Past Grudges
Vivian was delighted and immediately pushed the shopping list into the lady’s hand.
“Here are more items. My daddy doesn’t know them either. Could you help us gather them, please?”
“Hahaha!” A burst of laughter suddenly rang out from not far away, giving them a fright.
A scowl came upon Sebastian’s face at once.
Turning over, he saw that the man roaring with laughter and pointing at him at the same time was clad
in the most eccentric clothes. Even his head was dressed up like a peacock.
“Go on and laugh again,” Sebastian threatened with his gaze darkening.
The man’s laughter stopped abruptly.
Vivian stared at him blankly for a long while before she finally recognized who he was.
“Uncle Brandon, it’s you!”
“Yes, it’s me. Look at how much you’ve grown, Vivi! And what a beauty you’ve turned into! Would you
like to join the entertainment industry, Vivi? With such a pretty face, you’ll easily become the top
superstar in show business!”
Brandon was dazzled by his niece’s stunning looks and could not stop marveling at her beauty.
In fact, it was true that Vivian had indeed turned into a great beauty.
Her eyes resembled her father’s, while her facial features were almost identical to Sasha’s when the
latter was little. Seeing as she had inherited all of the most attractive features her parents possessed, it
was no surprise that she looked so charming.
However, the moment Brandon finished his words, Sebastian swiftly swung a kick at his abdomen. “Do
you have a death wish?”
“No, I don’t…” Brandon quickly wiped the playful smile off his face.
Sebastian considered it a rare coincidence indeed to bump into Brandon during Christmas after so
many years. Thus, once Brandon stopped fooling around, he did not immediately attempt to shoo him
away either.
He continued picking and packing stuff, asking casually, “Back for Christmas?”
Brandon nodded. “Yeah. My mother’s fallen ill, so I decided to come back this year.”
His mother? Matilda?
Sebastian did not have a good impression of that woman at all, as he could still remember how she
used to manipulate and sabotage him.
However, Brandon said next, “Sebastian, since you’re all here for Christmas, would it be possible for
you to pay a visit to my house within the next few weeks? To see my mother?”
“Huh? To see your mother?”
“Yeah. Her health’s been in bad condition this past year. The doctors said she might not have much
time left. I understand she’d done some terrible things to you in the past, but could you just come, for
your uncle’s sake? Maybe you could treat it as if you were representing the Hayeses, I guess.”
The man who had always been known as a cynic was suddenly sounding as though he was on the
verge of tears.
Sebastian fell silent.
Representing the Hayeses?
He lowered his gaze as memories of the past flashed through his mind.
Matilda was, simply put, a competitive woman who only cared about getting her hands on the things
she wanted. A huge reason was that her father had handed the entire family over to her younger
brother, Frederick Hayes, instead of her.
Thus, she was obsessed with getting back her portion.
Subsequently, she made a series of mistakes, and in the end, almost risked the entire Emmanuel
family getting destroyed by Sebastian.
The fact that she was hoping to meet the Hayeses again must have been an indicator that she was
indeed coming to the end of her life and was beginning to recognize her errors.
After much thought, Sebastian finally agreed to his request.
“All right, then. We initially planned to return to Jadeborough on Christmas day, but since this is the
case, we’ll make a visit to your house then.”
“Really? That’s wonderful! I’m going to tell her that as soon as I return. By the way, are you also
bringing the kids and Sasha along? My mother loves to be surrounded by people nowadays. It’d be
great if they could come with you,” Brandon added with a hopeful look in his eyes.
Seeing that her father did not respond, Vivian chimed in, “Uncle Brandon, may I bring my Aunt Ichika
along, too?”
“Your Aunt Ichika?” Brandon was unable to wrap his head around the name for a moment.
Sebastian swept a dull gaze across him, explaining bluntly, “Yes, she’s speaking about Ichika
Minamoto, which reminds me, those two should probably come along as well. After all, Solomon’s your
mother’s true nephew.”
It was Brandon’s turn to fall silent.
He had totally forgotten the fact that Solomon was a true Hayes by blood, although he sometimes
doubted what that word even meant at all.
In his eyes, the man standing before him was as true a Hayes as any other. They had even grown up
together.
While Brandon hurried home, Sebastian left the supermarket as well after the salesperson finished
helping him pick the items he needed.
He told Sasha about his encounter with Brandon upon returning home.
“Pay a visit to the Emmanuels’?” As expected, Sasha was rather stunned when she heard about it.
Sebastian nodded. However, sensing her reluctance, he immediately added, “You don’t have to go if
you don’t want to. I can go alone.”
To his surprise, Sasha’s frown instantly turned into a smile.
Unpacking and sorting out the goods he had just brought home, she said coyly, “Do I really seem like
such a petty person to you? Those things happened in the past, and the past is already gone. Let’s visit
her together since she’s unwell.”
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