CHAPTER 241

Before Madeline could reply, Sebastian voiced his agreement. "Okay, we'll send your friend home!"

Madeline was disgruntled.

Hey, Mr. Hart, could you please not steal my lines away from me?

Sigh…

Hang on!

He said that he would send Alex home, but which home? The one in the mountains?

Madeline looked at Sebastian with a puzzled expression.

Sebastian looked over to her as well. "Maddie, are you free in the next few days? If you are, let's all take a trip together and send Alex home."

"To the mountains?" Madeline asked.

"Naturally." Sebastian nodded.

"Can you spare the time for that?" Madeline queried.

"Of course," Sebastian replied.

"...Oh, right. I forgot about your AI robot, Lucas."

Madeline pitied Lucas.

It did not seem like he was the fourth young master of the Harts. He was more like Sebastian's employee with a lifetime contract!

"Yeah," Sebastian said. "There aren't any pressing matters or major projects in the company to deal with right now, so Lucas can handle everything by himself."

"You're awesome, Daddy!" Joel was ecstatic. He clasped his arms around Sebastian's neck and sang his praises. "Daddy, you're the best daddy in the whole wide world! The best ever!"

"Thank you, darling!" Sebastian was on cloud nine after hearing his son's praises.

Alex stared at them quietly before moving his gaze away. His expression had turned a little darker.

Madeline could see the envy in his eyes, and she sighed to herself.

Every family had its own closet skeleton.

She could not resist attempting to comfort this child who had lost his mother by patting him gently.

When her hand came down on his shoulder, she could feel his bones poking through his skin. It was only then that she realized how gaunt he was. content.

Alex was a very attractive child. He had skin as white as snow and a pair of fine eyes, so when she

looked at his face, she did not think that he had been treated poorly in any way, but now that she felt his arms, she realized he was nothing more than skin and bones.

Madeline's brows furrowed at once. "Alex, do you eat your fill every day? Why are you so thin?"

"I don't eat much." Alex shook his head. "My stepmother makes the housekeeper cook for us, but to cook separately and make one portion for each of us. There is a lot of food that I dislike because the smell makes me nauseous and I can't swallow it, but she would make the housekeeper cook exactly all the food that I dislike. She would also make the housekeeper prepare very little food, so I don't have anything else to eat."

He spoke so calmly as he explained his situation. There was no trace of anger, but there was coldness in his eyes.

Madeline was taken aback.

She never thought that there would still be such a cruel stepmother who would starve a child in this day and age.

Leigh snorted. "There's no limit to how cruel a person can get if they put their minds to it!"

"Alex, how old are you?" Madeline asked.

"I'm seven," Alex replied.

"You're seven?" Leigh's eyes flitted between Alex and Quincy. "You're two years older than Quincy, but you're about the same height as him. What an evil stepmother!"

Meanwhile, Joel blinked innocently from Sebastian's lap. "Miss Leigh, I'll grow taller someday!"

Leigh was caught off-guard.

However, she immediately replaced her sneering expression with a warm and cheerful one. She smiled and stroked Joel's face before saying sweetly, "Of course, Joel! We don't have a cruel stepmother in the family who is willing to let the children starve, so you'll grow up big and strong!"

"Mmhmm!" Joel nodded emphatically. "I'm still small, but I'll be very tall when I grow up."

"You'll grow big and strong too, Alex," Madeline comforted him. "We'll send you home, and once you're home with your grandma, you'll be able to eat well and grow tall."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hart," Alex thanked her calmly.

Truth be told, he did not care about how tall or short he would be. He just really wanted to see his grandma.

He had not seen her for a very long time now.

His grandma often called him, but since they were so far apart, he did not dare to tell her much either.

She was in poor health, so he did not want her to fret.

His uncle said that it would be bad for Grandma if she got anxious and warned him not to make her anxious in any way.

This was why he was afraid of telling her about his situation.

His mother had gone missing when he was very young, and ever since then, he lived with Grandma.

Even after his father remarried his stepmother, he continued to live with Grandma until it was time for him to attend school. That was when Grandma asked his father to bring him to Dusktown.

His grandma was reluctant to part with him, but as she cried, she kept repeating that schools in Dusktown were better. He was a smart boy who should go to the best schools so that he could have a bright future ahead of him.

Grandma kept crying as she got his father to take him away.

He had never seen her again after that.

Grandma's home was too far away from Dusktown. Grandma was old and frail, so she could not come to Dusktown either, while his father was too busy working to take him back to see her.

All he dreamt about was going home to Grandma.

He wanted to live with Grandma. He did not care about how living in the mountains might hamper his bright future.

His father had gone to school in the rural mountains, but he still managed to get into college.

If his father could do it, so could he.

Throughout the car ride, Alex was drowning in his thoughts, and he did not speak at all.

The car was filled with the sound of Joel's childish chatters. He was a chatterbox who could go on for hours and hours.

Thankfully, everyone was happy to be his audience and paid close attention to everything he said, apart from Quincy, who had a slightly disdainful expression on his face.

Sebastian was perfectly happy to hold Joel in his arms throughout the entire car ride.

Joel liked nestling in his arms, and he too enjoyed holding his son close to him. They stayed glued together the whole time, and even when they got out of the car, he continued to carry Joel in his arms.

Joel was thrilled to stick to Sebastian. He had a huge grin on his face as he wrapped his arms around Sebastian once more.

"How childish!" Quincy snorted as he gave his foolish-looking brother a derisive look.

Joel stuck his tongue out at Quincy and wagged his legs. "Daddy, Aldo's jealous of me!"

Sebastian was tickled pink by how precious his son was. He gave him a kiss and said, "I'll hold Aldo later."

"Okay!" Joel stated in his clear voice, "You can't play favorites, Daddy! You must favor us all equally!"

Madeline was speechless.

What odd advice for a son to give his father!

Sebastian laughed at Joel's comment. He no longer appeared like the cold and commanding man that confronted Queenie earlier. Instead, he seemed like a warm and doting father.

Leigh tsk-ed at the sight and muttered to Madeline, "This must be why your master said that everyone has many facets to them. I'm convinced now after today."

The Sebastian that she knew was a cold and distant man who kept everyone at arm's length, but the Sebastian who was carrying Joel in his arms was warm and loving.

Madeline smiled, and her eyes grew fond as she stared at Sebastian and the two children. "He's a good father. The children are very happy whenever they're with him."

"It seems that way now," Leigh commented softly, "But you never know. People change all the time. The only person you can rely on in the entire world is yourself, so…"

She rested her hand on Madeline's shoulder and said, "You should be on your toes. Don't serve your heart up on a silver platter just because he treats you and the children well now. It's safest when you're the master of your emotions and not the other way around."