Chapter 39

Sebastian was never the reserved and refined person that people imagined him to be. Valeria first saw him back in her freshman year of high school. He stepped out of an internet cafe with a cigarette between his lips. Standing in the evening breeze, he flicked the ash off casually. He was wearing a crisp white school uniform, buttoned all the way up, making him look like he was about to walk on stage for an award. Behind him trailed a group of spoiled, troublemaking rich kids, arms slung over each other's shoulders. "Sebastian, are you pulling another all-nighter?" Beneath his cool, well-behaved exterior, he carried a kind of reckless arrogance that didn't care about rules. He could silence every critic by staying at the top of his class. No one would've ever connected him to a student who smoked, skipped class, and played games in the internet cafes all night. To all the teachers, he was the model student. Valeria leaned back in the seat, trying to relax. The chocolate on her ton