Bait for a Gentleman novel Chapter 23

Vera had already waited seven years, a brutally awkward length of time. It was too long—so long that she could no longer see a clear future. But it was also too long for her to just walk away.

She hugged Zachary tightly. "Zachary, let's have a baby."

...

On Tuesday, the day of the interview, Audrina arrived at the Everest Law Group building with her production crew.

Layne greeted them at the entrance, escorting the team upstairs while syncing the schedule with Audrina.

The interview was set in the top-floor conference room. While Audrina touched up her makeup in the restroom, the crew began their setup.

By 7:50 PM, everything was ready.

When Audrina returned to the conference room, Sebastian was already seated on the sofa. He was dressed in a pure black custom-tailored suit. The impeccable cut accentuated his broad shoulders and commanding frame, and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose.

Just sitting there, without uttering a single word, he naturally exuded an innate aura of nobility and sheer authority.

He was looking down, reviewing the interview outline in his hands.

Audrina walked over, a polite smile on her lips. "Mr. Hawthorne. We meet again."

The man looked up, his gaze sweeping over her face, before giving a brief "Mm" and dropping his eyes back to the papers.

Audrina: ?

That was it?

Judging by his reaction, he seemed to be angry about something.

With no time to dwell on it, Audrina stepped in front of the cameras and quickly shifted into her professional persona.

At 8:00 PM sharp, the live broadcast began.

Because it was so rare for the station to secure an interview with Sebastian, this prime-time exclusive was being simultaneously live-streamed on *Financial Frontline's* online platform.

Audrina looked into the camera, offering a flawless anchor's smile. "Good evening, viewers, and welcome to *Financial Frontline*. Today, we are deeply honored to have with us the founder of Everest Law Group, and the youngest senior partner in Kingshire—Mr. Sebastian Hawthorne."

The camera cut to Sebastian.

He gave a slight nod.

The live chat exploded instantly.

[Holy crap! He's way hotter than in the magazines! How can someone look this good in real life?!]

[Ahhh! Rich, handsome, and ridiculously successful! Did God even close a window for this man?!]

[Save me! I've found my dream material for tonight, he's the one!]

[...]

In the entire broadcast, it was their very first moment of direct eye contact.

Sebastian's gaze didn't waver, fixed intently on every subtle shift in her expression.

Audrina met his eyes, maintaining her perfect smile.

That night, when he had pinned her beneath him, he had looked at her exactly like this.

Like a predator who had already caught its prey and was taking its sweet time examining it.

Sebastian's lips parted slightly. "It's because the person I'm trying to pursue won't return my messages."

The live chat completely lost its mind.

[Holy crap, there's actually a goddess out there who can resist a top-tier man like him?!]

[OMG OMG OMG, what does a woman have to look like to make Mr. Hawthorne chase her?!]

[Wait, does this count as a public confession?? It does, right??]

[I want all the information on this woman within three minutes!]

[...]

The smile on Audrina's face faltered for a fraction of a second as she suddenly remembered the two text messages she had ignored.