âWhat? W-Why me then? After all, there are plenty of people in the Jadeson family for him to pick from,
including Devinâs mother and Janice.â Sasha was shocked to hear Sebastianâs words.
Unexpectedly, Sebastian sneered as soon as Sasha mentioned those names. âDonât you know what kind
of person Jasmine is? As for Janice, sheâs only an extended family member and has no right to be
involved in the Jadesonsâ management. Besides, her ability is ordinary at best.â
While he was speaking, the disdain on Sebastianâs face intensified, perhaps because he recalled the
incident at the feast back then.
Thanks to that explanation, Sasha had a better understanding of that matter.
Still, she could not comprehend it in its fullness.
Of course, she would grasp the entire matter if she knew Jonathan saw Sebastian and herself as his final
hope to revive the Jadeson family.
That was especially true for Sebastian, as he was the foremost person Jonathan wanted to cultivate.
Jonathan was well aware of the decline of the Jadesons after his retirement. However, it seemed like
letting Charles hold a central role in the military or promoting Devin did not improve anything whatsoever.
Even though Charles looked like he had authority in the military because of his family background, the
people who submitted to him were meager in truth.
That was evident during the besiegement of Sebastian, where no one in the military spoke out for him
even when many people had perished. Some even added insult to the injury at the White House at that
time.
Hence, not only did he fail to improve the Jadesonsâ situation, but he also caused their family to crumble.
As for Devin, he had the capability to help them, but he was too benign and not ruthless enough.
Moreover, he was no match for the cunning elders from the White House in terms of scheming.
If the Jadesons were under his leadership, it would be safe to say that they would never have the chance
to return to their prime.
In other words, the Jadesons should be content to maintain their current status under such
circumstances.
After pondering for a moment, Sebastian decided not to stop Sasha from taking over Oceanic Estate.
The first reason was that Jonathan would not be able to do anything harmful toward Sasha since he
would return very soon and stay by her side.
There was another reason for his decision.
âBy the way, whatâs wrong with Sabrina again?â
âW-What?â Sasha could not help but stop in her tracks at that drastic change of topic.
âU-Um, after knowing that Shanae is Devinâs fiancée, she felt dejected and wanted to hand her bar over
to me.â
âHahaâ¦â That chilling cackle from Sebastian sent shivers down her spine.
With that, Sasha immediately figured out what she needed to do. I canât take over the bar. Perhaps Iâll
land myself in trouble because of that.
Following that conversation, Sasha walked out of the military base.
She intended to give Sebastian a proper farewell, but he turned to leave after glancing at his watch.
How insensitive! Feeling a little upset with his actions, Sasha strode toward him and grabbed his arm.
âSebbyâ¦â she murmured in a barely audible voice. A few seconds later, she stood on her tiptoes and
kissed Sebastianâs lips at the gate that represented the strength and dominance of the country.
At that moment, it felt as if time had stopped while the air around them had frozen.
No one would have imagined that Sasha was still the person who took the initiative to express her love
even when their story was continuing in a different direction after Sebastian had turned into another
person.
When Sasha was eighteen back then, she was the person who took the first step by agreeing to marry
him.
Eight years later, she was still the one who made the first move by coming to him and kissing him.
Sure enough, Sebastianâs lean and towering body froze in shock.
His mind went blank as he widened his eyes while feeling the softness of Sashaâs lips. Why does this
feel so familiar? Also, why did she call me Sebby?
Fragments of memories that appeared in his mind occasionally during that period emerged all at once,
thanks to Sashaâs kiss.
âDo you like oranges, Sebby? I have some right here for you.â
âT-That dog is chasing me, Sebby. Helpâ¦â
âI-Iâm sorry, Sebby. Itâs all my faultâ¦â
âIâll always protect you, Sebby.â
âIâm willing to be your wife for the rest of my life, Sebastian. Youâll always be the only person I love no
matter what.â
As she finally let go of Sebastian, the blushing Sasha did not dare to look at him as if she had done
something embarrassing and fled the scene.
Therefore, she did not notice that Sebastianâs fingers were quivering while tears began to well up in his
eyes.