bChapter /bb184 /b

    85%

    28

    Sebastiany in bed. Just as Brian had said, a ss of water that had gone cold sat on the nightstand. Sebastian still hadn’t woken up. His eyes were tightly shut, and his cheeks were flushed with fever.

    He curled uppletely under the nket, his brows furrowed tightly in difort.

    “Sebastian?” Maxine reached out and gently nudged him.

    Sebastian let out a faint groan and groggily opened his eyes. At the sight of her, he seemed to perk up a little. “Maxine?” he murmured.

    Maxine wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a tissue. As her fingers brushed his burning skin, she could tell his fever had to be at bleast /bb102 /b

    degrees.

    “If this fever keeps up, it’ll fry your brain,” Maxine frowned as she tried to pull him up. “We’re going to the hospital.”

    Sebastian unexpectedly dug in his heels. “No hospital,” he muttered stubbornly. “I just need to sleep it off.”

    Maxine turned to the walk–in closet to grab a down jacket, muttering under her breath, “If you just sleep it off, you’ll end up frying your brain.”

    She knew she could bring down the fever by sponging him with warm towels, but she still hadn’t forgiven Sebastian and Brian and had no desire to spend all that time and effort on them.

    She tossed the clothes aside and reached out to pull Sebastian up, but since he was a grown man, Maxine strained with ball /bher bmight /band barely managed to shift him an inch closer to the edge of the bed.

    Sebastian didn’t budge an inch, but Maxine was already sweating buckets from the effort.

    Brian, who had been standing by, finally couldn’t stand watching anymore. “bIf /bDad wants to sleep, just let him,” he said, “Let’s get some rest.”

    Maxine shot him a deep look. “Do you even remember why you asked me bto /b/dive over, kid?”

    Maxine watched Sebastian struggling to breathe, his mouth slightly agape. Taking a deep breathb, /bshe gave him a hard shove and threatened, “If you don’t get up right now, I swear I’ll put Brian up for adoption!”

    Brian shot her a look of utter disbelief.

    Sebastian, who had been unresponsive in bed, suddenly stirred. Maxine thought he was going to stop her from “giving away” their son, but instead, he grabbed her arm and pulled her down onto the bed beside him. b“/bIt’s fine,” he murmured groggily, “After everything you went through bto /bhave Brian, if you’re willing to part with him, I won’t stop iyou/i.”

    Brian narrowed his eyes at his father lying in bed, biting back the words he wanted to say,

    Maxine couldn’t help but let out a half–exasperated, half–amusedugh. She started to get up, but Sebastian reached out and grabbed her arm. He murmured weakly, “Cut it out, just stay with me for a while…”

    The next second, Maxine delivered a sharp p to his exposed arm. The sting instantly jolted Sebastian awake, clearing the fog from his bgroggy /bmindb. /b

    His eyes flew open to find Maxine looming over him/her eyes narrowed dangerously. She enunciated each word with bicy /bprecision. “I said, bwe’re /bbgoing /bbto /bthe hospital.”

    For some reasonb, /bSebastianb, /bwho could normally stand bup /bto boardroom pressure without flinching, suddenly felt ba /bchill run down his bspine/bb. /bHe bfroze /bbfor /ba secondb, /bthen stammered, “I’m not that sick. I just need some sleep. I’ll be bfine /btomorrow. It’s always like this for me.”

    He fixed bMaxine /bwith a bpitiful/bb, /bpuppy–dog gazeb, /bbtrying /bbto /bguilt–btrip /bbher /binto bgiving /bbin /b

    bMaxine /bsaid firmly, “That’s final.”

    09:15 Tue, 24 Jun

    Maxine climbed out of bed and turned to Brian, who had been standing silently by. “Have the housekeeper call the hospital. We’re leaving nowb.” /b

    Brian opened his mouthb, /bbut Maxine cut him off. “Don’t y dumb, I know you have the butler’s number.”

    b85/bb% /b

    Ten minutester, the butler called her. “Ms. Hudson, I’ve already contacted the hospital and arranged a private iroom/i. Please take Mr. Mason there. bI’m /bafraid I have some matters to attend to today and won’t be able to make it in time.”

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