CHAPTER 399

"No, I don't," Caitlin replied. "At the moment, my only wish is to find my dad's friend and clear my dad's name."

"Since you have no plans for the future, you might as well stay here with Maddie and me." Leigh pointed her wine glass at Caitlin. "Let me tell you this, Katy—Maddie's place is especially nice and comfortable; it's top of the line in terms of both its surroundings and basic infrastructure. Even I want to settle down here, so why don't you stay here as well? It's too dangerous for a pretty woman like you to go around everywhere."

Caitlin let out a soft chuckle. "Anyone can say this to me, but not you. Of the three of us, you're the one who likes going around the most. When are you ever scared of danger?"

"That was before. I'm scared now." Leigh nestled comfortably in her chair. She then explained, "Those brainless idiots of the Taylor Family often hung out at Mansion before. It irked me whenever I saw them, so I had no choice but to hide from them. Now everyone I see is a joy to behold. I spend every day eating and drinking and playing with kids, not to mention that I'm surrounded by a bunch of young hunks. Isn't that great?"

Caitlin giggled out loud. She teased Leigh, saying, "The young hunks are the real point, huh?" She lightly nudged Madeline. "Maddie, you have to introduce your husband's brothers to me one day. Let me see what it is about that Lucas guy that makes our Dr. Shefford here so crazy about him."

"No, no, no. Maddie's husband has three brothers, so don't keep your eyes on Lucas," Leigh said. "Maddie's husband's second younger brother Grayson and third younger brother Kieran are both the cream of the crop, so you should keep your eyes on them. After all, Young Master Lucas will probably be unavailable very soon."

Caitlin was rendered speechless, and so was Madeline. Should I tell Katy that Grayson has bad taste in women and is in love with Ann? Hmm… Never mind, I'd better not tell her about it. Everyone has their own destiny. Sebastian has ordered Grayson to break up with Ann, so the chances are zero that the two will stay together. What if Katy is fated to be Grayson's other half? Content is property © .

Madeline didn't stay long as she was concerned about the kids. After she was done eating, she had Leigh look after Caitlin while she returned to her bedroom. She crept into the bedroom for fear of rousing the kids. She first looked at the bed, but she didn't see the kids. Instead, Sebastian was the only person in bed.

Startled, she asked, "Where are Aldo and Buddy?"

Leaning against the head of the bed, Sebastian stopped tapping away on his laptop. He looked up at her and replied, "You're back? Aldo and Buddy went to sleep in the nursery next door. They fell asleep half an hour ago."

"They went to sleep in the nursery next door?" Madeline was rather nervous. "Is Buddy okay with that?"

"Yeah, he's fine with that," Sebastian replied. "He agreed after Aldo and I coaxed him a little."

"I'll go take a look." Madeline turned around and went to the nursery next door.

Sebastian went after her.

Madeline quietly pushed the door open and entered.

The gauze curtains in the room were drawn, but the heavy lightproof curtains weren't, allowing moonlight and the light in the courtyard to shine hazily into the room and illuminate it through the gauze curtains.

When Madeline tiptoed to the side of the bed, the two kids were sleeping face to face without any response. She squatted down and wanted to caress their faces, but she held back the urge to touch them for fear of waking them.

Just then, she heard a sound behind her. She glanced back to see Fred and Simon, who came out of the room connected to the nursery. When they saw her and Sebastian, they bowed to the couple and greeted them silently.

She nodded to them before looking back at the kids. After that, she reluctantly stood up and left the nursery with Sebastian.

After returning to her bedroom, she entered the bathroom to take a shower.

She kept zoning out as she was taking a shower. The kids weren't the only ones who had trouble getting used to sleeping in the nursery; she had trouble adjusting to it, too. She was already used to lulling the kids to sleep every night. As soon as she woke up and opened her eyes at night, she would see the kids, and she'd wake them up the next morning. Now that the kids were sleeping in the nursery, she felt a void in her heart. When she finished taking a shower and returned to the bedroom, the kids weren't there. Only she and Sebastian were left, and this made her feel even more uneasy.

Seeing her standing at the end of the bed for a long time without moving, Sebastian asked, "What's wrong? Why are you standing there?"

"N-Nothing." Madeline came to the side of the bed and sat down. "It's just that I'm worried about Buddy… Aldo is fine, but Buddy's been scared once. I'm afraid that he'll cry when he wakes up and doesn't see me."

"He won't," Sebastian replied. "Fred and Simon are there, so he'll be fine."

Madeline's brows furrowed. "But they're not sleeping next to Buddy. They're staying in the room next door."

"Trust me. He'll definitely be fine." Sebastian stretched out his hand and gave her a reassuring pat. "Buddy refused to sleep alone in the past because he felt insecure. Now that his surroundings make him feel safe enough, he won't be easily roused from sleep. Even if he wakes up, he just has to let out a cry for Fred and Simon to go over and soothe him anytime. So, you don't have to be worried."

Madeline argued, "But—"

"There's no buts about it!" Sebastian held up a finger and pressed it against her lips. He insisted, "It's inevitable for the kids to sleep in separate rooms. Even a five-year-old boy is supposed to sleep in a separate room from his parents, not to mention that the two boys can keep each other company. It won't do any good for their growth if you spoil them too much."

Madeline knew that he was right. She felt terribly uneasy, but she nonetheless nodded. "I know that… Thank you…" If he hadn't helped her with this, she had no idea when she would make up her mind to let the two kids sleep separately from them.

"Don't say thank you to me anymore," Sebastian replied. "We're husband and wife. Whatever I do for

you, it's part of my duty. Moreover, they're also my sons. Whatever I do for them, it's only natural, and I'm doing it willingly," he said before holding Madeline's wrist. "Come on, it's getting late. Let's sleep."

Madeline's nightgown had three-quarter sleeves. When Sebastian put his palm on her skin, her body temperature suddenly rose. In the past when the kids were present, they'd only sleep in the same bed to keep their children company. Tonight, however… Her heart started thumping, and she slowly heated up as if the skin on her face and body were about to burn.

"Why is your skin so hot?" Sebastian said while reaching into her nightgown. "Are you running a fever or something?"

Madeline shuddered. Subconsciously, she tried to push him away, only for him to turn over and throw himself on top of her. As his fingers gently caressed her burning cheek, he said with a chuckle, "Mrs. Hart, shouldn't you fulfill your obligations as my wife now?"

Madeline was rendered speechless. Unable to say a word, she squeezed her eyes shut in shyness.

Sebastian chuckled in a deep voice. "It's okay. If you feel shy, I can do my duty as your husband. It won't make any difference!"

Madeline was lost for words.