Chapter 281 Reaping What He Sowed

Chapter 281: Chapter 281 Reaping What He Sowed

When Alpha Sebastian reached Number Eleven, Serena was waiting outside his front door.

She stood with her arms wrapped around herself, shivering beneath a thin coat.

"Sebastian. You’re finally home."

He stopped at the gate and looked at her without warmth. "What do you want?"

She followed him up the steps and reached for his arm. He pulled away.

"You can’t just cut me off," she said. "After everything we’ve been through, you can’t—"

"You’re here for money."

The words stopped her cold.

Serena pressed her lips together. Then her eyes filled with tears.

"I lost my reputation, my baby, and my ability to have children. I have nothing left." Her voice shook. "Please, Sebastian. For the baby we lost."

There it was again.

She kept using the baby like a blade, driving it into the same old wound whenever she needed something.

Alpha Sebastian thought of his mother lying pale beneath the hospital lights. His expression hardened.

"I’m broke."

"You still have money."

"Every dollar I had went to you. Designer bags. Five-star hotels. Private dinners. God only knows what else."

"Those charges were twisted."

"Then let the court decide what’s real." A bitter smile touched his mouth. "I was the only one who couldn’t tell the difference. Not until now."

Serena stared at him. For the first time, she understood that his hatred was real.

Still, she refused to back down.

"You have to help me. Just a little."

"That money is for my mother’s treatment." His voice rose. "How can you even ask me for it?"

Her carefully controlled expression cracked.

"I’m infertile because of you!" she shouted. "I lost everything because of you!"

"Fine." Alpha Sebastian’s jaw tightened. "I’ll marry you."

Serena went still."That’s not what I asked for."

"I know. But I won’t touch my mother’s medical fund. If you need protection, I can give you my name. We don’t have to have children."

"You think I can wake up beside the man who destroyed me and our baby?"

Alpha Sebastian gave a humorless laugh. "And I’m supposed to wake up beside the woman who played me for a fool?"

For once, neither of them had a comeback.

Serena’s grandfather had already stopped taking her calls.

Alpha Sebastian was willing to marry her, but he still refused to give her cash.

"You’d really let me drown?" Serena asked.

"You won’t starve," Alpha Sebastian said. "But my mother needs that money to stay alive."

"I’m not asking for all of it." She wiped her eyes. "Hale Group still owes you a noncompete payout. You’ll have income. Just tighten your belt for a while."

Alpha Sebastian stared at her.

She had calculated his severance down to the dollar.

"I need an answer within twelve days," she continued. "That’s all I’m asking."

He was too exhausted to argue. Between his mother’s surgery, the lawsuit, Serena’s demands, and Ryan’s offer, his head felt ready to split open.

"I can’t decide tonight."

Hope softened her face. "Okay. I’ll wait for your call."

Alpha Sebastian said nothing. He went inside, locked the door, and headed straight for the shower. All he wanted was to wash the night off and get a few hours of sleep.

The hot water ran over him as he stood beneath the spray, fully dressed at first, too drained to move.

Then he looked down.

Small, pale growths had appeared on the skin, clustered in an uneven patch.

His blood ran cold.

He shut off the water, grabbed the first clothes he could find, and called a rideshare.

"Take me to the nearest urgent-care clinic with sexual-health services," he told the driver.

--

The appointment became the longest and most humiliating hour of Alpha Sebastian’s life.

A nurse reviewed the first round of results with him in a private exam room. The treponemal antibody test was positive, but the doctor explained that one result alone could not determine when he had been infected or whether the disease was still active.

His RPR was positive too. The doctor recommended immediate treatment, follow-up bloodwork, and a complete STI panel.

Alpha Sebastian barely heard her.

The color drained from his face. His lips turned pale as he stared at the paperwork in his hands.

The doctor remained calm. She had delivered this news many times before.

"Based on your symptoms and the test results, this appears to be an early infection," she said. "The good news is that syphilis is treatable. We’ll start treatment today, but you need to follow every instruction and come back for repeat testing."

Alpha Sebastian swallowed. "Will it affect my future?"

"If treated properly, it shouldn’t cause permanent problems. But anyone you’ve had sexual contact with recently must be tested. Until your doctor clears you, avoid sexual contact completely."

Only one name came to mind.

Serena.

His hands shook as he called her.

"Sebastian?" Serena answered brightly. "You’ve finally decided to help me, haven’t you?"

"Come to the clinic."

Her tone changed. "What clinic?"

"I’ll send you the address."

She hesitated when she saw it was a small infectious-disease and sexual-health clinic in East Palo Alto.

Alpha Sebastian added, "I’ll give you the money you asked for when you get here."

She arrived less than twenty minutes later.

The moment she entered the exam room, Alpha Sebastian shut the door behind her.

"Run her tests," he told the nurse.

Serena glanced at the lab order. Her face went white.

"What is this?" She tried to pull her wrist from Alpha Sebastian’s grip. "Why do I need these tests? What kind of test is this?"

"You don’t even know what it says, but you’re already panicking?" His voice dropped. "What are you afraid of?"

The nurse stepped between them. "Sir, let go of her."

Alpha Sebastian released Serena, but his eyes never left her face.

"You took my money for research, then traveled overseas and slept with whoever you wanted." His jaw tightened. "Did you know you were infected?"

Serena stumbled back.

He knew.

"Sebastian, listen to me. This isn’t necessarily my fault. It could have come from Eira..."

"I never slept with Eira." His voice exploded through the sterile room.

The doctor stepped in at once. "This is a medical facility. If you can’t remain calm, you’ll need to leave."

Alpha Sebastian’s breathing turned rough. For one wild second, he wanted to put his hands around Serena’s throat. Instead, he slammed his palm against the counter.

"What did I do to deserve this?" he asked.

Serena started crying. "My body still hasn’t recovered from the miscarriage."

The words stopped him, but they no longer had the power they once held.

"You want money because of the baby?" he said bitterly. "Fine. Three thousand dollars a month. "

Serena stared at him in disbelief. "Are you mocking me?"

Alpha Sebastian thought of Eira. For four years, he had given her the same amount and called it generosity.

Now he finally understood what it had felt like.