Chapter 103 This Is Exasperating!
“Are you saying that you killed my wife and my unborn child for me?” Robert kicked Harriet aside belligerently. “Harriet, being your husband is the greatest regret of my life, that and the fact that I was blind to your true colors! Just thinking about how I married you after you killed my first wife makes me sick! I ought to kill you myself!”
“N-No, Rob, please don’t do this to me. Rob…” Harriet sobbed as she shook her head. “Rob, we’ve been together for so long, and I’ve given you the best years of my life. You can’t do this to me, Rob…”
Amid her sobs, the sound of the police siren began to draw near. It grew louder as the cruisers made their way down the street, and Harriet grew even more frightened when she heard it. She fell to her knees in front of Robert and grabbed his leg, pleading profusely, “Please, I’m begging you—don’t send me to jail! You can’t let the police take me away! I don’t want to go to jail! Please, please…”
Meanwhile, Sebastian led the two children into the dining room.
Quincy was seated next to Sebastian with a book in hand, and he was engrossed in whatever he was reading.
Meanwhile, Joel was in Sebastian’s lap as he wrapped his arms around the latter’s neck. He had his chin propped up on Sebastian’s shoulder, so he could get a clear view of the living room.
“Are you scared, Buddy?” Sebastian glanced over to check on the kid when he heard Harriet’s cries grow more shrill by the second.
“Nope!” Joel answered with his arms still firmly wrapped around Sebastian’s neck. Then, he asked, “Dad, do you know why the police are taking that woman away?”
Sebastian bristled. “Why do you ask?”
“I know the answer!” Joel proclaimed proudly. “I understood everything. That woman killed her own sister, and now that the truth has come out, the police are coming to take her away!”
Sebastian patted the little boy’s back. “Aren’t you scared?”
“Not at all,” Joel answered. “Aldo and I really like watching true crime shows. We even helped the police solve a case! Grandpa saw us on television after that.”
“Oh, I know about that one.” Sebastian smiled and nodded. It was precisely because of that case that his father had discovered the existence of these two children. Otherwise, Sebastian wouldn’t have had such adorable sons to call his own.
He held onto Joel and felt a rush of warm affection for him. He couldn’t help planting a firm kiss on the child’s doughy cheek.
Joel’s eyes glistened, and he looked away from the living room as he ducked his little head. Then, he returned the kiss by giving Sebastian a peck on the cheek. “I love you, Dad!”
Upon hearing his son’s soft and childish voice, Sebastian thought his heart would melt into a puddle. “I love you too!” He couldn’t help giving the boy another peck on the cheek.
“I love you so much, Dad!” Joel insisted and kissed Sebastian once more on the same spot.
“I love you more, Buddy.”
“No, I love you more!”
“No, I love you way more, Buddy.”
“I love you way, way, way more, Dad!”
Quincy, who was sitting at the side, peeked out from behind his book and frowned at his father and brother. He had always believed that Sebastian was intelligent and powerful enough to take good care of his mother and brother. That way, he wouldn’t have to grow up so quickly.
It looks like Dad has lost a bit of his smarts after hanging out with Buddy for so long, though. Has Buddy’s stupidity rubbed off on him? That doesn’t make much sense, though, for it would’ve rubbed off on Mom and myself long ago. Perhaps Mom and I are just too intelligent, but that has its own set of problems too. It’s bad enough that Buddy’s the dumb one, and now he has Dad to keep him company. This is exasperating! I need to work harder in school if I’m going to keep this family afloat! I must keep reading!
With renewed determination, he looked away from Sebastian and Joel. Then, he went back to reading his book.
It didn’t take long for the police to arrive.
Under the butler’s direction, the police officers marched into the living room. By then, Harriet had already cried herself hoarse.
She let out a frantic yelp when she saw the police. As she scrambled to get off the living room floor, she rose to her feet and turned to run.
In truth, she wasn’t sure where she could run off to. She only knew fear at that moment, and it made her want to run. I can go anywhere as long as I can get away from the police, she thought to herself.
Alas, that was only wishful thinking, for it took only a few seconds for two police officers to leap onto her and pin her down. They handcuffed her, and after informing Robert of some of the procedures following this, they took Harriet out of the living room and into the police cruiser.
She wailed and begged and howled for mercy, but no one bothered to spare her a second glance.
The police shoved her unceremoniously into the car, closed the door, and drove away from the house, the fading sound of sirens marking their departure.
Devoid of Harriet’s hysterical cries, the living room of the Wendel Residence suddenly became very still and quiet.
After a while, Robert straightened up and eyed Madeline meaningfully. “Maddie… you and Mr. Hart have my thanks for this.”
Madeline smiled. “You’re welcome, Grandpa.”
Robert looked over to where Sebastian was hanging out with the kids, and the man seemed rather pensive.
Since she didn’t want to call Sebastian by name, Madeline elected to call for her children instead. “Aldo, Buddy!”
“Coming!” Joel answered sweetly as he took Sebastian’s hand and walked into the living room. “Mom, Aldo and I are here.” Having said this, he turned around to look at Quincy, who stood behind them.
Madeline walked up to the children, and she held their hands as she guided them over to where Robert was. “Aldo, Buddy—this is your great-grandfather. Go ahead and greet him.”
Quincy looked proper as he said in a crisp voice, “Hello, Great-Grandpa.”
“Hello, Great-Grandpa!” Joel followed suit, albeit with more fervor as he dragged out the last syllable endearingly.
Robert was enamored with them, and an affable smile fixed itself upon his wizened face as he said, “Hello, my little ones! What angels!”
He assessed them lovingly. They were both cherubic with their snow-white skin and large dark eyes; they even boasted delicately-chiseled and flawless features. It was hard not to love them at first sight. He was sure that if he liked this golden pair of grandsons—whom he had only just gotten to know—so much, Philip would be sure to love them as well.
He couldn’t help feeling apologetic toward Madeline. This granddaughter of his had had it rough in life, but even so, she pulled through and gave birth to two adorable, bright, and absolutely endearing children who shared the Hart’s family name.
Robert had heard a few stories about Philip. Apparently, Philip wounded himself during the war, so he and his wife did not have children of their own until they were in their forties. They had a son, who was none other than Sebastian, and they loved him with all their hearts.
At present, Philip was already in his old age, and Sebastian had no interest in romance whatsoever. He never even had a girlfriend, a fact that remained a thorn in Philip’s side.
Right now, the heavens had blessed Philip with two adorable grandsons, both of whom were bright and lovable. Robert was sure that Philip would dote on them if he ever met them. As for Madeline, she was the biological mother to both boys; Philip could fault her roots all he wanted, but he would still take care of her alongside her sons. To that extent, she would not be worse off than when she first started, and her sons would have a bright future ahead of them.
Robert was sure that having Madeline and her sons on the Wendels’ side would only be a boon to them, and he must have been stupid with sleep to have treated Madeline with such unbridled hostility last night.
His smile deepened upon thinking about this, and the warmth in his eyes was close to spilling over as he gazed at Quincy and Joel.
