Chapter 56 Candies and Roasted Sweet Potatoes
When Madeline saw what was in the wooden box, she was shocked for a moment. The box consisted of all sorts of jewelry that looked like it was worth a fortune. “This is too much. I can’t take it.” She waved her hands in rejection.
Philip glared at her. “This was Sebastian’s mother’s dowry, and she had left it behind for her future daughter-in-law. This belongs to my grandchildren’s mother. If you don’t want it, who should I give it to?”
Joel immediately widened his eyes before walking over to Madeline and tugging on her sleeve. “You want it, Mommy. Once you take it, you’ll be Grandpa’s daughter-in-law. Then, we will all be one huge family!” Madeline stared at her son speechlessly. These pieces of jewelry are too expensive… I’ll feel guilty if I take them. Furthermore, I’m not actually in love with Sebastian. We only got the wedding certificate for the sake of the kids. If he ever finds a woman he loves, he’s going to break up with me. I can’t take this.
“Mommy… Mommy… Take it, Mommy. I want Grandpa and Daddy to be a part of our family!” Joel tugged on Madeline’s sleeve as he begged her tearfully. Madeline finally gave in when she saw the young boy’s large, teary eyes. Forget it. I’ll take it, for now, just to calm my son down. If Sebastian really meets his loved one in the future, I’ll just pass these things to that woman. It’s not like I’d keep it as mine forever. I’ll have to play along with the show for now, but I’ll just think of it as me taking care of these items for now. When I divorce Sebastian in the future, I’ll just return these to Philip.
Upon taking a deep breath, she took the wooden box and stood up before bowing to Philip. “Thank you… Dad!”
“Great! Great!” Philip let out a hearty laugh as he held both of his grandchildren in his arms. “Come on, Joel and Quincy, let’s go to the kitchen to see what’s for dinner today!”
“Yeah!” Joel cheered. “I love good food!” The three of them headed to the kitchen happily. As Sebastian looked at the way his father walked off, he thought that his father looked at least ten years younger—the old man’s footsteps seemed so much lighter. Moments later, Sebastian shifted his gaze back to Madeline. “Thank you.”
She was stunned by his sudden show of gratitude. I just took all of this jewelry for free, and I haven’t even thanked him yet. Why is he thanking me? Is there a misunderstanding somewhere here? Sebastian beamed when he saw the dazed look on her face. “Ever since my mother passed away, I’ve never seen my dad this happy.” He held his teacup toward Madeline. “I’ll drink this in place of alcohol. Thank you for raising Joel and Quincy to be such amazing children… It must have been hard.”
“No…” Madeline shook her head. “As I said, I wouldn’t be the person I was if it weren’t for Joel and Quincy. They are the ones who saved me. Having them as my sons is the luckiest thing I’ve ever experienced, so I never found it hard to care for them.”
“You just have a really good attitude toward things,” Sebastian commented. “I only have a vague idea of how much you’ve suffered, but I’ll make sure that it never happens again. In the future, I’ll take up all the responsibilities of a husband and a father, and I’ll take good care of you and the kids. I’ll make up for all the things I couldn’t give you in the past.”
“There’s no need for that!” She shook her head hastily. “The fact that you’re willing to get married to me, and the fact that you’re willing to give Joel and Quincy a proper family and a legal status, is more than I could ever ask for. I can deal with the rest on my own… If you ever find a woman you love, I’ll make sure to tell Joel and Quincy that we broke up in peace, so that they’ll continue to love you as their father.” She was genuinely thankful to Sebastian.
She was thankful that he had found the secret about her background. She was thankful that he was willing to marry her and to give her kids a legal title. Regardless of why Sebastian was doing so much for her, it was a fact that she, Joel, and Quincy had benefited a lot from it. She wasn’t going to forget Sebastian’s kindness. She was reminded of what she thought about on the way back earlier—she knew that she had to repay him someday!
Sebastian narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the woman in front of him. She sure is an interesting individual. I’ve met tons of women who circled around me in hopes of being my wife. But this woman, who is already Mrs. Hart, is saying that she will step back if I find someone else that I like. Doesn’t she want to continue being Mrs. Hart?
Right then, Sebastian felt the urge to check his reflection in the mirror. Do I look worse than usual, or is this girl’s eyesight just bad? Hmm… Her eyesight might be bad, but she sure has gorgeous eyes. Her slightly watery eyes are filled with life… The more I look at her, the more I feel like my soul is about to be sucked into her gaze. Her eyes are too mesmerizing. I can’t believe the Taylors could bear to torture someone as pretty and gorgeous as Madeline. Perhaps they’re blind, or perhaps they’re heartless creatures. Either way, they’re still bad people!
Madeline felt uncomfortable under Sebastian’s scrutiny, so she stood up. “Is there anything else you need? Otherwise, I’ll go check on Joel and Quincy.”
“Yeah, there’s something else.” Sebastian stood up as he responded to her. “Get Joel and Quincy to come here. I’ll pass a few men to you guys.”
What? Madeline was confused. She was just about to ask if she had misheard him when he walked out of the house. She already had her mouth open to speak, but she shut it again after he walked off. Forget it. I’ll go look for my kids first. After calling her sons to the hall, she found a row of four young and handsome men standing by the stairs. When she and her sons walked out, the four men bowed to them respectfully. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Hart, Young Master Quincy, and Young Master Joel.”
Madeline was still confused. She tilted her head to the side and glanced at Sebastian. “These are the bodyguards I hired for you and the boys. From left to right, they are Emory, Leonard, Fred, and Simon. If you find it hard to remember their names, you can remember the acronym, ELFS.”
Madeline was still speechless. “From now on, Emory and Leonard will be in charge of taking care of you, while Fred will take care of Quincy and Simon will take care of Joel. They have their own teams, so you can always ask them for help if you need anything.”
Joel gazed at Sebastian. “Can I tell them to go out and buy candies for me?”
Both Sebastian and Madeline were silent for a moment. “…Sure!” Sebastian replied.
“Great!” Joel’s short, chubby legs carried him down the stairs and over to Simon’s side. He held the bodyguard’s hand. “Can you buy some roasted sweet potatoes for me too?”
