Ch. 61..70

Returning from the Dead Chapter 61

Sebastian returned to his desk, lit a cigarette, and took a long puff. He then tapped on the desk with a slender finger, signaling the vice president to pass him the project document, which he proceeded to review then and there.

Several minutes later, he finished reading the report and tossed the document onto his desk.

“What’s the problem with what she said?”

“Pardon me, sir?”

Sebastian’s reaction was so different from his own, so much so that the vice president became baffled in an instant.

Sebastian leveled an icy glare at him. “The chairman wants to sell his company, but then he wants to own it too. How is that different from a whore claiming that she’s still a virgin? Telling him to take his GDP to Wall Street is a relatively polite comeback, in my opinion. If I were the one who answered that call, I would have told him to set his bloody factory and himself on fire!”

The vice president was certainly not expecting that.

For a full five seconds, he stared blankly at the foul-mouthed president before him. He was so flummoxed that he had forgotten what he wanted to say.

Is it really that serious?

It was merely a matter of letting the old owner become the new shareholder. This had happened in other companies too. So why did it become such a major issue here?

The vice president could not understand what was on Sebastian’s mind.

But if he had a deeper understanding of finance, he might get the gist of it. Allowing such behavior would be akin to approving the other party’s investment using alternate means. Due to their identity as the previous owner, according to the rules, they could have many rights as a shareholder after becoming one themselves. This was equivalent to putting old wine in a new bottle. Hence, what was the point of the acquisition in the first place?

The vice president eventually left in a fluster.

Luke came knocking after he heard about the incident. He was perplexed as to how such an employee existed in their company. Who is this haughty person who dared to bicker with a client so blatantly?

“Mr. Hayes, I’ve talked to the Marketing Department. It wasn’t them, and they have no idea who it was either.”

“Find that person. Whoever did it has a solid understanding of finance and could be helpful to the company,” Sebastian instructed after listening to Luke’s report. He then started burying himself in work.

He might have a bad temper, but he would never spare a good talent whenever he came across one.

Luke nodded and agreed to carry out the investigation. Just when he was about to leave, he incidentally spotted a piece of paper on his boss’ desk. The message on it was written in another language.

“Oh. Mr. Hayes, what’s this?”

Bewildered, he reached out and picked it up.

Sebastian looked toward Luke when he heard a stir.

Surprise crept up his face as well.

“Jetroinian? Mr. Hayes, I didn’t know you can write Jetroinian. At least, I haven’t seen you do it before. It looks neat! Wow, you’re really talented!”

Luke was stunned when he realized that it was Jetroinian written on the scrap paper. He regarded his boss in amazement, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Indeed, Sebastian had never written Jetroinian in the company.

As a matter of fact, he knew the language. He just did not write it much because there was little need for it. Moreover, few companies demanded the Hayes Corporation to communicate in their language.

So, exactly who scribbled these Jetroinian words on this piece of paper? More importantly, who had the guts to barge into my office?

Sebastian took in the note with solemn eyes, only to find that the words were beautifully written indeed. The handwriting was graceful yet unmistakably firm, as free-flowing as nature intended. Even the Jetroinian translator recruited by the company could not write the letters as neatly. As for its content…

“Nikkawa-Gen? Acquisition?”

“What? Mr. Hayes, what do you mean?”

Luke was instantly shocked when he heard those words.

Isn’t this what they were just talking about? It actually happened in Mr. Hayes’ office! In that case, does that mean the call was received and answered here? Oh God! Who could it be? I most certainly wouldn’t do such a thing, and Mr. Hayes just returned to the company with me. Who else would dare to enter this office?

This is the president’s office. Usually, other than Mr. Hayes and I, no one else would dare to enter without permission. Unless…

An utterly absurd idea suddenly emerged in his mind. He immediately turned to face the president and found that the man had the same reaction he had. Holding the note between his fingers, the president had stopped talking, but on his face hung a grave expression.

He examined the note in his hand before his eyes flitted to the sofa at the other end of the room, where several Lego blocks could be found. Things were becoming increasingly strange indeed.

How mortifying!

…

Meanwhile, Sasha had taken Ian back to Frontier Bay.

Just as she expected, by the time she brought Ian back, Frederick was already long gone. Peace was once again restored to the villa. However, there was something odd about the place. Even the pesky housemaid Berta was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh, are you wondering about Berta? Mr. Hayes thought she was getting old and seemed to be slacking in her work, so he dismissed her. I’m the new housemaid. You can call me Wendy.”

The new housemaid seemed nice. Wendy noticed the doubtful look on Sasha’s face and actively explained the story behind her employment to Sasha.

Berta has been dismissed? Just as well, I don’t like her very much.

Sasha felt a little better. She decided to stay here and accompany Ian until it was time to fetch Matteo and Vivian from preschool.

Although she hated this place and did not want to stay for a minute longer, Ian was her child, so as long as he was here, she would endure it no matter how uncomfortable she felt.

Sasha stayed until about four o’clock in the afternoon. Then, she was ready to head back.

Returning from the Dead Chapter 62

“Little Ian, it’s getting late. I have to go now.”

“Alright,” came a flat response from Ian, who was playing a game in the room.

Sasha rose from her spot and proceeded to put on her socks, ready to leave.

“So will you be coming tonight?”

“What’s that?”

“You said you would come over every night to treat Daddy’s illness.”

Ian’s fingers did not stop tapping on the game controller while his eyes remained glued to the screen. With that listless demeanor of his, if Sasha had not been staying with the boy in the same room, she might have suspected that he wasn’t the one who said those words.

Sasha lowered her eyes. For a moment there, she thought about telling him that she would not be coming that night.

In fact, she would not be coming anymore. She didn’t want to treat his daddy’s illness again if she could help it.

But as she stood there gazing at the boy’s little head and then at the medicine left on the table, she nodded in the end.

“Yes, of course I’ll come. You should go to sleep after you put on your pajamas, understand? I will come to check on you as soon as I arrive, alright?”

The boy remained quiet.

He felt embarrassed now that his secret had been discovered.

But he nodded in the end before shifting his focus back to the game.

Sasha left the house after that, feeling relieved.

Half an hour later, at the preschool in Old Town.

“Mommy, finally! There you are! I thought you don’t want us anymore.”

Reaching the preschool at half-past four was not considered late. But as soon as she got there, her two little kids came running toward her. They leaped into her embrace and began to whine like the children they were.

Well, Vivian did most of the whining.

Matteo, on the other hand, just stood in front of his mother, carrying his schoolbag.

Sasha instantly cracked a smile. She squatted down and took her two precious kids in her arms. “Now, why wouldn’t I want you two? There’s nothing I want in the world other than the two of you.”

“Really?”

Vivian was happy to hear that. She gave Sasha a tight hug and kissed her on the cheek.

Meanwhile, Matteo merely hugged her.

From that hug, the clever boy could sense that something was amiss about their mommy. Her smile seemed rather unnatural.

Is it possible that… Mommy went there again today, and something happened?

Matteo’s beaming face immediately dimmed.

After fetching her kids, Sasha brought them to the supermarket to get some groceries before going home. She had to prepare dinner for them, clean up after that and then make a trip to Frontier Bay, so there was no time to spare.

At the thought of going back to that place, she started to feel upset again.

“Matt, I’m going to make dinner. In the meantime, you and your sister should get your homework done, alright?”

“Sure, Mommy.”

Having said that, Matteo led his sister to the living room and took out their homework from their schoolbags. He spread out his sister’s homework, got out her pencil which had a butterfly figurine, and placed it nicely in front of her. After that, he whispered into her ear.

“Vivi, I have to make a phone call. Do your homework here, alright? Cover for me and don’t let Mommy find out.”

“Matt, who are you calling? Is it Ian?”

The little girl’s pair of large eyes widened in anticipation. The way her eyelashes fluttered made her seem just so much cuter.

Matteo nodded. “Yes. I realize that Mommy’s not in a good mood today, so I want to ask Ian if she’s been treated badly at his place again.”

“Hmph! Bad Daddy! Alright, call him! If Daddy’s been bad again, then we’re kicking him out of this family!”

Vivian was definitely Mommy’s loyal fan. When she heard that Mommy was being bullied again, her chubby cheeks flushed red with rage as she flapped her little arms about.

Matteo hurried to his room to call Ian.

But before he could dial the number, there was already a text message waiting for him. He clicked on the message to realize that it was from Ian.

Ian: Sorry, Matt. Mommy and Daddy were fighting again, but I’ve already punished Daddy.

So they really got into a fight again!

Matteo was enraged when he saw the message, so much so that he automatically ignored the word “punish.”

Matteo: Mommy’s a person, not a thing. Do you think punishing Daddy is enough to settle this? If I beat you up and allow you to punish me after that, does that solve anything? It doesn’t! And there’ll surely be a next time!

Ian did not reply after that.

After a long while, when Matteo thought that he would not get another response from Ian, the screen lit up.

Ian: Then, what do you suggest?

Matteo: I won’t believe him again until he really repents his actions.

Ian: So, you’re not letting Mommy come over tonight?

Matteo: That’s right!

Silence fell again on the other end.

Their interaction had come to a halt. This time, Matteo did not receive any more messages from Ian until Sasha finished making dinner.

Is he mad?

But there’s no other way around it. This is our mommy here. If we don’t love her, who will? Who else will protect her and treasure her?

Matteo came out of the room, feeling upset.

Right at that moment, Sasha stepped out of the kitchen with her freshly made food. She was stunned to see her son looking somewhat downcast, so she asked him, “What’s the matter? Matt, why the sudden long face?”

Returning from the Dead Chapter 63

Matteo came to his senses and smiled at his mother.

“It’s no big deal. A cartoon episode’s just ended. The bad guy’s always causing trouble, yet he’s not punished for it. It makes me so mad.”

The little boy deliberately put on an angry expression.

Sasha laughed when she heard that. “It’s okay, Matt. The bad guy will be punished eventually. You can find out what happens next when you watch the cartoon tomorrow. Alright now, let’s set the table and get ready for dinner.”

“Sure, Mommy.”

Matteo then went to set the table with his sister.

At last, dinner was served. Sasha had prepared the kids’ favorites—homemade roll, fish and chips, and omelet, to name a few. Although there wasn’t much food, all of them were made with love.

The minute Matteo sat down and picked up his cutlery, his thoughts drifted to that message, which he replied just a moment ago.

Has Ian tasted any of these before?

He felt unhappy again.

Buzz… Buzz…

“Hello. Who’s this?”

Sasha was not there to see Matteo’s reaction this time as she was still in the kitchen cleaning up and serving spaghetti for her kids. It was at that moment when her mobile phone suddenly rang.

“Hi, Sasha! It’s me, Lucy. Are you free tonight? Your uncle isn’t feeling so well. If you have time, can you come over and have a look at him? I think your acupuncture worked on him last time.”

Lucy had called. According to her, Jackson had fallen ill again.

It was a chilly evening. With his physical condition, falling ill was quite expected.

Sasha peeked at the time on her wristwatch and agreed, “Alright, I’ll come over after dinner.”

Lucy was happy to hear that. “That’s wonderful. In that case, why don’t I go over to your place? I can babysit the kids. It’s getting late now, so it’s not advisable to leave them alone at home. What do you think?”

“Sure, that’ll be great.”

Sasha accepted Lucy’s offer. She then hung up the phone and quickly served the spaghetti on a large plate.

“Matt, Vivi, I need to head over to your great-aunt’s house for a bit. Your great-uncle’s gotten sick again. I’m going to take a look at him. You two stay at home. Aunt Lucy will be coming over later, is that okay?”

“Okay, Mommy.”

Vivian, who had already begun to devour the food, quickly responded with childlike innocence.

Matteo had no issue with the arrangement as well.

If Mommy’s going to great-aunt’s house, then it’s not me who’s stopping her from going to Frontier Bay. If Ian asks about it later, I can tell him that it has nothing to do with me.

As the boy pondered the current situation, relief washed over him.

After the three of them finished their dinner, Sasha fetched her medical kit and out the door she went.

…

At Royal Court One, Frontier Bay.

Sebastian came back earlier than usual that night. It was about seven o’clock by the time he reached home.

“Oh, Mr. Hayes. You’re early today.”

Wendy was surprised by his early return.

She was actually not a new housemaid hired from a random agency. Instead, she had been transferred from the Hayes residence to work in the villa. Before Sebastian moved out, she had been in charge of caring for him.

So, after Berta was found to be the informant, she was dismissed from Royal Court One, and Sebastian subsequently had Wendy transferred here.

Instead of responding to her, he put away his shoes, scanned the house, and asked her about Ian.

“Oh, he’s upstairs. Mr. Hayes, you got back just in time. I don’t know what’s gotten into that kid. He got angry all of a sudden. I called him down for dinner, but he totally ignored me. When I went to knock on his door, I couldn’t hear a thing. Geez…”

Once she started telling Sebastian about that child, Wendy grew more and more frustrated.

Ian could be difficult to deal with at times. His mood swings were unpredictable, and that was not the worst part. More importantly, sometimes he would refuse to talk to anyone, and whenever he got angry, he would lock himself in his room, shutting everyone out.

But if he shut everyone out, how could anyone get through to him?

Sebastian had just come in from the cold, and his body was just getting warmed up. When he heard about his son’s behavior, he immediately fell gloomy again. Gazing at the stairs leading to the upper level, where only silence greeted him, he proceeded to climb up the steps, one at a time.

“Ian? Open the door. It’s Daddy!”

The door to Ian’s room on the second floor was shut tight as expected. After Sebastian got up there, he repeated what he did the last time by trying to use his fingerprints to enter the room.

Clearly, Ian had not forgotten about it, for the door was locked from the inside.

What’s up with this kid today? Don’t tell me Sasha’s bothering him again.

Sebastian was already exhausted after a day’s work and had no time for this. His knitted eyebrows added a hint of menace to his grim expression. “Ian, open the door this instant! If you don’t, I’m going to be very angry! And you know what happens when I’m angry! There’ll be serious consequences!”

The room remained silent.

Eventually, after he waited outside the boy’s room for about two minutes, a click sound came from inside the room; Ian had unlocked the door.

With that, Sebastian gave the door a push. He wanted to have a proper heart-to-heart with his son to find out what had happened to him.

“Ian?”

“Why don’t you ever keep your promises?”

The kid, who stood in the middle of the room, was still in the same set of clothes he had worn during the day. The only difference was the expression on his face.

Returning from the Dead Chapter 64

As Ian lifted his head to stare at Sebastian, the man actually saw traces of anger and resentment in his eyes. He had never seen his son like that before.

Resentment? Does Ian resent me? Does he hate his own daddy?

Sebastian’s temper finally rose at that thought. His face darkened as he loomed over his son. “What do you mean I don’t keep my promises? What did I do now?”

“You scolded her!”

“Who? Sasha? After all this time, you’re still defending her! Yes, I scolded her. What about it? Have I promised you that I won’t argue with her? Ian, have you forgotten that you’re my son? Have you forgotten that I was the one who raised you?”

When Sebastian finally came to a realization, an overwhelming pang of jealousy exploded within him, and he couldn’t help but bellow at the child in a loud voice.

Ian was utterly frightened!

He had never seen his father so scary before. The boy’s face turned pale as tears began to flow out of his beady eyes that were still glaring at his daddy.

“I hate you! I don’t ever want to see you again!”

With as much strength as he could muster, he tossed the toy he had been holding in his hand at his father. Then, he darted to his bed, where he proceeded to wrap himself tightly in the blanket.

Sebastian was dumbfounded.

It took some time for him to come to his senses. After that, he turned to look at the bundle on the bed, where a child’s whimpering could be heard. How he wished to slap himself in the face at that moment!

Sebastian, what were you thinking? Are you crazy? How could you lose your temper in front of your son! He’s just a child!

He took several steps forward and stood by the bedside as he contemplated his next move. Then, he leaned in and sat down next to the little bundle. “Ian, I’m sorry. I was wrong for losing my temper and yelling at you. More importantly, I shouldn’t have broken the promise I was supposed to keep. Can you forgive me?”

There was no reply.

The bundle did not budge. It seemed like the child was really hellbent on ignoring him.

Sebastian could not help but feel an ounce of regret.

Frankly, his son was never a crybaby to begin with. Perhaps because of his character or because Sebastian kept instilling in him what it meant to be a man, the boy rarely showed his vulnerable side in front of other people.

He was like a precocious kid who matured too fast. At the age of five, the times he had cried could be counted using the fingers on one hand.

However, the little boy was currently wrapped up in his blanket, crying his heart out.

Sebastian was beyond guilty. He got increasingly frantic the longer Ian refused to come out of his fort. So, he decided to open up the blanket himself. “Ian, please come out. I promise you that I will never argue with… Ms. Nancy again, alright?”

Sebastian hoped his coaxing would work.

Indeed, that seemed to satisfy the kid, for the crying gradually stopped.

“Do you… really mean it?”

Sure enough, the little guy lifted the blanket almost immediately. It was clear as day that, while he was hiding in there, tears had streamed down his face while snot ran down his nose, the sight of which completely upended his past image.

Sebastian’s eyes twitched slightly as he took in his son’s face, but he suppressed his emotions. “Of course, I won’t quarrel with her for no reason anymore. We had a disagreement today because she took you out when you were still recovering from your illness. I was worried, so I merely reminded her what she shouldn’t have done.”

Ian sniffled. His teary eyes had reddened like a rabbit’s.

However, he did not shed any more tears.

Sebastian took this as a sign that the boy had chosen to believe him, so he pulled him out from under the covers and into his arms.

“Alright. Let’s get you washed up. It’s time for dinner.”

“But she’s already mad.”

“What?”

When Ian blurted that out of nowhere, Sebastian was unable to make head or tails of what the boy meant. It was not until he found the little fellow standing by the bathtub, with his head drooping once again, that he realized what was going on.

Is he talking about his mother? What about her? Is she not coming over tonight?

Right then, the hand that was testing the temperature of the water in the bathtub froze midair. A glint of grimness flashed across his eyes when he thought about the reason why he came home so early.

…

Sasha had to stay at her uncle’s house until it was close to ten at night.

Jackson’s health problem was nothing new. Initially, his condition got better after Sasha treated him. Moments later, his daughter, Xenia, popped by. When she saw Sasha, she began to mock the doctor.

And that was how Jackson lost his temper.

As a result, his blood pressure rose, and Sasha had to stay back to look after him.

“Sasha, you know, you don’t have to be so kind. He’s my father, not yours. It’s futile no matter how nice you are to him. There’s not much value to be squeezed out of him anymore.”

Xenia struck a conversation, albeit with stinging mockery, when she noticed that Sasha was still treating Jackson’s illness despite the late hour.

Sasha merely furrowed her brows, opting to ignore her.

She had not seen Xenia in five years. Contrary to their relationship now, the two used to get along really well in the past. When they were children, Sasha used to visit the Wand family often to spend time with Xenia. She even requested her father to enroll her in Xenia’s school. They were not sisters by blood, but their relationship had been closer than that.

Returning from the Dead Chapter 65

Was it when the Wand family became bankrupt? Was it when Sasha had no choice but to stay with the Blackwoods for a year? Or was it when, in spite of Sasha’s family’s bankruptcy, Frederick let her marry his son?

She had no idea. All she knew was that Xenia’s attitude towards her became unbearable after Sasha returned from the dead.

“How is it, Uncle Jackson? Do you feel any better?”

“Yes, much better. You should head home, Sasha. It’s getting late.”

In no mood to listen to any more of his daughter’s constant nitpicking, Jackson wanted to send his niece away as soon as possible.

Sasha nodded, packed up her medical kit, and wanted to leave.

“Are you in such a rush because you’re going to meet that guy again? You really can’t teach an old dog new tricks, huh. You have already died once and come back to life, yet you’re still choosing to get involved with that man?”

Xenia started scoffing again, her words were even more unpleasant than before. If anyone else witnessed her like this, they would never be able to tell that she had received the highest levels of education.

At the end of her tether, Sasha glared at her cousin. “Could you please watch your mouth? Since when I have gotten involved with that man?”

“Watch my mouth? Do you think I don’t know that you’ve been going to Frontier Bay every day, and have been asking Mrs. Grint to look after your kids at night? Isn’t that because you went crawling back to him? Do you keep glancing at your watch because you’re late for your session with him? Go on, then! Rush off and go to him, you slut!”

Sasha grew red in the face with anger. “You–”

She never dreamed that Xenia would dare to say such horrible things. Since when did she become such a vile person? Is this still the Xenia I once knew?

Sasha felt a raging fire grow inside of her, but tried to put it out for Uncle Jackson’s sake.

“What are you talking about? I only go over to see my son, so don’t try to twist the truth.”

“Your son? Do you think I’m stupid?”

“That’s enough! Did you come back just to get into an argument, Xenia? If you’re going to keep this up, I want you to leave! You’re just making a fool of yourself!” Jackson interrupted, standing up from his chair and scolding Xenia loudly.

Xenia bristled like a cat that had just been splashed with cold water.

“I’m making a fool of myself? Jackson Blackwood, are you blind? Who’s the real black sheep here? She was the one who made a huge fuss about wanting to marry that man. Then, she was kicked out of the house a year later while pregnant, making us a laughing stock! We didn’t even dare to show our faces in public for five years because of her, and you’re calling me the fool?”

Screaming her head off, Xenia scowled venomously at Sasha as if wishing she could personally chop her up into a hundred tiny pieces.

All the blood drained from Sasha’s face.

That hit a nerve.

Even today, she still felt tremendously guilty for dragging the Blackwood family into her mess all those years ago. It was exactly this feeling of guilt that usually held her back from retaliating, always taking whatever Xenia said in stride.

Sasha’s fingernails dug crescent-shaped indents into her palm.

Fortunately, Sharon happened to exit her room right before Sasha was about to unleash all her frustration on Xenia.

“Xenia, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind? Who said you could shout at your father like that?” Sharon reprimanded loudly. Only then did Xenia finally shut up.

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Sasha’s grip loosened.

“Aunt Sharon…”

“That goes for you too. Next time, don’t come over without a valid reason. This house isn’t a boxing venue.”

Sasha lowered her head and nodded, not wanting to upset Sharon further.

Sasha didn’t blame Sharon for her reaction. After all, she was the one who was indebted to this family. Regardless of whatever they said or did to her, she would always forgive them for it.

But she was taken aback when Sharon followed up her previous statement by saying, “Xenia may have sounded a little harsh, but some of what she said was true. You were already hurt once by that Sebastian man, so you should learn your lesson and not go back to him again. Once bitten twice shy. Learn to have self-worth, understand?”

Sasha felt the knife that was already deep in her chest twist into its wound a little more. She started clenching her hands by her sides.

I’m not going back to Sebastian. I know my self-worth. I’m only getting involved with him now because he has my son that I left behind!

Soon, her vision started blurring, she held back the well of indignant emotions as she walked out of the house. With the cool breeze and light rain of the night caressing her face, she made her way to a bus stop where her legs finally gave out.

Sitting on her haunches, the dam of tears broke.

Returning from the Dead Chapter 66

Sasha wasn’t sure how long she squatted there crying at the bus stop, but at some point, the light rain had turned into a downpour and drenched her completely. Spotting her, someone quickly approached.

“Miss, are you alright? It’s so cold out here, and it’s raining too. Don’t you want to go home?”

At the sound of the stranger’s voice, Sasha slowly raised her head which she was resting on her knees.

The stranger was a middle-aged woman in her forties, wearing a thick, padded-down jacket that had lint at the hems. Even from a distance away, Sasha could tell smell the odor of oil and smoke coming off the woman.

She had to be a stay-at-home mother or housewife.

Shaking her head, Sasha sniffled. “I’m fine.”

“Then, you should hurry back home. There’s probably someone waiting for you, right? Did you miss the bus? I’m telling you, young lady, there are no buses that come around here at this time. I’ll help you wave down a taxi,” the woman offered kindly.

“There’s really no need…” Sasha hurriedly shook her head, waving her hands in front of her.

The woman seemed to notice the sadness on Sasha’s face, she sighed as she offered some words of advice. “You look like you’ve been through a lot, kiddo. It’s alright. You’ll always run into problems in life, but the most important thing is that you get back up and face them head-on. Think of the people who loves you and waiting for you, alright?”

Sasha’s mind blanked.

The people who is waiting for me?

How could I have forgotten? There’s someone waiting for me. Even if my parents are gone and I’m estranged from my relatives, I have my kids waiting for me back home! There’s no one who needs me more than them!

Sasha placed a hand on the floor to push herself upright, stumbling slightly as if having woken up from a deep slumber. “I understand now. Thank you, ma’am.”

“That’s good. Hurry along, then.”

The middle-aged woman smiled, shifted the bags in her arms, and started hurrying back to her own home.

Sasha’s lips were already blue from the cold as she stuck a trembling arm out, waiting for a taxi to notice her.

I have to get to my son. He’s waiting for me.

It was getting late.

The rain grew heavier with every passing moment, and Sasha didn’t feel any warmer even though the taxi’s heater was turned on. Pulling her clothes tighter around her, she tried to look for something to dry off her damp hair. It was only then did she realize that she’d left the house in such a rush, the only thing on her right now was her medical kit.

Never mind.

I wonder if Ian’s already asleep by now?

Staring out of the window, she couldn’t help but worry.

Fortunately, due to the late hour, there wasn’t a lot of traffic on the road. The drive to Frontier Bay was only twenty minutes.

“Miss, we’re here.”

The driver had never been to this famous residential area full of rich people before, so he couldn’t help but take a good look at Sasha through the rearview mirror.

Not only did the sight of her bedraggled appearance let him down, she even had to scrounge up money for the taxi fare.

Sasha got down from the taxi. Turning towards the mansion, she saw that it was completely dark except for a few lamps lighting up the garden.

Does that mean Little Ian is already asleep?

Standing outside with only an umbrella above her head, she considered walking away.

She’d only insisted on coming here at such a late hour because she’d promised Ian that she would come and visit him at night. If she didn’t show up, he might refuse to sleep and wait up in his bedroom in thin pajamas, just like before.

Then, he ended up getting sick.

What about now?

Sasha stared at the mansion for a long while, making sure that there were no signs of life before finally mustering up the courage to walk away.

“Dr. Wand? Dr. Wand!”

Someone suddenly called out to her.

Who is that?

Sasha whipped around, staring curiously at the person. “Wendy? Is that you? Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

“Oh, I am waiting up for you! Thank goodness you made it.”

Wendy was out of breath and wet from the rain as she ran out of the house, but there was also a bright smile on her face like she’d just completed a mission of sorts.

Is Little Ian really still awake?

Her heart leaping into her throat, Sasha followed Wendy in without another word.

The two of them entered the mansion. Sasha quickly noticed that the downstairs living room was still brightly lit, but the rest of the house was empty, with no sign of Ian to be found.

Where is he?

Turning towards Wendy, Sasha asked, “Where’s the kid?”

Returning from the Dead Chapter 67

“Huh? The kid? Do you mean Ian? He’s asleep, why?”

Wendy was busy looking for a dry towel, having noticed Sasha’s soaked hair and clothes and afraid that she was going to catch a cold.

Sasha blinked owlishly.

Ian is asleep?

Then, why is Wendy still waiting up for me…?

“Found it! Dr. Wand, please dry yourself off with this first. I’ll make some chicken soup for you before you go off to the third floor.”

“The third floor?”

“Yes. You came here to do acupuncture on Mr. Hayes, didn’t you? I think he’s still awake, although I haven’t seen him come out of the study since he first went in. You should hurry up and see him before he goes to sleep, and then you can go home early too,” Wendy explained as she handed Sasha the towel, ushering her up the stairs.

Sasha just remained quiet.

Wendy had merely made her own choice to wait up for her. Maybe it was Berta who, before leaving, had told her that Sasha would come over every night to provide medical care for that scum.

Should I go up?

Sasha didn’t want to budge an inch, feeling especially drained when she recalled how they’d fought in his office that morning.

Other than disgust, she realized that she could find no word to describe her emotions towards him.

“Dr. Wand?”

“Okay,” Sasha sighed.

After all, she had promised her son that she would help to treat his Daddy.

Sasha trudged up the stairs with heavy footsteps.

On the third floor.

in fact, Sebastian was still awake and currently having a video conference with some of the higher-ups from his company.

It was the middle of the night. If Sebastian chose to have this kind of video conference at this ungodly hour while he was still sick, his colleagues would understand. After all, he had to share the pain of not being able to sleep at night with someone, even if it meant torturing his subordinates.

But he was apparently receiving treatment for his illness, and the treatment was effective!

So why is he still doing this?

Doesn’t he think that he’s being too unreasonable?

“Uh… Mr. Hayes, my son is crying, may I go feed him?”

Having had to sit through the meeting for two hours straight, one of the higher-ups finally couldn’t take it anymore and bravely raised a hand up in front of the camera.

The meeting instantly went quiet.

On the other side of the computer, Sebastian’s expression darkened.

“You’re not a woman. Why do you need to feed your child?”

“It’s not that, Mr. Hayes. My wife has been carrying my son and trying to get him to feed him for two hours, but she has not eaten anything. So nothing is coming out and I need to try and feed him some formula milk.”

There was a full five seconds of silence before Sebastian growled out, “Scram!”

The new father happily left the meeting as ordered.

Almost instantly, everyone else started following suit, their eyes sparkled with hope as they started to speak up. “Mr. Hayes, may I go take a shower?”

“Mr. Hayes, I’d like to leave for a second. My wife has been calling for me and complaining that she’s cold. Can I go warm the bed for her?”

Just as everyone thought their boss was going to start breathing fire through the screen like a dragon, they heard a knock through Sebastian’s video camera.

“Sebastian Hayes? Are you there?”

What?

“Sebastian Hayes”?

Who dares talk to Mr. Hayes like that? And to call him by his full name, too? Who is that? Not even the boss’ future wife, Xandra is that casual with him.

So who could it be…?

Everyone’s eyes widened, completely forgetting the racket they had caused.

Unfortunately for them, Sebastian immediately slammed the laptop shut in the next second.

Sasha, standing outside his door, had planned on knocking once and then leaving if there was no immediate response from him.

It was already hard enough for her to come this far.

But she didn’t expect to instantly hear the sound of a chair being scraped against the floor, followed by the door opening from the inside.

A warm light illuminated Sebastian from behind, and she could see cream-colored walls and wooden furniture when she looked past him. The study was clearly designed with a warm-toned palette in mind, completely different from the rest of the house.

He was also wearing comfortable, casual clothing that contrasted starkly with his usual cold and stern demeanor.

“I’m here to help with your acupuncture treatments. Since you’re not asleep yet, we should get it over with as soon as possible.”

Sasha avoided looking at him, her tone was cold and hollow as if talking to a stranger. She was just doing her job as a doctor, and he was just her patient.

Sebastian’s mood worsened at the sight of her expression.

Returning from the Dead Chapter 68

“What happened to you?”

Sebastian’s gaze swept over her wet hair and rumpled clothes.

Sasha was still wearing the same clothes from when she went to his office in the afternoon. They weren’t particularly special clothes, but at the very least they were clean and dry.

Was she robbed or something? Why does she look like this?

And what’s wrong with her face?

Sebastian looked at her closely with a more critical gaze. Her appearance was rather presentable. Although she wasn’t as pretty as Xandra, her features were still fairly attractive in their own right. Her eyes stood out especially, looking bright and clear like jewels sparkling under the moonlight.

But now, those eyes were swollen and red. What happened?

“It’s nothing. The wind was really strong when I was coming in,” Sasha explained curtly.

She didn’t stop to consider if his question was out of concern for her. After all, why would he be? What a joke! He was probably just scared that she might lose control of her emotions again and disturb his work, or something else along those lines.

Brushing a stray lock of hair aside, she asked impatiently, “Have you decided where you want to be while you I perform the procedure on you?”

He felt a flash of anger at the woman’s ignorance but decided to show no sign of it as he left the study without another word.

Sasha following behind him.

Two minutes later, they arrived at a large bedroom decorated entirely in monochrome colors. As they walked in, Sebastian picked up a remote control and turned on the heater.

Sasha suddenly did a double take.

Is this his bedroom?

She instantly grew uneasy and disgusted, remembering that another woman used to sleep in this very room.

But what puzzled her was that when Sebastian went to the closet to take a blanket, Sasha only saw rows of men’s shirts and suits. She didn’t seem to spot a single piece of female clothing.

Huh?

As she tried to take another look, a white towel was suddenly flung in her direction.

“I don’t have any women’s clothes, so dry your hair off with this.” Pausing for a moment, Sebastian seemed to realize that his gesture seemed a little too caring for his taste. “Don’t fall sick and pass it on to the kids!”

Sasha stood unmoving for a moment before finally placing the towel over her head, and slowly drying her hair.

She knew that people were more prone to fall sick after standing in the rain, especially during this time of the year. Even though she escaped death a few years ago, she had given birth to three premature babies at once. As a result, her health was already severely compromised, and her body might not be able to handle a simple illness.

So, she wasn’t really in a position to refuse him.

With the rising temperature in the room and her hair finally dried, Sasha felt much more comfortable. She picked up her medical kit and walked towards Sebastian, who was lying on the sofa.

“Have you slept today?”

“No.”

“What about your medication?”

“I have taken it…”

Just like a normal conversation between a doctor and a patient.

Holding her hand out, Sasha said, “Your arm, please. I need to check your pulse.”

He turned his head slightly to stare at her outstretched hand. Her slim, pale fingers were slightly red at the joints. After a long while, he finally stretched his arm out.

This was a very strange feeling.

He still saw her as the nineteen-year-old girl he married several years ago. Back then, as soon as she first set eyes on him, she’d stumbled all over herself and was too shy to even look him in the eye.

Since when did she become so… cold?

As she gripped his arm, Sebastian couldn’t sense a single trace of the fear and nervousness she once had.

“When did you learn to do all this?”

“What?”

Sasha’s eyes darted towards him, still focused on taking his pulse.

“Do you mean this?”

“Yes. I remember that you didn’t study medicine. How do you know how to do all this?”

Sebastian’s gaze fell on his wrist. There was still a hint of leftover coolness on his skin from where Sasha had taken his pulse. It wasn’t a large area nor very cold, but there was a little sensation on the small spot of flesh.

“Have you forgotten that I come from a family of doctors? My mom studied under my grandfather ever since she was young. Then, she inherited his legacy after she grew up. If she hadn’t married my father, she would likely be set to inherit the Blackwood family business right now,” Sasha told him, her tone slightly sour as she pulled out a long needle from her kit.

Sebastian coughed awkwardly.

He had, indeed, forgotten that her Uncle Jackson and his family were running a healthcare business.

Returning from the Dead Chapter 69

Unfortunately, Jackson was not interested in the family business at all. Hence, the once successful Blackwood family company was slowly declining under his management. If it weren’t for the intervention of his wife, Sharon, there was no telling what the company would look like now.

Sebastian decided to stop prying into Sasha’s life and just wait for her to finish the procedure.

“Ugh…”

Almost immediately, there was a flash of pain that struck his head, quickly followed by a numb sensation spreading all the way down his body.

Sasha gave him a cold sidelong glance. “Bear with it!”

Damned woman. I never said I couldn’t take it.

A few needles later, the painful throbbing in his head subsided considerably.

Finally feeling at ease, Sebastian’s mood lightened and he continued to ask her questions. “Besides this, what have you been doing while you were out of the country in the past few years? I mean academic achievement.”

“Academic achievement?” Sasha chuckled dryly. “Mr. Hayes, I’ve been solely focused on surviving for the past few years. I wasn’t on vacation, nor did I have time to pursue an academic degree.”

“So you’re telling me that after failing the university entrance exam all those years ago, you never resumed studying after leaving the country?”

“Yep, I never continued studying. My education level is still at the high school level. So what about it? Do you regret letting me into your fancy, schmancy house? And you even let me treat your illness.” Sasha retorted, her tone was sharp and defensive as she set down the needle.

She hadn’t studied once in the past five years.

She barely had the time to do so while taking care of two babies. Of course, her top priority when bringing her children to a foreign land would be surviving. Where would she find the time to study?

This man would never understand all the pain and the suffering she had to go through for those five years.

Besides, she gave up on her academic career not because she didn’t pass the university entrance test, but because she wanted to marry him!

She’d secretly tore up her acceptance letter to Yartran’s most famous School of Economics, as well as the full scholarship that she had rightfully earned.

The needle in Sasha’s hand was nearly bent from how strongly she was gripping it.

Sebastian didn’t think she would get so worked up over the subject. He’d only asked her some questions in order to confirm something. But why did she lose her temper all of a sudden? Does she blame me for not getting into university?

What a crazy woman!

Sebastian’s expression clouded over and he stopped talking.

But he didn’t need to continue with his questions. Unbeknownst to him, Sasha would soon leave behind a piece of paper that she’d written his prescription on, and her handwriting on the paper would match the Jetroinian handwriting on the paper she’d left at his office during the daytime.

What else is this woman hiding from me?

Sebastian slowly grew dizzier with every passing moment.

Sasha was still agitated from all the quarrels she’d been through that day. She quickly set down the written prescription on a table and packed up her bag to leave.

She’d had enough of this hellish place and never wanted to come back.

But just as she was getting up, Sebastian suddenly opened his mouth and said, “Your request about letting Ian go to preschool. If you can find a way, I’ll let you try it out.”

Huh?

Sasha stopped in her tracks.

She would always grow soft as soon as her children were involved. It didn’t matter how indignant she felt, or how much pain she was in.

“Are you… serious?”

“Yes, but you need to keep me updated on what exactly you are planning to do! Ian has already expressed that he’s against the idea. If you use any inappropriate methods and end up hurting him, then you can never see him again!”

Due to the treatment, he was slowly starting to trip over his words as he lay there with his eyes closed.

“Don’t worry, I won’t. I’m a doctor, so I understand that at the very least,” she instantly reassured.

She was trying to remain as calm as possible, but if one listened closely, they would be able to hear that the underlying hatred and impatience that was in her voice earlier was no longer present.

Now, she was clearly more energized.

Sebastian let out a huff, then finally drifted off to sleep.

Sasha’s mind blanked out. After her constant state of distress throughout the night, her brain needed some time to catch up with the happiness of the sudden surprise.

It took her nearly a minute to process the new information before jumping up from the stool and giddily twirling around in circles.

“I’m so happy, Little Ian! Mommy gets to bring you to preschool now!”

A genuine smile appeared on Sasha’s face for the first time that entire day. Even though she was still tired and fatigued, relief overwhelmed her as if she had finally grabbed ahold of a floatation device after having drifted at sea for hours.

Sometimes, a mother’s happiness was just that simple.

Returning from the Dead Chapter 70

Sasha went back home in high spirits.

Due to the late hour, her two children were already asleep when she arrived. She went into the nursery to give them both a kiss and then went to take a shower.

It was a quiet night.

The next morning, Sasha was woken up by a commotion outside her room.

“What about Mommy?”

“Shh, Mommy’s not awake yet. She must have come home very late last night. Go get dressed quickly, I’ll cook some eggs for you.”

Those were the voices of her two children.

Sasha’s eyes open immediately and she bolted out of bed and rushed out, yelling, “Matt, don’t touch the stove! It’s too dangerous! Mommy will do it!”

Even though her son was quite independent and responsible for his age, he was only five years old. She couldn’t let him attempt to operate a stove of all things.

Thankfully, both kids had yet to start doing anything.

With that, Sasha started rushing about cooking breakfast and making sure her kids were well-fed. Suddenly, she remembered that Ian also had to go to preschool starting today.

“Come on, sweeties. Let’s go to school quickly,” she told them, hurrying them out the door.

“Okay,” they replied.

But Matteo wanted to ask her if she went to Frontier Bay yesterday.

He had texted Ian using his smartwatch yesterday after she left, but that boy didn’t even reply to any single one of his messages!

Is he really mad at me?

Matteo was a little worried.

About ten minutes later, the two kids arrived at their preschool.

“Bye, sweeties! Mommy will come earlier in the afternoon to pick you up!”

“Okay, Mommy!” Her two children obediently waved her goodbye.

But once she was out of sight, the two of them went to find a corner in the preschool to hide in.

“Matt, look! Mommy’s here!” Vivian cried out.

She had sharp eyes, and she spotted Sasha’s signal tracker pop up on the screen of Matteo’s tablet as soon as she sat down.

Matteo found the signal too and stared silently at it until it eventually stopped moving.

“Frontier Bay? Mommy went there again?”

“Huh? Isn’t that where mean Daddy lives? Why did Mommy go there? Isn’t she scared that Daddy will bully her again?”

Vivian’s chubby face scrunched up with worry as soon as she heard her brother’s words.

Matteo’s eyebrows were also furrowed.

He had no idea what had been going on for the past two days, and Ian refused to reply to his texts.

Should I go over and take a look for myself?

The idea planted itself in the little boy’s mind…

Sasha rushed all the way to Frontier Bay.

Unfortunately, it was already past nine o’clock when she arrived. To make things worse, Sebastian hadn’t left for work yet. He sat on a chair in front of the main entrance with his legs crossed as if he was waiting for her specifically.

Slightly apprehensive and out of breath, Sasha approached him. “You… You haven’t gone to work yet?”

“Can’t you see that I’m waiting for you?”

Those words that came out of his mouth were cold and hostile.

“I… I’m sorry. There were just too many cars on the road and I got stuck in the morning traffic. I had to wait for a long time before I could get a taxi. The road on the way here was jammed as well…” she explained, panicking.

She really hoped that she hadn’t thrown a wrench into their plans after Sebastian had finally agreed to let Ian go to preschool.

But Sebastian refused to listen to her explanation, uncrossing his legs and standing up straight to tower over her. “You’ve lost your chance, Sasha! You can’t even be punctual! How am I supposed to trust you to resolve our kid’s problems?”