âAunt Kelly, our plan failed.â
âWeâre lucky that Matilda did not rat us out. Iâm warning you, you better not mess up again, or I will kill
you!â
Kelly, who had been in trepidation for the past two days, grew angry when her niece mentioned it
again.
They were indeed in dire straits.
When their plan had failed, they did not expect Sebastian to put an end to the Emmanuels. He even
handed over his aunt to the police.
Thanks to her quick thinking, Kelly had gotten someone to pacify Matilda and promised her the safety
of the Emmanuels. Otherwise, she and her niece would not be where they were now if Matilda had
confessed.
Kelly was bogged down by it.
Xandra stopped talking and repeatedly looked at the book in her hand. She stared at the word that was
in the bookâschizophrenia.
Schizophrenia. Her guess was right.
The man had a skeleton in the cupboard, so why should they still be suppressed by him? After all, the
cards were in their hands now.
She stroked the word with her red nails, and a satisfying smile spread across her face.
Sasha slept soundly that night, probably because she had a load off her mind. Besides, she had not
fully recovered yet, considering she had just fled from the hospital.
When she woke up the next day, it was a particularly bright day for her.
âIan, shall we wait for Mommy to have calzone together?â
âYes, itâs Christmas Eve today.â
She could hear the soft voices of children whispering in the quiet room.
Sasha sat up in bed and saw two children sitting on the mat near the window in her bedroom.
One was a handsome and cool child, and the other was cute and innocent.
It was Ian and Vivian.
Sasha got out of bed and said, âGood morning, my dear children.â
âYouâre finally up, Mommy.â At the sound of her voice, Vivian quickly got up from the mat and dashed
towards her.
Sasha bent over and cuddled her daughter, and then she looked at her eldest son who was walking
towards her.
âIâm sorry, I overslept. Have you both eaten yet?â
âNot yet. Itâs Christmas Eve, so Ms. Dolivo made some calzone. But Grandpa and that bad woman are
here. Do you want to go down, Mommy?â Vivian asked as she blinked her big eyes.
Sasha was startled.
Grandpa and the bad woman?
Who?
âYou donât have to go down, Mommy. Weâll send the food up.â In a snap, Ian made the decision. His
domineering and cold character was just like his father.
She pulled her son into a tight embrace and caressed his head.
Although Sasha was touched by Ianâs thoughtfulness, she felt she should go down to meet Frederick
and the woman. They were probably here to see her anyway.
She gave a small, self-deprecating smile as she thought back to yesterdayâs chaos.
Afterward, she sent her children out of her room and went to the bathroom to wash up.
Ten minutes later, when she came out from the bathroom, she looked fresh. There wasnât the slightest
trace of sickly pallor on her face.
âMommyâ¦â
Vivian was still in the room. She was not familiar with the people downstairs. Since she wasnât feeling
courageous, she stayed in the room to wait for her mother.
Upon seeing that, Sasha stepped forward and held her daughterâs little hand.
Both mother and child made their way down the stairs.
âVivi, youâve finally come down. The calzone is ready, come and have a bite.â
When they came down, they saw Xandra in an apron. Her chestnut-colored curly hair was casually
clipped behind her head with a hairpin.
At the sight of Sasha, Xandra immediately greeted her warmly.
Sasha raised her eyebrows at her odd appearance, and she felt a little uncomfortable about it.
Whatâs the matter?
Is she playing another trick again? Is she playing the role of a virtuous lady of the house?
With Vivianâs hand in hers, Sashaâs face was devoid of emotions as she walked past Xandra. âWendy,
are the childrenâs breakfast ready?â
âYes. Viviâs milk, Mr. Ianâs cereal, and Mr. Matteoâs tarts are ready. Theyâve been waiting for you to
come down for breakfast.â
From Wendyâs tone, it was obvious that she paid no heed to Xandra, who came here early in the
morning to play hostess.
Sasha took the children in with her.
Not once did she look at the woman.
In an instant, Xandra became infuriated, and she ground her teeth in anger. She wanted so badly to
dump the calzone into the trash.
However, she put on a big smile when she saw Frederick coming in with the two children from the gate.
âMr. Hayes, Sasha has come down. Letâs go have breakfast.â
âOkay.â
The old man with the walking cane nodded and walked to the dining hall with the two children in tow.
Sasha came in together with her daughter from the kitchen.