Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Maxine pushed the chaos in her head aside and nodded seriously . " Got it … I'll work on getting more evidence right away " Then Maxine glanced away , a little awkwardly . " Thanks for telling me . But … next time , just text me " Sebastian frowned . " I tried calling . Your phone didn't go through . That's why I came . " Maxine's apartment was less than two kilometers from the old villa she used to share with Sebastian . Barely a ten - minute drive . No wonder Sebastian came straight over . Maxine sighed . " I was cooking , didn't hear it . " Maxine paused , then asked , clearly not meaning to , " Anything else ? If not , you should go . My soup's still on the stove . " ' Right . The soup , ' Sebastian thought . He asked before he could stop himself , " Is it … tomato basil soup ? " Maxine was from Flodes City . That dish was her signature . Sebastian had always liked it , though he never told her . " Yeah . " Maxine didn't know what else to say . Things had reached this awkward point , and in the mess of it all , she blurted out , " Want a bow !? " The second it left her mouth , Maxine regretted it . She hadn't meant to invite him to stay . To her surprise , Sebastian didn't even hesitate . " Sure ," he said , then added , " You made enough ? " Maxine froze for a beat , then muttered , " Enough . " Back in the kitchen , Maxine lifted the lid of the clay pot . The soup was nearly done . Then Maxine called out for Jessica , who immediately dashed out like she'd been waiting for the signal . As she passed the living room , Jessica shot another glare at Sebastian . Sebastian couldn't figure out why this kid had it out for him , but he didn't want to argue with a child . He calmly walked to the dining table and sat down . Jessica brought out utensils for everyone . When she saw Sebastian / already sitting there , she rolled her eyes hard at him . Sebastian caught it this time and finally couldn't help himself . He asked , " Jessica , what exactly did I do to make you hate me ? " Jessica was still a few months away from turning five . She was precocious , sure , but she hadn't run into many adults who talked to her in that weirdly serious tone . It was the way Sebastian treated her - like she was an adult too . That gave Jessica an odd kind of courage . Standing on her tiptoes to place the utensils neatly , Jessica replied with a straight face , " First of all , I don't like you . Second , Maxine lets you stay for dinner . You should show some manners . You should've helped her bring the soup ." Then Jessica pointed to the table . " I brought out the bowls and stuff . What did you do ? " Jessica's words were childish , but they hit hard . Sebastian blinked , actually caught off guard . His face even tu little red . Sebastian instinctively started to get up , but something about it felt even more awkward . So he stayed put and tried to act calm . " I'm a guest . Since when do guests do the work ? " Jessica pouted and hit him with a direct question . " A guest ? But you and Maxine aren't divorced yet , are you ? " That shut him up completely . Sebastian stood up , almost not knowing what to do with himself . Chapter 38 But Maxine walked out with the soup just then and placed it on the table . Seeing Sebastian on his feet , Maxine gave him a quick look . " What ? Changed your mind ? If you're not eating , the door's right there ? Sebastian felt something stuck in his throat - couldn't swallow it , couldn't spit it out . After a long pause , he mumbled awkwardly . " Ne Maxine lifted Jessica into her chair , then turned to the pot and began serving the soup . Sebastian instinctively reached out to take a bowl , but Maxine acted like she didn't even notice . She handed that bowl to Jessica . Jessica took it with both hands , smiling big . " Thank you , Maxine ! " Then Maxine served herself a bowl . Only after that did she move the ladle toward Sebastian's direction . Sebastian stared at that ladle for a long moment . And he understood . He had to serve himself now . But back then , as long as Maxine was there - she always did this for him . AD