Chapter 1

Sabrina Lirrel went behind her husband, Cassius Folane's back to send his mistress to a top music school overseas. Cassius, whom the public had always seen as a distant and aloof man, instantly went crazy. He was certain that Sabrina had deliberately sent away his precious lover, Natalie Howe. Hence, he cruelly put his and Sabrina's son, Sebastian Folane, on a ship heading for the northernmost part of the world. He wanted to use this to force Sabrina to tell him Natalie's whereabouts. Sabrina could only watch as the ship carrying her five-year-old son gradually sailed into the open seas. Sebastian, wailing his little heart out, was being held over the railing by Cassius' assistant. Cassius spoke up, his voice sinister and low. "Sabrina, you only have five minutes left to think this over. Otherwise, our son will be heading to the bottom of the ocean!" Sabrina spent the first minute thinking back to years ago. She had been secretly in love with Cassius for five years, so she hadn't minded becoming his secret lover. He came from a prestigious medical family, whereas she was a nobody with ordinary looks. Hence, she decided not to lay claim to any title. For the second minute, she recalled how the Folane family had wanted Cassius to marry the daughter of another prestigious family upon his graduation. However, Cassius had outright dragged Sabrina to the city hall to register their marriage. In the third minute, Sabrina remembered how, when she got pregnant, the Folane family still refused to accept her. Cassius had left his family behind to be with her, and she eventually gave birth to their son, Sebastian. Sabrina thought about Natalie in the fourth minute. Natalie was the niece of Cassius' friend, whom he had adopted. The night Natalie turned 20, Sabrina had noticed the barely concealed love that shone in Cassius' eyes when he looked at Natalie. Lastly, in the fifth minute, the scene where Cassius had pinned Natalie to the bed as they went at it flashed through Sabrina's mind. Cassius had been the one to let go first. The bracelet that had adorned his wrist for close to 20 years was gone. Now, that bracelet, which he had always forbidden her from even touching, sat quietly on Natalie's right ankle. Cassius' gaze was ice-cold, not a hint of warmth in it. "Sabrina, I'm asking you one last time. Where is Natalie?" Sabrina's throat ached terribly, even as her son's wails reached her ears. "Mommy, save me!" The ocean breeze slapped at her cheeks fiercely, stinging her. "Honey, do you want our son to die?" Sabrina felt as though a rock was crushing her chest, suffocating her. She raised her teary eyes to look at Cassius. "Cassius, Seb is your biological son! How could you use his life to threaten me?" Nonetheless, what left Cassius' thin lips was, "But Natalie is also my life!" At last, the tears slipped from Sabrina's eyes. She wondered what she and Sebastian were to him if Natalie was his life. "Sabrina, as long as Natalie returns, you're still my wife." Pushing down her emotions, Sabrina replied, "Cassius, I don't believe that you would really kill our son for Natalie's sake. Besides, I didn't harm her." However, Cassius said coldly, "I'm counting down from five. If you still refuse to tell me her whereabouts, Sebastian will become shark food!" As Cassius really began counting down, Sabrina couldn't stand it any longer. "Natalie is at the Beckley Music Academy at Murria." With that, she collapsed to the ground. He had truly been willing to give up on their son for Natalie. Through teary eyes, she watched as Cassius immediately took his phone out and made a call. When he spoke, he was clearly anxious. "Get the helicopter here. I'm flying to Murria." After that, he didn't even bother sparing her a glance. Instead, he completely focused on his phone. Sabrina dug her fingers into the sand, her whole body trembling. For the past ten years, she had silently stood behind Cassius. No matter if it were their scientific research or any achievements, she had helped in every single project of his. He started Folane Pharmaceuticals from nothing and left his research job to become the chairman. Meanwhile, she practically lived in the labs, throwing herself into developing the drug he demanded. Finally, she succeeded, catapulting Folane Pharmaceuticals into a top pharmaceutical company on par with Folane Group. That night, Cassius had held her close, peppering affectionate kisses along her neck. "Rina, you're like an indispensable part of me! I can't live without you!" Sabrina thought then that things were finally looking up. She had proven that she had the right to remain by Cassius' side, and the Folane family had seen her achievements, so her relationship with them had even gotten better over the past two years. But then, Cassius fell in love with a young woman nine years younger than he was. Natalie was innocent, sweet, and a natural-born romantic. She would always pester him and had a knack for acting cute. "Cassius, I want you to spend time with me. "Cassius, I don't know how to answer this question. Could you help me, please? "Cassius, you have to come to my cello competition, okay? If you don't come, I won't play… "Cassius, I really, really like you." Acting cute was something Sabrina had never tried with Cassius, nor had she ever confessed her feelings so blatantly to him. Just like that, Cassius fell in love with a spoiled young woman who couldn't handle anything on her own. Natalie was someone who demanded to be adored and treated like a princess, and Cassius was more than happy to do that. The helicopter arrived very quickly. Cassius didn't even wait for the ship with Sebastian to return before he boarded the helicopter and flew off to Murria. Seeing the helicopter fade into the distance, Sabrina tried calling Cassius several times, but he kept rejecting her calls. In the end, she sent him a message. "When will Seb be back?" He messaged back a reply. "In three hours. Sabrina, Natalie is just someone my friend tasked me to look after. Since she treats me like an uncle, I can't let her down." Sabrina smiled bitterly when she heard his explanation. She was about to shut off her phone when she received a message from Natalie. Natalie sent, "Sabrina, so what if I love Cassius? He's willing to be with me and even slept with me already. He's long since lost any feelings for you, yet you're still clinging onto him and refusing to let him go. "You know, he came to see me at my school tonight. I went to a hotel with him. He really likes the bunny pajamas I'm wearing today." What followed was a video that clearly showed just how much Cassius liked the clothes on Natalie, and how much more he liked it when they were off her. Sabrina shut off her phone screen and sat there, numbly awaiting the return of her son. The ocean breeze had long since dried the tears staining her face. Once, she thought that it was enough as long as she loved Cassius. When he cheated on her, she even thought that maybe he was simply looking for some excitement. They still had a son together who needed a complete family, so she accepted her situation. However, she now realized that she couldn't do it. She had been an orphan since she was young and had had no one to love and care for her. At first, she thought she had finally found her true love, only to discover now that it was all for naught. Taking out her phone again, Sabrina opened a document that she had saved on it. It was a divorce agreement she had signed back then, just so Folane Pharmaceuticals could get listed on the market. The agreement stated that she had voluntarily given up on all of her shares in Folane Pharmaceuticals and that she had also given up on their marriage. At the time, Marcus Folane, Cassius' grandfather, had sought her out right before the company was about to be listed. "Sabrina, if you sign this, I'll help Cassius with getting his company listed in Gridor. With my aid, Folane Pharmaceuticals will be able to become a company on par with Folane Group." To ease the Folane family's hearts and for Cassius' sake, she had chosen to sign that agreement stealthily. She never thought that Cassius would one day abandon her. Now, she had lost everything. Not long later, Sabrina sent a message. "I agree to join Deep Vital." Deep Vital was a project involving an elite team from around the world, specializing in marine medical research and development. So the world's foremost talents in the field were all there. However, to join that project, one had to be shut away underneath the ocean for 30 years before one could be allowed to leave. Her only condition was that she wanted to bring Sebastian along. That way, Cassius would never be able to find her and Sebastian!