks like someone's getting added to the list," Alex said with a mischievous grin as the girl walked toward us.

"Hey," she greeted seductively, sitting beside me. She placed her hand on my chest and began stroking it while I kept drinking.

I didn't feel anything—maybe because I was drunk, or maybe she just wasn't my type.

I stood up and pulled her outside the club. She seemed disappointed when we got into a taxi and headed to a motel.

I never bring girls to my condo or a hotel. I hate it when girls suddenly show up at my place, trying to flirt with me. I value my privacy.

"Ew... it smells bad in here," she complained as we entered the room.

"You should've told me you couldn't afford a hotel. I could've paid," she added.

Tsk! She's so picky for someone who just wants to have sex.

"If you don't like it here, you can leave," I said as I flopped down on the bed.

Why did I even bring her along?

"Well, since you're handsome, I guess it's fine," I heard her say.

She climbed on top of me and began unbuttoning my shirt.

"Oh..."

She started caressing my chest and kissing it. My eyes snapped open when an image of another face crossed my mind. I pushed her off.

"Ouch! Are you crazy?" she yelled as she fell off the bed.

"F*ck!"

I quickly got up and left the room. I hailed a taxi and went back to my condo. In an instant, I sobered up.

"What the hell was that?" I muttered to myself.

I entered my room, stripped off my clothes, and headed to the bathroom. I turned on the shower, leaned against the wall with both hands, and let the water cascade over me.

After my shower, I put on a pair of boxers and stepped out of my room with a small towel draped over my shoulders. I went to the kitchen, grabbed three cans of beer from the fridge, and sat on the couch.

I turned on the TV and watched a random show. I think it was already midnight, but I couldn't sleep. Thoughts of Jasmin kept intruding on my mind.

The hell!

I ended up sleeping on the couch and woke up late. I got up and headed to my room for a quick shower. Afterward, I put on a black t-shirt, pants, and shoes, grabbed a jacket from my closet, and left my unit.

I wore my shades and went to the condo parking lot. I wasn't allowed to drive any vehicle right now because of the accident I caused the other day. They took my license.

I grabbed the keys from my pocket, got on my motorbike, and put on my helmet. I started the engine and headed to the university.

The university was quite far from my condo, so it took me a while to get there.

And, of course, I was late. When was I ever not late? But hey, being late is better than not showing up at all.

I only attended one subject since I missed the other two due to being late.

I was sitting on a bench near the field when I saw Jasmin. I stood up and followed her.

"Hey, do you want to play at my place tonight?"

She stopped when three guys blocked her path.

"Why don't you play with yourselves?" she replied and tried to walk away, but one of the guys grabbed her arm.

I approached them and pulled Jasmin away.

"Want to play a bloody game with me?" I said, which startled the three guys.

They quickly backed off and left.

"You again!" Jasmin exclaimed, stepping away from me.

"Why? Not happy to see me? You should be thankful I saved you from those perverts," I said with a smirk.

"How can I be thankful when you're just like them—rude? And I can take care of myself. I don't need your help or anyone else's," she snapped angrily.

"You talk so tough, but you're so tiny," I teased, grinning. She glared at me.

She was a bit skinny and barely reached my shoulder.

"Tsk!"

Before she could leave, I grabbed her hand and pulled her into an empty room, locking the door behind us.

"What are you doing? Let me out of here!" she yelled, trying to push me away from the door.

"Can you stop dragging me into your nonsense? If you want to stay here, fine, but let me out!"

I didn't let her finish. I grabbed both her hands and kissed her gently. She struggled, but I didn't let her go.

I deepened the kiss until she stopped resisting, though she didn't kiss me back.

I wanted to understand why she was messing with my mind. Why did she keep popping into my head when I wasn't even thinking about her? Why did I crave her lips, wanting to kiss her every second?

When I finally let her go, I was shocked to see tears streaming down her face.

I released her hands. She didn't say a word or slap me. She just wiped her tears, quickly opened the door, and left.

For the first time, I saw a girl cry in front of me. I stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

F*ck!