So Sebastian refused to help her anymore?


    She knew he had changed, but she still wanted to hold on to him.


    She deeply regretted her earlier actions.


    “Sebastian, you said you would protect me for life. Were those just empty words?" Joanna demanded through her tears. "I told you I left for a special reason. It was your mother who forced me to go, not because I wanted to. Sebastian, I really didn''t run away, and it certainly wasn''t because you were in a wheelchair."


    "Sebastian, if you don''t believe me, you can investigate. You can even ask your mother how I left."


    "Then tell me, why did my mother dislike you but love Natalie?" Sebastian still had his back to her, but the expression on his handsome face was as cold as ice. Joanna faltered. How was she supposed to know why that old hag didn''t like her? Sebastian''s mother had always been unhappy whenever she saw her.


    Yet she had met Natalie only once and immediately decided Natalie was her daughter-inw.


    Later, Joanna had poisoned Sebastian''s mother, causing the old woman to lose her mind. Sebastian had eventually sent her to a mental hospital.


    Sebastian deserved to die. Even Timothy Griffith couldn''t stand him.


    But the time wasn''t right yet. For now, Sebastian had to protect her.


    She came up with an excuse to cate him. “Sebastian, maybe Natalie said bad things about me to your mother. After all, back then, everyone thought I was just the daughter who was switched at birth. Your mother probably looked down on me because she didn''t think I was a real daughter of the Scott family."


    Sebastian suddenly turned to face her, his eyes deep and unreadable. "Joanna, you''ve gotten one thing wrong this whole time. My mother cared that Natalie was the daughter born from Mrs. Scott''s womb. The Scott family... they''re just a bunch of leeches and vampires."


    Joanna''s eyes widened in shock. Humiliation washed over her like a flood.


    "Sebastian, so you look down on me too?"


    Furious, she spun around and stormed out. Sebastian''s words had hit a raw nerve.


    Watching her leave, Sebastian picked up his phone and called Natalie.


    Natalie had just finished helping


    Mrs. Wilson and was about to head


    back. She had just gotten into ker


    ca when


    call came


    through.


    "What do you want?" Natalie snapped, her temper ring.


    Sebastian''s gaze darkened slightly. "Where are you?"


    "Going home."


    Sebastian said, "I''ming home for lunch. I want pork rib stew."


    Natalie retorted, "Sebastian, I''m just going home to change, and then have to go to the office I dont have time to make you soup."


    "Then we''ll eat lunch before you go. I''ll have the ingredients sent over."


    Sebastian hung up before Natalie could refuse.


    Natalie was speechless. That jerk. She mmed her fist on the steering wheel, then drove home to cook.


    Thinking of her brother, she relented. As long as her brother could get stronger, he would one day defeat Sebastian.


    This was a war of attrition. With that thought, Natalie calmed down.


    At one in the afternoon.


    When Sebastian got home, Natalie had already made lunch.


    Seeing her busy in the kitchen, a warmth flickered in his eyes. He went to wash his hands.


    When Natalie saw him, she got ready to eat.


    As she sat waiting for Sebastian, Marshall called her.


    She was sipping her soup, so she put the call on speaker. “Marshall.”


    "Natalie, there''s something I just don''t get. You''re incredibly smart, you think clearly, and you''re mature and sensible. So what on earth you see in Sebastian? Is it his moronic brain or his jackass temper?"


    ve


    Natalie sensed someone behind her. She whirled around to see Sebastian standing


    right beside her, his face dark and menacing.