Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 104

Elara smiled and introduced him openly. "This is Sebastian, Melody's cousin."

One of the parents recognized him. "Oh, is this the same cousin who came with you to pick up Melody last week?"

"Yes," Elara nodded with a smile. "His office is nearby, so he's heading over with us."

Sebastian hated being boxed into the 'cousin' label, but he didn't let a single trace of annoyance show. Instead, he offered a polite nod to the group and said, "Hello."

"No wonder he's related to Melody. He's so handsome! Your family's genetics are insane!"

"If I didn't know better, I would've thought he was some famous A-list actor I hadn't heard of."

The parents were all young adults around Elara's age, so they kept their compliments respectful and firmly within boundaries.

Sebastian had grown up drowning in praise about his looks, so he was entirely used to it. He simply stood quietly by Elara's side, maintaining a polite posture as they showered him with compliments.

A few minutes later, the teachers escorted the children out of the building.

Since their class was being dismissed early today, only their specific group of parents was waiting at the gates, making the dismissal much quieter and more orderly than the usual afternoon chaos.

The parents greeted their kids with overwhelming warmth, adjusting their coats, offering them water, and handing out snacks before leading them to their cars.

To make things easier, the parents had declined Elara's offer to arrange a shuttle bus, insisting they were perfectly fine driving themselves.

Elara had already dropped the address into the parent group chat, but everyone was still accustomed to waiting for her to lead the convoy.

Sebastian glanced over at Julian's driver, Lester, who was waiting nearby, and tilted his head toward Elara. "Riding with me?"

When Julian dropped Melody off this morning, he mentioned he would be home early for the party. Elara figured he would be leaving the office soon, so she quickly agreed.

"Alright."

Elara nodded, then turned to the driver. "Lester, I'll just ride back with Sebastian. You can head back to the office and pick up Julian."

"You got it."

Once Lester drove off, Elara took Melody's hand and looked up at Sebastian. "Where did you park?"

"Over here."

Melody nodded. "If I open it now, I won't be able to put it back together, and it'll be too hard to carry when we get out of the car."

"Plus, I want to open it tonight with all the other presents. That way, I'll get way, way more surprises all at once."

After thoroughly explaining her flawless logic, she looked up at the front seat. "Is that okay, Sebastian?"

"...That is perfectly fine."

Sebastian reached over and handed her a different paper bag. "Then, you can open this gift first."

"There's more?"

Melody gasped in surprise. She carefully set aside the wrapped birthday present and took the paper bag from Sebastian. A second later, she let out a delighted squeal. "It's the fruit pastries!"

They were the exact western-style fruit and floral tarts she had devoured at the Vance estate and absolutely adored.

Melody pulled the beautifully crafted boxes out, her heart overflowing with joy, but she was deeply confused. "Sebastian, how did you know these were my favorites?"

She had eaten a ton of different desserts that night. How could he possibly know that the orange, watermelon, strawberry, and peach tarts were the ones she loved the most?