Chapter 3

At 10:00 pm, Valeria lay on the bed and opened her long-neglected Telegram account. There were a few messages from Luke. Luke: "Jane, we're having a class reunion next week at Evening Breeze. The details are all in the Telegram class group. You're the only one we're waiting on. Are you coming?" Luke: "I've messaged you a few times, but you're not replying. Jane, you can reach out to us old classmates, if you're having any difficulties in life. We'll help however we can." Valeria opened the class group chat and saw the steady stream of messages. She had actually considered leaving the group before, but with all 48 classmates around, her sudden departure would have stood out. That said, she hardly ever logged into this account anymore. Scrolling up through the messages, she found exactly what she expected. No one mentioned her at all. Back in school, she'd been like air, but not the kind that people could ignore. Because she'd been so fat, even though she had tried so hard to make herself invisible, whispers and snickers always followed her. Fatty, pig, tub of lard… It didn't matter what she did; just walking past was enough to spark hushed giggles and remarks. Valeria hadn't always been overweight. She'd been average-sized back in middle school, but after a serious illness and an overdose of steroid-based medication, her body ballooned. Meanwhile, Sebastian's name was the one mentioned the most in the chat. He always ended up being the center of attention wherever he went. He was always described with words like golden child, campus heartthrob, wealth, and power. Sebastian and Valeria had always stood at opposite extremes. Clicking on his profile photo, she noticed that it was an old picture. He probably didn't use Telegram much either. Before she knew it, Saturday arrived. It had been a hectic week. In the end, Garment Hall's management decided to accept the first version of the draft and signed the contract. Unsurprisingly, Sabrina's version of the draft had been rejected. Sabrina wasn't happy about it, but L&M's co-partner, Nathan Ford, invited everyone out for a celebratory dinner. The venue happened to be at Evening Breeze, a trendy new hotspot in the city for dining and entertainment. Valeria felt a flicker of familiarity at the name, but there was no way for her to wiggle out of this company dinner, especially with Nathan attending. … At about 7:00 pm, the private room was bustling with activity. Everyone raised their glasses in celebration, and Valeria had two drinks as well. At the same time, in a neighboring room, Sebastian had arrived late. The room was filled with their old classmates, and they started egging him to drink the moment he stepped in. However, that was all they dared to do. No one pushed him when he shook his head in rejection. He explained in a calm, aloof manner that he couldn't drink in case he got called into the hospital later. Several female classmates blushed and stealthily snapped photos with their phones. Whether it was at high school or Stredview University, the attention had always been on Sebastian. He had the looks, brains, and a powerful family background. Someone asked, "Do you have a girlfriend now?" Someone else mentioned, "As a doctor, he's probably too busy to date." "I heard you're in cardiothoracic surgery. Isn't that exhausting?" asked Yelena Quinn, the class beauty back then. Her cheeks were flushed as she looked at him shyly. It was obvious to everyone in the room that Yelena liked him, and someone even teased her, which made her blush even more. There happened to be an empty seat next to her. Sebastian merely nodded and glanced at her, but he seemed not to recognize her. The private room was spacious, with card tables and karaoke equipment. He walked straight to a single-seater couch. He'd had a media interview earlier in the afternoon, so he was still dressed in formal business attire. Slipping out of his black suit, he draped it over the chair. His pale blue shirt only served to accentuate his features. Leaning back, Sebastian massaged his temples with a faint weariness before he checked his watch. He wasn't particularly interested in the reunion. He had only come because Luke had invited him repeatedly, and because he happened to be free. Yelena felt a little disappointed by Sebastian choosing not to sit next to her. Luke walked over and handed Sebastian a glass. "Have some water." "Thank you," Sebastian replied politely. "We're all old classmates. There's no need to be so formal," Luke replied, patting Sebastian's shoulder. The two of them exchanged a few polite words. Luke's family was in the furniture business and had dealings with the Grant Group in the past. He really wanted to get closer to Sebastian, even if the current heir was Alexander Grant. Sebastian might not have been involved in the family business at that moment, but everyone knew that he was the biological son of the Grant family, unlike Alexander, who was adopted. Sebastian wasn't even the latest to arrive. As more classmates trickled in, he would instinctively look up. He didn't know what he was hoping for, but he seemed to be waiting for a certain someone to walk through the door. The room buzzed with laughter and conversation. The last classmate to arrive was a female classmate. Luke went over to toast her, and she quickly downed two glasses of wine. Someone teased, "Lily Carter, how did you become fat?" "Yeah, I barely recognized you. You must have put on dozens of pounds." Sebastian's head jerked up at the word "fat". His eyes flickered with a trace of unexpected disappointment. A strange irritation stirred in his chest, and he poured himself a drink. Sitting on the couch, he drank glass after glass. The platinum watch on his wrist gleamed faintly. With his eyes cast down, he seemed to radiate an air of aloof elegance, so much so that some of the women in the room felt their hearts flutter. Yet, they didn't dare to approach him. Yelena summoned her courage and walked over. "Sebastian, I have a relative with a heart condition. Could I bring them to see you during your clinic hours?" Sebastian frowned slightly. He looked up and answered coolly, "My appointments for next week are full. If it's serious, they could get an emergency slot." "I see." She wanted to say more, but she noticed his indifference. In the end, she returned to her seat, disappointed. … Meanwhile, Luke was busy acting as the host. He handed out little gifts to everyone, which were discount membership cards for his family's furniture brand and some cutlery sets. "Hey, can anyone get in touch with Jane? I'd like to send her a gift too," Luke said. Sebastian had been tired all day. The alcohol was making his head buzz as he leaned back and rested with his eyes closed. However, the moment he heard that name, his brows furrowed. It was like an alarm going off in his brain, jerking him wide awake. "Jane? You meant that fatty? I still remember when she tried to run 800 meters in high school. What a sight that was…" The one who spoke was a male classmate called Horace Parker. He stopped abruptly when his gaze met a pair of cold eyes staring right at him. Horace felt as though his throat had been gripped tight and shut his mouth awkwardly. He only assumed that he had been too loud and had disturbed Sebastian's rest, but soon, the whispers started up again. Valeria, of course, hadn't come to the reunion. She would never know that even after "disappearing" for seven years, her name could still stir up so much talk. Then, a woman hesitated before saying, "I heard that Jane might be dead." The room fell eerily silent for a few seconds. It felt as if time had stopped. "What? Dead? That can't be." "No wonder she never shows up at these reunions. I messaged her privately, too, but she never replied. So, she's really…" The group collectively sighed. "It's true. Six years ago, I was at the hospital because my grandmother wasn't well. I saw her there. She was skin and bones but had a huge belly. At first, I thought it might have been a tumor." The woman paused with a soft sigh. "Poor thing." The atmosphere in the room grew heavy. Someone glanced at Sebastian and asked, "Hey, don't we have a doctor in our class? Sebastian, if she really had a tumor, would it have been terminal? I remember her family didn't have much money either. I guess we know why no one's heard from her now. She's gone." Everyone looked at Sebastian, who froze in place.