Ian fell silent.
He was not unfamiliar with Xandra and had always known her to be a two-faced phony who would put up a show in his father’s presence. But he didn’t tell on her as he didn’t want to stir up trouble.
As for Daddy, his temperament is the worst. The way he treated Mommy on that boat was just mean!
With that thought, Ian agreed that the two of them should swap back to their original identities. After hanging up the phone, Ian did as Matteo told him and tricked his sister into buying him some food downstairs. He then left the rental apartment and took a cab back to Frontier Bay.
After a few minutes, Ian successfully sneaked into his bedroom in Royal Court One without anyone noticing. This was the first time the twins met each other in person since their births.
“Whoa! We really do look exactly like each other!” exclaimed Matteo as he finally saw his twin brother in the flesh for the first time.
Ian was also amazed at their resemblance to each other. But before he could respond, his small body was already embraced tightly by his passionate twin brother.
Ian was rendered speechless momentarily as there was an unfamiliar but warm sensation spreading from his little chest.
“Alright, I’ve got to go now. Mommy should be back soon,” Matteo explained. He was worried that the longer he lingered, the more likely someone might walk in on them.
Being the more emotional one, Ian replied with a discernible sadness in his voice, “But… will we meet again? And will Mommy come over again?”
After learning what had happened today from Matteo, Ian was afraid that he would no longer be able to see his mother.
Matteo patted his brother’s shoulder while speaking in a comforting voice, “Don’t you worry. Mommy loves you so much, so she’ll certainly come back to visit you. But you have to remember. When she comes back here, you have to protect her from bad Daddy, okay?”
Feeling reassured, Ian nodded and said, “Certainly!”
On that note, the twins’ brief encounter ended.
As soon as Matteo left the room, Sebastian came up from downstairs. He was still fuming over the fact that Ian threw a big tantrum at him after Sasha had left. For the first time in his life, his son told him that he hated him and never wanted to see him anymore.
Since then, the little boy had locked himself inside his bedroom upstairs.
As Sebastian stood outside his son’s bedroom, he furrowed his brows and took a deep breath before knocking on the door. “Ian, it’s Daddy. Can you open the door, please? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
Instead of opening the door for his father, Ian grabbed onto his pillow and sprinted toward his bed.
He was still mad at Sebastian. If what Matteo said was true, he has really gone overboard for bullying Mommy because of Xandra.
Ian buried his head into his pillow.
“Ian?”
“I’m sleeping!”
The cold and impatient voice from the five-year-old added fuel to the fire already burning in Sebastian, causing the corner of his eyes to twitch uncontrollably.
This little rascal! Since when did he dare to talk like this to his own father? This is ridiculous!
Sebastian had exhausted all his patience and decided to unlock his son’s bedroom door with his own fingerprint.
“Ian?”
“Daddy, you just do whatever it is that pleases you with no regard for others, don’t you? It’s annoying!”
Sebastian had never thought that his son would be capable of throwing such a strong insult at him.
He was taken aback by the intensity of the hatred in Ian’s voice and thus decided to try a softer approach. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault for barging into your bedroom. I was just so worried about you. Ian, I really need to talk to you about Ms. Xandra.”
Ms. Xandra?
Ian’s face turned red. “What’s more to say about her?”
Sebastian suppressed his anger and continued to build his case, “I know, you think that I have acted too rashly toward your… that lady doctor today. I just want to remind you that she’s a stranger, after all. But Ms. Xandra, on the other hand, is someone who will be living with us in the future. So, if I have to choose a side, it’ll definitely be Ms. Xandra. Do you understand?”
“Why is that?”
“Because I love her, and she’s going to be my life partner,” Sebastian replied so flatly as though he was answering to any other business matter in the office.
Ian finally fell silent.
He was not Matteo who had spent all his life living with their mother, so he was not able to fully comprehend how hurtful Sebastian’s words were to Sasha.
Xandra, on the other hand, had been by his father’s side throughout the past five years, so much so that Ian was already accustomed to her constant presence in his life.
“If that’s what you wish, Daddy. But just remember this, if you insist on marrying Ms. Xandra, the lady doctor will no longer belong to you, and she’ll have no relations with you whatsoever,” Ian finally uttered the words that were way too mature for a five-year-old.
“What did you say?” Sebastian’s eyes narrowed quizzically. He wondered if he might have misheard his words.
The lady doctor? Why did Ian mention that woman out of the blue? And what did he mean by she will no longer belong to me? That woman will belong to the Hayes family for all eternity as long as I say so!
Without realizing it himself, Sebastian was offended by the notion that Sasha would have no relations with him at all in the foreseeable future.
