bChapter /bb271 /b

    Vivian snorted coldly and sneered, “Oh s

    sure, maybe it wasn’t on purpose, but Maxine did get hurt because of you.”

    She took a deep breath, struggling to control her emotions. After all, he was Maxine’s ex husband. She realized she might have already said more bthan /bshe should today.

    “I’m going upstairs,” Vivian said.

    She turned to Lisa and said, “Come on up with me.”

    Lisa had been standing there, dumbfounded, but Vivian’s voice snapped her out of it. She hurriedly nodded. “I’ll go up with you.”

    After the two left, Maxine rubbed her temples and looked at Sebastian wearily. “So, what brings you two here today? As you can see, bmy /bfriends aren’t exactly thrilled to have you around. If there’s nothing important,”

    Brian suddenly piped up, his eyes fixed on the table. “Did Mom make those cakes?”

    Noticing the awkward tension, Jessica quickly whispered, “Maxine and Vivian baked the cake together. Brian, would you like to have someb?/bb” /b

    She walked to the table, picked up a te, and said with a bright smile, “I think this one’s mango vor, Brian. Want to try it?”

    However, Brian stubbornly shook his head and said, “I don’t want any.”

    He thought, ‘These cakes weren’t even made by Mom for me! I’d rather starve, or even jump from here, than take a single bite of this handout!‘

    But Jessica seemed oblivious to the tension. Smiling, she handed him the te along with a fork from the table. “Don’t worry! Come on, try it, Maxine’s cake is super yummy!”

    Brian hesitated, staring at the cake in his hand. In the end, he took it and tried a small bite, his eyes instantly lit up. ‘bWow/bb… /bit’s actually delicious!‘ he thought, surprised.

    “See? I told you it’s good!” Jessica beamed, eagerly pushing another piece toward him. “Try this one too!”

    Sebastian looked at her and said gently, “I just wanted to see you. One of the bodyguards nearby mentioned you went out todayi, /iand I couldn’t help but worry.”

    Maxine looked at him, puzzled. “Seriously, what’s the big deal? Couldn’t you just call?”

    Sebastian hesitated, his lips parting slightly. “Truth is… I missed you, I…”

    Sebastian trailed off, his gaze drifting to the two kids munching on cake nearby. Noticing his look, both Jessica and Brian turned their bheads /bbto /bthe side. Jessica even pointed at the cake in her hand with mock seriousness and said, “I still think the peach one tastes better.”

    Talking about private matters like this here would only draw those two kids to eavesdrop.

    Maxine clearly realized the issue too. She sighed helplessly and said, “Why don’t you

    two go

    upstairs bfirst/bb?/bb” /b

    Jessica’s eyes instantly lit up with excitement. “Does that mean Brian can have a sleepover bwith /bme tonight?”

    Before Maxine could answer, Vivian, who had been eavesdropping bfrom /bupstairsb, /bblurted out, “Absolutely not!”

    Realizing all eyes were on her, Vivian awkwardly cleared her throat band/bb, /blooking a bit guilty, said, “No, no, it’s nothing. bYou /btwo go bahead /bband /bbtalk/b. bI’ll /bbtake /bthe kids upstairsb./b”

    For ba /bmoment, she’dpletely forgotten how much she disliked the uninvited father and bson/bb. /b

    “No needb,/bb” /bMaxine let out a weary sigh. “I don’t think bthere’s /banything left for bus /bbto /bbtalk /bbabout/bb./bb” /b

    As bshe /bspoke, Maxine shot Sebastian a re that clearly said, “Try to argue and you’re dead.”

    So, Sebastian reluctantly said, “I just came to check on Maxine’s safety. You know how on edge Hamlin has beentely, I really don’t bwant /banything to happen at this critical moment.”

    S