CHAPTER 400

When Madeline woke up the next day, Sebastian was no longer in the bedroom.

When she saw that there was nobody else in the room, her first instinct was to hurriedly get out of bed and check on the two kids. She sat up suddenly, only to let out a little cry of pain and lie back down in bed. She… felt uncomfortable all over. The strange sensation in her body reminded her of how crazy the man was the night before, and her cheeks slowly reddened once again.

She and Sebastian had always seemed to be separated by something in the past. He was the most wonderful person she had ever met. He was a good-looking, capable, and responsible man with a fine character, and his treatment of her and the two kids was faultless. However, it was exactly because he was so perfect that she was often at a loss for what to do when she faced him. She felt that they didn't belong in the same world.

Last night, however… They were so intimate with their skins pressed against each other, as if their worlds had blended together. She could sense his patience and his tenderness for her; he respected her and cared about her feelings even at that time. He was even better than she had imagined. To think that such a nice guy is the father of my children and the man I'm about to wed. I'm so lucky!

Recalling how passionate they were the night before, she felt somewhat shy. She promptly shook her head, telling herself to stop thinking about those stuff. After getting out of bed frantically, she washed up, changed her clothes, and went to the room next door to check on the kids.

Before entering the room, she heard her son laughing merrily in the room, and his adorably childlike voice instantly brightened her mood. Her nerves, which had been tense with worry for her children, were immediately calmed, and she couldn't help but smile a broad smile. After knocking on the door thrice, she pushed the door open and entered.

In the room, Sebastian was standing next to the bed to dress Joel, who was standing on the bed.

Jumping around in high spirits, Joel was all smiles while saying something to Sebastian. Seeing that Madeline knocked the door and entered, he shouted excitedly, "Mommy!"

"Hey!" Madeline replied before walking over to give him and Quincy a good morning kiss. "Good morning, Aldo and Buddy!"

"Mommy!" Joel jumped into her arms and flung his arms around her neck. He said proudly, "Mommy, I behaved well last night! Aldo and I slept in this room on our own. We've grown into men!"

"That's great!" Madeline ruffled his hair before giving him another kiss. "Did you wake up last night?"

"I didn't wake up last night; I woke up this morning when it was almost dawn." Joel let out a giggle. Then, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I went to the toilet on my own. I'm terrific, right?"

Amused by his words, Madeline nodded vigorously. "Yeah, that's right. You're the best, Buddy!"

Joel replied, "Aldo is also the best!"

"That's right!" Madeline agreed with a nod. "Aldo's the best, too!"

Overwhelmed with joy, Joel threw himself down on the bed with a plonk and rolled about.

At the sight of this, Madeline was rendered speechless. Is he so happy to not sleep with me? What is

this sadness I'm feeling right now?

After Joel had enough of horsing around, Sebastian continued to dress him.

Madeline realized that Sebastian never lost patience with the boys. He had never said a harsh word to them, nor had he ever scowled at them. He simply went along with them and let them do whatever they pleased. Luckily, the boys were sensible enough, or they'd have been spoiled rotten.

As Sebastian was helping Joel get dressed, Madeline wanted to do the same for Quincy. However, the latter refused her, saying, "Mommy, I'm almost done." Before his voice could fade, he finished dressing up. Then, he put on his shoes and went to the bathroom.

Joel urged Sebastian, "Daddy, hurry up. Aldo's gone to brush his teeth. I want to brush my teeth with him."

"Stay still," Sebastian said. "I can't do up the buttons as you keep moving."

"It's not because I'm moving that you can't do up the buttons," Joel argued with a serious expression. "It's because Aldo is smarter and more capable than you are that he does a better job of doing up the buttons than you and dresses up faster than you do!"

Sebastian was rendered speechless. Ouch, that hurts. This seems to be the first time in my life that I've been said to be inferior to someone else. As a matter of fact, I've always been the most outstanding kid and the object of everyone's praise since I was little.

"But don't be upset about it, Daddy." Joel stretched out his hand and patted Sebastian's head. He said earnestly, "The student will always surpass his teacher. Aldo's smarter than you because he's your

son!"

Sebastian was lost for words. Somehow, I'm comforted by his words. After he finally helped Joel do up the last button, he pinched his pink and tender cheek, saying, "What a glib tongue you have, huh?" The five-year-old boy often said something shocking. What he said sounded childish, but it also seemed to make sense.

Joel tilted his head to one side and giggled. "It's because I've also surpassed you!"

Sebastian was at a loss for a reply. Alright, you win! He helped Joel put on his shoes, upon which Joel happily ran to the bathroom, saying, "Aldo, I'm coming!"

Sebastian laughed as he watched Joel run into the bathroom. Then, he put his arm around Madeline's slim waist, saying, "What did you eat while you were pregnant with them? How did you give birth to such a pair of clever boys?"

Madeline pressed her lips together and chuckled. "I didn't eat anything special… Perhaps it's purely because they have good genes?"

Tilting his head to one side, Sebastian looked at her for a moment before letting out a chuckle. "Well done. You've improved. Now you're able to joke with me."

"I'm not joking with you." Madeline couldn't hide her amusement. "I really mean it—really!"

Sebastian replied, "Someone once told me that when a person lied, they'd stress the word 'really' at the end of their speech in order to convince people that they were telling the truth."

"That person is wrong," Madeline argued. "Sometimes, the word 'really' is only meant to be an interjection when it's used at the end of a sentence. It's used to emphasize the truth of the matter as I did just now."

"Okay, I believe you." Sebastian's lips curled into a faint smile. "My genes are excellent, after all."

Madeline was lost for words. Modesty is a virtue, Mr. Sebastian! After being speechless for a moment, she suddenly thought of Caitlin. She said somewhat sheepishly, "May I ask you a favor?"

Sebastian looked at her with his head tilted to one side. "You shouldn't say that."

Madeline was startled. "Huh?"

Sebastian smiled. "You should say, 'Do me a favor.'"

Madeline was rendered speechless. Is there a big difference between the two?

Sebastian understood what her expression meant. "Don't doubt it. There's a big difference between the two. You say the former when you're asking an outsider for help, but you say the latter when you're rightfully asking one of your own for help…" He put up his hand to hold the back of her head. "Did I forget to tell you that I'm willing to do anything for you and our kids as long as it's not illegal, unethical, or immoral? Whatever you need me to do, just tell me with confidence. You don't have to be reserved with me."

Madeline was at a loss for words. She had often heard Leigh commenting that someone was so cool. She didn't feel anything about it in the past; whenever Leigh talked about it, she'd give her a

perfunctory nod. At this moment, however, she really felt what it was like to be cool. Sebastian is so cool when he says that!Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g