"What are you thinking about? You’re so lost in thought."
Just then, a large hand reached from behind , turned off the faucet, and wrapped around my waist. "You’re about to flood the place."
I finally snapped out of it, my face flushing. "I wasn’t thinking about anything..."
Sebastian Forrest smiled slightly but didn’t press the issue. Instead, he changed the subject. "What do you want for dinner tonight? I’ll cook for you."
"Whatever."
"What kind of dish is ’Whatever’? I’ve never seen that one before. Why don’t you co to the market with and we can look for it? I could use an eye-opener myself," Sebastian Forrest said with a teasing smile.
Sebastian Forrest’s words made laugh, but they also piqued my interest. After all, I had rarely been to a place like a market, which felt so close to the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I found myself genuinely wanting to go.
’Of course, the main reason was that I wanted to go with Sebastian Forrest.’
"Let’s go. I’ll give you that eye-opener." I bead and linked my arm through Sebastian Forrest’s.
The smile on Sebastian Forrest’s face was undeniable. "As you command, my dear wife."
...
「Orion Market.」
Since it was nearing evening, the market was bustling with a jostling crowd of people.
From the mont we entered, Sebastian Forrest kept his arm around my shoulders, helping navigate and shielding from the dense crowd.
"Boss, is the lamb fresh today?"
"Well now, it’s Forrest! You haven’t been here in a while. Oh, and who’s this pretty young lady with you? Your girlfriend?"
Sebastian Forrest smiled and pulled a little closer into his arms. "My wife."
"You’re married! No wonder I haven’t seen you in so long. Co on, co on, the lamb today was just butchered. I’ll give you a twenty-percent discount!" the butcher said with a hearty laugh.
Sebastian Forrest’s lips curved into a brilliant smile. "Thanks, Boss."
I was a little surprised by how familiar Sebastian Forrest was with the butcher. Apparently, he ca here often to buy groceries and at, which was how he’d gotten to know the people here so well.
"Do you co here often?"
Sebastian Forrest smiled and nodded. "I do. That big feast I cooked for you a while back? All the ingredients ca from here."
Just as the butcher was weighing our at, a loud commotion suddenly erupted behind us.
"You thief! Stealing again! I’ll beat you to death!"
I instinctively looked toward the sound and saw a circle of people gathered around a stall not far away, all pointing and craning their necks to watch the spectacle.
"Don’t run! Grab him!"
Just then, soone shouted, and a figure violently shoved through the crowd, stumbling and staggering straight toward us.
It wasn’t until the disheveled man got closer that I saw his face clearly.
"Brother?"
I was completely shocked. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
The last ti I saw him was after we moved; he was still recovering from his injuries then, but he left without a word.
I hadn’t been able to contact him since.
So many other things happened afterward that I never got the chance to look for him.
But I never, ever imagined my brother would fall so low as to steal from a market stall!
By now, Sebastian Forrest had clearly recognized my brother, too. He pulled behind him and turned to the stall owner. "Chelsea, go wait inside the boss’s stall. I’ll go check it out."
I quickly nodded but grabbed his arm, worried. "Be careful."
Sebastian Forrest’s lips curved slightly as he raised a hand to stroke my hair. "Good girl."
His words made blush. I had no choice but to turn and go stand by the butcher, watching as Sebastian Forrest parted the crowd and walked toward my brother.
My brother had been pinned to the ground, and soone was punching him without a second thought.
"I’ll teach you to run! You shaless thief!"
Just then, a hand suddenly grabbed the man’s wrist. He whipped his head around angrily. "Which son of a bitch is sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong?"
But when he saw Sebastian Forrest, the man froze, clearly recognizing that Sebastian’s aura was far from ordinary.
"Who are you?"
Sebastian Forrest ignored him completely. His gaze swept coolly over my brother on the ground. "How much was the stuff he stole from you? I’ll pay for it."
The man was stunned for a mont, but he quickly got off my brother, his brow furrowed. "The stolen goods plus the damages... it’s at least five or six hundred!"
Sebastian Forrest coolly pulled out a dozen or so hundred-yuan bills from his wallet and handed them over. "Is this enough?"
The man hastily took the money, his expression instantly changing to a wide, greedy smile. "Enough, enough, enough!"
’It was more than enough.’
Even though I was far away and couldn’t see exactly how much money Sebastian Forrest gave him, I could roughly estimate it was at least a thousand.
’More than double.’
After Sebastian Forrest dispersed the onlookers, he frowned slightly and nudged my brother with his foot. "Hey, can you get up and walk on your own?"
My brother was hugging his head, trembling and silent, his eyes darting away as if he’d suffered so kind of shock.
Seeing this, I imdiately realized sothing was very wrong with my brother. I hurried out from behind the butcher’s stall and walked toward them.
Sebastian Forrest quickly ca to et . "Be careful. It’s crowded here, don’t get pushed around."
But I couldn’t worry about that now. I rushed to my brother’s side.
"Brother, what’s wrong?"
But when my brother heard soone speak, he clutched his head in fear, his whole body shaking like a leaf.
"What’s wrong with my brother?" My face was filled with worry. I realized he didn’t seem to recognize at all...
Sebastian Forrest raised an eyebrow. "He must have been through so kind of shock. I’ll have soone take him to the hospital for a check-up first."
...
Soon, my brother was taken to the hospital.
And the test results ca back.
"Psychological trauma?"
Listening to the doctor’s explanation, my heart sank. "How could this happen?"
"Normally, this is caused by severe trauma, or perhaps he was injected with so kind of drug. In short, his mind has been damaged..." the doctor continued to explain.
The na ’William Westwood’ imdiately popped into my head. I knew my brother had a grudge with him. William Westwood had been the one constantly causing trouble for my brother, and he was the one who beat him so badly he ended up in the hospital last ti.
"Will my brother be able to return to normal?" I asked, my face tense with anxiety.
The doctor pursed his lips. "It’s hard to say. ntal illnesses aren’t easy to treat, and they have a high rate of relapse..."
’The implication was clear—my brother had lost his mind...’
’And the chances of recovery were slim...’
My heart clenched. My mind was a chaotic ss, and I had absolutely no idea what to do.
"Okay, thank you, Doctor." Sebastian Forrest gave the doctor a slight nod.
After seeing the doctor off, Sebastian Forrest put his arm around and guided to a nearby chair, comforting softly, "Alright, don’t worry too much. I’ll arrange for the best psychiatrist in all of Kington to treat your brother. He’ll definitely be okay."
I couldn’t help but take a deep breath and look up at him. "Who did this to my brother? Do you think it could have been William Westwood?"
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