Since Sebastian was still in the hospital, Maxine decided to send Brian there as well. When Sebastian saw them, he was momentarily stunned. ‘Is Maxine
here to see me?‘ he wondered..
His expression froze momentarily when his gaze landed on Cleo standing behind her, and Brian being carried in by the doctor.
The doctor placed Brian, with his IV drip attached, on the bed. Father and son were on opposite sides, and the scene looked unexpectedly harmonious.
Maxine gently tucked Brian in. “Just rest here,” she said, “I’ll be going now.”
Brian stubbornly pursed his lips, shook his head at her, and said, “Mom, please stay, okay?”
Cleo yawned just then. Maxine said, “It’s getting late, so we should head back now. If anything comes up, I’ll come right over.”
But it should be fine now. Sebastian was in good health. After days of IV treatment, he was almost fully recovered and was now well enough to look after
Brian.
She looked at Sebastian and said, “I’ve been really busy lately, so I’ve already arranged for a week’s worth of nutritious meals to be delivered every day on time. Just make sure he eats them.”
With that, without waiting for Sebastian to respond, she and Cleo left the ward.
The room fell silent again. Brian pouted, propping himself up with his arm and awkwardly wriggling under the covers, then turned his back to Sebastian as he lay down.
“What’s with the sulking?” Sebastian asked his son.
After a long silence, Brian’s choked–up, muffled voice finally came from under the covers. “Dad, Mom won’t stay with me. Can you help me figure out how to make her stay?”
Sebastian scoffed, “If I can’t even win her back myself, what makes you think I can help you keep her? Figure it out on your own.”
So Brian wordlessly pulled the covers over himself with his free hand, the one not hooked up to the IV.
‘Dad is so annoying,‘ Brian thought to himself.
Maxine was completely tied up handling several cases at Urban’s law firm, so she didn’t have time to reply to any of Sebastian’s messages.
“Just attach this photo to the file, we’ll need it for the court hearing,” Maxine instructed the young woman beside her.
Just then, her phone beeped, it was a message from Devault. [Maxine, a company from Hatholand wants to expand here, but they’re caught up in a dispute. They’ve specifically asked for you to handle the negotiations. Are you available to meet?]
Maxine opened the file he sent over and couldn’t help but roll her eyes. ‘Seriously? The Noxen Group?‘ she thought.
As soon as she saw they’d specifically asked for her, Sebastian instantly came to mind.
Maxine then thought, ‘Sebastian wouldn’t go that far just for me. His domestic market has only just stabilized. There’s no reason for him to expand overseas now. And what are the odds they’d specifically approach Devault’s firm with me?‘
After some thought, she texted Devault her available time. He quickly replied with a thumbs–up emoji, then sent over the address.
Maxine glanced at the address. It was Noxen’s headquarters.
At the appointed time, Maxine entered Noxen’s headquarters. Under the receptionist’s curious gaze, she took the elevator upstairs to the meeting room.
Just as she expected, passing employees couldn’t help but steal glances at her. She’d been to Noxen before everything went down, and many still
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Chapter 190
recognized her. They probably hadn’t expected the consultant from the other side to turn out to be such a familiar face.
It wasn’t long before Sebastian arrived with someone from the legal department, a sharp, professional–looking woman who visibly froze for a moment when she saw Maxine.
Maxine recognized her immediately. She’d mentored the woman for a while back in the day.
The woman quickly regained her composure, smiling as she extended her hand. “Maxine, long time no see!”
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.
