Fake Heiress Reborn Drops Masks Finds Family (Noelle and Sebastian) novel Chapter 279

Chapter 279 Cracked Mask

His usual mask of detachment finally cracked. A storm churned behind his eyes.

Noelle loosened her grip. Her fingers curled ever so slightly from the sting.

A large, dry hand wrapped around her wrist with no hesitation.

Sebastian’s face was iced over.

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He pulled Noelle’s hand up with care, but left no room for resistance. The second his eyes landed on that swollen red welt and the small cut starting to bleed, his gaze turned razor sharp.

He looked straight at Brandon. That one glance made the man’s knuckles go slack around the whip handle.

“Mr. Brandon,” Sebastian said. His voice was calm, lower than usual, but every word landed like a hammer in the silent living room. “You keep saying ‘discipline,‘ but this isn’t about teaching. It’s about punishment. Lucas has been gone for years. He just came back for your birthday. You didn’t ask him why. You didn’t ask what happened. The minute someone whispered a few accusations, you were ready to beat him bloody. Is that what being a father means to you?”

Sebastian always kept his cool. But now, even his voice shook with rage.

“For twenty years, he lived alone in Riverdale. Did you ever care whether he had a bed? Whether he ate? Do you even know what he went through out there? Why would a man choose to stay away unless there was no reason to come back? And now that he’s home, you don’t ask him how he is. You don’t ask if he still believes in this family. All you care about is staying on the Guzmans‘ good side, so you reach for a whip with barbs?

“Mr. Brandon, if you never acted like a father, then don’t think you have the right to play one now. If you bring that whip down, you’re not just leaving a scar. You’re destroying what little bond you two still have. Are you ready to lose your son for good?”

His voice echoed across the room, sharp and final.

Brandon’s fingers uncurled. The whip fell and struck the floor with a dull, weighty snap.

He looked at Sebastian. Then at Lucas, who stood frozen with his head bowed. His mouth opened, but nothing came out. His throat had gone dry.

Belinda’s face soured. Her glare darted toward Sebastian and Noelle like a blade. “Mr. Sebastian, that was too much. Brandon just got worked up. Fathers and sons never stay mad forever-”

Sebastian turned. His eyes cut straight through her. “This is their business. A father and his son. Outsiders don’t belong in it.”

That word, “outsider,” drained every drop of color from her face. Her lips twitched, but she didn’t speak. Her fingernails dug hard into her palm.

Lucas still didn’t move. But Sebastian’s words hit him hard.

All the years he tried to forget. All the hurt he’d swallowed. The tiny, ridiculous hope that maybe, someday, his father might care. They all came surging back at once. His chest burned. His throat tightened. But he forced himself to stay upright.

Sebastian didn’t give the Steeles another glance. He cradled Noelle’s wrist with care. His voice dropped, but stayed firm. “We’re leaving.”

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10:32 pm PD

Chapter 279 Cracked Mask

Noelle gave a quiet nod and followed his lead.

As they passed Lucas, she slowed her step just enough and whispered, “Come with us.”

Lucas sucked in a breath. Then he moved.

He said nothing to Brandon. He didn’t even turn his head.

The three of them walked out, one by one.

The lights in the living room stayed bright. But the man standing under them looked smaller than ever. Bent. Alone.

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Brandon stood there, staring at the whip lying on the floor. Then at the doorway that no longer held his son. He hadn’t meant to go that far. Lucas had just pushed him too much. And when he showed up to celebrate his birthday, he’d actually been glad.

So how had it come to this?

Belinda said nothing for a moment. Then she stepped up with a forced softness in her voice. “Sir, please don’t dwell on it. Mr. Sebastian is just young. He lost his temper. Said things he shouldn’t have. Lucas will come around. He’ll see what you meant.”

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