Chapter 2
Sebastian’s parents were both gone.
An old, faded newspaper still bore the gruesome headline, “Socialite Snaps: Stabs Husband Over 100 Times Before Hanging Herself, Leaves Behind Their Only Son.”
Sebastian was that son who was left alone in the world. The Yeager family had taken him in out of kindness.
Cassandra was older than him by a few years. Maybe it was out of pity for all he had been through, but she doted on him endlessly. She would find a way to give him whatever he wanted, even the stars in the sky.
And she truly did give him a star.
The tragic death of his parents left him deeply traumatized, instilling an overwhelming sense of insecurity.
So, on a quiet night, Cassandra climbed onto the roof with him. “Seb,” she said, pointing at the brightest star in the sky, “see that star? I bought it.”
She handed him the certificate of ownership for the star, then lightly tapped his nose with her finger before saying gently, “That star is yours now. It’ll always watch over you when I can’t.”
…
Sebastian walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside to look at his star again.
But the sky was shrouded in heavy clouds. His star was nowhere to be seen.
The next morning, a call from Reuben Hart, the head of the cryonics research team, woke him up. They wanted him to come in for a medical evaluation.
“Is that really necessary?” Sebastian’s smile was tinged with bitterness.
What was the point? He was dying. No amount of testing would make the cancer cells disappear.
“Mr. Lowell, we need to assess your condition to determine the best freezing process and period,” Reuben explained. “This will improve your chances of survival. Please cooperate.”
Sebastian didn’t have a reason to refuse, so he drove to the cryonics research facility.
After a whole day of tests, the evaluation finally came to an end. As he was about to leave, Reuben handed him a large stack of documents. “The shape of the cryogenic chamber and its future storage location are both customizable. Here are the relevant materials for you to review.”
Sebastian nodded. He quietly thanked him and took the documents home.
He noticed that the living room lights were on when he entered the house. His heart skipped a beat. Was Cassandra home?
He was so pathetic. Despite everything—the cutting words, the cold shoulders—he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to see her.
As he tried to steady his racing heart, he hurried into the living room.
Unexpectedly, he was greeted by Keith, lounging on the couch in a partially open robe.
“Seb, you’re back!” Keith said, standing to greet him with a grin. “Had dinner yet? Cassie’s in the kitchen cooking. What do you feel like eating? Just tell me. I’ll have her make it for you.”
The way he spoke and carried himself made him seem like he owned the place.
A sharp pang hit Sebastian in the chest. He shook his head, about to say he wasn’t hungry when Cassandra emerged from the kitchen with a freshly prepared dish.
“Perfect timing,” she said. “Since Keith and I are engaged now, he’s the head of the house from today. From now on, he’ll be the one making all the decisions here.”
Sebastian lowered his head and muttered quietly, “Got it.”
Cassandra had expected him to cause a scene, but to her surprise, he accepted it so calmly. A rare hint of astonishment flickered in Cassandra’s deep eyes.
“Oh, don’t be so intense. You’re scaring him,” Keith said with a smile. “Don’t mind her, Seb. Let’s go eat.”
As he said that, he reached out and grabbed Sebastian by the arm, pulling him toward the dining room.
The sudden movement startled Sebastian and the documents he’d been holding slipped from his grasp, scattering haphazardly across the floor.
Frowning, Cassandra bent down to pick up a cryogenic chamber design from the floor and coldly asked, “What’s this?”
Sebastian’s heart raced, but he forced himself to look calm before explaining, “It’s a cryogenic chamber design. It’s for my summer assignment.
“Before the break, the professor gave us an open-ended project to design a product. I thought I’d try designing a crystal coffin to preserve corpses, so I printed some reference materials for inspiration.”
He was a college freshman studying design, so the explanation wasn’t entirely far-fetched.
But Cassandra’s expression didn’t soften. “Are you out of your mind?”
