Returning from the Dead Chapter 26
Luke cut straight to the point. “Are you willing to grab the opportunity that may earn you the right to see Ian every day?”
“Are you serious?” Sasha couldn’t believe her ears.
However, Luke was all business from the other end. “As long as you’re able to treat Mr. Hayes’ condition, I can ensure you that you will get to see Ian every day.”
“What’s wrong with Sebastian?”
Luke told Sasha the truth. “I guess it’s time to stop keeping you in the dark. He didn’t bring you back to Hayes Residence because his blood pressure skyrocketed and he passed out after that fight on the yacht. If you can cure his sleep disorder, I believe he would also agree to my suggestion. I think he’ll offer to let you see Ian unconditionally. What do you think, Madam?”
In order to get Sasha to give her consent, Luke told her everything that happened after the fight.
He’s currently in the hospital? No wonder I didn’t see Ian when we disembarked from the yacht.
Sasha couldn’t help but gloat over Sebastian’s misfortune. “Actually, I do possess the capability to save him. To be honest, he should be glad to be alive.”
Luke replied with an awkward laugh after a few seconds of dead silence. “Now you see why I came to you? Don’t worry. We can work on the details once he’s fully recovered. Although Mr. Hayes refused to let you anywhere near Ian, you’re his biological mother. As long as you drop by his place, you’ll get to see Ian. Once you develop a close relationship with him, I don’t think Mr. Hayes can stop you from seeing him.”
It was a sweet deal.
All she needed was an opportunity to spend time with Ian to atone for her sins. If she couldn’t get anywhere near her son, she wouldn’t be able to execute the plan to beg for his forgiveness.
After much considerations, Sasha gave her consent and named her conditions.
“Deal! However, I don’t want anyone to restrict my freedom, and I want to stay with my aunt! Otherwise, I’m afraid she’ll storm to Hayes Residence and make a scene.”
“Certainly. As long as you can get Mr. Hayes to fall asleep, we won’t restrict your freedom. You get to arrange your own schedule on one condition—we need to ensure you’re capable of treating Mr. Hayes’ insomnia.”
“That’s but a piece of cake for me!” Sasha replied confidently.
As long as she could plan her schedule, she could take good care of her children without disrupting their daily routine. She would drop them off at the preschool in the morning and pick them up in the evening.
She had confidence in her capability.
Luke said he would drop by and pick her up at the apartment in the evening for one last trial. If she could prove her words, their agreement would officially begin after the trial.
Huh? Is he coming to pick me up soon? If that’s the case, I need to hurry and make my way back to the apartment!
Immediately after Sasha hung up the call with Luke, she told her children, “Matt, Vivi, I need to head out to tend to an emergency. I’ll get Mrs. Grint to drop by and take care of both of you, okay?”
Lucy Grint used to be a maid of the Wand family, but after they filed for bankruptcy, she went to work for Sharon. Throughout the years, she had never turned down a single request from Sasha.
Vivian, who was relatively simple-minded, wasn’t particularly against the idea. On the other hand, when Matteo heard it, he stopped looking at his tablet and looked in Sasha’s direction. “Mommy, where are you going? Are you coming back tonight?”
“Of course! I’ll be away for about two hours! Don’t worry about me, okay?”
Lucy agreed to Sasha’s request without hesitation. When she found out the children had yet to have their meal, she said she would buy some ingredients and make them something to eat.
After Sasha had everything sorted out, she left and made her way back to the apartment.
Meanwhile, Vivian looked at Matteo and asked, “Matt, what’s wrong with you? Why are you staring at Mommy?”
The little girl went after her brother right after he sprinted over to the balcony. Out of curiosity, Vivian crouched by Matteo’s side, looking in the direction of her brother’s gaze.
“I think our foolish mother is on her way to the meanie’s place again!”
“Huh?”
“W-Who’s the meanie you’re talking about? Is Mommy is in danger? Should we rush over to rescue her?” Vivian was horrified by his brother’s words. She almost burst into tears.
“That won’t be necessary for the time being. I’ll pay him a visit tomorrow.”
“Huh? Are you going after the meanie on your own? No! I’ll tag along with you! I will never allow others to bully Mommy!”
“I want you to stay put and cover for me in the preschool. Once I’m done, I’ll tell you what to do next!”
“Okay!”
The siblings arrived at an agreement after a simple discussion.
Shortly after Sasha returned to the apartment, Luke showed up in a car told her to meet him downstairs.
After she got into the car with her medical kit, she asked, “Are we heading to the hospital?”
“No, we’ll be going to Frontier Bay because Mr. Hayes has been discharged.”
The news took Sasha by surprise; she wasn’t ready for what was coming.
Returning from the Dead Chapter 27
Sasha’s heart was pounding. The first time she saw Sebastian was five years ago, on their wedding day. The next day, he left her. She never saw him again, much less set foot in his house at Frontier Bay.
Sasha could vividly recall her times at Hayes Residence. She knew Sebastian had other properties, but she was afraid of poking her nose into his business.
She never tried to inquire about him or mention his name for fear that he knew she had feigned her own death. The trip down memory made her realize her life back then was a disgrace.
She found it ironic to set foot into Frontier Bay of all places five years later.
On their way there, Sasha admired the late-Autumn view in the city. She caught a glimpse of passersby wandering on the street. The faint illumination from the lamp posts made the bustling city seemed so lonely.
“Madam, Mr. Hayes has just been discharged from the hospital. When you see him, can you please be merciful and tolerate his irrational behavior if he isn’t being his best self? I’m afraid if he gets worked up again, he’ll…”
Sasha looked at Luke through the rearview mirror and stated nonchalantly, “You don’t have to worry. As a doctor, I’m aware of the do’s and don’ts better than you. No matter what, I’ll turn a blind eye.”
Luke heaved a long sigh of relief.
Actually, he couldn’t wait to figure out how she became a renowned doctor after five years.
However, he kept his queries to himself when they drove into the garden of the majestic villa.
He accelerated the car and reached Royal Court One, which was situated in Frontier Bay, ten minutes later.
Sasha thought they had pulled by in front of a palace. The breathtaking rows of sculptures lined up at the entrance of the villa as though soldiers had gathered around and to guard the garden.
Along the hallway were marble stone archways with drooping gold roses. Sasha was impressed by those remarkable pieces and couldn’t help but imagine the scene of exotic flowers and plants in the garden.
Her jaw dropped open as she gaped at the ostentatious decorations.
Has he been living in such a great environment all this while? Am I supposed to consider myself lucky to be given the chance to visit this majestic villa while I’m still alive?
While she feasted her eyes, Luke took his leave. “Madam, Royal Court One belongs to Mr. Hayes. You just have to walk down these archways, and you’ll reach the entrance at the end.”
Am I supposed to go in myself? Doesn’t he need to announce my arrival or something?
Sasha snapped out of her confusion and turned to Luke. “Aren’t you going in with me? I have never been here before! And you haven’t announced my arrival. I don’t think I should make my way in unannounced…”
“It’s fine, Madam. I have informed Mr. Hayes of your arrival. Please feel free to make your way in.”
Luke, who was in the car, assured her with a bright grin.
Little did she know, he had his feet on the accelerator and would depart the moment she walked into Sebastian’s villa.
Oblivious to Luke’s ploy, Sasha strode into the villa boldly with her medical kit.
To be honest, I’d be lying if I’m not afraid at all. I don’t even know why I’m here anymore!
A few minutes later, she finally arrived at the gate of Royal Court One.
She felt a sense of relief and thought Luke had told him the truth. It wasn’t as intimidating as she expected.
Initially, she thought the place would be heavily guarded, but nobody stopped her as she strode down the magnificent archways.
She glimpsed a beam of flash and hurried her way to the source of light while clutching her kit.
Where’s the rest of the family?
Sasha was slightly taken aback by the desolated surroundings. She noticed she was the only person in the spacious and elegant courtyard.
Are they upstairs?
As she stepped into the foyer to go up the stairs, she saw a pair of pink indoor sandals that belonged to a woman on the shoe rack.
The delicate-looking pair of sandals with daisies was amongst the countless pairs of men’s leather shoes. The ones that caught her eye the most were the miniature shoes belonging to a child.
Judging by the shoes that were available, it seemed to belong to a family of three.
Sasha couldn’t tear her eyes away from it. She had an awful sensation deep down, as though an important part of her was shredded into pieces.
This pair of shoes belong to the woman, huh? How ironic! I didn’t even get to visit this villa back when we were engaged! Now, she has become a member of the household and an important character amongst the family of three! Does that mean she’s Ian’s stepmother?
Sasha stood right at the entrance with colors drained from her face.
Whenever she recalled her pathetic life five years ago, hatred and grudges would engulf her. She could barely pull herself together.
Returning from the Dead Chapter 28
“Who gave you the permission to barge in here?” While Sasha was overwhelmed by the tidal waves of emotions, she heard another woman’s voice reprimanding her from behind.
Sasha finally returned to her senses.
“I-I’m here to check on Mr. Hayes’ condition. May I know if he’s around?”
She pulled herself together immediately and greeted the woman who had shown up out of nowhere.
The latter was a housemaid in her mid-forties. She confronted Sasha, thinking she was an intruder. “What do you mean you’re here to check on Mr. Hayes’ condition? Why wasn’t I informed of you arrival?”
“Are you sure? Mr. Hayes’ assistant, Luke, brought me here. Can you please verify this with Mr. Hayes? I think he knows I’m coming.”
However, the housemaid behaved as though she was clueless about the things. Minutes later, a man heard the commotion and came out of his room.
“Sasha? Who the hell brought you over?”
Sebastian stood right at the top of the stairs. His hair was wet, and he was wearing a grey open-collared cashmere shirt with a pair of white track pants.
He seemed different from his usual aloof and intimidating self. Nonetheless, the casualness didn’t seem to affect the air of natural-born nobility around him.
Sasha was baffled by Sebastian’s words. “It’s Mr. Scott! He’s the one who insists on having me here to check on your condition!”
“Are you talking about Luke? Sasha, can you please carry out your due diligence before lying next time? Do you really think I’ll ask him to bring you here?”
To Sasha’s surprise, Sebastian denied her of her words and deemed her to be lying again. His initially pale face turned gloomy with frustration.
His response bemused her because Luke even went the extra mile to bring her over. However, it occurred to Sasha that the assistant had insisted she made her way into the villa herself!
Sasha’s heart skipped a beat when she linked the missing pieces of puzzles together. She finally figured out she had been deceived again.
“What’s wrong? The cat caught your tongue? Did I hit the bullseye again?”
Sebastian eyed her contemptuously when he noticed her furrowed brows. Seconds later, he marched down the stairs.
Sasha panicked and retreated subconsciously.
“W-Wait! Please calm down and listen to me! It’s Luke! He said you were rushed to the hospital after passing out on the yacht! Therefore, he brought me over to check on you! Since I’m here, why don’t you let me run a simple diagnosis and see if everything’s fine?”
She resisted the urge to run away and brought up the offer to check on his condition, as per her agreement with Luke.
Since things had gotten to the point of no return, she pushed her luck to try to secure the chance to see Ian every day. Luke was right—as long as she could prove herself worthy, Sebastian might give in to her request.
Seconds after she brought up the suggestion, the scumbag broke into a laughter.
“Are you serious? I’m not a fool with a death wish, Sasha. I’m telling you for one last time! I’m aware of your malicious scheme, and I will never let you take Ian away from me! You want to kill me as soon as possible to exercise your right as his legal guardian, don’t you? Ha! In your dream!”
What the heck is he talking about? It sounds like a great idea, but I would never resort to such a petty trick!
Sasha chuckled out of extreme frustration. She decided to play along with him. “You’re wrong, Sebastian! Why would I want to take him away when I can leverage his identity as your successor as soon as you’re dead? Instead of taking him from you, I’ll have him inherit the Hayes’ empire and enjoy a carefree life once you’re dead! I will never bring him away unless I have lost my mind like you!”
“Sasha! I dare you to repeat what you just said!”
She managed to stir the hornet’s nest with her sarcastic remark. A murderous and gloomy expression loomed over Sebastian’s handsome face, as though he was ready to devour her if she didn’t choose her next words carefully.
As intimidated as she was, Sasha refused to back off just yet.
“Have I said anything wrong? I offered to check on your condition, yet you’re saying I’m trying to kill you! What’s wrong with playing along with you? I’m telling you this for one last time as well! If you’re not the father of my son, I won’t even waste my time on you because you’re not worth it! Since you’re Ian’s father, I can’t let him be an orphan at such a young age!”
The living room went dead silent, like the calm before a storm. A chill ran down the housemaid’s spine, and she wished she were anywhere else but here.
Oh, God! Who the hell is this woman? How dare she pick on Mr. Hayes in the middle of the night? What makes her think she has the right to yell at him? Ms. Green would never confront Mr. Hayes like this! She’s the exact opposite of this woman!
Just as she was looking for an excuse to leave the conflicting duo behind, a boy walked down the stairs and diffused the dreadful standoff.
“What are you guys doing?”
Returning from the Dead Chapter 29
Ian had shown up in the nick of time!
No one expected the boy to show up right before the fight morphed into a full-blown brawl.
Sasha’s rage dissipated as soon as she saw her beloved son. “Ian? What are you doing here? Did we disturb your sleep?”
“What do you think?” Ian responded impatiently with a rhetorical question. He couldn’t stand others interrupting his sleep.
Sasha was no longer in the mood to fight. She sprinted over to her son’s side and coaxed, “I’m so sorry for interrupting you in the middle of the night, Ian. I promise you I won’t fight with your father anymore, okay? Why didn’t you put on an extra jacket? You should return to your room because it’s getting late. Hurry up and get going already! Otherwise, you’re going to catch a cold soon!”
She nagged like a doting mother, yet Ian had no intention to engage in a conversation with her.
He stood right where he was and cast a stern gaze at his father. “Daddy, you always tell me to see a doctor when I’m sick. Why are you behaving the other way round when a doctor is here? What’s holding you back?”
“Excuse me?”
Ian’s words took Sebastian by surprise. His son was siding with Sasha and forcing him into submission.
“If you don’t live up to your word, you have no right to scold me if I refuse to visit the doctor in the future!”
The little boy rolled his eyes at his father and left without another word.
Sasha stared at her son with her mouth agape. All it took from him was a short sentence to shut his father up.
Sebastian was livid. Even the board of directors of Hayes Corporation had to think twice about challenging his authority, but his son did it repeatedly as though it wasn’t a big deal.
He clenched his fists, cracking his fingers so loudly that others could hear it. Sebastian glared at Sasha, implying his will to get his revenge from the embarrassment.
“Since you won’t let me check on your condition, I’ll leave, okay? I’ll leave at once!”
She had no intention to pick another fight with him so she turned around and left with her medical kit.
Right before she could step out of the entrance, Sebastian said, “Sasha, I’m doing this because of my son! If you try anything silly, I’ll get your uncle and his family member to compensate for my loss with their lives!”
Is something wrong with his mind? Why does he make it sound as though I have no choice but to check on him? Is it really necessary to threaten me with my loved ones all the time?
Sasha brought herself to an abrupt halt and replied nonchalantly, “Sure! If I can cure your sleeping disorder, can you please be so kind as to stop threatening me whenever you feel like it? I don’t want my son to get caught up with some nasty karma because of you!”
For once, Sebastian was at a loss for better words to defend himself.
Truth be told, he didn’t expect the cowardly woman who had married him back then to have the gift of the gab!
They came to an agreement to cease fire.
Sebastian got anxious when Sasha instructed him to lie on the couch. She was amused at his complete change in attitude as he did as told.
Is he afraid of my needles?
Sasha got herself a chair and sat behind him. She started teasing the man. “Mr. Hayes, you don’t have to worry. It’s merely a needle that’s tinier than a bee’s sting. I can’t even crack your head with it.”
Sebastian glared at Sasha one last time before closing his eyes and calming himself for the acupuncture session.
She took out a few needles and administered them with skilled precision on his head to stimulate the acupoints.
When she came across his medical records in Clear Hospital, she already found a way to deal with his sleeping disorder.
In Western medicine, a doctor would diagnose him with insomnia and prescribe him with Diazepam and a few sessions of therapy. A patient would have a harder time falling asleep because of the over-reliance on the medication from daily consumption, which was a typical side effect.
After Sasha had a brief understanding of his symptoms, she thought of applying pressure to stop stimulating the acupoints that would get him overly excited.
Using the TCM approach combined with doses of herbal medicine, Sebastian wouldn’t have to suffer from any adverse side effects. With this treatment plan, she could deal with the problem at its core and nurture his constitution back to his prime.
“Mm—”
Sasha heard the man’s muffled grunt the moment she started stimulating the first acupoint.
She looked at him and asked, “What’s wrong? Do you experience a tingling sensation in your ears and blurred vision?”
Sebastian’s hands, which were supposed to be at ease, balled into fists out of the blue.
Since he refused to reply, Sasha continued to administer the second needle. “Relax, okay? It’s completely fine for you to feel uncomfortable. Once I apply the second needle, you’re going to feel better.”
Putting the grudge they held against one another aside, Sasha was, undeniably, a professional and qualified doctor.
Sebastian merely felt a tingling sensation when the second needle pricked into his skin. Seconds after that, it alleviated the migraine that had been bothering him. He felt as though a heavy boulder had been lifted off his shoulders. The fatigue he had been suppressing took him by surprise, and he dozed off.
Returning from the Dead Chapter 30
She actually knows what she’s doing!
He had this particular thought in his mind seconds before falling into a deep slumber.
It had been ages since he last slept so soundly.
“He’s finally asleep.”
Sasha let out a sigh of relief. For a second, she thought it wouldn’t work because his symptoms were so severe that she doubted if she could administer the second needle to its precise acupoint.
Thankfully, everything went according to her plan.
She wanted to take a break, but the moment she pulled the needles away, Sebastian’s head tilted and hung down limply.
Seeing that the man was finally deep asleep, she instinctively reached out to cut his head to prevent him from hurting himself.
Thankfully, she managed to stop him in time, but she could feel his cheek on her palm.
However, the moment his cheek landed on her palm, Sasha felt a numbing yet warming sensation. Horrified, she jolted her hand away as though his head a hot potato.
She couldn’t help but find it hilarious because she had warned herself to consider him a stranger in her life. Nevertheless, her reaction to such an unintentional act was beyond her comprehension.
Gone was the arrogant and egoistic man. In his deep slumber, Sasha noticed he seemed relaxed. The frown had vanished. He looked like the perfect gentle with flawless skin, ethereal features and a pair of deep-set eyes with thick eyelashes.
For a moment, she couldn’t peel her eyes away. She was reminded of that young man sleeping under the magnolia tree a long time ago.
“Has he fallen asleep?”
“Huh?”
Sasha had the shock of her life when she heard the voice of the little boy behind her. Ian walked over nonchalantly and had his eyes glued to his father on the couch.
“Yes, he’s asleep, Ian. Why are you here again? Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?”
Sasha pulled herself together and kept her medical kit.
The little boy paid no heed to her and made his way to his father’s side.
Actually, Ian was concerned about his father’s wellbeing, but he had always been a boy of few words because of the limited social interaction. Apart from his father, he had no one else to talk to.
“Ian, you don’t have to worry about him. Since I’m here, he’ll recover in no time.”
“Really?”
“Of course! Don’t you know, I’m a renowned doctor? I have cured every single patient who has visited me! A mere sleeping disorder isn’t much of an issue at all!”
In order to get the little boy to open up to her, Sasha shared the experiences she had gone through as a doctor at Clear Hospital.
After she shared her tales of wonders with Ian, the little boy stopped frowning and felt at ease.
“Okay,” Ian replied with a poker face. He was about to return to his room upstairs again.
The confused Sasha asked, “Ian, are you going upstairs again?”
“Uh-huh. It’s time to sleep.”
To Sasha’s surprise, she received a reply when she thought her son would pay no heed to her query again. Perhaps he was grateful she treated his father’s sleeping disorder that had been bothering him.
His positive response motivated her. Immediately, she went after her son and asked, “Can I walk back to your room? I’m sure you don’t want to walk up the stairs on your own, do you?”
“Thanks, but no thanks!”
She regretted getting her hopes high a few seconds ago.
Nevertheless, she wasn’t about to give up just yet. It was such a rare opportunity for her to meet her son in person. She was determined to make the most out of their session.
“Oh! I have brought along a few snacks for you! Are you hungry? I’ll go get it for you immediately!”
She took out the brownies with waiting for him to reply.
She had personally baked the brownies when she was at her aunt’s place in the afternoon. Initially, she had prepared it for Matteo and Vivian because they loved desserts.
Never would she expect she would have the chance to meet her eldest son in the evening, but when she received the unexpected call from Luke, she brought the last box of brownies with her.
After she retrieved the box of brownies, she handed it over to Ian. However, before he could respond, the housemaid, who had been around since Sasha’s arrival, got ahead of Ian and said, “What is this? How can you hand over such filthy food to Ian?”
“I made these myself! Don’t worry! Nothing can go wrong with these brownies!” Sasha started explaining when she heard the housemaid’s doubts.
The housemaid had no intention of listening to Sasha’s explanation at all.
“So what if you made them yourself? Do you know who Ian is? Do you really think he’s allowed to consume food from a suspicious woman like you? Ian, let’s ignore her and return to your bedroom!”
“Y-You…”
Sasha was utterly frustrated by the insult.
As the mother of the child, she wasn’t even allowed to hand over the food she had prepared for her son to him.
Staring at the little boy’s departing figure, Sasha’s eyes brimmed with tears. All of a sudden, she felt suffocated, overwhelmed by tidal waves of emotions. Eventually, she started weeping right by the staircase.
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