CHAPTER 364

Sebastian, Madeline, and their two sons bid farewell to the Penhams after Leigh had left.

Once the family had returned to the Sun Garden, the parents headed straight toward the bedroom and put their kids in bed. Later, Madeline entrusted the boys to Sebastian and left to look for Leigh.

Leight was drinking when Madeline found her.

Compared to before, the Oasis Law Office had expanded a lot and ended up occupying the whole building. As Madeline wasn't low on budget, she even prepared the accommodations meticulously for the members of her law office.

Everyone was assigned a suite consisting of two rooms and one living room. Other than the large space provided, the suites were also designed strategically and readied with interior finishes. Madeline even added some daily necessities in each suite.

Leigh didn't require much for her accommodation as long as it was clean. She only added a wine cabinet in the room since she moved in and didn't bother to make other amendments.

After Madeline knocked on the door and walked inside, she found her target lounging on the couch and enjoying the drink on their own.

Leigh noticed her and interrupted her speech before she could say anything. "You can go be with your husband and the kids. I'm fine."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Madeline took a seat beside her and studied the woman.

"I am fine," Leigh emphasized with a casual tone before she rose from her position and leaned against Madeline. "Look around the law office—you can see all of us had a tragic childhood. There's either an orphan who has lost their parents or an unlucky soul who could have lived better without their parents. I used to be the former, but now I've become the latter. What's the difference?"

Leigh didn't get an immediate answer as Madeline took her time to consider. "There is indeed a difference. The latter seems more miserable."

Leigh choked on her words.

A moment later, she patted Madeline's shoulder. "Sis, you sure know your way of consolation."

Madeline let loose a chuckle at that. "You honor me."

Leigh rolled her eyes at Madeline before the former took a sip of the alcohol. "The people in this office are a bunch of ill-fated souls. It's as if we won't ever have a chance to experience happiness in our lives, but things have changed recently. You betrayed our trust and became a lucky person all by yourself."

Taken aback, Madeline slapped Leigh's arm. "What are you talking about? Don't speak such nonsense!"

"I'm telling the truth!" Leigh retorted. "Look at yourself. We used to share the same unfortunate fate, but you don't look miserable nowadays."

She counted the difference with her fingers. "Let's begin with your parents. Look, you found your birth

parents, and both of them turned out to hail from a wealthy family. Your father is a debonair gentleman, while your mother is a kind, elegant, conservative, and graceful woman. More importantly, they love you, don't they?"

"Why are we discussing this matter?" Madeline didn't feel comfortable hearing Leigh initiate the topic of her family, as she was afraid that Leigh would feel even sadder at the contrast.

"It puts the fun in drinking." Taking another sip, Leigh continued, "Secondly, your husband, Sebastian, is the young master and only heir of the Hart Family. Born with a silver spoon, he's rich, influential, and capable. Moreover, he's loyal to you and loves the boys, yes?"

The mention of Sebastian made Madeline blush and nodded with shy satisfaction. "Sebastian is indeed a nice man."

The hardships she had to overcome in the past must have been a condition of the fortune to meet Sebastian.

It was considered lucky for both her and her children to have him as the children's birth father.

"Lastly, you have Aldo and Buddy." Leigh continued, "They are the most adorable children I've ever seen, and they are your sons. Can't you tell you're the happiest woman in the world?"

"You're right." Thinking about her sons, Madeline beamed sweetly. "They're the best!"

Leigh made a tsking sound before she poked a finger at Madeline's temple. "There is no humility and shame in you!"

Madeline turned to her with a suspicious glare. "You've had too much to drink, huh?"

"No." Leigh then emphasized, "I can still count the numbers. Did you see that? It's impossible for me to get drunk. I'm merely thinking about spending more time with you so I can share your luck. I'm not expecting a pair of good parents, but a good husband and a pair of children as adorable as Aldo and Buddy won't hurt."

"You got my permission!" Madeline pinched her friend's face. "Starting tomorrow, you'll be my personal assistant. You have nowhere to go but to stay with me all day long. You can expect a good husband in no time."

Groaning in displeasure, Leigh slapped away Madeline's hand and rolled her eyes. "Again, you're trying to trick me into not going out. There are many places to go, but you want me to be stuck in the Mansion. Where's your conscience?"

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you." Madeline then retorted, "I permit you to grab a share of my luck but now, you accuse me of tricking you."

Leigh signed deep and long. "Nature is calling me, and I don't want to spend my time in an air-polluted city! Take another look around the agency; other than you, who's obligated to stay and take care of your children, there's no one else who wants to come back. Most of us want to spend our time out there."

"You might need to change your phrasing." Madeline began, "From my perspective, all of you are messing around out there."

Leigh couldn't help but laugh. "Maddie, you sound like a cynic housewife."

Madeline only glared at her friend without answering.

Taking another gulp of her drink, Leigh patted Madeline's shoulder to soothe her. "Come on, don't pull a long face. Didn't I promise the Penhams to treat Luna and Old Master Penham? I'll not leave the town for a while. For the time being, at least. You can have my company all to yourself." NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

It was Madeline that rolled her eyes this time. "That's not out of your will! You're forced to stay."

"It's the same, isn't it?" Leigh leaned against Madeline in a more comfortable position as she continued to drink. "How's Katy? Did you talk to her recently?"

"We talk to each other on WhatsApp occasionally," Madeline answered. "She's under a lot of pressure lately, so she will only reply to some of my messages on better days."

Another sigh escaped Leigh. "Katy is the most miserable among us. I wonder why most great families tend to adopt children. It'll not be a problem if the adoptive child is well-behaved, obedient, and will repay their adoptive family. But look at what happened to the Owens! Their adoptive son ruined the whole family and caused her parents' death. However, I can't understand why her father would ask her to not seek revenge and even marry that ungrateful person."

Leigh clicked her tongue on the unacceptable outcomes and shook her head. "I guess her father wasn't in his right mind on the verge of death. Even if he had wronged his adoptive son, forcing Katy to marry the son isn't a solution. How could he ask Katy to suffer the consequence of marrying the man who killed her father, when he was the one who wronged the son?"

"That's right. " Madeline could feel a pang of sadness. "Maybe it's because Lucian and Katy used to be

a couple? Her father knew that she liked him and didn't want her to face a dilemma, so his last words were for her to marry Lucian."

"How could Katy ever accept Lucian, though?" Leigh then commented, "If only she has a scum father like mine, then there's no problem for her. However, Katy's father cared about her the most. We can see how he spoiled her, no? How could Katy ever marry Lucian when he's the culprit of her father's death?"