Chapter 4

Selena was still admiring the silver-haired man's good looks when she heard him cursing up a storm, making her frown. He was undeniably handsome, but he also seemed to be rather uncultured. The man's eyes were filled with loathing and animosity when he looked at her, which made Selena anxious, even though she didn't know why. She shimmied over to the driver under the man's scrutiny and asked quietly, "Who is he?" "You… You don't recognize him, Mrs. Cole? That's Sebastian." The driver wasn't privy to the fact that Selena was suffering from memory loss, so he was utterly flabbergasted by her question. "Sebastian? He's my son?" Selena had just been curious about the man, who was daring enough to act so arrogantly in front of Elijah's home. She never would have guessed that he was her own son. She stepped forward slowly and pinched Sebastian's ear. She didn't use too much strength when she twisted it, but it was obvious that she wasn't joking around. "Who taught you to curse like that? You're still so young, and yet you're already smoking and cursing. Did Elijah raise you to behave like this?" Elijah had sent her the document detailing what the kids were like while she was on the way to the manor. She hadn't had the time to look through it yet, which almost got her caught in a disaster. She couldn't believe that she had been admiring her own son's good looks just seconds ago. Selena felt guilty just thinking about it. Sebastian hissed in pain as he turned to look at Selena's stern face, looking like she was going to discipline him any moment now. His eyes narrowed as if he had seen a ghost. "You… How dare you twist my ear?" In the 16 years that he had been alive, Serena had only had eyes for Jordan. Not once did she ever spare a glance in Sebastian's or Samuel's way, let alone teach them. It was why her actions that day turned Sebastian's entire world upside down. He knocked her hand away and took several steps backward. He then whipped his phone out and dialed Elijah's number. "Dad!" Sebastian exclaimed, sounding impatient, shocked, and troubled. "Selena's lost her mind! She twisted my ear just now and forbade me from cursing. She even criticized you for not raising me properly!" Elijah's expression darkened. "You were cursing?" he demanded in a low voice. Sebastian felt as if his heart had plummeted into his gut upon hearing Elijah's question. "Not really…" he stammered. Elijah drummed his fingertips on the desk lightly as if he were drumming them directly on Sebastian instead. His voice was devoid of any emotion when he said, "She finally came to her senses. She'll treat you and the others well from now on." Sebastian sneered. His eyes were filled with suspicion and disdain. "I don't believe you. This must be her new scheme to get more money. If you didn't stop her last time, she would have taken the shares you gave me and sold them to Jordan. Why's she pretending to be a good person now?" Selena, who was standing to the side, could hear everything he was saying with crystal clarity. She felt her heart drop into her gut. She had no idea she had been so despicable in the past. She clenched her fists as she waited for Sebastian to wrap up his conversation with Elijah before approaching him. "You're not an adult yet, so you're not allowed to ride the motorcycle anymore. It's too dangerous." Selena did her best to soften her tone, wanting to show Sebastian that she was being a good mother. However, Sebastian simply arched an eyebrow at her. He shot an indifferent look at her and said, "This doesn't concern you. Besides, you can't tell me what to do." He then turned around and prepared to get on the motorcycle. Selena felt a little disgruntled at his arrogant behavior. She got an idea when she recalled how cool she used to feel riding the fake motorcycles in the arcade. She then stepped forward, grabbed the handlebars, and prepared to get on. "I can't tell you what to do? I'll just have to ride your bike away then. That way, you won't be able to ride it anymore!" Sebastian arched his eyebrow again, looking at her suspiciously and mockingly. He let go of the handlebars and stood in place, waiting for the rest of the scene to unfold. At first, Selena had planned to put on a show for Sebastian, but she immediately regretted her decision the moment she touched the handlebars. She had no clue how to ride an actual motorcycle. On top of that, her legs were still crippled. The motorcycle's weight immediately began to tilt in Selena's direction after Sebastian let go of the handlebars. There was no way her thin and frail body could withstand its weight. She lost her balance and started to stagger to the floor with the motorcycle pushing her down. Fortunately, Sebastian had quick reflexes. He grabbed Selena by the scruff of her neck and hauled her up. He breathed a sigh of relief after making sure that she was unharmed. If she had gotten injured, it was highly likely that she would have pinned the blame on him. Selena felt unbearably awkward and scrambled for excuses to explain herself. "That's enough. Stop making a fool out of yourself," Sebastian said. Sebastian rolled his eyes at her and threw her back into the car, telling the driver to drive both of them back to the manor. Samuel was waiting for them in the living room when they finally made it back to the manor. He was the spitting image of Elijah, but his demeanor was a little different. He was dressed in a white shirt and wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. His fringe partially covered his eyes, making him look refined. He rose to his feet when he saw Selena and greeted her politely. "Mom, you're back." Selena looked between her two sons. One of them was gentle and refined, while the other was unruly and rebellious. She was so captivated that she couldn't help but let out an amazed noise. "My genes must be amazing for giving birth to such handsome sons!" Soft laughter resounded from the door the moment the words left her lips. "You're as thick-skinned as ever, even though you lost your memory." It was Elijah. He was leaning against the doorframe and looking at her darkly. Selena glared at him. "What are you doing here?" she asked irritably. Elijah arched an eyebrow. "I came back to see how you're going to treat the kids," he answered. He looked like he was there to supervise her every action, giving off the impression that he was afraid that she would start abusing the kids if he so much as blinked. Selena rolled her eyes at him and said heatedly, "I want to talk to my sons in private. Please make yourself scarce." Elijah didn't say a word as he retreated to his study, leaving Sebastian and Samuel to exchange glances with each other. Sebastian was wearing a wary expression, looking as if he was bracing himself for whatever heinous act Selena was going to commit against him. Selena looked at them. "I'm suffering from memory loss," she explained uneasily and awkwardly. "I don't remember anything that happened in the past. I… Did I do a lot of things that made you upset?" Sebastian didn't answer her. He simply scrutinized her suspiciously as if he was trying to verify the truth in her words. Meanwhile, Samuel pushed his glasses up his nose before saying in a calm and distant voice, "You would always put Mr. Shaw first, Mom. You rarely took our needs into consideration—" "That's enough, Sam. It's pointless to explain what happened to her. Don't tell me she can't tell whether she mistreated us in the past just from what's happening right now." An uncomfortable feeling spread through Selena at the way Sebastian and Samuel were treating her. Her eyes reddened as she said, "I wronged you in the past. I'll be a good mother from now on. Please forgive me." Both Sebastian and Samuel were stunned by Selena's reaction. Sebastian turned his head away and didn't say a word. Resentment was written all over his face, but the tips of his ears had turned slightly pink. Samuel nodded after looking into her eyes that were overflowing with sincerity, looking as gentle as ever.