241: Something was off

Something was off

Meanwhile, in Sebastian's room.  0

"This isn't for a kindergarten." Axel almost tossed the papers across the room, gazing at them in dismay. "Shouldn't kindergarten lessons be all about colors and counting? What the hell is this?"

Axel had been trying his hardest to help Sebastian, even reading how to solve this "simple" problem, but to no avail. His brows rose as he looked around the room, cocking his head to the side. 

"Where did he go?" he wondered, remembering his nephew excused himself to the bathroom. But until now, he didn't return. 

"That little ancestor… did he sneak away from his homework?" A sour expression turned up on Axel's face, dragging himself away from the table to check his nephew in the bathroom. 

As a courtesy, Axel knocked on the bathroom. 

"Little ancestor, are you okay?" he asked after three knocks. "If you don't answer, I will have no choice but to go in, alright?"

Axel knocked once again, but the silence was the only response he received. Deep lines appeared between his brows, growing worried while his mind went wide. 

Did Sebastian slip and hit his head?

The more Axel idled outside the bathroom, the more negative his thoughts became. Thus, after knocking and announcing his intrusion, he unhesitatingly opened the bathroom door. 

"Basti —" Axel abruptly stopped, entering the bathroom to see if his nephew was hiding. 

Sebastian was not in the bathroom. 

"Little ancestor?" his eyes slowly dilated as panic suddenly swelled in his chest. "Oh, my god. Where did he go?"

Although they were still in the penthouse and Sebastian could've just gone to the kitchen or anywhere in the penthouse. Still, Axel couldn't help but panic. After all, Axel barely moved on from his brother's scolding when Sebastian went home on his own. 

The little ancestor blamed Axel for giving the idea, when in fact, Axel didn't mean it like that. But still, Axel was scolded terribly by Dominic, and even by their parents over the phone for giving Sebastian an idea. 

"Basti!" Axel ran outside his nephew's bedroom, going straight to the living area to ask his sister-in-law and brother about his nephew. "Basti…"

He trailed off as Heaven and Dominic turned their heads in his direction. The two were still on the long couch, cuddling and probably flirting since it was just the two of them. 

"Axel, why are you looking for Basti?" asked Heaved with furrowed brows. "Didn't you go with him?"

"Well." Axel almost choked, massaging his nape as he pondered on how to explain it to them. "Basti and I were answering his homework and then he excused himself to the bathroom."

"And?" Both Heaven and Dominic tilted their heads to the side. 

"And… well… he hasn't returned since."

"What?" Heaven and Dominic abruptly sprung up from the couch, looking at Axel with equal panic and surprise. 

Axel winched slightly. "I don't know, okay!? He just left. Did you not see him go this way?"

"No." Heaven shook her head before casting Dominic a look. 

The second their eyes met, Dominic spoke. "Let's look around the house first. He's probably hiding or just doing something. Let's not panic."

"I'm not," Heaven denied, though she wasn't lying. She was simply a bit worried, unlike Dominic, who seemed he was ready to deploy all his men.

"Axel, check all the rooms on the third floor. I'll go to the second floor," Dominic continued, warranting a nod from Axel. Even before he could finish, Axel had already sprinted to the stairs to search for his nephew. 

Meanwhile…

"I'll check everything on the first floor," Heaven proposed, eyes fixed on her husband. "Don't worry. I don't think Basti ran away again."

Dominic's jaw tightened, keeping his thoughts to himself as he nodded. "Tell me if you found him."

"Same to you."

With that being said, the inseparable couple parted ways to look for their son. The penthouse was smaller than their previous home, so it would be easier to search for Sebastian. If Sebastian didn't go through the living area where the main entrance was, then there was a high chance he was still inside their home. 

One might assume Heaven, Dominic, and Axel were paranoid. However, knowing Sebastian's capability at this young age, they couldn't be blamed. Sebastian might've been acting cute and his age recently, but he was still a genius who, sometimes, thought more mature than Axel. 

The three of them search every corner, closet, and places Sebastian could hide from. Heaven checked the kitchen, the stockroom, and everything on the first floor. Every time a room was empty and showed no sign of Sebastian, their hearts felt heavier until…

"Basti —" Dominic's last destination was the master's bedroom. 

The moment he opened the door in a hurry, his voice halted. He felt like a thorn… or rather, an entire pipe was pulled out of his throat as soon as his eyes fell on the bed. 

"Basti," he breathed out in relief, still feeling his heart thudding against his chest. 

Sebastian was lying on the bed with his arms and legs spread wide. He turned his head upon hearing his father's voice, only to furrow his brows when he noticed the color of Dominic's lips. 

"What?" Sebastian slowly dragged his body, sitting upright, eyes on Dominic. "Why do you look so pale, Dad? Did something happen?"

How could he ask that so casually?

Dominic drew a deep breath and then huffed deeply. He took a step back from the door, shouting, "Found him!"

"You were looking for me?" Sebastian cocked his head to the side, blinking innocently. 

"Sebastian, you shouldn't sneak away from your uncle like that." Dominic felt his knees wobble, dragging his feet until he was sitting on the edge of the bed. "You made us very worried."

"You could've seen me leave the penthouse since you were in the living area." A cold layer of frost coated the child's pair of doe eyes, allowing Dominic to know he knew what his father had done. "Father didn't keep his promise and is stealing my time with my mommy. I don't like it."

So, that was the reason?

Dominic kept his lips drawn into a thin line, keeping his eyes locked on his son. "I'm sorry," was all he could think of since he was aware he stalled time to keep Heaven with him.

"No need." Sebastian huffed, smiling. 

Seeing his son's indifference, Dominic raised his brows. Something was off. 

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