Ch. 901..910

Chapter 901

“What do you intend to do about it then?” Devin suddenly found himself scoffing. “Let me get this straight, Shanae. One, we’re not engaged; it’s solely your grandfather’s own desire to have you married to me. Two, you’re the one who struck her first, which prompted her to retaliate in kind. Wasn’t that to be expected?”

There was no sentimentality in his eyes. His behavior was a complete turnaround from the moment he helped her up and checked on her.

Gone was his gentleness, and in its place was a kind of frostiness that chilled her to the bone.

Shanae was no longer able to muster up the strength to vent.

“W-What did you just say?”

“Did I not make it obvious enough for you? I’m giving you a way to bow out in grace on account of my mother. After all, she still has to return to the Woods residence from time to time.”

Shanae took it in silently while he spoke.

“Also, what did you call her just now? May I remind you to take a good look at yourself the next time you decide to insult someone!”

Devin did not mince his words and even purposefully pointed toward what was left of the birthday party at the bar’s dance floor.

Shanae grew pale when she arched her head over.

There, Finn, the wealthy scion who had thrown the party today in her honor, continued to await foolishly with a huge bouquet of roses in one hand and a velvety sapphire blue box in the other.

Who was the real shameless one?

Who was the least deserving of all?

Everyone else knew better.

“So, who is she, really?”

“What do you think?” Devin sneered derisively as he countered with a question of his own.

Shanae spoke no more. She had already guessed the answer from the moment Sasha made her appearance. The woman that even the wife of the Hayes Corporation president regards in such a sisterly manner…

And then there’s her overt brashness and proclivity for violence…

Shanae’s face went pallid again. This time, it was because she figured out who Sabrina was. When she recalled the absurdity of her own conduct here at the bar, her nails nearly dug their way into her own palms.

Devin ignored her. He walked toward the main entrance of the bar.

“Do you think it’s possible for you to be with her, Devin? So what if she’s the young lady of the Hayes family? Do you think your family will approve of your relationship?”

Shanae abruptly raised a sharp question which made Devin freeze in his tracks.

Shanae’s expression grew increasingly sardonic. “I bet you don’t even have the answer to that yourself. Otherwise, why would you have helped me up just now?”

Devin kept his back to her. A crisp cracking sound was heard from his clenched knuckles.

At this moment, the mood of this otherwise characteristically amiable man took a frightening downturn…

Sasha was finally able to settle down for a meal together with Sabrina.

She had no idea what happened inside the bar before her own appearance, but she did notice that Sabrina had left her food mostly untouched.

That already suggested the seriousness of the situation.

“Sab..”

“You can have the bar. I don’t want it anymore.”

While the disconsolate Sabrina looked at the scene outside the window, she spoke up so suddenly that it nearly made Sasha spit out her coffee.

We’re barely a couple of days into operation. What’s gotten into her again?

Sasha placed her cup down. “Your reason being?”

A disinterested Sabrina replied, “Why do I need to have a reason for anything? This isn’t your first day knowing me; I’ve always done things on a whim. I just don’t feel like doing it anymore. It’s fine if you don’t want to take over, though, cause I can always look to someone else.”

Sasha quietly studied Sabrina. After a few seconds, the former still could not figure out how best to respond to the latter’s remark.

The two parted ways after the meal. When Sasha went back to the Oceanic Estate, she picked up her phone and texted the man who had yet to return from military service.

Sasha: Darling, would you be able to return earlier?

Darling: Why? What’s up?

That man, as Sasha discovered, no longer made her wait too long when she texted him recently. Typically, he would get back to her within a few minutes.

Sasha: Today, that Shanae went to Sab’s bar. Devin came by later as well, and they got into some sort of argument with Sab when they met. I’m not sure what happened but now Sab says she doesn’t want to stay here anymore.

It took a while longer but Sebastian eventually texted back.

Darling: She shouldn’t have come here in the first place.

Sasha: Huh?

That took Sasha by surprise and left her staring at those words for some time.

Why would he say that?

Isn’t he yet to recover? If so, why is he so decisive and firm with regards to this matter concerning his own sister?

Sasha took a considerable pause before she sent out another message.

Sasha: Do you feel that there will be no happy ending for Devin and her?

Darling: What do you expect? Do you think the Jadesons would deem the Hayes good enough for them? Or do you think Jonathan Jadeson is like Frederick Hayes who needn’t consider his own son’s opinion when seeking a daughter-in-law?

Those last words made Sasha’s eyes pop.

What does he mean by that? Is he talking about us?

Does this mean… he has recovered?

Sasha’s blood ran cold. Her ear buzzed and her heart thumped against her chest to the point that she felt it close to bursting.

Chapter  902

Sasha: Are you starting to remember things, Darling?

Darling: Such as?

Sasha: That is… You mentioned our marriage. Have you recalled how we ended up being together?

Sasha clasped onto her phone with bated breath and was so nervous that her palms got clammy.

For whatever reason, he suddenly ceased correspondence after she sent this out. Meanwhile, there she was, all jittery as she waited in her room.

Still, the phone stayed silent.

Damn this man…

She considered making a voice call but that was when she heard footsteps approaching from outside.

“Are you up there, Sasha?”

“Who is it?”

Sasha could only put down her phone and come out.

“Aunt Janice? What brought you here today?” She was quite surprised to see the middle-aged woman who had shown up out of the blue.

This woman was Janice Durant, who had not made an appearance since the day of the feast.

Perhaps it was owing to what happened at that event that Janice now appeared particularly self-conscious before Sasha.

“Yeah. Your grandfather wanted me to share with you how to manage a household. Have you done this before, Sasha?” Janice gently explained.

Sasha was dumbfounded.

Manage a household?

What does that mean? Why’s that old man doing this all of a sudden?

Amidst her trepidation, Sasha asked, “What does he mean? Does he intend to… have me manage Oceanic Estate?”

“Yes. Haven’t you noticed that there hasn’t been a female figurehead at Oceanic Estate for quite a while now? Since he did not take another wife after so many years and Stephen and the others moved out after they got married, everything had been left to Tony all this time. Now that you’re here, shouldn’t it be time for you to take charge of these matters?”

Janice smiled and nodded as though it was only the natural course of things. Sasha, however, was completely flabbergasted.

She had never thought about running things here because this was the one-and-only Oceanic Estate, the confluence point of the members of this most powerful family. What claim did she have as a granddaughter-in-law to start calling the shots around here?

Besides, she had not even managed anything at the Hayeses. How was she able to run this place?

Sasha tried to turn it down. “You’re teasing me, Aunt Janice. How would I know how to do this?”

That made Janice quite anxious. “I’m being serious here, really. Your grandfather’s waiting downstairs right now, so you can go verify this with him for yourself.”

Following that, she straight up half-dragged the speechless and stupefied Sasha out of the room.

Why would he want me to take charge of things when the Jadesons are not shorn of talented people? Discounting those who are too far away, would it not make sense to have his own eldest daughter-in-law, Jasmine, helm Oceanic Estate?

After all, both Stephen and Jasmine had always been managing the family business. And with Jasmine herself often professing her desire to run things at home time and again, it was just incomprehensible why the old man would not just go to her.

In a mixture of confoundment and sheer disbelief, Sasha was brought downstairs where she quickly spotted the old man seated in the hall. Apart from him, she saw that Devin’s father, Stephen, was present as well.

“Dad, do you mean to tell me… that you also intend to let Sebastian manage the tempered glass factory?”

“Is there a problem?”

Jonathan glared at his own son with eyes widened and shot him down with a stern look of disapproval the moment he sensed the latter’s unwillingness to comply.

That caused Stephen to shrink and immediately change his own tone. “No… It isn’t like that. I just wanted to ask which portion it is specifically that you wanted me to hand over.”

“I was obviously referring to the glassworks and the smelting plant, as well the stocks held in several major state-owned enterprises.” Once again, Jonathan reiterated his point impatiently.

After Jonathan’s voice trailed off, Stephen looked even more perturbed as he stood rooted to the spot.

What Jonathan mentioned, in actuality, formed the most significant portion of the assets held by the Jadesons. The tempered glass and smelting plant factories were direct suppliers of the military, thanks to the relationship the family had established with the military.

Needless to say, the same was true of the stocks Jonathan mentioned. The businesses and the shareholding together had been the primary source of income for the family over many years.

What would be left for me if such an important portfolio is to be surrendered to Sebastian now? Those few restaurants and that handful of supermarkets? What’s the use of these? I’m practically being reduced to a mere figurehead!

Stephen had never felt this disheartened before.

Sasha arrived downstairs. “You asked for me, Grandpa?”

Jonathan nodded and gestured toward the chair in front of him for Sasha to settle herself into. “Ah, yes. Have Janice and Tony accompany you to The Ataraxy tomorrow and introduce yourself to the people there. Also, make a trip down to Gossamer Creek and let Janice be your guide.”

Sasha was stunned.

The Ataraxy? Gossamer Creek? Where are these places?

Sasha did not understand the position she was put in, but the shift in the expressions of Stephen and Janice upon hearing the mention of those two locales was unmistakable.

The Ataraxy was where Jared Jadeson resided.

 

Chapter 903

Like Jonathan, Jared had not lived alongside his own children since his retirement and preferred a life of solitude in his original place of residence, which was The Ataraxy.

Meanwhile, Gossamer Creek was where members of the branch family of the Jadesons were based.

Therefore, Jonathan’s sudden intention to send Sasha to these places was apparent. As a result, Stephen left Oceanic Estate blue in the face.

Jasmine was there waiting when he returned to the Red Pavilion. She immediately came up to him when she saw him. “How did it go, Stephen? What did Dad say?”

“What could he have said? He has always favored him, so what else could he say?”

For a moment, Stephen was concerned about not having an outlet for his pent-up frustrations. His wife’s inquiries instantly prompted him to rant unreservedly.

Jasmine’s face became white as a sheet.

“What does this mean? Is he really going to have you relinquish everything you have? How are we to survive in the future? How are we to profit when we have nothing left to milk?”

“Profit? Never mind profit; you’ll be counting your lucky stars if you can even go on living!” Once more, Stephen replied with resentment.

Being modest of talent and painfully aware that he had little to contribute toward the family, Stephen had long conducted himself extremely cautiously while with the Jadesons, especially in front of his father.

Hence, he had always given everything he had to whatever task Jonathan assigned him.

Fortunately, he was Jonathan’s only son, so his old man kept looking out for him in the past decades. Because of this, he took up an administrative position in the military and had the opportunity to manage the family business.

Had Sebastian not surfaced, perhaps he might have continued to live out the rest of his life in relative comfort.

However, what caught him off guard was how quickly Sebastian’s appearance robbed Stephen of his own father’s affection. Not only that, but now Stephen was also expected to cough up all the power and prestige he held in his hands.

Like a rooster defeated in a cockfight, he slumped into the couch in the living room, utterly deflated.

“Not just myself. It’s game over even for you as well.”

“Me?” Jasmine quickly sat next to him. “What do you mean by that?”

The smirking Stephen continued, “Haven’t you always dreamt about becoming the lady of the house? Believe me when I tell you to kill that thought. Just now, the old man instructed Janice to bring Sasha to visit Uncle Jared and to make a trip to Gossamer Creek.”

Jasmine was absolutely shocked. She stood there petrified; all she could hear was the humming in her own ears.

What perks were there to becoming the lady of the house of the Jadesons?

First was total control of the family’s wealth.

Be it The Ataraxy or Gossamer Creek in the outskirts of the city, everyone in the family was dependent on the support of the business interests of the Jadesons to sustain their ways of life. The income would first go to Oceanic Estate before it was redistributed to them by the lady of the house who presided over the family’s finances.

Second was the right to speak.

With Jonathan taking a hands-off approach to domestic matters and in the absence of a woman in charge, everything that the three branches of the family wanted to do previously had to go through the butler, Tony, before being presented to Jonathan himself.

That was the only way to settle matters.

During that time, Jasmine, by virtue of her marriage to Stephen, enjoyed the indubitable honor of being the only one who could pass the word along to Tony.

Now, even this little bit of privilege was being stripped from her when the old man, within a few days of his arrival, decided to appoint Sasha as the lady of the house.

Jasmine felt that she was going bonkers.

“What right he has to do that? We’re his son and daughter-in-law, aren’t we? Why does he favor them? What’s more, we’re senior to them, so why does he treat us so shabbily? Haven’t we done enough for him all these years?”

The more she questioned it, the more her outrage grew and she eventually took that all out on the items on the table which she left strewn across the floor.

Stephen wanted to know why that was the case as well.

Their anger, however, was for naught, as there was no way back once the old man had his mind made up.

Consumed by rage, discontent, and hatred, the middle-aged man sat there for a while before he finally stood up. Amidst his wife’s continued hysterics, he returned to his study.

Inside the study was an old computer.

Given his rather advanced age, he was not too used to newer technologies. When it was booted up, the computer automatically logged him into a messaging program and a chatbox opened up.

Anon: How about it? Have you thought things through?

Stephen was hesitant.

With his outstretched fingers hovering over the keyboard, the apprehensive man had to overcome a bit of a struggle internally before he started to tap away steadily on the keys.

Stephen: Are you certain that he will not be harmed?

Anon: Positively. We are mercenaries, Lieutenant Colonel Jadeson. If all that the client wants is for him to go mad, we’ll make it that way. No reason at all for us to do anything to make ourselves a target of law enforcement, wouldn’t you agree?

Stephen took a deep drawl as that seemed to ease his own emotional burden.

A moment later, he finally typed: Okay.

Chapter 904

He agreed to the arrangement and followed up by sending over a string of codes as well as the map of a military zone.

Anon was duly satisfied when he received them.

Anon: Excellent, Lieutenant Colonel Jadeson. Many thanks.

Stephen: You’re not to threaten his life. See that you do as you’ve promised.

He seemed to still be conflicted as he did not neglect to remind his counterpart toward the end.

The response which came back, though, was ambiguously expressed.

Anon: Rest assured, Lieutenant Colonel, that we’ll do as you asked since you do not wish to see him die at this present time. Trust me when I say that I’m much more competent than anyone you’ve approached before.

The middle-aged man seated in front of the computer abruptly hunched over with his face contorted for a moment as though he had been hit in the gut. Then he slammed his hand on the keyboard and turned off the computer.

That was his psychological wound that could not be healed.

Back at Oceanic Estate.

Through Janice’s explanation, Sasha slowly came to understand Jonathan’s plans for her. That hit her like another curveball.

Did this old man experience some kind of trauma that led him to make such an ill-advised impromptu decision?

Sasha did not feel up to shouldering such a heavy responsibility and decided that she would bring this up with Sebastian when she went to him the next day. Since he would be due to return the day after, someone from Oceanic Estate had to go send him some clothes anyway.

After Sasha settled on doing just this, she went on to tuck the children in and slept soundly herself through the night.

The next morning, she was up early as she needed to help prepare the children for school.

“Mommy, the teacher told us to tell you about this Friday’s parent-teacher conference.”

After she crawled out from underneath the sheets and got dressed by her mother, the groggy Vivian snuggled into her mother’s arms and told her about the conference with her kiddish voice.

A parent-teacher conference?

Sasha’s eyes brightened up spontaneously. “Really? What’s it about?”

She had never attended such an event as they had been in a constant state of flux ever since the children started attending elementary school. She was so busy that she was only able to send the children to school herself recently.

“There’s nothing much to it, Mommy. Just a routine meeting to discuss the student’s academic performance and stuff.”

When Vivian brought this up, Matteo was worried that his mother would find out that it was meant to address the matter of him and his brother turning the school upside-down.

The school was surely unaware that the mass exodus of students was motivated by the fear of being caught in the middle of a cross-fire between the Whites and the Jadesons.

At this point, the administrators might be still under the impression that it was systematic issues or the quality of the teaching that led to the mass exodus, hence the school wanted to gather the parents quickly to address their concerns and at the same time reassure them of the school’s quality.

Sasha did not suspect too much while she listened. “I see. Sure. Friday is the day after, and your Daddy will also be around. Shall I have him come along?”

“Really?”

The children were profoundly excited by this prospect; their dainty faces dimpled as they clustered around Sasha. Even the usually less expressive Ian hugged his mother’s arm with a sparkle in his eyes.

Sasha reached out to pat their heads.

“Of course! You’re all our sweeties and we both want to be there for you. Should Daddy refuse when the time comes, I’ll drag him along even if I have to.”

Sasha rounded things off with a promise.

Now fully reassured, the three children went on to brush their teeth and for the first time, picked up their backpacks on their own accord and happily ran downstairs to where Mark was waiting.

After she saw them off, Sasha put on a one-piece dress and did a little tidying up before she came downstairs.

“Morning, Tony. Will you be sending some clothes over to Mr. Sebastian today?”

Tony quickly set aside whatever he was doing and made himself available when he noticed Sasha speaking to him. “Good morning, Madam. That’s right. He’ll be back tomorrow so I’m going to bring him a change of clothes later. I believe Old Mr. Jadeson will be taking him out for a meal.”

Sasha quickly followed up. “Do allow me to go in your stead. It’s not like I have too much to do in the morning anyway.”

Tony was apprehensive and thought to himself whether he ought to tell her that the military base was not a place where anyone could conveniently walk into.

However, he agreed in the end after he saw how earnest she was.

“Very well. In that case, I shall go inform Old Mr. Jadeson of this change so that he may inform his contacts over there. As for Mr. Sebastian’s clothing…”

“I know. I’ll go pick them out.”

A jubilant Sasha hurriedly took this task upon herself and immediately turned around to sprint upstairs.

This was something she was well equipped to handle, for she was the one who did all his shopping and organized his wardrobe on his behalf. How could she not know his preferences?

Very quickly, she put together two sets of clothes, complete with ties and shoes, and had them bundled up before heading downstairs with them. With Jonathan’s tacit permission, she drove to the military base.

Chapter 905

Tony asked, “Old Mr. Jadeson, are you sure you want to make her the person in charge of the Jadesons? She’s still so young. Is she even capable of taking on this role?”

Jonathan replied, “Why don’t you look at this to answer your question?”

After saying that, he tossed a stack of documents to Tony.

Out of curiosity, Tony started flipping through the documents. He gasped upon reading the content. “I didn’t know Sasha is this impressive. Not only is she the Chief Financial Officer of Rind Group on Wall Street in Moranta, but she was also the Leonard family’s advisor in Yartran. Isn’t she only a doctor? How did she…”

However, Tony couldn’t finish his sentence as he was stunned by Sasha’s impressive records during her time in the financial industry.

After looking at her achievements, he couldn’t find a reason to doubt Sasha’s capability to manage the Jadeson family anymore.

Meanwhile, Jonathan sipped his tea calmly, seemingly satisfied with Tony’s reaction.

In fact, he was impressed by both Sasha and Sebastian. There was no doubt that Sebastian was ahead of the rest in the business world, but he didn’t expect Sasha to be this strong either. They were indeed a match made in heaven as well as a blessing to the Jadesons.

With this thought in mind, Jonathan sipped his tea contentedly.

Meanwhile, Sasha had finally arrived at the military base.

The walls were towering, and poplar trees were planted around the base. There was no one else at the base but sentries with weapons guarding the base.

Sasha gulped at the scene, feeling intimidated as she had never been to a place like this.

“H-Hi there, I’m here for Commander Hamilton. This is my access pass.”

She got out of the car, not daring to get any closer to the sentry. Thus, she stood from a distance and showed her access pass that Jonathan gave her.

The sentry finally turned to look at her.

After scrutinizing the access pass and the signature on it, the sentry’s expression grew solemn. He pressed the walkie-talkie that was attached to his right shoulder. “Sir, there’s a family member of General Jonathan’s, and she’s here to see Commander Hamilton.”

What? I didn’t know the old man was ranked this high in the military before he retired.

Sasha secretly gasped.

With the access pass in hand, the tightly shut iron gates were finally opened from inside. Immediately, a young soldier in a camouflage uniform ran over.

“Oh, I thought Tony’s here.”

The soldier was a little puzzled to see that it was a woman waiting outside.

Sasha was smart enough to quickly respond, “Tony’s not with me today. I’m Sasha, Sebastian’s wife. I came to send him some clothes.”

“I see. So you’re Sasha.” The soldier’s eyes lit up upon hearing who she was. He took a good look at her and flashed a bright smile.

Soldiers generally were more straightforward, and the one before her looked around Sebastian’s age. Hence, it made sense that he addressed Sasha casually after knowing Sebastian for three months.

After that, he led Sasha into the base. Naturally, she was curious about everything since it was her first time there.

Logan Hamilton, the soldier who brought her in, was filled with anticipation as he thought about the usually indifferent Sebastian’s reaction. “Sasha, does Seb know you’re here?”

“What?” Sasha withdrew her gaze from their surroundings. “I-I don’t think he knows…”

She stuttered, and her cheeks flushed red.

Wanting to give him a surprise, she didn’t tell him beforehand that she would be coming that day.

Deep down, she was afraid that he would reject her if she told him. Hence, to prevent that from happening, she decided not to inform him.

Upon hearing that, Logan’s smile grew wider, and his eyes were glistening with excitement.

“Argh!”

Right then, a woman’s spirited roar could be heard.

Sasha had just arrived at the training ground when suddenly, a petite figure leaped into the air.

Thump!

Before her opponent could react, the woman had knocked him to the ground with a loud thud.

Sasha was shocked by the scene.

“Sasha, you’re here just in time. Seb is now engaged in combat with Amber, the leader of our special forces. You can take a seat and watch the battle.”

Logan then took a small stool for the sweet and innocent-looking Sasha.

With her gorgeous looks and demure demeanor, Sasha was the exact opposite of the female comrades in the army.

Chapter 906

Nevertheless, Sasha was preoccupied with something else. Upon hearing that Sebastian was engaged in combat, she immediately rushed over to the training ground’s fence with a pale face and stared wide-eyed at the man who was knocked down by the female soldier.

It’s Sebastian!

“Seb, do you admit defeat now? If yes, I can show you mercy and let you stay here for another five days instead of ten.”

On the training ground, Amber Carrillo, the leader of the special forces, was about to step on his shoulder.

She couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that she had defeated the man with the most gorgeous face in this military base.

After all, things were dull in the military base with all the tough-looking soldiers. It was a rare sight for someone this handsome and elegant to join them. Hence, she didn’t mind keeping him longer in the base.

However, just when she thought this was already a done deal, there was a feminine voice from outside the training ground saying, “If you want to win him fair and square, then you shouldn’t step on that spot. There’s an artery in between the heart and shoulder blades. Pressing on it would stop the blood from flowing, and he would have no chance against your attacks.”

The crowd immediately glanced in the direction of the voice.

Amber also looked up right away with a flushed face.

Logan probably hadn’t expected this to happen either. Noticing that Sasha was suddenly the center of attention, he immediately tried to ease the situation. “All right, guys, let’s stop fooling around. Seb, get down now. Your wife is here. Go take a break with her.”

The crowd gasped again as they didn’t expect the lady, who had just retorted Amber, to be Sebastian’s wife.

Amber was even more embarrassed to hear that. She was about to retract her leg when suddenly the man beneath her shot her a cold glare.

“Seb…”

However, there was no reply from him.

All of a sudden, he reached out his hands at lightning speed and grabbed her by the ankles. In the next second, he leaped up from the ground, just like what she had done when she knocked him down.

Then he raised his knee and hit her in the abdomen, knocking her down with just one blow.

Thud!

It all happened too quickly.

Everyone was waiting for them to step down from the training ground, but Amber had already collapsed to the ground. Instantly, they all widened their eyes in shock.

What the h*ll? He’s so sneaky!

Logan couldn’t help but gasp at the scene too.

Sasha was the only one delighted about this. “Darling, you’re amazing. I knew she would be no match for you if she didn’t cheat!”

Her sweet voice sent everyone back to their senses.

Meanwhile, Amber couldn’t even bring herself to raise her head as she quickly fled the scene.

With that, Sebastian finally stepped down from the training ground. He was sweating all over and still panting after the battle. “Who asked you to come over?”

“I wanted to. Darling, I’m here to pass you some clothes, and I’ve brought your favorite grapes too. Do you want some?”

Sasha walked toward him happily before she took out a box of grapes.

However, he wasn’t as excited as she expected him to be. His expression had been gloomy ever since he stepped out of the training ground. It was as if someone angered him.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were coming?”

“What?” Sasha was stunned for a while. “I-I wanted to surprise you…”

His expression darkened even more as he was enraged from feeling embarrassed.

However, Sasha was clueless about this, and her smile was slowly fading away. “Darling, it has been long since I last saw you. I missed you. Didn’t you miss me?”

She was still holding the box of grapes in her hand, and her cheeks flushed red as she mustered up her courage to say that with a hint of grievance in her tone.

The moment she uttered those words, the training ground became so eerily silent that one could even hear a pin drop.

Chapter 907

Since Sebastian was from the Jadeson family, most of the soldiers there were waiting to see him embarrass himself back when he was sent to the military base

They had heard stories about him being unpredictable and hot-tempered. On top of that, he wouldn’t even listen to Jonathan, his grandfather.

Thus, a lot of them thought that he would only last a few days in this base.

However, three months had passed by then. He was only stubborn and rebellious during the first few days, but as time went by, he started carrying out his tasks mechanically like a robot.

He was always putting on a neutral expression as though nothing could ever trigger his emotions, which intimidated the rest of them.

At that moment, the crowd was holding their breath as they stared at the two of them on the training ground.

“Bring me that bag,” Sebastian finally said something. His expression grew a little awkward as he turned away from her.

The crowd was still watching them in silence.

Sasha understood what he meant, and she looked up at him with her bright clear eyes. “Sure. I’ll be right back.”

She then ran to the bench and grabbed his bag, which contained his towel and water bottle.

Meanwhile, Logan was watching the scene in a daze.

A couple of minutes later, the two of them finally walked out of the training ground. Sasha was already back to her cheery self as she followed him around.

On the other hand, Sebastian, who had not let anyone in this base get near to him for the past three months, remained emotionless in her presence.

“Seb, are you leaving already? The next test is at eleven. You can get some rest with Sasha until then.”

Logan walked up to them, smiling at the sight of them standing next to each other.

It turned out that Jonathan had arranged for the military to give Sebastian some tests during his time here so that he wouldn’t take his three months of training lightly.

However, Sebastian merely shot him a cold glare before walking away.

Sasha was stunned.

Seriously?

She said apologetically to Logan, “Commander Hamilton, I must apologize for his bad temper. He has always been like this. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”

Fortunately, Logan did not seem to mind at all. “It’s okay. We’re used to it already. Anyway, Sasha, you got here early today. Have you eaten your breakfast yet? Why don’t you grab something to eat while waiting?”

“What?” Sasha didn’t even realize that she was hungry until he mentioned it. “Would that be okay?”

“Sure. Just ask Seb to bring you to the cafeteria. Although we’re at a military base, we have food that tastes as good as those sold outside.”

He’s being way too enthusiastic. Why does it feel like he’s cheering for us?

A blush crept up Sasha’s cheeks at that thought. She then turned around and walked away.

Breakfast?

She would never dare to bring that up in front of Sebastian when he was already mad about her sudden arrival. In fact, she would be glad if he didn’t kick her out right away.

“Darling, do you want some water?”

She ran up to him while panting heavily. Not knowing what else to say, she took out the bottle of water from his bag.

“Nope.” Sebastian was still striding forward without any intention to stop.

Sasha could only put the bottle back in the bag dejectedly.

The weather that morning was great. Poplar trees were planted in rows at the military base, resembling soldiers standing guard. As the soldiers were training on the field, loud commands could be heard from time to time, which intimidated Sasha who had never seen anything like that.

“Who’s that girl? She’s so beautiful.”

“I know. It has been a while since we saw a girl in a white dress. She’s so different from our female comrades who are always in their uniforms.”

“My words exactly…”

Some soldiers, who were not in training, spotted Sasha walking past them, and their attentions were instantly fixed on her.

Meanwhile, Sasha didn’t hear what they said as she was busy catching up to the man walking ahead of her.

Right then, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Being caught off guard, she crashed into his back.

“Darling, why did you suddenly stop?”

She covered her nose in pain, and her doe-like eyes turned watery as she looked up at him.

She seemed so fragile and pitiful, like a kitten.

Sebastian’s heart skipped a beat when he saw her like that.

“Why did I stop? You weren’t even keeping your eyes on the road when you were walking. What were you doing?” he grabbed her wrist as he gave her an earful.

Chapter 908

Sasha was perplexed by Sebastian’s words. Huh? I wouldn’t have run into him if he didn’t stop walking without warning.

Nonetheless, she did not attempt to defend herself because she was in seventh heaven when she saw Sebastian holding her hand.

“I’m sorry, Darling. I was too careless,” Sasha lowered her head while apologizing obediently.

Sebastian was bereft of speech and intended to let go of her hand.

However, he changed his mind after noticing the soldiers looking at them in bewilderment. He then snorted coldly before leaving with Sasha.

Around ten minutes later, they arrived in front of a building.

Sasha thought Sebastian would bring her back to the dorm since sending clothes to him was her primary purpose for meeting with him.

Surprisingly, he took her to the cafeteria instead of the dorm.

“Haven’t you had your breakfast yet, Darling?” Sasha blurted out in astonishment.

“Nope,” Sebastian answered in an emotionless tone.

Upon hearing his answer, Sasha became even more delighted. She then walked into the cafeteria with him in anticipation. As soon as they entered, she saw various types of food waiting for them to devour in the hall that could accommodate up to a thousand people.

Despite the area’s spaciousness, not many people were in there at that moment.

Does that even matter? What matters is that there’s food to eat! Ecstatic was the only accurate word to describe Sasha’s current feeling.

When she noticed sweet crepes, one of the local delicacies of Avenport, which were placed not too far away from them, Sasha hurried over excitedly. “Look, Darling! I never thought Avenport’s delicacy would be available here! Can we eat this? I want to try it. It’s been a while since I had it.”

She was drooling over the delicious-looking sweet crepes while acting coquettishly with Sebastian.

Before Sebastian could react, the cafeteria lady had discovered his presence. “Seb? What are you doing here again? Are you still hungry?”

The atmosphere in the cafeteria grew still instantly as an awkward silence ensued.

Witnessing what had happened, Sasha felt like laughing out loud but suppressed it and tried to ease the situation when she saw Sebastian’s embarrassed expression. “I haven’t had breakfast yet, madam. That’s why my husband brought me over here.”

“I see. All right then. I’ll prepare some food for both of you right away.” The cafeteria lady stopped asking questions but went to the kitchen to prepare sweet crepes for them promptly.

Sasha then tried to coax Sebastian, “Come on. Let’s take our seats over here. You’re the best, Darling. Did you already know that sweet crepes are available here? Is that why you brought me over here?”

However, Sebastian did not give her any response.

As Sasha had expected, the stubborn and egoistic man still had a darkened expression while remaining silent.

Feeling amused, Sasha continued, “By the way, I have something to tell you, Darling. Our children told me that their school is holding a parent-teacher meeting tomorrow. Since you’re returning tomorrow, can you go with me?”

“A parent-teacher meeting? What’s it like?” That topic had successfully piqued Sebastian’s interest.

“I’m not too sure. Matteo said it’s their regular parent-teacher meeting. I believe it’s about the school curriculum and the children’s performance in school. It’s probably best for us to attend the meeting since our children just started studying there,” Sasha tried to convince Sebastian as she was afraid that he might refuse to go with her.

Fortunately, Sebastian cared about his children and nodded in agreement. “Got it.”

Sasha was full of joy when she heard his words.

Half an hour later, Sasha finished her meal and placed the cutlery down in satisfaction. She then glanced toward Sebastian’s untouched plate and smirked. So he has indeed taken his breakfast already.

“There’s another thing I need to tell you, Darling. Tony gave me Oceanic Estate’s ledger under Old Mr. Jadeson’s order yesterday. He’s leaving Oceanic Estate for me to manage in the future. W-What’s your opinion on that?”

“He’s leaving Oceanic Estate to you? Why so sudden?” Those words from Sasha startled Sebastian, who had been fiddling with his cup out of boredom.

“Not a clue. Old Mr. Jameson also called Janice over out of the blue yesterday, asking her to help me get familiar with the Jadeson residence. Do you feel that something is off about this as well, Darling?” Sasha could not help but feel worried when she saw Sebastian frowning.

Deep down, she was suspicious of that whole matter as well.

After all, she knew that she had no right to handle that matter, given her current circumstances. Why did Old Mr. Jadeson make such a decision then? What does it mean?

Her intuition told her that there was something amiss about the matter.

“Hmm, I think it’s understandable. Since the family has been chaotic for years, it’s normal that he has the intention to find someone to manage it.”

Chapter 909

“What? W-Why me then? After all, there are plenty of people in the Jadeson family for him to pick from, including Devin’s mother and Janice.” Sasha was shocked to hear Sebastian’s words.

Unexpectedly, Sebastian sneered as soon as Sasha mentioned those names. “Don’t you know what kind of person Jasmine is? As for Janice, she’s only an extended family member and has no right to be involved in the Jadesons’ management. Besides, her ability is ordinary at best.”

While he was speaking, the disdain on Sebastian’s face intensified, perhaps because he recalled the incident at the feast back then.

Thanks to that explanation, Sasha had a better understanding of that matter.

Still, she could not comprehend it in its fullness.

Of course, she would grasp the entire matter if she knew Jonathan saw Sebastian and herself as his final hope to revive the Jadeson family.

That was especially true for Sebastian, as he was the foremost person Jonathan wanted to cultivate.

Jonathan was well aware of the decline of the Jadesons after his retirement. However, it seemed like letting Charles hold a central role in the military or promoting Devin did not improve anything whatsoever.

Even though Charles looked like he had authority in the military because of his family background, the people who submitted to him were meager in truth.

That was evident during the besiegement of Sebastian, where no one in the military spoke out for him even when many people had perished. Some even added insult to the injury at the White House at that time.

Hence, not only did he fail to improve the Jadesons’ situation, but he also caused their family to crumble.

As for Devin, he had the capability to help them, but he was too benign and not ruthless enough. Moreover, he was no match for the cunning elders from the White House in terms of scheming.

If the Jadesons were under his leadership, it would be safe to say that they would never have the chance to return to their prime.

In other words, the Jadesons should be content to maintain their current status under such circumstances.

After pondering for a moment, Sebastian decided not to stop Sasha from taking over Oceanic Estate. The first reason was that Jonathan would not be able to do anything harmful toward Sasha since he would return very soon and stay by her side.

There was another reason for his decision.

“By the way, what’s wrong with Sabrina again?”

“W-What?” Sasha could not help but stop in her tracks at that drastic change of topic.

“U-Um, after knowing that Shanae is Devin’s fiancée, she felt dejected and wanted to hand her bar over to me.”

“Haha…” That chilling cackle from Sebastian sent shivers down her spine.

With that, Sasha immediately figured out what she needed to do. I can’t take over the bar. Perhaps I’ll land myself in trouble because of that.

Following that conversation, Sasha walked out of the military base.

She intended to give Sebastian a proper farewell, but he turned to leave after glancing at his watch.

How insensitive! Feeling a little upset with his actions, Sasha strode toward him and grabbed his arm.

“Sebby…” she murmured in a barely audible voice. A few seconds later, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Sebastian’s lips at the gate that represented the strength and dominance of the country.

At that moment, it felt as if time had stopped while the air around them had frozen.

No one would have imagined that Sasha was still the person who took the initiative to express her love even when their story was continuing in a different direction after Sebastian had turned into another person.

When Sasha was eighteen back then, she was the person who took the first step by agreeing to marry him.

Eight years later, she was still the one who made the first move by coming to him and kissing him.

Sure enough, Sebastian’s lean and towering body froze in shock.

His mind went blank as he widened his eyes while feeling the softness of Sasha’s lips. Why does this feel so familiar? Also, why did she call me Sebby?

Fragments of memories that appeared in his mind occasionally during that period emerged all at once, thanks to Sasha’s kiss.

“Do you like oranges, Sebby? I have some right here for you.”

“T-That dog is chasing me, Sebby. Help…”

“I-I’m sorry, Sebby. It’s all my fault…”

“I’ll always protect you, Sebby.”

“I’m willing to be your wife for the rest of my life, Sebastian. You’ll always be the only person I love no matter what.”

As she finally let go of Sebastian, the blushing Sasha did not dare to look at him as if she had done something embarrassing and fled the scene.

Therefore, she did not notice that Sebastian’s fingers were quivering while tears began to well up in his eyes.

Chapter 910

After returning to Oceanic Estate, Sasha told Jonathan that she had agreed to his request.

As expected, Jonathan was delighted to hear that. He then called Janice and Tony over to go to their first stop, The Ataraxy, together with Sasha.

“Don’t worry, Sasha. Even though The Ataraxy is Mr. Jadeson’s residence, he won’t do anything to you since Old Mr. Jadeson has given you permission to go there.” Janice tried to comfort Sasha after seeing her nervous expression on the way.

Sasha gave her an embarrassed smile in response.

She did feel nervous, as Janice had perceived, but it was not because they were going to The Ataraxy. Instead, she was worried that she might not do a good job since it was the first time she took up such a role.

Shortly afterward, Sasha continued to skim through the ledgers in her hand after calming herself down.

She discovered that the ledgers had recorded the expenses of Jared and the extended family over the years. However, there was a big difference in the amount between both sides.

“Why does Gossamer Creek have so little expenses?”

“We’re running a few plantations and small businesses over there. So we don’t need that much money from Oceanic Estate,” Janice explained in a gentle voice.

The Jadesons are involved in plantations too?

Sasha was shocked by that revelation.

Compared to the Jadesons of Gossamer Creek, almost every other family had received tenfold more money from Oceanic Estate, especially Jade Court, Charles’ former residence, and Elk Court, Connor’s former residence.

Why do they need so much money? From Sasha’s professional perspective, the amount of money they received was sufficient to maintain a large company’s cash flow.

At that thought, Sasha closed the ledgers with force and stared intently at the approaching destination with a grim look.

Around twenty minutes later, they arrived at a quadrangle that looked old outwardly but was worth billions in reality. Sasha noticed a middle-aged woman standing at the entrance, waiting for them.

“Nice to meet you again, Tony.”

“Glad to meet you too. Where’s Mr. Jadeson?” Tony asked the woman while getting out of the car. It seemed like Tony was familiar with that woman.

While they were talking, Janice leaned closer to Sasha and whispered, “She’s The Ataraxy’s housekeeper, Amelia Ramsay. She has been serving Mr. Jadeson for a couple of years already.”

Ah, I see. Sasha nodded in response.

Following the greetings, Amelia led the three of them into The Ataraxy.

As they walked into the quadrangle, Sasha discovered something intriguing. Instead of entertaining her, the primary guest, Amelia chatted with Tony while ignoring her.

Interesting.

“Tony and the others are here, Mr. Jadeson,” Amelia called out to Jared as soon as they entered.

The marble floor and the traditional potted plants around the quadrangle added a sense of nostalgia to the atmosphere.

Shortly afterward, Amelia left them in the courtyard and went into a room to notify Jared.

Seeing that, Tony explained to Sasha, “I hope you won’t mind, Madam. Mr. Jadeson has a lax personality. He’s probably still taking his nap.”

“It’s fine.” Sasha demonstrated her magnanimity.

About ten minutes later, they could finally hear some sounds coming from the room Amelia entered. A gray-haired man in a green robe walked out of the room after seconds.

Sure enough, that man was Jared.

“We apologize for disturbing you, Mr. Jadeson.”

“Oh, it’s you, Tony. Come and have a seat.” Jared signaled Tony to sit at the stone table in the courtyard after gesturing for Amelia to prepare coffee.

Tony then uttered, “Allow me to introduce your guest, Mr. Jadeson. She’s our madam, Sasha Wand. Old Mr. Jadeson wanted her to come here to attend to this matter.”

With those words from Tony, Sasha noticed the owner of The Ataraxy, Jared, shifting his gaze toward her.

Madam? Jared did not conceal his change in attitude after hearing Tony’s straightforward introduction. On the contrary, he stared at Sasha with a darkened expression.

“I know her. I’ve met her in Chartreuse Heritage Kitchen back then.”

“Wait. What?” Tony had no idea how to respond to Jared.

Upon seeing that, Sasha decided to speak up, “Great to see you again, Mr. Jadeson. I hope we’ll have a pleasant conversation today.”

Not only did Sasha skip the formalities with her words, but she also emphasized her purpose for coming to The Ataraxy.

Janice could not help but gasp in astonishment when she heard what Sasha had said. I never thought she was this astute and bold!

As one would expect, Jared’s countenance darkened even more.

Nevertheless, he did not dare to disobey Jonathan’s order and chose to suppress his anger, albeit reluctantly. “What do you want?”

“Old Mr. Jadeson wants me to come here and get to know the members living in this quadrangle. Have you informed them to come over, Mr. Jadeson?”

“Are you serious? The Ataraxy has many members living in it. How is it possible to call all of them over?” Ironically, it was not Jared who answered Sasha’s question but Amelia, who was displeased.

When she heard Amelia’s words, Janice furrowed her eyebrows instantly.

Still, she did not have the nerve to make any comments, and the same could be said for Tony.

As for Sasha, she stared intently at Jared with a cold gaze after glancing at Amelia. “So a housemaid has the right to interrupt conversations however she pleases in The Ataraxy, huh? Are there even rules over here?”