Chosen as the Cursed Alpha's Seventh Bride

Emilia’s POV

"Tiffany, I didn’t ask him to sacrifice himself. I just used the blind date as a way to seal a deal. That’s all."

"Isn’t that a sacrifice?!" she wailed. "It’s because my dear Fynn is handsome, isn’t it? That’s why you’re forcing him to do this!"

"Yes, your dear Fynn is handsome. More handsome than me. Otherwise, I would have gone myself."

"Stop lying to me! You’re bullying Fynn because he has no family to protect him! Let me tell you something, Brother. From now on, I’ll be his family. If you ever bully him again, I’ll never forgive you!"

She scrambled to her feet and stormed out of the study, nearly crashing into me as I reached the doorway.

"Tiffany."

She looked up at me, tears still streaming down her face.

"Emilia." She grabbed my shoulders. "How could you marry a man like my brother? Get a divorce. As soon as possible. You can’t live with someone like him."

After Tiffany stormed off, I stood there in the hallway.

I walked into Sebastian’s study. He was already back at his laptop, looking completely unbothered, like his sister hadn’t just had a full-blown meltdown on his floor.

"Mind telling me what that was about?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe.

He didn’t look up. "She heard Fynn went on a blind date. Came to yell at me about it."

"Did you actually set him up?"

"It’s not a real date. Just part of a business deal." He finally glanced at me. "You wouldn’t get it even if I explained it."

"Try me."

"Not worth my time."

I pursed my lips. "Shouldn’t you go talk to her?"

"No need." He closed his laptop. "She’ll throw a fit tonight and forget about it tomorrow. That’s how she works."

I couldn’t help but smile a little. "She’s carefree. Must be nice."

"Jealous?"

"Maybe a little."

Sebastian leaned back in his chair and studied me. "You know, you always seem like you’ve got something weighing on you. Like you’re not really happy."

Something flickered in my chest, but I kept my face neutral. "How could I be happy? Married to a man who’s been divorced six times, neglects me, and bullies me every chance he gets. At least I’m not crying on the floor like Tiffany. That’s progress."

"So you’re finally admitting I’ve been neglecting you."

"Excuse me? ’Finally admitting’? I’ve never denied it. It’s a fact." I crossed my arms. "Do you want me to start listing everything you’ve done wrong? Because I’ve got a mental list and it’s very long."

He looked at his watch. "It’s still early. Want to go for a walk?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What’s this? Feeling guilty now?"

"Take it however you want."

I lifted my chin, a little smug. "Fine. I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself."

When we came downstairs together, Mila looked up from her knitting. "Going somewhere?"

"Just for a walk, Mom."

"Have fun, you two."

We ended up at the only beach in Silverlake City. The night sea was rougher than during the day. Waves crashed against the rocks, and the wind hit my face, cold and salty.

Sebastian found a spot and sat down. He cracked open a drink and handed it to me. "From now on, this is what you’re having."

I blinked. "Come again?"

"No more alcohol."

I felt my cheeks warm as I remembered that stupid recording from last night. I nodded quickly and took the bottle. "Fine. Deal."

"I haven’t been to the beach at night in a long time."

He stared straight ahead, his green eyes looking as deep and unreadable as the ocean in front of him.

"Why? Afraid of ghosts?"

He shot me a glare. "I love ghosts. That’s why people call me one."

I snorted. "Fair point."

"Lie down. You can see the stars from here."

I flopped onto the sand first, then patted the spot next to me. "Come on. It’s not gonna bite you."

He lay down beside me, hands behind his head. "Girls like looking at stars. If I do it too, people might start talking."

I turned my head to look at him. "Who told you that? The first time I showed up at your house, you weren’t exactly giving off ’manly man’ vibes."

His eyes narrowed. "That’s exactly why I bully you. I hate it when people think I’m anything other than straight."

"Then maybe you should do something about it. Instead of bullying your wife, why don’t you take out a TV ad? ’I, Sebastian Simons, don’t sleep with women, not because I’m gay, but because I just hate them. Professionals welcome to verify.’"

I burst out laughing at my own joke. Sebastian rolled over and grabbed my neck. Not hard, just enough to get his point across.

"You’re getting bold now, huh? Keep it up and I’ll throw you in the ocean to feed the fish."

"I surrender! I surrender!" I was still laughing. "I was just kidding!"

He raised an eyebrow. "You like laughing, do you? Let’s see how much you laugh after this."

Before I could react, his hands were under my arms, tickling me. I shrieked with laughter, rolling around on the sand like a crazy person. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t see. All I could do was laugh until my stomach hurt.

"I give up! I give up! I swear I won’t do it again!"

He finally let me go, pointing a warning finger at my forehead. "If you ever question my sexuality again, I’ll find ten eunuchs to teach you a lesson."

I lay there on the sand, panting. It was the first time we’d gotten along like this, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

"You’re a cruel man. You know how hard it is to find even one eunuch these days? And you want ten?"

"If I wanted, I could make you time-travel."

He closed his eyes, looking lazy and relaxed.

"Then take me to meet Superman." I said softly. "I had a crush on him when I was a kid."

He cracked one eye open. "Superman? Really?"

"What’s wrong with Superman?"

"His whole ’faster than a speeding bullet’ thing is overrated."

"You take that back. Clark Kent is a gentleman. He opens doors for Lois Lane. He saves the world. And he wears that cape like no one else can."

"You liked him because he’s a good guy?"

"No, I liked him because he’s hot."

He snorted. "You women always go for the impossible ones."

"Hey, besides me, is there anyone else who has a crush on him?"