Sebastian Ashford's POV
The engine hummed like a well-fed panther, low and lethal. I didn't usually pick Sky up from school—too many questions, too many eyes. But today, my calendar opened like the Red Sea. And truth be told, I needed to see her.
The Bugatti rolled to a slow, deliberate stop outside the campus gates—black on black, the kind of car that made grown men sweat and teenagers tweet about "a villain origin story in progress." I watched as kids gawked like they'd just seen a UFO.
Phones came out. Whispers started.
"Is that…?"
"Dude, that's Sebastian Ashford."
"No way. That's Sky's dad?"
"No shot. He looks like a damn Greek god in a suit."
"That's not a dad. That's a problem."
"Wait—is that her boyfriend?"
"Her sugar daddy?"
"Her what?!"
I stepped out of the car, adjusting the cuff of my suit. Black Armani. Gold cufflinks. A timepiece on my wrist that could bankrupt this school.
I ignored the stares. Let them burn their retinas. Let them wonder if the rumors were true—that Sebastian Ashford didn't just run a security firm, he ran empires. That I controlled politics, pipelines, and the kind of men you didn't look in the eye.
Then I saw her.
Sky.
Hair so long and black it shimmered blue under the sunlight, her skirt twirling around her legs as she ran full tilt—like she hadn't seen me in years and not… six hours.
And just like always, she tripped over nothing.
Flat out, face-first, arms sprawled. A unified "Oof" echoed from the crowd.
But she got up without missing a beat, cheeks flushed, smile full-volume. Brushed her knees like a champ and kept running.
"Seb!" she called, like it was the happiest sound in the universe.
Then she leaped.
Straight into my arms.
I caught her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around my waist, her arms hugging me like a koala on espresso.
"You're not mad, right?" she whispered into my neck.
"For falling?" I raised a brow.
"For not seeing you sooner," she pouted. "Six hours, Seb. Six."
I smirked, just a little. "Tragic."
She kissed both my cheeks, then smushed her nose against mine. It was ridiculous. She was ridiculous.
But no one else ever got this version of me.
Only Sky.
Only her.
She leaned back in my arms, big brown eyes narrowed. The interrogation had begun.
"Did you eat?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"Food."
"That's not an answer, Seb."
"Steak. Medium rare. Happy?"
"Did you drink enough water?"
"Enough."
"Sebastian."
"Yes, Sky. Three glasses."
"And sleep?"
I didn't respond.
"Seb."
She was frowning now, full pout, arms crossed even as she sat in mine like royalty.
"You got two hours of sleep last night. I know that face. Were you up late yelling at your men again? Or was it… was it a mission?"
I said nothing.
"Sebastian Alexander Ashford—"
"Alright, alright," I muttered. "I had to fly out a team at midnight. There was a situation in Istanbul."
She gasped. "You said no more dangerous stuff!"
"I didn't go," I said, setting her down gently. "I sent the team."
"Still counts!"
She tugged my tie, looking up like a tiny dictator in lip gloss. "If you get shot again, I'm grounding you. I'm serious. I don't care if you're the boss of scary men—I'm scarier."
I laughed. Couldn't help it. She looked dead serious.
"Did anyone hurt you?" she asked suddenly, soft now. "Emotionally, physically, financially—say the word."
I looked down at her. All five feet and nothing of her. She was trembling just a little. Worry lined her soft, freckled face.
I touched her cheek. "No one hurts me, Sky."
She held my hand to her face and nodded. "Good. I'd kill them."
Phones were still pointed at us, people whispering louder now.
I glanced at a kid with one too many rings and not enough brain cells. "Crop her out of those clips. Or I'll make your dad lose his job. And his pension."
He went pale. "Yes, sir."
Sky beamed. "You're so dramatic. That's why I love you."
I opened the car door and ushered her inside. She flopped dramatically into the passenger seat, tossed her bag to the back, and grabbed my phone like she owned it.
Because she did.
She was the only person on Earth allowed to read my messages, mess up my schedule, or unlock the vault where I kept my softer side.
As I pulled away from the curb, she curled up sideways in the seat, knees to her chest, and looked at me like I was her whole world.
And maybe I was.
God help anyone who ever tried to take that from her.