Sam returned to Qi Tai slightly after noon the next day and noticed Sebastian had returned. Sam went to check on him and noticed he seemed to be sleeping in his room. Sam knew his filming schedule was empty after the rural area cooking show shooting on purpose to allow him to rest for his next project in a day.
Hence, instead of worrying about him, Sam was catching up on Lucky Clover's progress. The administration part of the company was run well by their new assistant, Clarissa. Given her background from small entertainment industries and being a single mother, she was most suitable to run the admin side of Lucky Clover. She was also a priority choice pushed by Violet earlier when she sorted out the resumes.
All Sam needed now was to work on finding a potential trainee, but he knew he wouldn't have much time to hunt since he still had to manage Sebastian's work offsite and keep an eye on his fiancée. He smiled, reminded of Jade as he texted her to ask if she was busy, but she didn't reply. While waiting, he wondered if Maliwei's part as a comic artist could take off first.
Sam: Hey, bro, are you up for a discussion to publish under us?
Maliwei: Yo bro! Good to hear from you. Sure, let me know when you're free.
Sam gave Maliwei a call instead.
"Hey Sam, great to hear from you!" Maliwei greeted. "Same same… Are you sure you're free now? Aren't you busy with Vi at your friend's event?" Sam asked as Maliwei chuckled before sending Sam a picture of Violet on stage.
"She is busy. I am not." Maliwei said as Sam smiled, seeing Violet's picture.
"Alright. Cool. So, uhm, do you have anything in your pipeline we could use?" Sam started as Maliwei shared his drafts.
"This is the third book I am working on… I'm more concerned about the publishing rights of the previous two and how we proceed moving forward." Maliwei expressed as Sam took a look at his rough drafts.
"Fascinating… Don't worry about the administrative stuff. I can handle them since you have a direction now…. I could get my assistant to send you a contract and we need to negotiate with the rest of your publishers and marketers…" Sam concluded.
"Alright, let me know when you're in town. I could take you through with them." Maliwei said as Sam contemplated on flying back. He wanted to cause he wanted very much to see Jade but he knew on hand he had to pay close attention to Sebastian's agency and Jade must be busy, so he delayed his visit instead.
"I will let you know. Meanwhile, take me through the plans you have for this series." Sam sat with Maliwei listening to his detailed short term and long term plans before figuring that Maliwei had a lot delayed payments from his current marketers.
As they both spoke about their current matters and future direction for hours without realising the event had ended, Violet hastily ran off to the airport, not giving Maliwei a chance to bid her goodbye. She knew she had to fly back to Qi Tai within the same day, as the next day her schedule was packed. She had to accompany Sebastian for his filming, yet she had not caught up thoroughly with his materials.
She took the chance to go through his schedules, his attire, meals, and preparations while on the flight. She noticed it was more elaborate than his brief reality show filming preparations. She arrived home nearly past dinner time when she stepped into Sam's study to find him still engrossed with work.
"Have you eaten?" She chirped.
"Oh, you're back!" Sam greeted as he glanced at the time showing 8 pm.
"Not yet… Oh, speaking of which, check on Sebastian… He, too, hasn't woken from his sleep since I don't know when he got back…" Sam said while sorting out some documents in front of him.
"Alright… Will whipped up some noodles for you and left them on the table, alright?" Violet said as Sam nodded before he continued with his work.
Violet quickly finished cooking and delivered it to Sam, knowing he would never step out till his work was nearly done. She left her noodles in her room before heading to Sebastian's place with a glass of milk for him.
Sebastian was flipping around in bed the whole day, trying to force himself to sleep, but to no avail. It took him a long while to finally fall asleep when it was less warm in the evening. Violet smiled, looking at his peaceful look as she went to wake him.
"Sebby…" Violet gently called him after leaving the glass of milk on the table top.
Sebastian got even more restless in his sleep as Violet shook him. "Sebby, it's alright. Wake… Sebby… Sebby…" Violet kept calling him before he took a deep gasp and jolted up in bed.
"Sebby!" Violet sat by his side and held him as he hugged her. He was tearing up involuntarily as he caught his shaky breath.
I'm home. I'm with Vi. I'm fine… He told himself. "It's fine… Everything's fine…" Violet gently patted his back while hugging him.
But his anxiety kept growing in him, making him give in and break down in Violet's arms.
"It's alright, Sebby. It's fine. You're home. I'm with you." Violet said firmly to assure him as he tried to calm down and nodded.
I'm with Vi. I'm home. It's fine… He repeated to himself a few times that he did not realise he was saying it out loud. Violet gently patted his shoulder and held his hand.
"Here… Drink some while it's still warm…" Violet persuaded him as he took the glass and sipped. That was when he realised he was hungry.
"How long have I slept?" He asked with teary eyes. "I have no idea… I just got home a while ago. Sam said probably since morning cause he returned after you." She said sadly while wiping his tears away. He looked disappointed.
"Was it a nightmare?" She asked gently as he shook his head. "It's just my anxiety…" He mumbled as she hugged him, recognising his stress signals.
"Do you want to sleep in the opposite house instead?" She offered as his confused gaze met with hers.
"You could sleep well yesterday. We weren't here. Don't you think it's this place that made you uncomfortable, Sebby?" She pointed out as he pondered. He could not help but agree slightly with her.
"Come…" She encouraged him to follow her as she led him to her room, but he paused at the entrance, realising Sam was home, though he was fully focused on work, not noticing him.
"I will explain to him… Now, come. I will sleep on the ground." She whispered as he shook his head. "I want to sleep on the ground." He whispered back as she pulled him into her room first. He then pulled an extra bed from her cupboard, placing it next to her bed.
She tucked him into bed under the blanket before sitting on her bed. She held her hand out to him and urged him to hold onto her. He did so and smiled.
He realised the intense pressure he felt in his head while trying to sleep earlier was gone. He was more relaxed, though he should worry that Sam would walk in anytime to find them in such a forbidden situation. However, he was feeling even comfortable as he gave in slowly to his drowsiness.
"Thank you, Vi…" He mumbled softly before drifting sleep. Violet smiled, knowing all he needed was just security to fall asleep, as she tried to finish up her noodles with one hand while watching Sebastian, who was exhausted, snoring soundly.
Unlike earlier, when he dreamt of paparazzi and camera flashes chasing him. Even when he jumped into a grave he had dug for himself, he woke to a scream as he lazily opened his eyes.
"Sebastian Lu! What do you think you're doing?!" Sam nagged while pulling Violet, who was groggily waking up, away from him.
He sat up with sore shoulders as he stretched. "What do you mean? What happened?" Sebastian was enjoying a good sleep that he did not want to wake.
"What are you doing in my sister's room? Why are you holding her in your arms?! What are you two doing being so close?!" Sam yelled as Violet tried to appease him.
"It's not what you think…" Violet said while gently patting Sam's chest to calm him. Sebastian opened his eyes wide and found traces of Violet indeed by his side the whole night on his arm. Otherwise, he would not feel this sore on his left shoulder.
His gaze met with Violet's as he blinked guiltily.
"I'm sorry, Sam!" He quickly got on his knees and bowed to Sam.
"No! Don't do that! It's not your fault!" Violet scolded Sebastian as she pushed him to lose his balance, and he sat on the ground, but still fighting to kneel. Sam was looking away, still slightly angry.
"If you want his anxiety attacks to grow worse and get him in trouble in and out of the hospital, then you handle his press issues yourself! If this helps him to calm down and work better, I don't see why he can't stay here with us!" Violet scolded Sam.
"Not when both of you are not divorced yet! Vi, listen to yourself! Do you know what you're getting involved in?!" Sam scolded back, but Violet did not back out. She walked closer to Sam, though Sebastian held her hand to stop her.
"So you would rather he suffer himself? So you would rather another life die by giving up on life? Have you forgotten how your artists injure themselves? Drowned in the pressure?" Violet's gentle questioning way was what she learnt from her years of HR experience, as it gives the person she questioned chances to think more rationally.
"If you don't have any other solution, then live with it, Sam. Cause I don't want to give up another soul like you did on a few back then. Not this soul. Do not let history repeat itself, Sam." Violet's eyes reddened as Sam blinked a few times, taken aback by her reminder that several of his artists had previously succumbed to the entertainment industry pressure. Most of them gave up halfway as advice and were persuaded by him, especially after the death of a trainee whom he was supposed to manage, but due to his lack of time, she was under Austin, who is managing Jade now.
Violet knew he never said so, but he had been blaming himself out of guilt for that trainee who had sought his help before her suicide. Violet slowly slipped her hand from Sebastian's as she left the room and headed into Sam's bathroom to freshen up instead.
She knew it agitated him when she did that because he was a neat person, while she often left his sink full of her hair or never wiped the sink dry.