âMatt! Ian, look! Itâs Matt!â
Vivian cried and pulled Ian over. The two gasped in terror when they saw the atrocious scene.
âSo, Mr. Hayes, is this your son? Youâd better pay up, or Iâll kill him right here!â the man jeered with a
sadistic laugh.
When the man saw Sebastianâs reaction, he knew instantly that Sebastian was shocked.
Sebastianâs mind went blank. He totally did not expect to see a boy who looked just like Ian.
Before he could recover from the shock, Sasha had already picked up a huge wench behind the man.
Though she was struggling to get on her feet, she was ready to give that man a fatal blow.
Sebastianâs eyes widened in alarm. Without a second thought, he hit the command button beside his
hand. The snipers near the pier were already waiting for his order to shoot.
Before Sasha could ambush the kidnapper, the manâs body froze at a muffled shot. Sasha took a step
back instinctively as specks of warm blood splashed on her face.
Right at that instant, she was lost for words.
She stood looking at the man dropping to the ground with a blank stare. Everything happened so
quickly that her body stiffened at the brutal sight. It was not until a pair of small, clammy hands tugged
her that she finally came around and drooped her head, looking at the frightened child.
âMommy, Daddyâs here. He came to save us.â
Sasha felt an unbearable burden lifted from her chest immediately. Then, she collapsed to the ground
and passed out.
She had been out looking for Matteo for the entire night, and she was spent. The wound on her body,
although not fatal, had sapped her of her remaining energy with all the excessive bleeding over the
past hours.
Help arrived in a timely fashion. The bodyguards took Matteo with them after Sasha was rushed to the
hospital immediately.
That was the first time Sebastian met his son â a son he had never seen over the past five years.
Sasha had kept him well-hidden over the years.
âIâm so sorry, Matt!â
When Ian saw him, he ran over and apologized profusely.
Matteo gave him a warm hug, a tired smile spread across his small face. âYou have nothing to be sorry
for, Ian. Youâre my family, and I donât want anything to happen to you either. Come to think of it, itâs
good that I was the one who got kidnapped. I doubt youâll be able to survive all this.â
Tears welled up in Ianâs eyes when he heard what Matteo said. After all Matteo had been through, he
was still thinking about Ian.
Sebastian looked at Matteo, and an approving smile subtly settled on his lips.
Indeed, he was glad to have finally met his other son, but Matteoâs commendable character was what
made Sebastian pleasantly surprised.
For the past five years, Sebastian had given the best education to Ian. Yet, Matteo also grew up well
despite not being as privileged.
His character and mannerism were exceptionally refined and applaudable.
This sure put Sebastian in a good mood.
Seeing the happiness on his fatherâs face, Ian held his siblingsâ hands and suggested that they go
greet Sebastian.
But the smile on Matteoâs face suddenly vanished as he pulled back his hand.
âIâll go wait for Mommy. Letâs go, Vivi.â
âSure,â Vivian agreed.
The two turned and left without even looking at Sebastian.
In the meantime, Ian and Sebastian looked at one another, not knowing what to say.
Did my son just turn his back on me? He doesnât even care if Iâm his father?
A gloom settled over Sebastianâs chiseled face. Ian came over and wanted to explain Matteo and
Vivianâs behavior, but Sebastian just patted him gently on his head and assured him before going after
the two kids.
Sebastian knew he was the one who had to do the explaining.
After all, he had never done anything for Matteo.
âMatt. Thatâs your name right? Matt.â
Sebastian asked when he caught up with the kids who were in front of the operating theater. He then
bent down towards the boy and inquired gently.
Nonetheless, Matteo was not buying it at all. He turned his head and looked to another side.
Although his reaction was quick, Sebastian still caught a glimpse of tears in the boyâs eyes.
Right then, guilt immediately crept in Sebastianâs heart.
âIâm sorry, Matt. I never knew about you. Thatâs why I dismissed the kidnapperâs call when he said he
had my son. I would have done everything I could to save you if I knew. I really didnât mean to come so
late.â
As a father himself, Sebastian knew why the child was angry and did not want to greet him though the
kid knew he was his father.
True enough, that was why Matteo was disappointed.
When Matteo got carried off, the kidnapper clearly told him that he had called Sebastian three times.
And yet Sebastian simply ignored those calls. On the contrary, Sasha was the one who came to his
rescue. Using her tablet, she located Matteo and came to protect him.