The people who were relatively close to her were Faith, Yosef, and Quincy. However, they were all her subordinates whom she knew well, so it was unlikely they would betray her.
Who could it be?
Caitlin had no clue and could only continue to investigate quietly when she returned.
After a few hours of travel, Caitlin drove, taking Sebastian back to New York.
During the drive, the two of them had a calm conversation, mostly revolving around Caitlin’s mother’s case. Sebastian offered a lot of personal insights, and his points were quite reasonable.
In the end, he said to her, “Your mother is missing, and my mother is also gone. I guess we could say we’re like a couple in misfortune.”
“We’re divorced, so mind your wording!” Caitlin quickly reminded him.
Sebastian didn’t mind being put in his place, and continued to seize the opportunity. “Caitlin, how about we make a deal?”
“A deal?” Caitlin raised an eyebrow.
“We’ll work together to find our mothers and catch the real culprit. Once everything is clear, will you marry me? What do you think?”
Sebastian waited for her response, but when she didn’t speak, he said, “Since you’re silent, I’ll assume you agree.”
“How optimistic of you!” Caitlin turned to look at him, slightly disdainful. “Fine, I’ll give you a three-month probation period, considering your eyes are so bad. If you behave well over the next three months, I might consider giving you a chance. But if you perform poorly, sorry, no chance at all!”
“Really? A three-month probation? No backing out!” Sebastian was overjoyed at finally getting a shot.
Caitlin smirked slightly and continued driving.
She hadn’t told him that after discovering his old photo album, her attitude toward him had already changed. A lot of things that once seemed impossible now seemed possible. After all, he was once that young boy…
Back in New York, Caitlin went straight to the hospital. She was preparing to get an eye appointment for Sebastian when she ran into Simon in the lobby.
“Caitlin, what are you doing here?”
“I’m here to help Mr. Vanderbilt with his appointment.”
Following Caitlin’s gaze, Simon saw the man sitting in a chair wearing sunglasses.
“What happened to him?”
“He got powder in his eyes and can’t see anymore.”
Caitlin seemed visibly anxious about Sebastian, so Simon set aside any personal bias. “Don’t worry, bring him to my office. I’ll take a look.”
“Okay, thank you so much!”
Simon went upstairs first, and Caitlin helped Sebastian follow him.
In Simon’s office, he invited them to sit. Upon hearing Simon’s voice, Sebastian frowned. “Why are you bringing me to him again? He’s not an eye doctor!”
“I trust Simon’s medical skills. Don’t be shy about getting treated!” Caitlin pressed him into a chair as Simon grabbed a flashlight and began examining him.
“Your retina is a bit inflamed. If you follow the medication I’ll prescribe and apply it a few times a day, it should recover in two or three days.”
Both Caitlin and Sebastian felt relieved after hearing this.
Since they were already at the doctor’s, Sebastian casually added, “Dr. Smith, could you also prescribe me some medicine for menstrual cramps?”
“Mr. Vanderbilt… menstrual cramps?” Simon was surprised.
“It’s not me… cough… it’s Caitlin…” Sebastian said with a sheepish smile.
Caitlin felt embarrassed and just wanted to cover Sebastian’s mouth. Simon wasn’t a gynecologist!
“No, no need. Thank you for everything, we’ll leave now.”
After Caitlin got the eye drops, she thanked Simon again and they left.
Just as they were about to walk out, Simon called Caitlin. “Caitlin!”
“Is there something else?”
“Tomorrow, the 12th, I have a basketball game. Are you free?”
Simon was asking if she wanted to watch his game.
Upon hearing this, Sebastian’s expression hardened. What was going on? Was Simon asking Caitlin out in front of him?
Was he just a decoration?
Caitlin felt she owed Simon one for helping earlier, so it was hard to refuse. Plus, she had already promised Wendy she would go. “Alright, I’ll go tomorrow.”
“Great! I’ll be waiting!” Simon grinned.
As they walked out, Sebastian’s face darkened. He muttered, “What’s so interesting about a basketball game? Are you really going?”
Caitlin explained, “He helped you with your eye, and I promised to go to the game as a way of returning the favor.”
“So, you’re going to the game for me?” Sebastian asked, his tone a bit softer.
Caitlin gave him a side glance. “What do you think?”
Sebastian fell silent, but his heart felt warmer. He couldn’t believe it. It seemed like Caitlin’s attitude towards him had changed a lot. She wasn’t rejecting or disgusted with him like before.
Strange!
Could it really be that his kiss had an effect?
Looks like he would have to kiss her more often if it worked!
After leaving the hospital, Caitlin drove Sebastian back to The Vanderbilt Family.
Xavi and Tyler were already waiting for them. When they saw Caitlin helping Sebastian out of the car, they rushed over. However, when they saw Sebastian wearing sunglasses and needing help walking, Xavi exclaimed, “Mr. Vanderbilt, what happened? Did you go blind again?”
“Shut up!” Sebastian snapped, wishing he could slap the chatterbox out of Xavi.
“Caitlin, what happened to Mr. Vanderbilt?” Tyler asked.
“His eyes were injured, and he’ll recover in two or three days with some rest,” Caitlin explained.
She stood by the door, saying, “I’ve brought him back, you can take him inside.”
As Caitlin was about to let go of Sebastian’s arm, he immediately pulled her in closer, resting his head on her shoulder. “Caitlin, I don’t want them to help me. I want you to take me inside.”
Xavi and Tyler looked at each other, cringing in embarrassment. “Ugh, how cheesy! We can’t watch this.”
“Howard’s in the garden, let’s go find him!” Xavi and Tyler quickly excused themselves.
Caitlin helped Sebastian upstairs to his room. But just as they reached the bed, Sebastian pretended to trip and ended up pinning Caitlin underneath him.
“Caitlin, I can’t see anything! My heart is racing… please calm me down…” He reached for her face and, once his fingers touched her lips, he kissed her without hesitation.
Just as they were lost in the kiss, a loud voice came from the doorway.
“What’s going on here, little brother? I heard you’re blind again?”
Molly had heard the news and rushed from the garden. When she saw the scene in front of her, she quickly covered her eyes.
“Oh my god, my eyes are gonna go blind! Keep going, keep going…”
Molly turned and ran out, leaving Caitlin pushing Sebastian off her. She sat up, breathing heavily.
“Don’t do that again! People will misunderstand if they see us.”
Caitlin straightened her clothes.
“I know,” Sebastian replied smugly. He was feeling quite satisfied with the kiss. He wouldn’t be as careless in the future-he’d only do it seriously from now on.
“I’m going back,” Caitlin said as she stood up.
Just as she was about to leave, she heard Sebastian call after her, “Caitlin, wait!”
“What is it?”
“Take Howard with you! I can’t see for the next few days, so I won’t be able to cook for him. Please take care of him.”
“Okay!”
Caitlin agreed without hesitation. For the first time, Sebastian had let her take the child, and she felt happy to do so.
Neither of them realized that their trust in each other had deepened.
As Caitlin walked out of the Vanderbilt Manor, she saw Howard running toward her like a little swallow, jumping into her arms.
“Howard, let’s go home!”
The little boy nodded, and Caitlin waved goodbye to Xavi and Tyler before taking him with her.
Xavi offered to drive them, but Caitlin politely refused.
Mother and son walked hand in hand, happily heading toward the main gates of The Vanderbilt Family. Just as they reached the bushes near the gates, Caitlin stopped to tie Howard’s shoes.
At that moment, they heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the bushes, along with a man’s voice. “Get rid of that ugly woman! Don’t let her ruin my plan!”
It was Raymond’s voice!
What did his words mean?