Norman Douglasâs mind was in disarray as he headed straight to the study and chain-smoked one cigarette after another.
Rationality split in two: half of him denounced Purple Summersâs ludicrous remarks, while the other half fretted over his sonâs various abnormalities.
Large clumps of cigarette ash accumulated in the ashtray, but the restlessness inside him was not alleviated in the slightest.
Disquieted, he pondered deeply for a long while before opening the door and heading to the dining room.
Without approaching, he stood from afar, watching Jane McCain and Sebastian Douglas sitting at the table, eating.
Sebastian Douglas refused to eat his vegetables, and Jane said, âHow can a child be picky? Picky eaters will get pimples all over their faces, and then you wonât be a handsome young man anymore!â
Sebastian responded proudly, âSister, donât you pick your food too? I saw you picking out the fat!â
Janeâs face turned red, and she argued defensively, âPork belly isnât nutritious, and it makes you gain weightâ¦â
âNo, this is pork belly; itâs supposed to be like this, a layer of fat, a layer of lean, then another layer of fat, another layer of leanâ¦â
âMy, youâre such a clever child, being too smart can make you less likable, you know!â
The two at the dining table bantered back and forth, while the servant delivering the dishes couldnât help but chuckle, occasionally amused by the young masterâs childlike wit.
No matter what, Sebastian refused to eat his vegetables. Suddenly, he ran to a nearby glass cabinet, took out a bottle of unbranded liquor, and said, âSister, if you take a sip of this, Iâll eat the vegetables.â
The servant laughed and said, âYoung master, please spare Ms. McCain; she canât drink this. Itâll make her drunk.â
Sebastian pouted, feeling somewhat aggrieved.
Jane couldnât bear it and immediately said, âItâs okay, I can hold my liquor, this bit of drink is nothing! Bastian, you must keep your word!â
Sebastian immediately brightened with a smile, running over with the bottle to pour Jane a drink.
In the small palm-sized glass, she poured roughly two-thirds full.
âJust have a sip, if itâs horrible, we can forget it,â Sebastian looked at Jane expectantly, his big eyes filled with hope, his expression unbelievably cute.
Jane laughed and said, âOne sip? How about I drink the entire glass, and then youâve got to finish all your vegetables!â
âOkay,â Sebastian nodded.
Jane grandly gulped down the whole glass in one go.
Sebastian true to his promise, buried his head and ate all the vegetables in his bowl.
From a distance, Norman Douglas witnessed this scene with complex emotions, indescribable.
The bottle of liquor was his private stash, with a strong aftereffect. Typically when he drank, he would use a delicate small glass, pour half a glass, and slowly sip it.
For Jane, it was impossible not to get drunk.
In the past, Norman would have simply thought of the child as ignorant, but now Purple Summersâs words were nailed in his heart, as if every little thing his obedient son did could lead his thoughts in that direction.
Norman turned back and returned to the study, telling himself over and over not to be influenced by Purple Summers, not to be bewitched⦠not toâ¦
He sat motionless in the study for a long while.
Latter, he heard a soft conversation outside.
âSister, this wayâ¦â
It was Sebastianâs voice.
Norman was briefly stunned, then his chest suddenly tightened.
Could it be, Purple Summers was right again?
He pursed his lips tightly, his expression growing darker and then slowly stood up, trying not to make a noise as he opened the door of the studyânext, he saw Jane holding her head, staggering into his bedroomâ¦
The private tutor had also entered his room before, at that time he just assumed it was an act of seduction, but what about Jane?
If it werenât for Sebastian leading the way, Jane wouldnât have known which room was the master bedroom!
Normanâs heart felt completely cold. It was as if he were submerged in the icy waters of a lake, leaving his limbs numb.
He didnât want to suspect his most beloved son with malicious intentions, but the scene in front of him forced him to think otherwise.
Norman walked out, step by step, until he reached the bedroom door.
His innocent son was holding a pair of scissors, snipping off the buttons of Janeâs blouse one by oneâ¦