CHAPTER 468

Patrick and Paul were once again chortling due to Buddy's sweet remarks.

The family had a wonderful time together and the conversation went on for hours before they finally allowed Sebastian and Maddie to take the kids back to their room to rest.

Once Aldo and Buddy were asleep, Madeline said to Sebastian, "We'll leave the presents for the children and me to you for safekeeping. They're all too valuable. I don't feel right accepting them."

"Isn't it the same whether they're with me or you?" Sebastian said. "Don't forget that we're a family now. From the moment we got our marriage certificate, you became the rightful owner of half of everything I earn."

After a pause, Madeline said, "That's not necessary, you know. I can earn a living for myself."

Although she wasn't going to become a billionaire with her law office anytime soon, she was still able to take care of herself and raise the two boys as well.

"That's up to you," Sebastian said. "But as a man, it's only right that I provide for the family. You can keep your income for your individual expenditure, but you must let me provide for you and the boys. This concerns my dignity as a man."

Madeline didn't know what to say.

Well, as long as Sebastian's happy.

"Why didn't Uncle Patrick and Uncle Paul get married?" Madeline was curious. "Buddy kept

complimenting them but it wasn't just empty flattery. He's right. The two of them still look young and attractive. Why don't they get married and have children?"

"Unfortunate twists of fate," Sebastian explained. "Uncle Patrick had a childhood sweetheart. Their families were of equal standing and they were fond of each other. She came from a family of police officers and she was one as well. They were already discussing marriage when things went awry while she was on a mission, where she died in the line of duty…"

"What?" Madeline gasped. "She died in the line of duty?"

"Yeah." Sebastian sighed and shook his head. "After her death, Uncle Patrick grieved for a very long time. He drowned himself in alcohol and wasted his life away. My father had to spend a lot of time and effort before he finally managed to help Uncle Patrick get back on his feet again. Still, once a person has experienced the best, it's hard to move on from that. After a love so deep and unforgettable, Uncle Patrick couldn't forget about her, and after her death, he never got involved with any other woman."

"You're right…" Madeline echoed. "Once you've experienced the best, it's hard to move on from that. After a love like that, it's hard to open up your heart to someone new."

For some people, love and marriage didn't matter all that much.

It was the case for Madeline.

Before she met Sebastian, her purpose in life was to raise her two children.

After meeting Sebastian, she knew that their marriage was the only one she'd ever have.

She hoped that they would spend the rest of their lives together, but even if they couldn't, she would not get married again.

The first reason was that marriage wasn't of great importance to her. Her children mattered the most to her.

But the second was that Sebastian was too amazing.

After being with a man as incredible as Sebastian, she believed that she would never be attracted to another man again, let alone fall in love with him.

As Sebastian said, once a person experienced the best, it was hard to move on. Content is property © .

There were billions of people in the world, but only one was the one.

If the one was no longer around, then the person would choose to stay single instead of making do with someone else.

There was a moment of silence as Madeline lamented the sorrowful past before asking, "What about Uncle Paul? Why didn't he get married?"

"I think that Uncle Paul was even more unfortunate than Uncle Patrick," Sebastian said. "Uncle Paul had a childhood sweetheart too. She was the younger sister of one of his best friends, and they were already engaged when she cheated on him. After breaking up with her, Uncle Paul dated a few other women, but perhaps he had been too deeply hurt, he never did take any of his subsequent relationships seriously. He kept taking things easy and never did settle down with anyone."

"What?" Madeline was taken aback. "Uncle Paul's such a fine man, though. Why did that woman cheat on him?"

Was she blind?

Even at this age, Paul was still a tall and handsome man with a distinguished and sophisticated air about him. Everyone could see that he was an outstanding man in excellent shape and came from a privileged background. He would've been a very attractive man when he was younger.

Why would his girlfriend cheat on such an excellent man?

"It's because she came from a privileged background too," Sebastian explained. "The two families were on good terms and her family was only slightly less well-to-do compared to ours. She was the only girl in the family and was pampered by them, so she became a bit spoiled and self-centered. She wanted the world to revolve around her. At one point, Uncle Paul was sent abroad for work. She was alone in the country and couldn't deal with her loneliness due to their long-distance relationship, so she ended up sleeping with another man. Uncle Paul caught them in the act."

Madeline was dumbstruck. "I disagree with what you said. That's not someone spoiled and pampered. That's someone with poor character."

Sebastian chuckled. "Yeah, you're right. She's someone with poor character."

"What happened after that?" Madeline asked. "Did Uncle Paul break up with her after finding out that she slept with another man?"

"Yeah," Sebastian continued. "Actually, she didn't want to break up with him. In her eyes, she saw it as a mistake that she couldn't help but make out of loneliness, but the one she wanted to marry was still Uncle Paul. That other man was just a way for her to entertain herself, but her ideal husband was Uncle Paul. She made a huge spectacle and even threatened to take her own life, but you know what Uncle Paul's like. He wouldn't be swayed by that at all. He ignored her and didn't care about anything she did."

"How did things turn out after that?" Madeline quizzed. "Did she marry someone else?"

"She did," Sebastian said. "Her family was embarrassed by the whole thing and made her marry the man she slept with. I guess they figured it would be less of an embarrassment this way if news got out someday."

Madeline paused in surprise before asking, "Is she happy?"

"She's probably the only one who knows the answer to that question." Sebastian smirked. "But I think she definitely isn't happy. The man she married is just a poor artist who relied on her money. He didn't have anything to offer other than his looks."

"Soon after she married him, her brother became the head of the family, and he was a good friend of Uncle Paul's. He stood on Uncle Paul's side the whole time. After she got married, her brother let her be and didn't bother keeping up with her."

"She and the penniless artist were almost impoverished, and she couldn't take a life of suffering, so she soon got a divorce. After that, she married two more times, but both marriages ended in divorce as well."

"Well, that means she doesn't have a happy life then," Madeline remarked.

"Who knows?" Sebastian chuckled. "After all, she's the one who turned her nose up at the feast and chose to indulge in poisoned wine instead. Perhaps she has peculiar tastes and thinks the life she has is the one worth leading."