CHAPTER 221

A pause later, Sebastian pointed out, "I think he only refrained from acquiring assets while in prison so he could keep his guard up against his own wife. He didn't want to have to pay a single cent in alimony to her if she were to divorce him, but in the end, she didn't. When he was released from prison, the bungalow and one of the two commercial buildings he bought were registered under his wife's name."

"Huh. I guess he's reaping the rewards of his hard work," Madeline mumbled. "I wonder if he ever thought about making it up to Leigh and her family for what he'd done."

Sebastian shook his head and chuckled. "You'd be overestimating the extent of their consciences."

"True," she admitted. "I probably shouldn't expect these scumbags to feel apologetic for what they'd done. Anyway, let's talk about something else." She perked up considerably and eyed him curiously before asking, "Our plan right now is to sue Roland and attack him at his weakest. From there, we'll trace the crime back to Scott, and have him arrested and thrown into jail. Is that right?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it." Sebastian nodded. "As long as the police can find evidence of Scott paying Roland to go to jail in his place, we'd be able to pin the crime on him."

"But what about Holly?" Madeline pressed. "Leigh's holding a grudge against her for being the murderer who pushed her mother onto the ground and let Scott run her over with his car afterward."

"We could sue Holly, but the only crime she'd be liable for is pushing Leigh's mother to the ground. She didn't do anything else, and at most, she'd be given a light sentence of five months imprisonment. If she engages a good lawyer, she might get away with a fine or something and never have to go into jail at all."

"If that's the case, Leigh could very well end up taking the law into her own hands... I can tell she's prepared to gamble away everything for the sake of revenge. She might find herself in trouble even if she does kill Holly, but she's prepared for that too."

"You're not wrong," Sebastian said. "Getting Holly incarcerated won't be an easy feat, and even if we succeed, she'd be out of prison in no time. So, I told Leigh that the alternative course would be to induce George to file for a divorce from Holly and make her lose everything she loves. She'd end up miserable for the rest of her life."

Madeline parted her lips to say something, but he smiled and interrupted, "You're going to tell me that George won't ever divorce Holly, right?"

She pursed her lips and nodded. Her argument made sense; George and Holly were happily married after all, and they had two brilliant sons. In any case, they would stay married for the sake of their sons.

Sebastian, however, smirked as he said, "Oh, but I think he will be persuaded. I'll be meeting him tomorrow evening. You can tag along if you'd like."

A pause later, Sebastian pointed out, "I think he only refrained from acquiring assets while in prison so he could keep his guard up against his own wife. He didn't want to have to pay a single cent in alimony to her if she were to divorce him, but in the end, she didn't. When he was released from prison, the bungalow and one of the two commercial buildings he bought were registered under his wife's name."

"You're meeting Uncle George?" Madeline asked, dumbfounded.

"I also invited Nigel and Michael," he added in amusement.

Bewildered, she pressed, "Whatever for?"

"You'll see," he replied coolly. Raising a brow at her, he asked with an almost devilish edge to his voice, "Will you be joining us then?"

She hesitated for a second and asked, "Do you want me to?"

"It won't make much of a difference," he answered nonchalantly. "I'd be meeting George on Leigh's behalf, which naturally puts me at odds with the Taylors and the Wendels. If you're afraid that you might offend them, you could always sit this one out."

"I'm not afraid! I'll be there," Madeline said hurriedly but determinedly. "I was the one who asked you to help Leigh, so I can't have you be the vanguard while I hide in the shadows. I'm going with you."

"Okay." Sebastian gave her a crooked smile, clearly pleased by her response.

He was starting to admire Madeline more and more, and she took him by surprise with her loyalty each time, never once letting him down.

That night, after Quincy and Joel finally went to sleep, Madeline tossed and turned in bed restlessly.

Sensing her movements, Sebastian turned on his side and asked in hushed tones while looking at her, "Hey, why aren't you sleeping?"

"I can't," she whispered back, turning so that she was lying on her side and facing him. "Can you tell me what you're going to say to my parents and my uncle tomorrow evening? Also, what can I do to help? Should I be doing anything at all?"

"No, you just have to show up," he said. "All you need to do is make sure that you're firmly on Leigh's side, and that you'd be willing to go against your so-called family for her."

Madeline pursed her lips. My so-called family. Why does he have to make it sound like that? Growing defensive, she pointed out, "They are my family."

"Right, but only because you're related to them by blood, that much I'm willing to admit," he conceded with a careless chuckle. "That's all there is."

She finally made sense of what he was implying. "You're telling me that they don't actually care for me, and that blood is the only thing that proves our kinship?"

He argued, "Am I wrong?"

Madeline thought about it for a second. "I know my uncles and I don't have that close of a family bond, but my parents are different. I'm sure they love me, or at least they like me enough to be kind to me. To that extent, I should at least show them my gratitude and take care of them. It's what family does and what humanity dictates for us, no?"

"But do they really love you?" Sebastian questioned, cocking a quizzical brow.

She nodded. "I think they do, and that's enough for me."

"Here's to hoping." He chuckled lightly. "We'll put that to the test tomorrow evening."

He was always so elusive, dangling bits of details to bait her attention and then giving her nothing in

return. Her curiosity was bubbling up, and she couldn't help probing, "So what are you going to say to them tomorrow evening?"

"Plenty of things, most of which I have no intention of divulging to you right now. You'll find out tomorrow," he said, once again being elusive. He reached out and patted the top of her head, then said, "The only thing you need to know is that I have my reasons for wanting to punish Holly. I'm doing it as a favor for you and Leigh, but also because she actually gave you a hard time not too long ago. Not to mention, she tried to persuade you to let her niece off the hook even after the girl confessed to the crime. Remember how she was hoping you'd just brush off the incident since whatever her niece had done was in the past?" He chuckled icily. "A despicable woman like Holly doesn't deserve the life she has right now. She ought to be trampled and get a taste of misery."

Madeline was touched by his dedication. "Thank you..."

Granted, her parents were kind to her and loved her, but for some reason, she trusted Sebastian more, and she knew he was much kinder to her than anyone else had ever been. If that were not the case, she would have turned to her parents for help instead of asking him for a favor at first instance.

Perhaps she had unconsciously decided he was a reliable person who made her feel safe. Hence, he would be the first person she thought of in times of need. holds © this.

He was the most capable and most charismatic man she had ever met. She believed, for some inexplicable reason, that there was nothing in this world he could not do, and she knew he had the means and the brains to help Leigh in her revenge.

"Ah, here we go. You're thanking me for helping your friend out, and I'm going to thank you for raising two wonderful kids for me. If we keep this cycle up, we might end up more formal than business

partners," Sebastian joked as he tousled her hair affectionately. "It's getting late; you should go to sleep. Goodnight."

She responded with a tired 'goodnight' and pulled the covers over her. Before long, she fell asleep.

Where sleep came easy to her this time, it did not do the same for Sebastian. He suddenly grew restless, and even though there were two sleeping children barricading him from Madeline, he could still pick up the faint, sweet scent of her.

The memories of their wild, unhinged endeavors the other day surfaced in his mind.

He recalled how she had felt under him—so soft and beautiful, drawing him in with her scent.

A familiar heat coursed through him. Oh, how he wished to have her under him once more.