Chapter 150
Everyone in the living room froze in shock. Brian, though frustrated by Kathleen’s lies, still couldn’t stand seeing her get humiliated in front of him. He stepped forward with the butler to help her up from the floor.
“Dad! What are you doing?” Brian demanded loudly.
But Sebastian ignored him. His eyes remained locked on Kathleen as he asked, voice icy and sharp, “Tell me–was it you or Maxine who pulled me out of that wreck?”
Kathleen’s face instantly changed. She flinched and asked instinctively, “Who told you that?”
Realizing too late how suspicious she sounded, she quickly shifted her tone, softening her voice. “It really was me… I was the one who pulled you out from under the car, you have to believe me.”
Sebastian took a long breath, visibly trying to control the storm brewing inside him. “Alright then. Tell me when I was losing too much blood and the hospital didn’t have enough in reserve… who was the one who gave me their blood?”
Kathleen froze. Her voice came out in a whisper, “How do you know about that? Someone told you, didn’t they? Was it Maxine? She… she woke up?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake. Her face went pale as she raised her hand to cover it–but it was too late.
Sebastian’s expression turned deadly. Eyes narrowing, he advanced step by step. “What did you just say? How do you know Maxine was unconscious? Were you behind the accident today?”
“What’s going on with Mom?!” Brian shouted in disbelief, voice cracking from panic.
But the adults were too locked in confrontation to answer. Frustrated, Brian ran to Sebastian and tugged on his sleeve. “Dad! Tell me what’s happening to Mom! Please!”
Sebastian shook him off roughly. “You’ve been calling the wrong woman your mother all this time. Your real mom–Maxine–got into a car accident because of her. She’s still lying in a hospital bed right now.”
The words came out harsher than intended, and the look of stunned devastation on Brian’s face made something twist painfully in Sebastian’s chest. He hadn’t just said it for the boy–he’d said it to punish himself.
Because if he’d trusted Maxine from the start… if he’d just listened…none of this would’ve happened. It was his fault, every step of the
Brian’s eyes filled with hurt and confusion.
way.
But Sebastian couldn’t deal with that now. Turning his head, he said to the butler coldly, “Show her out. I don’t want her ever setting foot in this house again.”
The butler nodded quickly and walked over to Kathleen. “Miss Lane, please–Mr. Mason isn’t in the mood today. It’s best you leave now.”
With her leverage in ruins and her schemes unraveling, Kathleen didn’t dare make a scene. She bit her lip, stood up stiffly, and walked out of the Mason
estate.
Sebastian loosened his tie, the weight of everything/pressing down on him. On the way back earlier, he had already ordered an investigation into the car accident from years ago.
The truth was clear. The crash had indeed been orchestrated by a rival, who’d paid a dying man to cause it. But the one who had saved him… was Maxine.
She had even signed the emergency surgical consent form herself.
To remove all doubt, the investigator sent him a photo. Her name-Maxine Hudson–was written in black ink across the document, and there, on the clean white paper, were faint, dried bloodstains. He could picture it clearly now–Maxine, injured and bleeding, still standing firm to keep him alive.
1/2
His fingers trembled as he traced the screen, a quiet ache in his chest. ‘If only I could go back… just once…
“Dad,” Brian whispered, tugging at his sleeve again, “I want to see Mom.”
Sebastian finally looked at him, then nodded. They got into the car. Just before pulling out, Sebastian made a call. “Yeah. Release everything, I’ll handle the rest on my end.”
Meanwhile, back at her apartment, Kathleen had just stepped through the door when her phone rang. It was an unknown number. She picked up, and a polite voice spoke on the other end. “Hello, Miss Lane. We’re working on a special feature about Gabriel’s case. Would you be available for an interview?”
