Four years ago, during Christmas, when Maxine was presumed dead, the Mason family was eerily quiet. Thalls Harrett had prepared denar in secure. but neither Sebastian nor Brian came downstairs to eat.
Brian locked himself away in his room, while even Sebastian remained holed up in his study. After portioning out the meals, the butlar quietly delivered
them.
The butler then joined Thalia in the dining room.
Thalia sighed. “What a tragedy.”
After returning home that day, they had a heated argument. From their exchange, Thalia learned that Maxine had died in a car accident. Although no one knew why no funeral was held, everyone working in the household understood that this tragedy had nearly torn the two apart.
“Mr. Sebastian may be angry, but Mr. Brian is still just a child after all. How could he treat him like this?” Thalia said.
The butler cautiously glanced upstairs and said in a hushed tone, “Enough. Let’s not mention this matter again in this household.”
In truth, Sebastian wasn’t as devastated as they imagined. After Maxine’s accident, he swiftly dealt with Kathleen. Once she was imprisoned, he recalled how Urban had demanded Maxine’s “remains” from him.
There were no rumors circulating in their circle about Urban arranging any funeral. On the contrary, almost immediately after Maxine’s accident, he swiftly chartered a private jet bound for
overseas.
He even secured expedited clearance for fast–track approval.
It didn’t seem like Urban was going abroad to hold a funeral for Maxine. Rather, the fast–track approval suggested he was rushing to get her emergency medical treatment.
After regaining his composure, Sebastian immediately had his people investigate which country Urban’s flight route was heading to. But despite inquiries from multiple sources, they found no leads, only that the plane was bound for Southland.
But with so many countries in the Southland, tracking down the exact destination would be nearly impossible.
Ever since then, Urban personally handled every business trip to Southland, hoping to catch a glimpse of Maxine there.
But each attempt ended in failure.
Just then, the investigators tailing Cleo reported that almost every year, she would take a few days off to visit Southland.
Sebastian also had his people look into it, but Cleo was extremely cautious. Moreover, Urban handled every ticket. Although he appeared gentle, his methods were ruthlessly efficient,
After the property dispute with his half–sister was settled, he had her sent off to Shinar under the guise of “career development“, but in reality, it was practically exile.
Unable to uncover any more leads, Sebastian had no choice but to lie in wait, keeping Cleo under close surveillance. That was how he eventually discovered she was investigating Micah Hudson’s old fraud case.
Maxine didn’t suspect a thing. After all, Sebastian had so much on his plate, there was no way he’d actually waste his time keeping an eye on her and
Cleo.
“Do you need my help?” Sebastian asked, his gaze pleading yet restrained.
Maxine turned her head to look at him. Suddenly, she realized how much had changed between them. Years ago, she mu those same pleading eyes he was giving her now.
ave looked at Sebastian with
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She suddenly gave a faint, wry smile. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”
Maxine thought, ‘You ignored me back then, no need to come begging now.
‘The old me is “dead.” I have no ties to Sebastian now.
A
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
