Chapter 506 A Little Revenge

Chapter 506: Chapter 506 A Little Revenge

Sebastian thought he must have imagined what he was seeing.

He stepped back, took a moment, and walked over again.

Nope.

It was still the same ridiculous scene.

Aurora Sinclair was perched on a bar stool, munching on a cookie while bossing his little nephew around. Damian barely came up to the height of the counter, yet she was treating him like her personal barista.

“Hey, hey, hey! Preheat it first. Start over.”

“No, go find all your uncle’s fancy coffee beans. I’ll pick the ones we need.”

“Oh, honey, you need to tighten the handle.”

“Wow! You’re catching on so quickly. From now on, I’m only drinking coffee made by you.”

She took another bite of her cookie, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

“Isn’t that something to be proud of? You’ll be making coffee for me every day. Doesn’t that make you feel like a real pro?”

Sebastian: “...”

He really was seeing things.

Damian was the apple of the entire family’s eye. Everyone treated the boy as though he might break if they held him too tightly. He’d been surrounded by caregivers since childhood, with more than five personal servants helping manage his daily needs.

The boy had never even poured himself a glass of water.

And now, after everything that had happened, Aurora had somehow managed to get him to make coffee?

What on earth had she done to him?

Sebastian pressed his lips together and looked at the tiny figure standing in front of the coffee machine.

Damian’s little face was tense. He wasn’t crying or saying a word, but whenever Aurora gave him an instruction, he clumsily attempted to follow it.

He was clearly struggling.

His eyes looked increasingly red, and his small hands seemed unsure of what to do next.

Yet Aurora, camera in hand, continued chattering away.

"It’s okay! We’ve got plenty of time. Try again."

She leaned forward to inspect his work.

"I don’t want you rushing and getting it wrong. I’ll wait right here until Dami makes me the perfect cup of coffee."

Sebastian couldn’t tell whether his nephew was enjoying the activity or finding it overwhelming.

One thing was certain, though.

Aurora was having the time of her life.

She was practically using psychological manipulation on a six-year-old.

"......"

The corners of Sebastian’s mouth twitched.

He wanted to put an end to what looked suspiciously like the bullying of his nephew. And yet, he couldn’t quite bring himself to interrupt.

For years, Damian had withdrawn almost entirely from the world around him. His family had arranged specialist care to help him with even the most basic daily activities, including eating and sleeping.

And now...

He was actually trying to make coffee.

Damn it.

What was happening here?

Aurora noticed Sebastian standing nearby, watching them.

She didn’t appear embarrassed in the slightest. She simply kept her camera rolling.

"Dami, don’t stop. And don’t look at your uncle. Concentrate on what you’re doing."

Damian had already noticed Sebastian, but at Aurora’s instruction, he turned his attention back to the coffee machine.

To him, the task was complicated enough without having to worry about anything else.

Sebastian finally spoke.

"Miss Sinclair, may I ask what exactly is going on here?"

The moment Aurora saw him, she remembered his extraordinary dedication to scrubbing his hands after their accidental touch.

Her smile grew sweeter.

"Oh, nothing much. I’m just teaching him to do a few things for himself. He’s still young, but he needs to learn eventually, doesn’t he? If everyone keeps doing everything for him, are you planning to pour his drinks for him when he’s grown up, too?"

Sebastian understood perfectly well that Damian’s situation wasn’t as simple as she made it sound.

His nephew wasn’t being indulged merely because the family wanted to spoil him. Since his condition had worsened, he sometimes refused food and water unless someone helped him.

If nobody fed him, he might simply go without eating.

Still, Sebastian had to admit that the woman in front of him was rather extraordinary.

It took more than two hours.

Only then did Damian finally approach Aurora, carefully carrying a cup of coffee in both hands.

Coffee grounds were scattered across his little face, and he looked utterly exhausted.

Aurora hadn’t let him give up halfway through. Whenever he struggled, she’d guided him through the steps again. She kept encouraging him to try until he managed to complete the task.

Sebastian had watched the entire process with a mixture of worry, disbelief, and a strange ache in his chest.

Now, however, he could see something else.

His nephew had persevered.

The boy had struggled, become frustrated, and nearly given up, yet he’d continued trying.

Sebastian glanced at Aurora.

For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, he didn’t interrupt her.

Even if her methods looked a little too much like child abuse for his liking, the result had left him speechless.

Aurora immediately took the cup from Damian.

Of course, coffee made by a six-year-old who was still learning how to use the machine wasn’t going to taste particularly good.

But she treated the drink as though it were the finest coffee she’d ever had.

She lifted the cup and drank it all in one go.

Then she beamed at him.

"Wow! Dami, you’re amazing!"

Her voice was full of enthusiasm. Every expression and gesture was exaggerated, as though she’d just witnessed an incredible achievement.

Sebastian looked at her again.

What a strange woman.

He’d never met anyone quite like her.

Damian seemed exhausted by the whole ordeal, but Aurora’s over-the-top reaction appeared to catch his attention.

A faint flicker passed through his large eyes.

It was only a tiny change, and he still didn’t say a word.

But Sebastian saw it.

Aurora immediately patted Damian’s shoulder.

"Dami, you did such a fantastic job! And because you did so well, I’ve decided that you’ll make me two cups of coffee every day from now on."

She nodded firmly, as though she’d made a perfectly reasonable decision.

"You should practise what I taught you today. I’ll test you tomorrow!"

Damian: "......"

Was that supposed to be a reward?

He was exhausted.

He looked as though he wanted to protest, but no words came.

For the first time in a long while, Sebastian had witnessed even the slightest hint of an emotional response from his nephew.

His expression changed abruptly.

A storm of emotions stirred inside him.

Could it be possible...?

Could Aurora’s unusual approach actually be helping Damian engage with the world around him?

The thought filled him with an excitement he could barely contain.

******

Damian was thoroughly worn out.

He rarely took afternoon naps, but that day, he obediently went to sleep.

After finishing her filming and jotting down her observations in her notebook, Aurora headed straight for the kitchen to inspect the aftermath of their little adventure.

She hadn’t expected to find Sebastian already there.

He was sitting on a bar stool, staring thoughtfully at the coffee machine.

And in his hand was the very cup she’d drunk from earlier.

Aurora’s eyes lit up.

She walked over with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, Mr. Ellington! I’ve touched that cup. You should put it down immediately and ask Maria to disinfect it. Maybe spray some rubbing alcohol on it, just to be safe."

After all, she couldn’t let him risk being contaminated by something she’d touched.

Sebastian knew perfectly well that she was deliberately provoking him.

But what could he say?

She was smiling so brightly that objecting would make him look ridiculous.

Looking at her cheerful face, he thought she resembled a little fox who’d just stolen something and was delighted to have gotten away with it.

"Miss Sinclair, you certainly know how to hold a grudge."

Diana pressed a hand to her chest, looking deeply offended.

"Me? I’m only worried about you, Mr. Ellington. You’re such a pure, innocent man. I’d hate for you to get poisoned just because you touched something I’ve handled."

She gave him a look of exaggerated concern.

"I’m genuinely worried about your health."

Sebastian looked at her expression.

So fake.

Utterly fake.

He set down the cup.

"This is the first time Dami has ever done anything like that. Even before his condition worsened, he never did these things himself."

He paused before continuing.

"Since then, his cognitive and motor abilities have become more limited. He needs help with many things he used to be able to do."

In other words, Diana was the first person to push Damian to attempt something like this.

And she’d kept at it for more than two hours.

Even an adult would have found that exhausting.

Aurora blinked.

"Oh."

She waited a beat.

"And?"

Sebastian was momentarily at a loss for words.

And?

Was that all she had to say?

She tilted her head.

"He made a mistake, didn’t he? He spilled coffee on me, so I asked him to help make another cup. I wasn’t going to stay angry with him forever."

She shrugged.

"Children need opportunities to learn how to do things for themselves. They can’t have everyone stepping in to do everything for them. If you protect him from every challenge, he’ll have fewer chances to practice and become more independent. Don’t you agree?"

Sebastian looked at her more carefully.

Diana was energetic and outspoken, like the blazing summer sun. She was confident, assertive, and rarely hesitated to speak her mind.

Yet beneath that fiery personality was an unexpected gentleness.

She had a way of encouraging Damian without treating him as though he were fragile or incapable.

Over the years, Sebastian had hired all kinds of doctors, therapists, and teachers to help his nephew.

Not one of them had approached Damian quite like her.

Their methods had been different. Their personalities had been different.

And Damian’s response to Diana was different, too.

That alone was enough to fill Sebastian with hope.

His gaze lingered on her for a moment.

She seemed to radiate vitality, carrying an almost stubborn determination that refused to be dampened by setbacks.

Even though he was her client, she had no hesitation about teasing him over his obsession with cleanliness.

She could be quite vindictive when she wanted to be.

Perhaps that was precisely why she felt comfortable being firm with Damian.

She didn’t constantly worry that he might be offended. Instead, she treated him as a child who deserved patience, encouragement, and the chance to try things for himself.

Sebastian suddenly let out a quiet chuckle.

A trace of amusement appeared in his eyes.

He straightened and extended his hand toward her.

"Regardless, thank you."

Diana looked down at the hand he was offering.

She understood what he meant.

For all his doubts, Sebastian was genuinely grateful for what she’d done. He’d seen Damian respond in a way he hadn’t expected, and it clearly meant a great deal to him.

But there was just one problem.

She remembered how thoroughly he’d scrubbed his hand after their accidental touch.

Diana folded her arms, still smiling sweetly.

"Sorry, Mr. Ellington. I’m even more of a neat freak than you are."

Sebastian: "......"