Fabio soon leaves, and the dust settles.
Sebastian grins and says, "Worthy of an actor, the performance wasn't too bad."
"You're the one with real acting chops. If I hadn't seen your true self, I might have really thought of you as a frivolous playboy," Victoria retorts.
She hadn't expected scenes of jealousy and competition like those on TV to play out in reality, and the flush on her cheeks still hasn't faded entirely.
"Victoria, haven't you heard a saying?"
"What saying?"
"Top-tier actors go into politics, second-tier go into business, and third-tier stay on set." Sebastian smiles, "Compared to actors, businessmen who impact hundreds, even thousands of employees can't afford any mistakes."
"Seb, am I to take that as self-praise?" Victoria teases earnestly.
They share a smile.
"But it seems you've left me with quite the predicament," Victoria says, holding the black business card between two delicate fingers.
"Scared?" Sebastian takes it from her and examines it.
"I'm just curious why you had me take it in the first place." There's a hint of confusion in Victoria's eyes.
She doesn't understand.
Victoria knows it was a display of jealousy, but she can't figure out why Sebastian chose such an ending for her.
"Not all questions in the world have answers," Seb shrugs.
"Is this throwing me under the bus?" Victoria asks softly, though her expression a touch dissatisfied.
To her, although Sebastian is always cordial and gentle with her, interacting like old friends, she always feels a slight distance from him—a distance that makes her uncomfortable.
"Really want to know?" Sebastian chuckles.
His impression of Victoria has stayed the same as before his rebirth: confident, composed, with a generous personality but meticulous attention to detail. Because of Charlotte Winston's connections, they occasionally crossed paths, and Sebastian never felt neglected.
In his mind, his impression of her hadn't changed, even after all that had happened since his rebirth. But now, as he sees her pouting, he suddenly realizes.
He almost forgets that the girl in front of him is only eighteen.
No matter how mature she seems, she is still of an age that's supposed to be carefree.
"I don't want to." Victoria's answer is blunt, "Not at all."
Sebastian can't help but laugh. He quickly pulls out his phone and dials the number on the card in front of her.
"You're earlier than I expected; must be something important to discuss?" Fabio's voice is calm and devoid of the earlier arrogance, carrying a hint of surprise. He assumes this call would come after the party.
Victoria is completely stunned. Sebastian doesn't step aside. The call he makes in her presence is clear for her to hear, and it is precisely because of this clarity that her beautiful eyes fill with bewilderment.
Was this the same serene conversation between the two men who seemed ready to fight in the dance hall just moments ago? Her thoughts seem scrambled, questioning her own memory.
"Let's skip the boasting. I need to establish a partnership with Caboat Logistics," Sebastian gets straight to the point.
"For your 'KG' studio?" Fabio sounds amused, "Come on, for your studio's size, general logistics should be enough. Setting up a dedicated line might not even recoup the principal."
"Not for the 'KG' studio, but for the CBS shopping channel," Sebastian clarifies as he pulls out a chair to sit down.
"CBS doesn't have a shopping channel as far as I know?" Fabio sounds genuinely perplexed.
"They will within half a year." Sebastian grins, "That's why I need to settle the logistics company beforehand."
"Within half a year?" Fabio pauses, then seems to realize something, "You mean Garland Blackwood's Empire Investments?"
"You catch on quickly, huh?" Sebastian commends, "Seems the world has underestimated you!"
"Perhaps you're the one who's most underestimated?" Fabio can't help but reply, "An average Joe wouldn't see the significance of the assets in Empire Investments, otherwise..."
"Otherwise, it wouldn't be my turn, right?" Sebastian smiles playfully, "Speaking of which, acquiring shares in Empire Investments means you owe me a big favor."
Fabio's life hasn't been easy. His brother is just as capable and has the advantage of being born years earlier.
Compared to the mediocrity of the Vanderbilt direct lineage, the Caboat family struggles to decide on an heir due to the sheer excellence of the candidates.
And the person pulling the strings against Garland Blackwood is Fabio's elder brother, the primary Caboat heir.
"That's true." Fabio concedes, then questions, "But the shopping channel proposal, can you really get it through CBS?" The executives at CBS are notoriously stubborn, a fact Fabio knows well.
"That's not something you need to worry about," Sebastian states coolly.
"Then let's talk about what I should worry about." Fabio continues, "In terms of partnership, what do I stand to gain, what do I need to give?"
For the business discussion, Sebastian walks to a secluded area with his phone.
After five minutes, he returns.
"It was all fake?" Victoria's gaze is complex, then she huffs, "All fake!" The few minutes give her enough time to piece together some key points.
"You knew I was playing the fool, right?"
"Yes."
"That guy's under much more pressure than me." Sebastian takes a sip of water, explaining with interest, "The Caboat family only has three heirs this generation, and they are all formidable. That guy is the youngest, so he had to smear his own reputation early on to reduce some pressure."
He looks at Victoria and smiles, "So, for an heir with no threat, what's more logical than chasing after a female star?"
"You mean..." Victoria's mouth falls open, nervousness making her swallow, then hesitates, "No way?"
"You guessed right, Victoria. Congratulations, you've successfully attracted another Caboat Enterprises suitor," Sebastian chuckles.
"No way, this won't do!" Victoria instinctively raises her voice, quickly remembering to keep it down, her eyes fixated on Sebastian, "You stirred up this trouble, you need to take responsibility."
"Take responsibility for what?" Sebastian's face is the picture of innocence.
Victoria bites her lip, feeling the urge to stamp on that naive, innocent-looking face.
Play innocent after the call? Does he really think she would take his word easily like before?