Sashaâs hand froze on the door handle as she saw the boy. âLittle Ian! Youâre up! Why didnât you go
downstairs for breakfast? Youâre not hungry? Why arenât you wearing your jacket?â
Ian looked at her speechlessly and turned to leave.
Sasha was taken aback.
She hastened her steps behind the boy, wondering what he was up to early in the morning. She followed
behind him closely as he went towards a hanging garden.
Wow! I canât believe he has the entire playground in the garden to himself. I guess this is how rich people
live.
Sasha brought breakfast over to the garden and put it on the marble garden table as she watched Ian
play on his own.
âLittle Ian, why donât we have breakfast first? You can continue playing after you have eaten.â
âNo!â Ian shouted.
Gosh, this boy is really giving me a hard time. Itâs either he doesnât talk, or heâs defiant when he does. I
hope heâs like his younger brother. Matteo is way more obedient. He takes his meal like a good boy at
least.
Sasha went over and squatted down beside Ian, thinking how she should get him to eat. âLittle Ian, Iâm
sure you want to meet Daddy after breakfast? I promise Iâll bring you to him after you eat.â
âPromise?â The boy turned his head immediately and asked.
A smile broke on her face when she finally elicited a response from him.
I knew it. Autistic kids might be cold and uncommunicative, but they are usually extremely attached to
one person. From his reaction, Iâm sure heâs very fond of Sebastion. I bet he canât even live without his
dad.
Sasha pouted her lips in jealousy as she thought of Sebastian.
Hmph, just you wait, Sebastian Hayes, I will replace you in Ianâs heart one day!
As expected, Ian went over to the garden table and finished the food Sasha made. When Berta came
over to clean up, she was surprised to see all the empty plates.
âIan, did you really finish everything?â she asked, looking around at the ground.
âYeah, he ate everything. Whatâs the matter?â Sasha answered on Ianâs behalf as she looked at the
maid, confused.
Did I make too much food? Thatâs just a normal portion for kids. Or is Ian a small eater?
Indeed, Ian had a small appetite.
He would not eat a lot unless Sebastian cooked.
After clearing the table and washing the dishes in the kitchen, Berta pulled out her phone and called
Xandra. âMs. Green, you have no idea what I just saw. That woman got Ian to finish all the food she
made!â
âReally?â A high-pitched voice rang from the other side of the phone.
Snip! A stalk of flowers fell to the ground as Xandra clenched the scissors in her hand in full force when
she heard the news from Berta.
âI swear I saw it with my own eyes. I lied to Mr. Hayes saying thereâs still some food left on the table from
yesterday so he could go to work without having to worry about Ian. After he went out, I cooked
something simple for Ian. As expected, he refused to eat it. I was thinking it would be a good chance to
ask you to come over and make some food for him, but the woman came again and spoiled my plan.â
From Bertaâs tone, it was obvious that she hated Sasha to the bone and could not wait to get her out of
the house.
On the other end, Xandra continued cutting the flowers quietly as she thought about what she should do.
She maneuvered the whetted scissors in her hands agilely, snipping off one flower after another
mercilessly until the whole plant was bare.
âMs. Green?â Berta called out after a prolonged silence.
âI got it. Donât mind that woman. Iâm fine as long as Ian is eating,â Xandra said, putting down her scissors
before she softened her tone and asked how about the maidâs well-being.
âMs. Green, itâs very kind of you to care so much for Ian. If I were you, I wouldnât be so nice to her. But
itâs okay, we still have a lot of chances. Iâm sure things will turn out well.â
âThanks. Iâll see you around.â Xandra hung up and threw her phone aside.
Whatâs her name again? Nancy? Whoever you are, I will make sure you are out of this game as soon as
possible.
After Ian finished his breakfast, Sasha did as she promised and brought him to Sebastian.
After all, she needed to bring the herbal decoction over too.
But she totally did not expect her younger son to go over to the company that day.
âBe careful if you bump into the meanie again, Matt. Remember to teach him a lesson on my behalf. I
donât want him to keep bullying Mommy,â Vivian whispered in Matteoâs ears when he was leaving the
preschool.
Matteo patted his chest confidently and assured his sister before getting in the car.
After twenty minutes, the car drove into the city center and pulled up by the company.
A boy in a blue sweatshirt and a grey vest got out of the car and went towards the underground car park
before taking the elevator.
Matteo was smart to avoid the front door so he would not attract any attention.
He had done his research and knew exactly which floor he should go to. Unfortunately, he was faced
with a huge transparent glass door right after he got out of the elevator.
What⦠This should be the Presidentâs office. Why is there a glass door?
Matteo checked out the surroundings but found no other way to get in, so he decided to try other floors
instead.
Just as he was turning towards the elevator, a robotic voice sounded from behind, âFace recognition
completed. Welcome, Ian.â