Chapter 94
“How could you talk about Sebastian like that? Can’t you wish something good for him instead?” Martha cut Mallory off before the latter could finish.
Then, she added, “I remember now. Isn’t Zayn’s cousin called Nathan Ford? Nathan’s grandfather used to be a senior professor at Stredview University. I doubt he would be able to accept something like this.”
Mallory didn’t get an answer, and she started to feel uneasy. She helped Martha toward the garden outside, and the two of them strolled together.
Martha might seem like a kind and playful old lady, but she had spent years alongside Nicholas in the business world. Her experience and perspective were anything but ordinary.
Mallory tried one last time and asked again, “I was just saying, if—”
“No ‘ifs’. You can say that in front of me, but if your father hears it, he’ll blow a fuse. His blood pressure would shoot through the roof, too.” Martha gave Mallory no chance to finish again.
When Sebastian got home, Nemo just lay there on the couch. He lifted his head lazily to look at Sebastian, then flopped back down.
He was an old dog now and not as energetic as he used to be. Golden Retrievers were known for being warm and friendly, especially Nemo. He was a Samoyed-Golden Retriever mix.
When he was a puppy, he had caused Sebastian a lot of trouble. While he was teething, he chewed on Nicholas’ collection of rare old books and tore up the study.
During Sebastian’s first two years abroad, the dog was raised at the Grant residence. Later, when Alexander went to Amaran, he took Nemo along on the Grant family’s private jet.
Now, Nemo only looked up and squinted his eyes until Sebastian came close and set down the half-eaten apple. The apple had already turned brown.
Nemo took a sniff, and Sebastian said, “Don’t eat it.”
Nemo gave him a look that seemed to say, “Stingy human.’
Then, he gave the apple a lick but didn’t eat it.
Sebastian stepped into the bathroom. As he stood under the showerhead, he lifted his hand and brushed his hair back. The beads of water that clung to his short black hair traced a clear arc through the air.
He tilted his head back. The warm water flowed down from his brow and along the bridge of
Chapter 04
his nose.
2/3
In the living room, his phone on the coffee table began to ring, and it did so for a while. Then it started again.
Sebastian grabbed a robe from a rack and walked out. The black silk robe hung loosely, barely tied at his waist.
With wet fingers, he swiped the screen and answered the call.
It was Martha on the line. “Gabriella is coming back.”
Sebastian said flatly, “So? Do I need to pick her up?”
Maybe it was because they weren’t related by blood, but he had never felt much for Gabriella, even as a child.
Martha knew that well enough, so she quickly shifted to a familiar topic. She tried to set him up on another blind date.
This time, it was someone from the Dale family, a well-known name in the world of art.
Sebastian put the phone on speaker and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. He looked out at the night view, then at the white curtains, and rubbed between his brows.
Suddenly, he felt that white curtains didn’t look good. Maybe he should change them to blue
ones.
In the end, he said, “I won’t have time these next two weeks.”
Martha was a fairly open-minded mother. She was easygoing about everything else and was cheerful every day.
But when it came to his marriage, no one else was more anxious about it than her.
Sebastian understood why.
Martha had him late in life when she was already middle-aged. That, and Florian had died too.
Most people her age already had grandkids in middle school or high school.
So he softened his tone and said, “Wait till I have time. There’s no point wasting Ms. Dale’s time.”
“If we wait till you have free time, how many more years is that? Will I even live to see my precious grandkids?” Martha said unhappily.
From Sebastian’s view, this luxury apartment was the best in the area. He could clearly see one of Slate City’s landmark buildings, Grant Group.
Chapter 94
Towers of concrete and steel stood tall in rows, and the words “Grant Group” glowed brightly.
“If you really want to see them, how about I bring you one that’s already made?” As he spoke, Sebastian turned and looked into the living room.
Lying on the marble coffee table was a half-eaten, already oxidized apple. He stared at it, his gaze dark and unreadable.
He held the phone in his hand and asked, “Would a girl do?”
Martha froze and didn’t speak for a while. Then, she laughed and scolded him, “You’re still joking with me at a time like this.”
