Chapter 24 Till Death
It was a big deal, so to speak. If the results weren’t what she was expecting, she would be devastated. The only way to not have disappointments was to not have expectations in the first place. She tried to calm herself down and told herself that it was fine even if the results weren’t what she wanted, and then she took the papers. “I’ll get my men to send these to him. Thanks for helping.” She had a few loyal subordinates in her firm. All of them were in other cities for their requests, but getting a couple back was no problem.
“Oh, actually, neither of us has to send our men to do this.” He was reminded of something, so he took his phone out and texted Quinton. “We have a mailman right outside, and I’m sure he’ll be glad to take on this job.”
Quinton opened the door and took Dan in. He was already untied, though his clothes were still messy, and his face was horribly swollen.
Madeline was shocked to see him in that state. “Dan?” She shot up from her seat.
She was still panicking over her son’s crying when Dan was taken away, so all her attention had been on her son. She had heard Quinton say something about refreshments for Dan, and she thought it was real, but she was proven wrong.
Dan angrily flung Quinton’s hand off his shoulder. “Oh, so you’ve gotten yourself a rich boyfriend now, huh, Madeline? How dare—”
“Shh…” Sebastian stood up with the files in hand and came up to him. “Pipe down and look at this first.” He tossed the file to him.
“What the heck is this?” Dan glared at Sebastian. “Sebastian, just because you’re the richest man in Dusktown doesn’t mean sh*t. You assaulted me for nothing, and this is not the end of it. You’d better drop your charges on Phoebe right now and bust her out of the detention center, or we’re coming after you.”
Sebastian smiled. “I told you, be quiet and look at the files first. Once you’re done, hand it over to your uncle. If Michael agrees to do what I think he will do, I’ll help you out with Phoebe’s case.”
“Uncle Michael?” He looked at Sebastian curiously. “What does this have to do with him?” He looked at the papers and skimmed through them, but the more he looked, the grimmer the look on his face was. “T-This is impossible,” he mumbled in denial. “How can this be?”
“Is it so hard to admit that Madeline is Crystal’s daughter?” Sebastian said coolly. “Whether she’s Crystal’s daughter or not depends on the results of the paternity test. You can’t say she isn’t just because you deny it.”
All the color was drained from Dan’s face, and his anger was snuffed. His hands were trembling, for if that was the truth, there would be hell to pay. Madeline suffered when she was living with the Taylors, while Angie was in heaven. Madeline might be the young miss, but she was actually little more than a servant. She had to do everything around the house, and she was disdained as well. On the other hand, Angie was beloved. Her parents and brothers spoiled her, and she had never suffered even a day of her life.
Crystal was the beloved young miss of the Taylors, while Cameron was the illegitimate daughter. She was the b*stard born to her witch of a mother who deceived Dan’s grandfather.
Crystal and Cameron were at odds all their lives. If Sebastian’s guess was true, then that would mean Crystal’s real daughter was tortured for years, while Cameron’s real daughter was raised as Crystal’s own. If Aunt Crystal finds out, she’ll be furious. No, livid.
Holy sh*t. If Madeline is actually Aunt Crystal and Uncle Michael’s own kid, that means she’s my cousin. What the hell have we been doing to her then? How will Dad and I explain this to them? His blood ran cold, and he trembled in fear.
“I will tell my uncle about this.” He gripped the papers, his face pale, then turned around to leave dazedly. The news was too much to take in, and he even forgot about his stepmother.
After he left, Sebastian said, “Pack up. No matter who’s your parent, my father and I will treat you and the kids the same. You are a kind, responsible lady who raised great boys. I love them. I’ll take care of you and the kids. I won’t let you suffer anymore.
Madeline could see that he was being genuine. He’s a good man. I’ve been unlucky for years, but looks like my luck’s starting to turn again. She nodded and thanked him again before she went to her room to pack up. She owed the kids too much. Since they wanted to be with their father, she’d live with him too. As for me… well, if they’re happy, then I’m fine with it.
Aldo went with her into the room to help.
Buddy huddled closer to Sebastian and asked curiously. “If this Uncle Michael is really Uncle Dan’s uncle, does that mean he’s my grandfather?”
Amused, Sebastian pinched his cheeks. “You’re so smart. That is exactly who he is.”
“Yeah!” Buddy nodded. “I’m smart! I have photographic memory! I’m super awesome. Aldo and Mom’s awesome too!” Buddy would always praise his brother and mother at all times.
“That’s a coincidence.” He hugged the boy and pinched his nose. “I have photographic memory too.” No wonder he’s my kid. He’s just like me.
Buddy held Sebastian’s shirt and looked at him nervously. “Dad, will you always be this nice to us?”
Sebastian was surprised that the boy would call him ‘Dad’. Dad? He calls me ‘Dad’ that quickly? It was a simple title, but one that filled his heart with warmth and pride of being a father, and also a sense of responsibility. He hugged the boy tightly and nodded with solemnity. “Yes, I promise I’ll always be this nice to you.”
Well, he wasn’t always that nice to them. It only went up ever since that day, as he kept being nicer and nicer to the kids.
