Chapter 38 Thank You, I Guess?
Sebastian beamed at Madeline, and she felt her insides fluttering as he did so. She inched toward the car door to maintain some distance from him. This man felt threatening to her, and she only felt safe when she stayed away from him!
“Why are you moving so far away from me? It’s not like I’d eat you up,” he said with a laugh.
“I’m not moving away. I’m just… I think it’s cooler by the window.” Madeline, who often thought of herself as a fearless and strong woman, was trying her best to maintain her dignity in that situation.
“Fine.” He nodded. “You’re not shying away from me at all!” Despite saying so, his expression clearly indicated that he thought she was overreacting. I’m just going to play along with you because I’m the bigger person, his expression seemed to say.
Madeline was silent for a while. Why is it so troubling to be with this guy? Why does he have to be my sons’ biological father, and why can’t I ever defeat him? I wish I could beat him up! I’m not angry, I’m not angry, I’m not angry… She repeated that to herself many times before speaking to him again. “Since you knew that my uncle had been scammed by Bryan, why didn’t you tell him about it earlier?”
“Why should I do that?” He flashed her an elegant smile. “If your uncle knew the truth, he would realize that Phoebe wasn’t actually the daughter of his son’s savior. He’d find out that he’s married to a woman whose father is actually an enemy who fooled him. If I break this news to him right after sending Phoebe off to jail, wouldn’t he be glad that I sent her to jail?”
Madeline was quiet for a while. “Isn’t that good? Then, my uncle wouldn’t have to go around begging others to get Phoebe out of jail.”
“How does that benefit me in any way? Why should I please him?” Sebastian asked with a smirk. “I’d prefer watching him running around worriedly, using up all of his energy and strength to lower himself and beg others. When he realizes that he can’t save Phoebe after doing all of that, he’ll be angry, sad, agonized… He’ll stay up for nights and spend his days suffering. Isn’t that way better?”
His words left Madeline speechless. How much does Sebastian hate my uncle? She wasn’t sure what to say as she stared at Sebastian. “My uncle… must’ve wronged you in the past,” she finally uttered.
“Yeah.” He nodded calmly. “He did.”
“What did he do?” she asked. What was the terrible thing he did that made you wish such a horrible life upon him?
Sebastian gave her a stunning smirk as he spoke. “He was bad toward my sons and my sons’ mother.”
She froze upon hearing his words. This wasn’t the answer she had expected. So, Sebastian is only bad to my uncle because he’s angry on behalf of me and my sons? An unfamiliar feeling circled around her chest—she couldn’t entirely describe what she felt, but it was a mixture of sweetness, bitterness, and warmth.
It had been Madeline and her sons against the world for so long, and this was the first time someone stood up for them. All sorts of complicated emotions spread across her chest as she gazed at the man before her. “Thank you…” She wasn’t good with words, so she couldn’t think of anything else to say to him right then. If I have the chance to do it, I have to be nicer to him, in the future. Even though he seems rather… intimidating, he’s still really nice to Joel, Quincy and me. He fights for us. Whatever he said about my uncle earlier was also his way of protecting us. He told my uncle to contact him instead of me, so that my uncle wouldn’t trouble me. But…
Madeline lowered her gaze as she spoke in a soft tone. “Actually, things are a mess between me and my uncle’s families. Although my uncle has never loved me as a true family member, Dan saved my life, and the Taylor Family was the one who brought me up. Sam even helped me hire a good teacher to teach me martial arts… In other words, I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for the Taylor Family. I… don’t think I have the right to hate them.”
“Dan only saved you in the spur of the moment. He wanted to keep you in the family because he was in his rebellious phase where he wanted to go against whatever Nigel said. The more Nigel hated you, the more Dan wanted you around to annoy Nigel…” Sebastian leaned back into a comfortable position in his seat as he continued speaking in a calmer voice. “After keeping you in the Taylor Family, he allowed Isabel and Phoebe to continue bullying you. It’s fortunate that Sam came back from his overseas studies—he’s the only one with enough of a conscience to stop Phoebe and Isabel from abusing you. Otherwise, you might have already died in the Taylor household…”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow as he looked at Madeline. “Don’t you hate Phoebe and Isabel at all?”
“Of course I do! I’m not a rock—of course I hate them. But what can I do with my hatred?” Madeline let out an exasperated laugh. “Phoebe’s father is Dan’s savior, and Dan is my savior. Dan protects Phoebe and Isabel, and the Taylor Family took care of me. I am indebted to them, so how can I do anything to Phoebe and Isabel?”
“You might not have been able to do anything in the past, but you’ll be able to in the future.” Sebastian smiled. “Phoebe was arrested for attempted kidnapping, which would give her a sentence of at least three years. Furthermore, once Nigel finds out about the truth, he’ll probably get a divorce from her. If she’s lucky enough to survive prison, she’ll realize that she has lost everything by the time she gets out of prison. Isabel, on the other hand…” Sebastian rubbed his palms together. “I’m interested to know if Nigel will still love Isabel as much when he finds out that Bryan wasn’t exactly his son’s savior, but an enemy who had plotted against him…” Sebastian chuckled. “Now that I think about it, I do feel rather tempted to tell Nigel the truth!”
Madeline was quiet again. She could tell that Sebastian was thinking about how he could hurt Nigel, Phoebe, and Isabel the most.
“Alright. The decision has been made,” Sebastian said with a wide grin. “If Nigel comes and pleads with me, I’ll tell him the truth! I believe his facial expressions will be epic. If you’re not around, I’ll get someone to record Nigel’s reaction,” he uttered with a smile.
She eyed him speechlessly. Thank you, but I don’t think I want to see the video at all!
“I wonder when Mr. Taylor will contact me again.” Sebastian’s face was filled with anticipation. Meanwhile, Nigel, the man Sebastian was thinking about, was walking around with quick footsteps. He had just arrived at the hall when Dan happened to come downstairs. “How is it, Dad? Did Madeline agree?” Dan asked worriedly.
“No.” Nigel was too embarrassed to tell his son that Sebastian had shamed him to a point where he couldn’t even hold his head high. “Sebastian took over and stopped me from talking to Madeline,” he explained in a brief manner.
“What are we going to do, then?” Dan asked worriedly. “You have to find a way to save Phoebe, Dad! How could she live in a prison? We have to get her out of that place!”
