Chapter 559 Now They Have to Part Again
After getting dressed and leaving the lounge, Sharon saw Seb looking refreshed and working behind his desk. She couldn't help but glare at him.
Seb rubbed his nose, feeling a bit guilty. "Hey, why don't you rest a bit longer?"
"It's almost time to pick up Demetrius from school. Are you done with your work?"
"Almost, but I can finish it at home. I'll pack up and go with you to get Demetrius."
Sharon initially wanted to tell him to finish his work first, but then she remembered they only had three days left together. She nodded, "Okay, I'll wait for you."
Five minutes later, Seb and Sharon headed downstairs together.
Since Sharon had driven over, Seb decided not to have the driver take them. He drove her car to pick up Demetrius.
On the way, Sharon mostly stared out the window, lost in thought about how to tell Seb she needed to go to Stellaria.
Seb noticed something was off but didn't ask. He knew Sharon was hiding something, but since he was driving, it wasn't the right time to ask. He planned to talk to her after dinner.
Soon, they arrived at Demetrius's preschool.
Demetrius was already waiting at the door. When he saw Sharon's car, he immediately broke free from his teacher's hand and ran over.
Opening the back door and seeing Seb in the driver's seat, Demetrius's eyes widened. "Dad, how come you have time to pick me up today?"
Seb watched as Demetrius skillfully climbed into the car, closed the door, and buckled his seatbelt. "Your mom and I decided to pick you up together today."
"Oh, by the way, I got a gold star at school today!" As he spoke, Demetrius handed the gold star to Sharon. "Mom, am I awesome or what?"
Sharon smiled and nodded. "Awesome! That's my boy!"
Seeing Demetrius's proud face, Sharon felt a wave of relief. When they were in Aidamore, Demetrius was always so mature, never causing her any worry, but she felt he lacked the innocence of a child his age. Since moving to Metropolis, he had become more like a typical five-year-old.
"Demetrius, you're amazing! Since your teacher gave you a gold star, Mom will give you a reward too."
Demetrius's eyes lit up with anticipation. "What is it?"
"What do you want it to be?"
Demetrius's little face scrunched up in thought. He wanted many things, and now he didn't know what to choose.
After a moment, he looked up at Sharon. "Mom, can I only have one?"
Sharon thought for a moment, then said, "How about this? Write down everything you want in a notebook and give it to me. I'll pick one to give you. That way, you'll get something you want, and you'll be excited to see what it is. How does that sound?"
Demetrius's eyes sparkled, and he nodded eagerly. "Okay, I'll start writing as soon as we get home."
"Good."
Excited about his reward, Demetrius was in high spirits on the way home.
As soon as they arrived at the house, he jumped out of the car and ran inside to get his notebook and pen to start writing down his wishes.
Watching his fast-moving figure, Sharon couldn't help but smile. But then she remembered they would be separated in three days, and her eyes filled with sadness.
"Sharon, what are you daydreaming about while watching Demetrius?"
Sharon snapped out of her thoughts and turned to Seb. "Nothing, just thinking about how fast time flies. Demetrius is already over five years old."
Seb wrapped his arm around her waist. "You think it's fast? I don't. I regret losing those five years with you. If we had been together as a family all that time, imagine how happy we would have been."
Thinking about those five years, Sharon sighed. If she had trusted Seb a bit more back then, they might not have missed out on so much time together. And now, just as they were finally together, they were about to be separated again.
"Seb, I'm sorry..."
Seeing the guilt on her face, Seb pulled her into his arms and said softly, "Don't apologize. As long as I can be with you and Demetrius, it's never too late."
"Okay." Sharon leaned into Seb's embrace, her eyes welling up with tears.
She didn't know how to tell Seb she had to leave him and Demetrius. If Seb found out, he would be angry and wouldn't agree. But to protect Silvercrest Group, and for Seb and Demetrius, she had to do it. Only by agreeing to go to Stellaria could Silvercrest Group have a chance to grow.
She could hope that one day, Silvercrest Group would surpass the Stoll family, and they could be together again. If Silvercrest Group went under and she and Demetrius were taken away, they would never be together again.
After a while in Seb's arms, Sharon calmed down and pulled away. She wiped her tears and smiled. "I was just sad about the five years we lost."
Seb could tell she wasn't being entirely truthful but didn't push it.
"Let's go inside."
After dinner, Demetrius went back to his room to continue writing his list of rewards. Sharon planned to watch TV in the living room while waiting for him, but Seb asked her to join him in the study.
Following Seb into the study, Sharon looked at him curiously. "Seb, what's going on? Do you have something to tell me?"
Seb turned to her, his expression serious. "Sharon, it's not about me. It's about you. What's going on? You've been acting strange since this afternoon."
Sharon bit her lip, her eyes avoiding his. "Really, it's nothing."
"It's about your mom, isn't it?"
Seb had asked Paul about Sharon's schedule and knew she had met with Carolyn that afternoon. After that, she went straight to Silvercrest Group. So, her odd behavior must be related to Carolyn.
"No, don't overthink it. I'm just a bit tired."
Seb looked at her in silence, clearly not believing her.
Under Seb's gaze, Sharon's defenses slowly crumbled. After a long pause, she finally nodded. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to get angry or stop me."
As soon as she finished speaking, Seb said in a low voice, "You're planning to go to Stellaria, aren't you?"
Sharon's hands clenched the hem of her shirt. After a long pause, she nodded. "Yes."
As soon as she spoke, Seb grabbed her shoulders. "What about me? If you and Demetrius go to Stellaria, what about me?"
Sharon looked up and met Seb's reddened eyes, her body trembling.
"Seb, I'm sorry, but I don't have any other choice."
"What do you mean you don't have a choice? You didn't even ask me or discuss it with me. You just decided to leave on your own without considering my feelings. How can you be so selfish?"
Sharon's eyes widened in disbelief, tears welling up. "Would it have made a difference if I discussed it with you? You can barely handle Jesse, how could you possibly take on the Stoll family?"
Seb let out a bitter laugh, his hands falling from her shoulders as he stepped back. "It's my fault. If I weren't so useless, I could protect you and Demetrius."
Seeing Seb's hurt expression, Sharon reached out to him. "Seb, that's not what I meant."
Seb shook off her hand, his voice cold. "It doesn't matter what you meant. The result is the same: you and Demetrius go to Stellaria, and I'm left here alone. If you had already decided, why did you marry me?"
Sharon took a deep breath, looking into his eyes. "I won't take Demetrius to Stellaria."
Seb looked at her in disbelief. "You're leaving Demetrius behind?"
Sharon frowned. "Of course not. Demetrius stays with you. Going to Stellaria with Carolyn is the only way."
"How do you know it's the only way if we haven't reached the last moment yet?"
"Seb, can you stop saying things out of anger? Yes, it's not the last moment yet, but we both know if I don't agree to Carolyn's demands and go to Stellaria, the result will be Silvercrest Group going bankrupt, and Carolyn forcibly taking Demetrius and me away."
She continued, "If the result is the same, the least I can do is try to protect you and Demetrius. You stay in Metropolis and continue running Silvercrest Group. We will see each other again."
Seb let out a bitter laugh. "When? In a month? A year? Ten years?"
"No matter how long it takes, there will be a day we see each other again. Carolyn wants me in Stellaria not to inherit the Stoll family but likely to use me as a pawn for her children."
"If you know that, you shouldn't go!"
"Seb, stop saying that. Whether I agree or not, I have to go to Stellaria. The difference is whether I go willingly or am forced. I negotiated with her today. She agreed to provide resources for Silvercrest Group. You must use these resources to expand Silvercrest Group to a level that even the Stoll family fears. Only then will we have a chance to negotiate with her."
Right now, they didn't even have the qualifications to sit at the negotiation table.
Seb closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his emotions were gone, leaving only coldness. "I don't feel comfortable with you going to Stellaria alone."
"You don't need to worry about that. If she wants to use me as a pawn, it means I'll be safe for a few years, at least until she secures a path for her children. Plus, once I'm there, I'll work to understand the internal dynamics of the Stoll family."
If Carolyn could use her, she could also use Carolyn's position to figure out who and what Carolyn feared.
Carolyn wanted to pave the way for her children, but Sharon wanted to be with Seb and Demetrius.
"Sharon, I'm sorry. If I weren't so useless, you wouldn't be coerced."
Sharon looked at him, her eyes softening. "Whether you were here or not, she would have come for me. But now, with you and Demetrius, I'll be braver and work harder. We will have a day when we're together again."
Seb nodded, determination in his eyes. "Alright, I'll work hard to grow Silvercrest Group and get you out of the Stoll family as soon as possible."
Sharon couldn't help but smile. "Okay, don't be so serious. After all, she's my mom. She won't be that heartless."
Seb forced a smile. "When do you leave?"
"In three days."
"So soon?"
"Yes, so for the next three days, I want to spend as much time as possible with you and Demetrius."
Seb nodded. "I'll have Paul clear my schedule for the next three days, and I'll also take care of Demetrius's school."
"Okay."
A knock on the door was followed by Demetrius's voice. "Mom, are you in there? I finished writing."
Sharon wiped her tears and called out, "Demetrius, go to the living room. I'll be right there."
She turned to Seb. "I'll go to the living room. Come out when you're done."
Seb nodded without speaking.
Sharon left the study, went to the bathroom to wash her face, and then headed to the living room.
Demetrius was sitting on the couch, waiting for Sharon. Hearing her footsteps, he turned excitedly and handed her his notebook. "Mom, here. These are all the rewards I want."
Sharon took the notebook and saw that he had written at least twenty different rewards. She couldn't help but smile. "Demetrius, you wrote quite a lot. Mom needs to think carefully about which reward to give you. Go upstairs, take a bath, and go to bed. When you wake up in the morning, your reward will be on your bedside table."
Demetrius's face lit up. "Really?"
"Mom never lies to you. Now go on."
"Okay."
After Demetrius left, Sharon sat on the couch, looking through his list of rewards. When she saw one that said he wanted to go out with both his parents, her eyes paused, and an idea formed in her mind.
In the study, Seb called Paul. "Clear my schedule for the next three days. Reschedule what you can, and cancel what you can't."
"Mr. Smith, you have important meetings with clients tomorrow and the day after. We've been trying to schedule these for months. If we cancel, it might be hard to secure future collaborations."
"I have more important matters. Cancel them."
"Mr. Smith..."
"Paul, I don't want to repeat myself."
Hearing the anger in Seb's voice, Paul relented. "Understood, Mr. Smith."
"Also, for the next three days, the company will be managed by others. No matter what happens, do not disturb me. I won't be available."
Paul was stunned. In all the years he'd worked for Seb, Seb had never put anything above work. It was always the other way around.
After a moment of hesitation, Paul asked, "Mr. Smith, is something wrong?"
Seb lowered his gaze, his voice cold. "Nothing. That's all."
He hung up the phone, then called Demetrius's preschool to arrange for his absence. Afterward, Seb put down his phone and stared out the window into the night.
Sharon walked back into the study, her face calm but determined. "Seb, I have an idea. Demetrius wrote in his notebook that he wants to go out with both of us. Let's take him on a little trip for the next three days. Just the three of us."
Seb turned to her, a small smile forming on his lips. "That sounds perfect. Let's make these three days count."
Sharon nodded, feeling a sense of relief. "We'll make some great memories for Demetrius. He deserves that."
Seb walked over and took her hand. "We all do."
As they stood together, looking out into the night, they both knew the next three days would be precious. They would make the most of their time together, creating memories that would carry them through the difficult days ahead.
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