Chapter 6

As Sebastian stepped forward, his foot landed on a small pink rabbit. It was plump and soft, with two long ears and a pair of bee wings attached to its back. He remembered how Jane used to adore this silly little thing. He used to tease her about it, saying that it was a mutant rabbit that wasn't even a proper animal. It was ugly and had wings for some reason. Jane would fall silent and merely glare at him in response. She loved it so much, so he called it ugly just to tease her. They'd gotten it from a claw machine in the movie theater. She had wanted it so badly, tugging on his arm and begging him with her soft, sweet voice. And yet, she'd even returned this ugly little thing to him. … That night, Sebastian tried to call her in anger, only to find her number was no longer in service. She had severed all ties with him. … Sebastian had not heard anything about Jane for the past seven years. All he knew was that she suddenly withdrew from university and completely vanished. He had been busy with his medical studies, which had been hellish to begin with. On top of that, Alexander had taken over the Grant Group. So, he voluntarily withdrew from the fight for inheritance to avoid damaging their brotherly bond. That was why Sebastian hadn't wanted to return to the country for some time. Jane became a thorn in his heart, even if he couldn't say when it appeared. While he hated and resented it, he had also silently accepted its presence. It didn't affect him most of the time, but when it did, it flared up suddenly, suffocating him. … That afternoon, while driving to work, Sebastian suddenly saw a figure dart onto the road. He slammed on the brakes, and the car screeched to a halt. Then, he ran out to check. A little girl was sitting on the asphalt, and her large eyes were brimming with fear. In her arms was a tiny mutt. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked, bending down and gently carrying her up. He quickly checked for injuries and didn't see any obvious wounds. However, her palms were scraped from the pavement. The girl seemed frightened. Her eyes reddened as she answered softly, "Mr. Doctor, I'm okay. Could you check on the puppy? Your car almost ran it over." The little mutt was no more than two or three months old and lay curled up in her arms. Sebastian frowned. With her fair skin and big, bright eyes, that girl looked familiar. He didn't expect to remember a patient he'd only seen once clearly. He saw countless patients every day, but he somehow recognized her. He had seen her before, and her name was Selena. "Do you realize how dangerous that was? If I hadn't braked in time, the consequences would have been serious," Sebastian scolded. He looked around and saw that she was alone. "Where are your parents?" Selena bit her lip nervously. "I—" "Lenny!" A woman's voice called out. The sound of running footsteps drew closer, carrying a faint, warm fragrance in the stifling summer air. Valeria ran up and pulled Selena into her arms. "Lenny, are you okay?" "I'm fine, Mommy. The puppy is fine too!" The slight sting in Selena's palms didn't matter. She reached out to hug Valeria's neck. "Mommy, I'm really okay." Valeria's heart was still racing. Since it was Saturday, she brought Selena to have some fast food. She had gone to pick up their order when Selena disappeared. The sound of screeching brakes had nearly stopped her heart. Thankfully, Selena was fine. Looking up, Valeria met Sebastian's gaze. She bit her lip, and her eyes trembled slightly. Sebastian stood there in his light gray tracksuit with one hand in his pocket. His sharp figure and distant air made him seem even more imposing at such a short distance away. Their eyes met, and she stepped in front of Selena, shielding her instinctively. Her heart pounded as she began hoarsely, "You…" She wasn't wearing a mask that day, so her face was completely exposed. The stifling summer wind lifted the hem of her pale blue dress slightly as the sun bore down on them from above. Sebastian was a short distance away, but Valeria felt her vision blurring as the world seemed to stand still. A low ringing filled her ears. "Get in the car. I'll take your daughter to the hospital for a checkup," he said, watching her stand there protectively in front of Selena. Valeria responded, "No need to trouble yourself. I'll handle it." At the same time, she let out a quiet sigh of relief. The way he spoke meant he hadn't recognized her. Sebastian got into his car and honked once, looking at them through the window. "I'm a surgeon. Many car accident injuries won't show superficially, but they can be severe internally. I'll take responsibility if anything happens," he commented, almost wanting to remind them that they had consulted him before. At that moment, he glanced again at Valeria. Her pale skin was flushed pink from the sunlight. Her blue dress swayed slightly in the breeze. It might have been the dress color or something else, but it caused Sebastian to squint slightly. There was something about her that seemed familiar, but he didn't ask. Doing so would have felt like a cheap pickup line. Besides, there was something odd about her. Her daughter had just been in a car accident. Sebastian did think the girl was fine since he had hit the brakes on time, and there was nothing visibly wrong. However, most parents would have either rushed their daughter to the hospital for a full checkup or demanded compensation, but this woman was different. Valeria entered the car with Selena and sat in the backseat. … At the hospital, Sebastian stayed with them throughout the checkups. When it came time for a chest and abdomen CT scan, a parent was required to accompany the child. Sebastian carried Selena in, causing a doctor to tease, "Dr. Grant, is this your daughter? She really looks like you." Valeria bit her lip hard. Was it that obvious? She suddenly felt several gazes fall on her. Pinching her arm, she kept her head down and avoided looking at Sebastian. Sebastian could only smile faintly and say to Valeria, "Wait outside. There's radiation inside." As expected, he drew attention wherever he went. Valeria followed him with her head lowered, but he could still hear whispers around them. "Who's the little girl in Dr. Grant's arms?" "Is that woman next to him his girlfriend?" "So, that's Dr. Grant's type?" "No way. Didn't he reject the dean's daughter by saying he liked women who are well-endowed and fair-skinned?" "Seriously? He seems so refined, but he's into that?" "Men are all the same. Remember, the dean's daughter even transferred to cardiothoracic surgery for Dr. Grant's sake. She threw quite a tantrum when he rejected her." "Enough gossip. That's probably Dr. Grant's relative. That girl looks like she's five or six years old. How could she be his child? Dr. Grant isn't even thirty yet." "Still, that woman with him is quite stunning." … After a long afternoon of tests, it turned out Selena only sustained minor soft tissue injuries on her knee and wrist. As such, Valeria finally relaxed. "Thank you for everything," she said softly to Sebastian. "My contact info is on this card. Don't hesitate to reach out if your daughter has any issues," came Sebastian's reply. She lowered her gaze to the business card in his fingers and took it, thanking him again before taking Selena's hand and leaving. They had only taken a few steps when she heard his low, raspy voice behind her. "Have we met before?" Valeria froze before coming up with an excuse. "Yes, you probably don't remember us since you have many patients. My daughter has a heart condition, and I brought her to see you some time ago." Narrowing his eyes, Sebastian smiled faintly. "That's not what I meant, Selena's mother." At that, Valeria glanced back at him. Her heart trembled at the sight of his aloofness and the depth in his eyes.