Ch. 311..320

Returning from the Dead Chapter 311

“Mr. Hayes!”

Sebastian uttered a response as he got out of the car, his face impenetrable. He had worn a dark grey suit, which complemented his near-perfect physique and accentuated his distinguished air.

Sasha was feeling dazed as she subconsciously held her breath.

“Sebastian…”

Without sparing a glance at her, the man ordered coldly, “Take the kids away.”

His words knocked Sasha sideways.

No way! They can’t take my kids away from me!

She hugged the kids tightly in her arms. Her ashen face, the fear in her eyes, and the bloodstain on her forehead made a dreadful sight.

“No! Please, don’t! Sebastian, can’t we talk about this?”

The kids began crying out loud, “No! I don’t want to leave Mommy! I want Mommy!”

Seeing that the bodyguards hesitated to do as he said, the cold-hearted Sebastian went over to snatch the kids from Sasha.

Sasha had lost her cool. Disregarding her injury, she lurched forward to grab the man’s arm and pleaded, “No! Sebastian, please don’t take them away from me! I admit I was wrong, and I shouldn’t have said something like that. I’ll take it back! Please…”

Yet, Sebastian was unmoved. Ignoring Sasha’s pleading, he stuffed the kids into the car. Soon, the bodyguards got into the car and drove off.

Sasha could do nothing but watch as the car sped off into a distance.

At that instant, the feeling of despair descended on her. She experienced a temporary blackout of vision and was about to collapse onto the ground.

Suddenly, Sebastian pulled her into his arms and encircled her. With his bloodshot eyes boring into hers, the man uttered harshly, “Oh, drop the act, will you? Don’t you remember how nonchalant you were when you said you didn’t want the kids? You’ve lived a carefree life without caring about them. So, there’s no need to act pitiful now.”

Sasha’s mind was buzzing. Those words had pierced through her heart, tearing it into smithereens.

“No… I… I didn’t act pitiful. If I could travel back in time, I would never say something like that.”

Hearing her words, Sebastian hit the roof, and he retorted sarcastically, “Do you think you deserve forgiveness just because you regret your actions? Does that mean you can forgive what my dad had done to you if he regrets it? And that you’ll treat Xenia’s death like it has never happened before?

“Look, you can’t even do it yourself! Then, how can you ask for someone else’s forgiveness? Don’t you think it’s funny?”

The man thought the problems between them were irreconcilable. Slowly, he loosened his grip around her.

There was not a trace of emotions in his eyes as the feeling of hopelessness, anger, and disappointment dissipated.

As for Sasha, the man’s cutting words hit her hard.

She wanted to tell him that what she did was totally different from what Frederick had done to her, yet she eventually swallowed her words.

After all, the man was telling the truth. It was too late for regrets.

Be it the hurtful words that she said, or the things the Hayes family did, what was done could not be undone.

When she herself couldn’t forgive them, how could she, a woman who abandoned her kids, ask for Sebastian’s forgiveness?

Sasha’s heart wrenched in pain while her ears buzzed. She could taste a metallic taste in her mouth.

Without bothering to talk to her anymore, Sebastian turned away and got into his car.

Just as he started the engine, he saw the petite figure staggering to her feet from the corner of his eyes. The woman had supported herself against the flowerbed by the roadside, staring blankly at her palm.

The next second, she fainted.

When she collapsed onto the ground, he could clearly see blood on her palm from the rearview mirror.

Sasha was dreaming again.

In her dream, she was a little girl. Her parents had brought her to Avenport. Yet, she didn’t get to see the little boy who was five years older than her again.

“Sasha, want to go to your Uncle Jackson’s house? There’s a girl about your age. She’s your cousin.”

“Sure!”

Then, her parents brought her to Jackson’s house.

She was happy in the dream. It felt like she was brought back to her childhood, once again experiencing those lovely memories. All those problems and worries were gone, and all that was left were the Wand and Hayes family.

How nice this is…

Meanwhile, Wendy was cleaning up the room when she saw Sasha shedding tears in her sleep. She couldn’t help but sigh.

When she left the room, she saw that Sebastian’s study was still brightly lit. Being a soft-hearted person, she entered the study to tell Sebastian about it. “Oh, Mr. Hayes, why would you take Madam’s words to heart? I can tell that Madam is not a cold-hearted person. She only said those words out of anger.”

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There was a pile of documents before Sebastian, but the man was smoking instead of working. The cigarette crackled amidst the silence, and the ashtray was loaded with cigarette butts.

“Out of anger?” He curled his lips into a sneer. “That woman doesn’t even want her kids.”

“How is that possible?” Wendy’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Madam loves the kids so much! Why would she abandon them? There’s just too much going on in her life. She’s shouldering too many burdens, so she probably wasn’t in the right state of mind.” Wendy had been taking care of Sebastian since he was a kid, so she wouldn’t want to see him make any wrong decisions. Hence, she advised him earnestly, “Mr. Hayes, you need to give her some time. If you force her, it will only make the matter worse. If anything happens to her, what are you going to do with the kids? She’s their mother, after all.”

In fact, Wendy could see through the matter better than Sebastian. She could tell Sasha’s suffering and all her struggles. The latter’s current mental state was no better than a person walking at the edge of a cliff, to say at least.

No one could tell if anything might happen to her if Sebastian continued to force her.

After Wendy left, the light in the study remained lit for a long time.

The next morning, Roxanne dropped by.

“Ms. Rocke, you’re here so early today!”

“Well, I have something I need to attend to later, so I’ve decided to come earlier to check on that woman. How is she now? Was she doing okay last night?”

Roxanne made herself at home. As soon as she entered the house, she grabbed an apple from the table before heading upstairs.

Wendy quickly followed suit.

“Everything was fine, and she was quiet last night. Does this mean she’s alright now?”

“She only vomited a little blood after getting hit by the car. She’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t suffer any head injuries,” Roxanne explained calmly while walking toward the guest room located on the second floor.

As soon as they opened the door, both of them jumped at the sight of Sasha standing by the window.

“Ms. Wand, you’re awake? Why are you standing by the window? The wind is blowing hard outside. You should put on a jacket.”

Wendy was badly frightened. It was eerie to see Sasha dressed only in her thin pajamas while standing still with her hair cascading down her back.

Roxanne, too, was so shocked that she had forgotten to swallow the apple in her mouth.

Don’t tell me this woman has suffered a brain injury and lost her mind!

Fortunately, when Wendy came back with a jacket, Sasha, who had been staring outside the window for a long time, finally returned to her senses.

“I’m fine. I was only looking at the sky to tell the time,” she replied nonchalantly.

Then, she went back to sit on the bed with Wendy’s help.

Gazing at her pale face, Roxanne swallowed the food in her mouth and then entered the room. “You scared the hell out of me! I thought you lost your mind. How do you feel?”

Standing by the bed, she reached out her hand to examine Sasha.

Yet, the latter, whose energy was being sapped by her injury, discreetly shunned away from her touch.

“I’m fine. There’s no need to trouble you, Ms. Rocke.”

Instantly, Roxanne’s face fell. She turned and left the room, munching on the apple on her way out.

Seeing that, Wendy panicked. “Ms. Wand, why didn’t you let Ms. Rocke examine you? She was the one who treated your injuries yesterday.”

Sasha cast her eyes downward and reassured Wendy, “I’m fine. Besides, I’m a doctor as well. I know my condition well, so there’s no need to worry about me.”

“Oh, right! I forgot about that!”

Wendy eventually cast her worries away.

The two then chatted for a while in the room, and Wendy told Sasha about the things that happened after the latter fainted.

Wendy left the room after a while. It was not long before she came back with the three kids.

“Mommy, are you all right? You scared me yesterday. Let me have a look at your injury.”

“Vivi, Mommy hasn’t recovered yet. Don’t climb onto the bed, or you might hurt her.”

“Be a good girl. Come down now.”

Sasha had almost thought it was a dream to see the kids in the room, showing their care for her. “Why…”

Wendy explained apologetically, “Ms. Wand, I need to go to the supermarket to do groceries. Can you help look after the kids? Since I’m the only housemaid, I usually send the kids to Ms. Rocke’s when I need to go shop for groceries.”

Instantly, Sasha’s eyes widened in surprise while her body trembled in excitement. Her desolated heart had once again come alive. Without a second thought, she nodded in agreement.

“You can definitely leave them in my care. There’s no need to send them to Ms. Rocke’s. I’ll take good care of them.”

“Alright then.”

With that, Wendy smilingly left.

How could a nice lady like Sasha have bad intentions? She’s just a mother who wishes to be with her children and a poor woman who needs to shoulder all those burdens in life.

That day, Sasha finally got the opportunity to spend time with the kids.

Though, she was worried that Sebastian might appear and kick her out. Hence, she pretended that her leg hadn’t recovered and would occasionally fake headaches and dizziness.

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The clever Vivian had found out about it. When there was no one around, she sneakily asked Sasha, “Mommy, did you really have a headache?”

Sasha was a little awkward when she heard that question being posed.

Nevertheless, she admitted, “No, but I’m acting like I do to stay with you guys.”

Hearing that, Vivian’s eyes brightened up.

“I’ll go tell Ian and Matt about this. We will inform you when Daddy comes back.”

With that, she scampered out of the room to find her brothers.

For the entire day, Wendy noticed that the kids were acting weird.

When they were playing, Ian would go and take a peek at the door. As for Matteo, the boy would suddenly grab his tablet and secretively tap on it, acting as though he was on some sort of secret mission.

Vivian, on the other hand, was acting even funnier. The little girl had started tiptoeing in the house. There was even a time when she shushed Wendy when the latter called out to her.

“Ms. Dolivo, don’t talk, or Daddy might come back if he hears us.”

Wendy was left scratching her head. What does she mean? Doesn’t she want her Daddy to come back?

Nonetheless, she didn’t think much about it and soon went back to her chores.

In the afternoon, Sebastian came back as expected.

Since he had moved in because of Matteo’s illness, he would come home in the afternoon to check on the boy and spend time with the kids.

At that time, he was the only one who could keep them company.

As soon as he arrived home, he noticed the kids were all in the living room. He was surprised, for it was rare to see them gathering around.

“What’s going on? Why are you guys all here?”

Vivian trotted toward him. “We’re waiting to have lunch with you. Daddy, have you eaten?” she asked while looking up at him.

Instantly, Sebastian’s heart melted at his daughter’s adorableness.

He picked her up and pecked her on the cheek. “Not yet. I’m actually back to have lunch with you.”

“Daddy, I’ll help serve the spaghetti for you.” Matteo then ran into the kitchen.

As for the cool and collected Ian, he said nothing as he went into the kitchen to get the cutleries.

Later, Sebastian noticed that the boy was back with only a fork in his hand. What are they up to?

Meanwhile, Sasha felt on edge as she lay on the bed upstairs.

She was afraid that the kids might fail to handle Sebastian. If he came in and found out she was pretending to be sick, she would be in big trouble.

Hence, Sasha was feeling extremely nervous, hiding under the blanket.

“Mr. Hayes, have you finished eating?”

“Yes.”

Sasha heaved a sigh of relief when she heard his deep voice from downstairs. Since he’s done with his lunch, he should be going by now.

Feeling relaxed, she lifted the blanket and got out of the bed to see if Sebastian was gone.

To her shock, she saw the man standing outside the room as soon as she opened the door. It was as if the man had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, for she didn’t even hear his footsteps.

It was beyond her expectation that he would show up so soon.

“Haven’t you left already?”

“Why? Were you waiting for me to leave?”

“No! I didn’t…” Sasha was quick to deny, yet that only further showed how nervous she was.

Sebastian didn’t believe her words at all. He let out a sneer and made his way into the room.

“I heard you didn’t let Roxanne examine you? So, you’ve recovered?”

“No!” In the blink of an eye, Sasha climbed onto the bed and laid down.

Then, she stuttered, “I… I haven’t recovered yet. I’m suffering from some chest pains. And also, my leg still hurts, and I can’t really walk.”

As she spoke, she even clenched the blanket and plastered a painful look on her face to make her words more convincing.

Sebastian’s eyes twitched, for he found it hard to put up with her bad acting.

Eventually, he decided to ignore it. “Since you haven’t recovered, why didn’t you let Roxanne examine you? Or, do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

“No! I’m not going to the hospital. I… I’ll get Wendy to call Ms. Rocke later,” Sasha quickly promised.

Fortunately, Sebastian finally let go of the matter.

The man glanced coldly at her before he left the room.

Sasha heaved a sigh of relief.

Now that was terrifying! I almost got kicked out by Sebastian.

Unbeknownst to her, the man had halted his steps at the staircase and was staring at her room door. It seemed like the coldness in his eyes had faded a little, replaced by a tinge of warmth.

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Sasha was finally able to stay thanks to her quick thinking.

The kids were incredibly happy and ran up to her right after Sebastian left.

“Mommy, Mommy! I was the one who stopped Daddy earlier! Did Vivi do a good job?” Vivian asked while throwing herself into Sasha’s arms.

Sasha gave her a big hug and a few kisses on the cheek.

“Yes, sweetie! You’re the best!”

“What about me, Mommy? I was the one who discovered Daddy’s car and informed them to come over!”

“Me too!”

The other two tried to gain Sasha’s compliment as well when they heard her praising Vivian.

Naturally, Sasha did just that, and the four of them were having a great time in the room until Matteo went pale all of a sudden.

“Ugh…”

Sasha was quick to notice that groan. She hugged him as she asked worriedly, “What’s wrong, Matteo? Are you not feeling well?”

“Matt’s having a stomachache, Mommy! He’s been having them every now and then,” Vivian explained while rubbing his tummy.

Stomachaches every now and then? What’s going on? Does gastroenteritis last that long in children?

Remembering her original goal, Sasha carried Matteo in her arms and ran off frantically looking for Wendy.

“Wendy, what’s going on with Matt? Why isn’t he getting better? What exactly is his condition? Does the hospital have some sort of medical record I can refer to?”

“Huh? Oh, Mr. Matteo didn’t go to a hospital for his condition. Ms. Rocke is the one in charge of his treatment. Mr. Hayes handed him over to her when the hospitals couldn’t treat him.”

Wendy, who was busy in the kitchen at the time, told Sasha everything.

Roxanne was the one treating him?

Sasha had a bad feeling in her gut upon hearing that. “Even the hospitals couldn’t treat him? Is it that serious?”

Wendy frowned. “I’m not too sure about that, but Ms. Rocke says it’s a fungal infection and has been working on finding the right medicine for it.”

Sasha felt a shiver down her spine.

Roxanne’s a genius when it comes to psychology and is obsessed with medicine! If she’s still unable to find the cure, then… What on earth is this illness Matteo has?

Unable to contain her worries, Sasha handed Matteo over to Wendy and headed over to Roxanne’s research laboratory by herself.

“Sasha? What are you doing here? Thought you didn’t even want to let me see him this morning?”

Roxanne was the type to hold grudges and denied Sasha entry when she saw her at the door.

“I’m terribly sorry for my rude behavior earlier, Ms. Rocke. I came here to ask you about my son’s illness.”

“Illness?”

Roxanne’s attitude worsened when she heard her mention that.

“You switched professions halfway through and didn’t even go to a medical university! How could you possibly understand a thing I’m researching?”

For the sake of her son, Sasha humbled herself and swallowed her pride. “It’s true that I’m not as good as you are in certain aspects of medicine, but please show it to me anyway.”

Fortunately, Roxanne was satisfied and let her in upon hearing that.

“Don’t worry; I’ll make sure to get your son treated. In fact, I’ve already found a lead.”

Sasha looked at her and asked, “You mean that fungal infection? But those are pretty common, no? Can’t we just treat it with antibiotics?”

At that, Roxanne sneered and said, “That depends on the type of fungus. Do you have any idea what your son is infected with?”

Sasha felt her heart sink once she heard that remark.

What does she mean by that? What is Matteo infected with?

As she followed Roxanne into the laboratory, Sasha noticed a microscope on the table with a blood sample on it.

“I’m going to take a look at this.”

Realizing that the blood sample belonged to her son, Sasha went over to take a look at it before Roxanne could even say anything in response.

Although Sasha wasn’t well-versed in western medicine, she had been a doctor long enough to view blood samples.

Usually, the number of white blood cells would increase in the event of inflammations. However, the blood sample she saw had an abnormally low amount of white blood cells in it.

“What’s going on here? Has his blood always been like this?”

“Yeah. It’s gotten a lot better lately, though. There were barely any white blood cells when it all started!” Roxanne said with a cold snort.

Sasha turned pale instantly.

Barely any at all? That’s impossible! She’s probably exaggerating, but even so, it must’ve been really bad back then!

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I can’t believe Matteo’s condition’s that bad… An extremely low white blood cell count signifies a severe infection, so this isn’t just a normal inflammatory response… In fact, it could lead to a blood disorder like septicemia or leukemia if his immune system can’t stop the infection!

Sasha shuddered at the thought of that and asked in a trembling voice moments later, “How did this happen? What exactly happened to him?”

“How would I know? He was already like this when they brought him over from his grandpa’s!”

“His grandpa’s?”

Sasha froze.

Why would he be at the Hayes residence? What was Sebastian doing? Did he not watch over him?

For some reason, Sasha had a really bad feeling when she found out that Matteo had gotten sick while staying at the Hayes residence. Matteo had gotten sick during his last visit there, so she didn’t like the place one bit and didn’t want her kids anywhere near it.

With a grim look on her face, Sasha left Roxanne’s laboratory and went home.

Her kids had been waiting for her and ran up to her the moment she came through the door.

“How did things go at Ms. Rocke’s, Mommy? Did she manage to find a cure for Matt?” Vivian asked worriedly.

Sasha forcefully suppressed her feelings of despair and sat down with Matteo on the bench in the yard.

“Tell me, Matt. Did you eat anything nasty at your grandpa’s place before you got sick?”

“No, we only ate the food Grandpa prepared for us himself.”

“Why did you get sick all of a sudden, then? There’s something wrong with your gastrointestinal tract, so it must’ve been something you ate. Try your best to recall what you’ve eaten during your time there.”

Sasha tried to help him remember what happened back then, but Matteo kept quiet.

Ian, who had been quiet the whole time, stood up all of a sudden.

“He ate it for me, Mommy.”

“What?” The look on Sasha’s face changed instantly. “What did he eat? What on earth were you two doing?”

She was so agitated that she grabbed Ian by the hand and squeezed it till it turned red.

Matteo noticed Ian’s painful expression and quickly stopped Sasha as he said, “It’s not Ian’s fault, Mommy! I volunteered to do it because I wanted to know if what Ian said was true!”

“What do you mean? What’s true?” Sasha was still confused.

The two then told her everything about what really happened.

According to them, Matteo had suddenly fallen ill after going to the Hayes residence. As a result, Ian got into a huge fight with Frederick and refused to let Matteo visit the Hayes residence ever again.

Matteo asked Ian about it when he found out later on, and the latter told him he had gotten sick whenever he visited Roderick.

“Ian said I would get sick whenever I visited Great-uncle. He suspects I got sick after eating what Great-uncle gave me.”

Sasha’s eyes were filled with shock when she heard that. “R-Really?”

Matteo nodded. “I didn’t believe him at first, so I tried eating the stuff they gave me when we visited Grandpa to prove it. I ended up getting sick afterward, so I’m not sure if this is just a coincidence or they’re trying to make me sick on purpose.”

Sasha felt as if the air in the yard had stopped; it felt like everything around them was frozen in place.

Her mind was in turmoil, and her entire body emanated an icy-cold aura as a mixture of anger, shock, and fear enveloped her. Her hands were trembling so hard that she couldn’t even hold on to Ian’s arms.

There’s no way this is a coincidence! Matteo was never sick, and yet he falls ill on both occasions that he visited the Hayes residence? If that’s true, then… That means they’re responsible for Matteo’s poor health condition all this while!

Sasha couldn’t bring herself to think about it any further.

All she wanted was to head over to the Hayes residence and find out for herself if someone was indeed trying to harm Matteo.

“Come on, you two. We’re heading over to the Hayes residence.”

“Huh?” both of them exclaimed in surprise.

Oh, no… Are we in trouble now?

Having made up her mind, Sasha handed Vivian over to Wendy and left the house with her sons in tow.

Sebastian, on the other hand, hadn’t concerned himself with the situation at home.

The trip home earlier had eased his worries, and he had a lot more urgent matters at work to take care of, especially the anonymous report on him that the board of directors had suddenly received.

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Mr. Hayes, someone has reported you for embezzling one billion.”

“Embezzlement?”

“Yeah. According to the letter, your ex-wife worked with Andy’s company to steal the money. As such, they have reason to believe that you’ve set this all up to get that money for yourself…” Luke said helplessly as he read the letter.

These idiots… As if Mr. Hayes would even need to go through all that trouble for a mere billion!

Sebastian simply rolled his eyes and chose to ignore the report after hearing that.

To his surprise, a shareholder from the board of directors that was usually on his side came to confront him about the matter later that afternoon.

“Sebastian, is it true what the report said about you? Tell me!”

“What do you think?” Sebastian asked with an emotionless look on his face.

The shareholder frowned. “Of course I know it isn’t true, but they’re suspecting you of being unable to control your behavior. According to them, they’ll have to take further measures if this is truly the case.”

I’m unable to control my behavior? What’s the meaning of this?

Sebastian narrowed his eyes and placed his pen down as he asked, “What are you trying to say? Are those old fools plotting something behind my back again?”

The shareholder cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing, “You know the rumors about you that were circulating on the internet a while back? Well, the board of directors brought that up again recently. From what I’ve heard, someone has found evidence against you.”

Smack!

The loud noise of something hitting the desk broke the deafening silence in his office.

Evidence? What evidence? The one about my mental issue?

Sebastian’s eyes went red with rage and looked as vicious as a wild beast’s. “All right, then. They can go ahead and present that so-called evidence! I want to see what trick they have up their sleeves!”

“Calm down, Sebastian! This is serious! If the board of directors really does have solid evidence against you, you will be powerless against them!”

The shareholder was quick to advise him when he saw how furious Sebastian was.

Hayes Corporation is a joint-stock company. While the Hayes may be the head of the company at the moment, the board of directors reserves the right to make necessary changes if the head of the company is found guilty of causing losses to the company!

Instead of calming down, the look in Sebastian’s simply grew colder when he heard that.

“Then they’d better act fast and catch me before I go berserk and kill them all!”

The shareholder stared speechlessly at Sebastian for what seemed like forever.

The man was indeed crazy to a very terrifying extent, and that was a fact that everyone in the Hayes family knew very well, especially Roderick who watched him grow up.

As such, he freaked out when he saw Matteo pour the kale soup he made into a tiny bottle instead of drinking it.

What the hell is this brat trying to do?

His mind was in a mess as he quickly ran after Matteo. Upon turning a corner, he saw a familiar figure carry Matteo and take the bottle from him.

“Did you get it?”

“Yup! This is what he gave me, Mommy!”

Matteo’s pale face blushed slightly from happiness after successfully collecting the evidence.

Sasha patted him on the head and was going to meet up with Ian in the yard before leaving the house, but Roderick caught her the moment she turned around.

“So, it was you, Sasha! You sure are a bold one, causing trouble in my home like this! Give it to me!” he shouted while kicking her in the stomach.

Sasha was caught completely off guard. Luckily, she managed to push Matteo out of the way before she fell to the floor with a loud thud.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Matteo yelled out in shock upon seeing that.

Roderick then walked over to her and stared her down as he bellowed anxiously, “What are you two doing? Give it back to me!”

Sasha was in so much pain that she could only curl into a ball and clutch her stomach in pain.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Uncle Roderick… Why did you kick me?” she muttered through clenched teeth and tried her best to avoid losing consciousness.

Beads of cold sweat trickled down her face, and Matteo cried even louder when he saw that. “Mommy…”

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“What do you mean you don’t know? What were you holding in your hands? Why are you stealing his kale soup? What are your intentions?” Roderick asked with a menacing look in his eyes.

Sasha stared back at him, her face as white as a sheet.

I know that look… He’s afraid and panicking! This proves that Matteo was right about him!

“I’m not stealing anything, Uncle Roderick! Matteo said you guys make amazing desserts, so he wanted me to try some of it. That’s why he brought me some. I can give it back to you if you want…” Sasha said weakly as she retrieved the glass bottle that Matteo had given her earlier.

What? She’s actually giving it back to me? Was I just overthinking things?

Roderick stared at the glass bottle in confusion, unsure of what she was playing at.

Sasha knew he had fallen for it and quickly gave Matteo a nudge. “Go on, Matt. Give this back to your grand-uncle.”

Matteo wasn’t sure why they were giving it back to the man as it wasn’t easy getting that sample, but he did as told anyway.

“Here you go!” he said while shoving the glass bottle into Roderick’s hand.

Roderick stared blankly at it for a moment, and whatever suspicions he had disappeared in that instant.

Maybe I really am overthinking it…

With that in mind, he flashed Sasha an apologetic smile and helped her to her feet. “I’m so sorry, Sasha. I thought you had some ulterior motives or something for taking this, so I got anxious and freaked out a little. Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m okay.”

Sasha shook her head, acting perfectly fine.

Something is definitely wrong with this soup! I mean, why else would he get so worked up about me taking it away? Good thing I was able to resolve this issue before it got any worse!

Matteo was still confused as to what had happened. He waited till they left the scene before asking, “Mommy, why did you give the bottle back to Uncle Roderick? Couldn’t we hand it over to Grandpa?”

“No, Matt. We don’t have any evidence to prove anything yet. Besides, we could both be in danger if your great-uncle gets desperate,” Sasha explained while clutching her still aching tummy.

What she didn’t tell him was the fact that she had secretly stored some of it in her pocket during the chaos earlier.

It’s probably going to dry up, but it should be enough for Roxanne to analyze…

Frederick tried having them stay for a meal, but Sasha insisted on leaving with her kids.

“Why’d she leave in such a hurry, Tim? Do you think she’s still mad at me? Is that why she won’t even stick around for a meal?” Frederick asked, feeling upset that they had refused to stay.

Tim could only try his best to reassure the man by saying, “It takes time. The fact that she’s bringing her kids here to see you of her own accord is a sign of progress. We should just give her a bit more time to get used to it.”

Frederick felt slightly better after hearing that. “Yeah, you’re right. We mustn’t pressure her into anything.”

Meanwhile, Sebastian too had heard of what happened when he was about to leave his office.

They went over to the Hayes residence?

He placed his pen down immediately upon receiving the news and asked Luke, “What was the purpose of her visit? Is that old man causing her trouble again?”

Whoa, why such a huge reaction?

“No, she brought the boys over by herself. Maybe they wanted to visit and asked her to take them there.”

Luke was quick to reassure him, but Sebastian snorted in response. “Heh, you actually believe that crap?”

He then tossed his work aside and grabbed his car keys from the drawer before heading out.

He’s right… Given how they’re at loggerheads with each other, it’s highly unlikely for them to want to visit…

Luke was lost in thought as he stayed back to take care of the documents Sebastian had left on the table.

Sebastian rushed back to the villa and went upstairs looking for Sasha and the kids.

“Where are they, Wendy?”

“Ah, you’re back early today, Mr. Hayes! Ms. Wand has brought the boys over to Ms. Rocke’s.” Wendy was surprised to see Sebastian come home that early.

They went over to Roxanne’s?

Sebastian frowned and asked, “Why did she go to Roxanne’s? Also, I heard she went over to the Hayes residence earlier in the afternoon. What was she doing there?”

Wendy shook her head. “I don’t know, but she came home pretty soon and headed off to Ms. Rocke’s right after.”

For some reason, hearing that irritated him so much that he had lost interest in what she was doing.

Why should I bother trying to find out? Everything she does is simply for the sake of taking care of things here, including that old man, so she can go to Moranta and revive the Wand family!

He thought to himself as he stared blankly into the distance with an icy-cold look in his eyes.

Returning from the Dead Chapter 318

Meanwhile, Sasha was in Roxanne’s laboratory.

“Are the results out yet?”

“Yeah, this sample does contain the same fungus Matteo was infected with. How did you get this?” Roxanne asked curiously after taking a glance at the sample under the microscope.

Where on earth did she get this from?

Naturally, Sasha wasn’t about to tell her the truth.

Instead, she was trembling all over with rage after hearing what Roxanne said.

Why? He’s their grand-uncle for crying out loud! Why would he do such a thing to a five-year-old child? Also, Matteo said he only drank it because Ian had gotten sick each time he went there. That means he’s also been doing that to Ian this whole time! Damn it! Now I’m really pissed!

Roxanne found it strange when she saw how angry Sasha looked. “Hey, what’s gotten into you? Don’t tell me you got yourself all injured just to obtain this sample?”

Consumed by rage, Sasha wasn’t in the mood to answer any of her questions and stormed off shortly after, leaving Roxanne dumbfounded.

“What the hell is her problem? Who does she think she is, coming and going as she pleases… I can’t believe I’m doing this for her!” she grumbled to herself.

Sasha ignored her and headed straight home with the kids afterward.

Hmm? He’s home?

There was a sharp glint in her eye as she noticed the black Bentley parked in the villa’s garage.

“Wendy, is Mr. Hayes home?”

“Yeah, he’s upstairs. He was just asking about you…”

Sasha was rushing the stairs before Wendy could finish her sentence. She was in such a hurry that she even forgot about her kids at the front door.

Jeez, why is she in such a hurry?

Wendy pondered as she attended to the kids.

Sasha went straight to Sebastian’s bedroom and shouted angrily, “Sebastian? Are you in there? I have something very important to talk to you about!”

There was no response, and it seemed as if no one was in the bedroom.

How strange… Didn’t Wendy say he’s upstairs? His car is parked outside too!

Sasha decided to check the bedroom, only to see Sebastian step out of the shower with only a towel around his waist.

“Ah!”

The woman quickly covered her eyes with her hands. “Why are you taking a shower during the day? Also, why didn’t you get dressed before coming out of the bathroom?”

What the hell is she going on about? I’m in my own bedroom, so why do I have to get dressed before coming out of the shower? Also, what’s wrong with taking a shower during the day?

Sebastian thought to himself as he stared emotionlessly at Sasha. “You’ve already seen every inch of my body, so why are you covering your eyes now?”

Sasha burned bright red instantly upon hearing that and decided to make a run for it.

This guy is unbelievable!

“I…I’ll come back later!” she stammered as she turned around, but Sebastian grabbed her by the arm and spun her around before she could even reach the doorknob.

“What was it that you wanted to tell me?” he asked, looking like a ridiculously hot mess as he stared at her with water trickling down his body.

To make matters worse, his deep and masculine voice simply added to his existing sexiness.

Sasha swallowed nervously and tried her best to avert her gaze as she mumbled, “I…It’s about Matt’s illness… I found out that it was Uncle Roderick who poisoned them…”

Hearing that snapped Sebastian out of his lustful state of mind. “What did you say?”

Sasha then pulled out the laboratory report and handed it over to him, blushing as she said, “H-Here, take a look at this… This is the desert I stole from the Hayes residence today. He was going to give it to Matteo earlier, so I brought some of it back and had Roxanne run a test on it.”

The look on Sebastian’s face was as cold as ice as he took the report over and skimmed through it.

“So, this is why you went over to the Hayes residence today?”

“Yeah! Little Ian told Matteo he got sick whenever he went over to Uncle Roderick’s, so Matteo decided to give it a shot, and he ended up falling sick too. That’s why I went there today to confirm if their suspicions are true!” Sasha explained.

Rage filled her eyes when she got to the part about what Roderick did, and she looked like she wanted to chop him up into tiny pieces.

That fcking heartless bstard!

Sebastian, too, had a terrifying look on his face when he heard that.

Returning from the Dead Chapter 319

Never did he imagine that the woman he so detested would commit such an earthshattering act.

Uncle Roderick tried to administer poison to my son? But why? So that his incompetent son can take over? The nerve of him. I can’t believe he dared to mess with me, Sebastian Hayes. Plotting to get rid of my offspring then spread the word to the board of directors that I’m mentally ill, just so his own son can lawfully inherit Hayes Corporation.

Sebastian suddenly recalled what the shareholder had said to him that afternoon.

Creak! Out of the blue, the crisp sound of cracked bones came from the hand that was holding onto the lab report.

Oh God!

The horrifying scene left Sasha bereft of speech.

“You’d better stay at home and don’t go anywhere!”

The incensed Sebastian ordered her to stay put before he swiftly changed and left the house.

Sasha stared blankly ahead, dumbfounded.

It took a long time for that murderous aura to dissipate before she snapped out of it. Her legs almost gave way as she leaned against the door and let out the breath of air she was unconsciously holding in.

She was well aware of what the man had left to do.

It was exactly what she had hoped for.

Nonetheless, she still could not help but feel unsettled and wished she had gone along with him.

Sasha returned to her room, but she was unable to regain her composure. She took out the remains of the sweets and soaked them in a mug to take a better look at them.

Roxanne had already analyzed the toxicity of these sweets.

However, she had yet to determine its antidote. If the situation persisted, her son would have to suffer for an indefinite period of time.

Hence, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

“Ms. Wand, you haven’t had your dinner. It’s already so late, so you should come down for dinner.”

“Alright, Wendy.”

Sasha was deeply engrossed in her experiment and gave the housemaid an offhanded reply.

Wendy could only sigh and left the room quietly.

When Sebastian returned reeking of blood, the entire villa was pitch dark save for that room on the second level.

She’s still awake?

In long strides, Sebastian entered the villa.

Just as he was about to head upstairs, he lowered his head to look at his hands. In the end, he decided to wash up in the bathroom on the ground level before going upstairs.

Even though spring had just begun, the weather was still chilly. A thin layer of mist could be seen forming whenever someone exhaled.

It’s rather cold tonight. Why hasn’t she slept?

Sebastian arrived at the room where a warm, orange light was spilling out from the crack of the door.

He raised his hand and was about to knock when he realized the door was open. From the crevice, he could see Sasha on her knees in the room. There were papers on the floor. What the heck is she doing?

“Sasha?”

“Hm?”

The woman’s head shot up and immediately turned towards the door.

He’s back?

An elated Sasha instantly got up, totally forgetting about what she was working on. She made a beeline for the door and opened it, saying, “Sebastian, you’re back?”

As the man stood at the door watching her run toward him in an animated manner, his breath momentarily stopped.

“Yes, I’m back. What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to find a remedy for Matt… Roxanne has yet to find the cure, so I thought of trying other methods. But… it’s been a whole night of experimenting and I’m still nowhere close. The remnants of the dessert are way too microscopic, and I don’t have much left to work with…”

Her sentence trailed off as she looked increasingly distressed.

Sebastian silently observed her while she explained herself. Despite constantly reminding himself to lose all hope in her, he could not help but soften at her actions.

“It’s fine. He’s already fessed up.”

“What? Really? Did he confess to everything? Did he really admit that he attempted to poison our son?”

When she heard his response, she grew agitated and gripped Sebastian’s wrist tightly.

Sebastian shot a quick glance at her hand. The corners of his lips faintly turned upwards as he continued, “Yes, he owned up to everything. I’ve already killed him.”

Such horrid words seemed to roll off his tongue casually.

At that, Sasha’s eyes widened in shock.

Killed? So fast? Oh god.

Dumbfounded, she was rendered completely speechless. In an instant, fear gripped her as she cowered slightly, feeling chills travel down her spine.

Her reaction didn’t go unnoticed by Sebastian. His face instantaneously hardened as he questioned, “Why? Are you unhappy about what I’ve done?”

“Huh?”

The woman regained her senses and rapidly waved her hands. “No, no, that’s not it… I’m just… I… You took his life so quickly… Won’t your father have anything to say about that?”

Sebastian snickered, “I doubt so. He was out to end his grandson’s life. You think my father would have any qualms?”

His response left Sasha at a loss for words.

There was some truth in his words.

Still, Sasha could not help but find the whole situation difficult to accept.

It wasn’t because that heartless monster didn’t deserve to die, but because Sebastian was so indifferent about murder. His impassive face gave her the impression that homicide was nothing out of the ordinary.

In a split second, two starkly gory scenes she had once seen in her childhood flashed in her mind.

Returning from the Dead Chapter 320

“Since everything’s settled now, go to bed.”

Sebastian didn’t think anything was abnormal. After the woman had nothing else to add, he casually wished her goodnight before preparing to leave.

Sasha nodded and bent down to pick up the pieces of paper strewn all over the floor. Unfortunately, she accidentally triggered her injury and soon felt a sharp pang in her body. She immediately cried out in pain.

“What’s wrong?”

Sebastian’s head whipped at the sound of her cry.

Her expression drastically changed as she pretended to be fine. “Nothing! I’m just going to put aside these pieces of paper. You go ahead and sleep. You still have work tomorrow.”

She couldn’t let him find out she was injured. Else, given his ill-natured temper, he was sure to reprimand her for being useless.

To her surprise, he didn’t move an inch. He just stood there and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “You sure you’re fine?”

“Huh?” Sasha arched her brows in confusion.

In a split second, her mind went into a state of hysteria.

Huh? Did I say something wrong? Wait! I’ve been staying here under the guise of being injured. If I say I’m alright now, that’s digging my own grave. Oh, god. Somebody help me.

Luckily, she was astute enough to react without delay. She quickly changed her stance and replied, “No. No, I’m not doing fine. I haven’t… Um… I haven’t recovered yet.”

“So, you haven’t regained your health?”

“Yes! Look. My belly is covered with bruises.”

His menacing stare utterly frightened her. She hurriedly lifted her shirt to show him her wound.

Damn it! Is this considered a blessing in disguise? I finally have an injury that’s suitable to parade.

Sebastian shifted his ominous gaze to the area she had just exposed to him. At the sight of her large bruise, his eyes filled with a murderous glint, and he emanated an air of viciousness.

He wasn’t oblivious to the fact that she had been feigning her illness.

He only answered that way so that it would pressurize her to reveal her injury.

That must be from Roderick. That son of a b*tch.

With a grim look on his face, he reached out and pushed her hand aside.

Sasha was taken aback by his action. “Huh-”

Her doe-like eyes turned watery as she eyed him apprehensively.

“What… What are you doing? I’m being serious. I’m still injured…”

“What about it?”

“Huh?” In a state of frenzy, Sasha found it difficult to keep up with him. All she could do was gape at him with trepidation.

He coldly swept his gaze over her and bent down. Without any warning, he took her by surprise and scooped her into his arms.

Oh my god!

Sasha’s mind immediately turned blank.

Am I dreaming?

Meanwhile, Sebastian’s countenance remained composed. With a motionless Sasha in his arms, he made his way to his own room and gently laid her on the bed. Then, he left to grab the first aid kit.

The-The bed…

Sasha’s heart started racing.

At the same time, Sebastian strode in with the first aid kit in hand. He took one quick look at the woman, who was still transfixed by what had just happened. “Take off your clothes!” he demanded.

“Huh?” An appalled Sasha looked up to scrutinize the man. “Why do I have to? I’m not going to…”

“If you don’t, how am I supposed to apply medication for you? Why don’t you get out of my house in this state and find someone else to do it for you?”

His callous tone hinted that there was no room for negotiation.

Tsk. Why is she acting all pure and innocent? It’s not like we haven’t done anything together before.

Fortunately, his threat proved to be useful. To avoid having to leave, Sasha peeled off her clothes with red-rimmed eyes.

It was at this moment that Sebastian realized she wasn’t wearing a bra. All she had on was a small tank top, probably something casual she slipped on after bathing.

Damn it!

Instantly, he felt the heat rise in his body, particularly his abdomen area. With much effort, he reluctantly tore his eyes away and focused his eyes on her wound instead.

It was an enormous bruise, especially so when contrasted with her fair complexion. One look at it was enough to tell that it was grave.

“Did it not cross your mind that he’d kill you?”

“What?”

His abrupt question prompted her to turn her reddened face around to face him. At that moment, her eyes unexpectedly met his deep-set orbs.

His cavernous eyes were largely inscrutable, but she could clearly detect the rage and agony in them.

Sasha felt her heart skip a beat at that moment.

“I… I didn’t think that far. All I wanted was… To find the cause of Matteo’s illness,” she explained as she averted her gaze. Her nervousness made her heart beat faster by the minute.

Sebastian was stunned by her response for a moment.

If she really were someone who could sacrifice her life for the sake of her children, then why did she tell them she didn’t want them anymore?

His gaze darkened further before he regained his composure. He silently took out a bottle of ointment and rubbed it in his palms before placing them on her pale, tender skin.

“Ouch!”

Sasha immediately yelped.

The excruciating pain from her wound, coupled with the searing sensation from his warm palms, gave her an odd tingle.