At Avenport.
Perhaps it was because things were looking good, but Sasha was especially well-rested and refreshed when she woke up in the morning.
Naturally, things would’ve been better if she wasn’t sore all over.
“You’re up,” commented Sebastian, who happened to walk up the stairs and saw that she was awake. He had a kettle of boiled water with him.
That was the only shortcoming of the Hayes residence.
They were in the twenty-first century, but the villa itself was built ages ago. Hence, the upper floors did not have any modern facilities. Frederick never liked new technologies, so he insisted on using traditional methods to prepare things.
That was why the water for the baths and the drinking water had to be boiled in the kitchen before being used.
Sasha saw him pouring the hot water into the basin of icy water, so she grabbed a thick coat and wrapped it around her. She replied, “Yeah, I’m up. What time is it? Are you going to work today?”
“Yep. What about you? What’s your plan for the day?” asked Sebastian nonchalantly as he handed her a towel.
Sasha thought about it.
She actually wanted to go to her family. She had a meal with her dad on the day before, but there were too many guests there, so the two of them didn’t get to have a hearty chat.
Moreover, her dad never got to hang out with the kids.
Thinking about that got Sasha to feel a little bad. She asked, “Sebby, can I take the kids to go visit their grandpa? They didn’t really get to spend time with each other yesterday.”
“Of course you can. Do you want me to get a car ready for you?”
“No, there’s no need for that. I can drive there on my own. Oh, and how about we have lunch over there too? You can join us. After all, you have to eat too, right?”
Sasha was like a devious little trickster. She got close to him and had her puppy eyes on as she pushed for more by making another request.
There was no way Sebastian could refuse her request.
That being said, he didn’t answer her right away. Instead, he stared at her naughty expression and squeezed the warm water out of the towel before he cleaned her face. He kissed her at the very next second.
“Mmm…”
I knew it. I shouldn’t have pushed so much. Everything comes with a price.
Sasha took the kids to the Wand residence that afternoon.
When she left the house, Frieda, who had gotten used to playing with her grandkids, asked to follow them along. Sasha didn’t know why, but she recalled what was said on the previous day.
That discouraged her from bringing Frieda along.
For some reason, she felt that something bad would happen if her mother-in-law were to meet her dad.
They reached the Wand residence soon after. As expected, Rufus was delighted when he saw his three cute, little grandchildren.
“Grandpa, I’m Vivi—the cutest, most beautiful, and best baby in the family,” said Vivian.
She showed no humility and was quick to twirl around in her skirt as she boasted in front of her grandfather.
Rufus’ heart melted upon seeing that.
“Yes, you are right. You are the best and cutest baby in the family. Come, let grandpa hug you,” replied Rufus, who opened his arms and picked the chubby little thing up.
The two other kids, who were following close behind, got jealous upon seeing that.
Naturally, Mateo’s reaction was more obvious.
“What about me, Grandpa? I’m your grandchild, too!”
“Yes, you are my precious too. Grandpa can hug you both together.”
Fortunately, Ian wasn’t as naughty as his siblings. He was like his father and was calmer and cooler. That was good because if he wasn’t, the three of them would put too much weight on their grandfather’s old bones.
The four of them hung out for a while before the kids went out to go play among themselves. Sasha walked over after that.
“How have you been, Dad? Have you gotten used to moving back and being here?”
“Of course I have. This is our family home, so why would I not feel at home here? Your mom isn’t here anymore though, so there’s that,” commented Rufus as he stood there and stared at the familiar surroundings. The glow in his eyes suddenly became dimmer.
Everything remains the same, but she is no longer around.
Hearing that got Sasha to feel a sharp pain in her heart. It was as if someone had driven a knife into it.
She had always blamed herself for what happened to her mom because she was away at school when the incident happened. When she got home, she learned that her dad had been apprehended and her mom had passed on.
Sasha, on the other hand, ignored everything a year later and got married.
Recalling that got Sasha to feel even worse. She apologized, “I’m sorry, dad. If I hadn’t been that stubborn back then, I…”
“You don’t need to apologize to me. I knew about it and agreed to it.”
“Huh?”
Sasha tilted her head up and stared at the guy in disbelief. She asked, “Y-you knew about it and were okay with it? How is that possible? Back then, you were…”
Rufus sighed and explained, “Frederick visited me back then. I knew what he had in mind, but I thought that given the circumstances at the time, it was probably safer for you to marry his son. Hence, I agreed to it. I never imagined that you’d end up…”
The man, who had just been released from prison, couldn’t finish the rest of his sentence.
All that was left were the tears in his eyes and the discomfort in his throat.
Sasha was shocked.
She never realized that her dad was aware of everything that happened.
He even knew that Frederick had an ulterior motive! Yet, he agreed to let that wedding happen. Just how much pain was he burdened with? It got him to the point where he handed his daughter over to Frederick.
