The True Heiress Reborn And Slays (Alicia Delaney) novel Chapter 416

Chapter 416 Looking for Someone’s Shadow Through It

Chapter 416 Looking for Someone’s Shadow Through It

Riley’s heart skipped, and then that strange, sour feeling crept back in.

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She thought he was still hung up on never finding the cartridge, or maybe thinking about someone else connected to it. She reached out to snatch it back, her voice a little sulky. “If you don’t want it anymore, give it back. I’ll give it to Audrey.”

Sebastian pulled his arm back fast and tucked the cartridge against his chest, well out of her reach. He watched her get annoyed and let out a low laugh. “You don’t give a gift and then take it back. This one’s different now anyway. You fought for it and won it. For me.”

He took her hand again, his fingers kneading gently at her wrist, which was a little red and swollen. His voice softened. “Does it hurt?”

The ten minutes of insane high-speed inputs had definitely worn her muscles out. She nodded. “A little.”

Sebastian didn’t say anything else. He just walked her back to the car at the alley entrance.

The AC was blasting inside, cutting off the sticky heat from outside.

He pulled her hand onto his lap and started massaging it with slow, patient movements.

The car was a tight, private space. His body heat bled through his fingertips, and the whole atmosphere was getting too intimate.

Riley shifted, a little uncomfortable. She tried to find something to talk about. “What about Colin and the others? Shouldn’t they be back by now with the coffee?”

Sebastian didn’t look up. He pulled out his phone with one hand, made a quick call, and hung

“He said Audrey wanted to walk around the campus. They went inside.”

Riley laughed at that. Her eyes curved up as she shook her head. “They were at each other’s throats a minute ago, and now they’re off exploring campus together. They can’t stand each other and can’t stay away either.”

She glanced out the car window at the distant campus gate—familiar and quietly stately. A pang stirred in her. Keeping her eyes on it, she murmured almost to herself, “This used to be my school. Since we’re here… care to walk around?”

Sebastian’s hands paused on her wrist. Then he looked up.

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17:25 Wed, Jun 17

Chapter 416 Looking for Someone’s Shadow Through It

That same deep nostalgia surfaced in his eyes again.

He looked at Riley for a long moment and nodded. “Yeah. Let’s walk around.”

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Riley pushed open the car door and stepped out first, but something was nagging at her.

That look Sebastian just had. It was too strange. The way he seemed to know every tree, every path, like he was coming back to something familiar. There was no way this was his first time here.

Audrey’s words about some old flame flashed through her mind.

Was that woman—the one he could never get over, the reason he’d turned down every socialite in Nexopolis—also a student here?

Could it really line up that perfectly?

If it’s true, then right now, is he looking at this campus because he missed the place? Or is he looking for someone’s shadow through it?

The thought settled over her. The bright feeling from winning the tournament dimmed, a thin layer of gray clouding it over.

Sebastian parked the car at a spot along the curb by the main gate, and they got out together.

Late summer afternoon. Sunlight cut through the tall sycamore branches and scattered dappled light across the paths covered in fallen leaves.

Riley walked beside Sebastian, watching the sharp lines of his profile shift in the light and shadow. She couldn’t hold it in anymore. She asked, “You’ve been here before, haven’t you? You look like you know this place pretty well.”

Sebastian’s eyes drifted past the library building in the distance. His gaze was far away, and his voice was calm. “I spent some time here.”

He paused, then added, “Later, things got busy. I stopped coming.”

The answer was too vague.

Something tugged at Riley’s chest. Like a feather brushing against her skin-itchy, and just a little suffocating.

She was almost sure now. The reason he’d stopped coming around was that his old flame had graduated.

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17:25 Wed, Jun 17

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