Chapter 7

Valeria pulled Selena along and left. Not forgetting to turn back, Selena waved goodbye to Sebastian. A colleague passing by smiled at Sebastian. "Is that a relative of yours? That girl really looks a lot like you. I guess your whole family has great genes." "Does she?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow. When he looked up again, Valeria and Selena had already left. Martha would probably be over the moon if he really had a daughter of Selena's age, but that wasn't possible, no matter how he considered the possibility. Still, that little girl was awfully cute. Sebastian thought of Selena and felt a faint, inexplicable tug in his chest. … On the way home, Selena asked, "Mommy, Potato is still in Mr. Doctor's car." "Potato?" Valeria realized that Selena meant the pale yellow mutt she'd saved in traffic. Thinking about how grave that situation had been, Valeria turned serious. "Lenny, you can't do such dangerous things again." Selena explained, "I know. But Mommy, he wasn't driving that fast. His car didn't hit me. I got scared and fell by myself." "That doesn't mean it's okay." Valeria ruffled Selena's hair. Selena was everything to her. "But Mommy, Potato is still in Mr. Doctor's car, and he looks a lot like Daddy," Selena protested. "Lenny, you mustn't tell anyone else that he looks like Daddy, because he might not be happy if he hears about it. We have to respect him," Valeria advised in a slight panic. Even though she couldn't fully explain herself, Selena still nodded obediently. Valeria held Selena close. Weaving a web of lies like this merely felt messier each time she added something to it. There was no way she could approach Sebastian to ask for the dog back. Besides, she was living in Lucy's house, which was a cramped apartment in an aging neighborhood. A barking dog would disturb the neighbors. Even if Valeria didn't think Sebastian was a compassionate person, he probably wasn't the type who hated dogs. She remembered the time when she tried to get him to adopt a pitiful stray dog for the winter, only to be coldly refused by him. He had carried himself with a distant air—unless he was in bed. There were even times when he had a sharp tongue. Valeria said, "Lenny, once you're done with your surgery and you've recovered, I'll work really hard to buy us a house of our own. Then, we'll get you a dog, alright?" "But that won't be Potato anymore," Selena responded softly, causing Valeria's heart to ache. … At 9:00 pm, Valeria sat with Selena, helping her decorate a school poster. On the paper, Selena had drawn a cute, chubby little puppy. It was yellow and adorable. In the end, Valeria couldn't resist picking up her phone. She found the business card Sebastian had handed her earlier and dialed his number to ask for the dog. It was probably his work number, but it was only the second time she had called him in the past seven years. The first was six years ago—she was in the hospital, weak from massive blood loss, and dialled his number in the dead of the night. When she heard his deep voice on the other end, she hung up without saying a word. Now, as she stood on the balcony, she glanced into the living room. Selena was on the couch watching TV. After closing the balcony door, Valeria leaned against it, her eyes fixed on her phone. It took her ages before she pressed the dial button. The phone rang three times before it was answered. The pleasant sound of a woman came through. "Hello, are you looking for Sebastian?" Valeria's blood ran cold. She gripped her phone tightly, and her throat locked up. The woman on the other end called out a few more times. Finally, Valeria found her voice, answering, "Sorry, I have the wrong number." "No, you don't. You're looking for Sebastian, right? He's in the shower. I'll have him call you back later." Then, the call ended. It wasn't the woman who hung up. It was Valeria who did. It was 9:00 pm. Was that woman his girlfriend? A man like him, with his looks and his background, would never lack women around him. Valeria took a deep breath, and her face was filled with exhaustion. She sat at the door, gazing up at the moonlight outside. She reminded herself that she had no business worrying about Sebastian. After all, it had been seven years. They had been living in two completely different worlds. He might have already forgotten all about Jane, or maybe having once dated a fat woman stained his reputation and left him embarrassed. If it hadn't been for her blackmailing him with his niece Gabriella Grant's secret back then, why would he ever have dated her? Valeria felt a bit dizzy. When she pushed herself to her feet, her fingers clung tightly to the door handle. She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. Her head was spinning, and her legs were weak. Ever since she'd given birth, she had lost weight. And along with it came low blood sugar. Whenever she was too tired, anxious, or stressed, it would flare up. Suddenly, her phone buzzed violently in her palm. She looked down to see Sebastian's number on the screen. He was returning her call. The vibration stung her hand, sending shivers through her body as she stared blankly at the flashing digits. She took a deep breath and answered. … On the third floor of the Grant residence, Sebastian had just gotten out of the shower. He was dressed in black silk pajamas, with drops of water clinging to his short hair. As he picked up the phone, he looked at the little mutt sprawled on the floor, happily lapping at its milk. He walked over while he was still on the phone. Seeing that the mutt was about to fall face-first into the bowl, he lifted it. "Hello? Who is this? Do you need something?" Sebastian's tone was cool and even. Mallory chided, "Be gentle! You're too rough." She came over and took the puppy from him, cradling it in her arms. … On Valeria's end, she heard the woman's playful voice and felt her throat tighten. Was he flirting with his girlfriend? Had he been with her in bed and only called back as an afterthought? She bit her lips hard. "Hello? If you have something to say, spit it out." Sebastian didn't hang up. He assumed it was a patient calling, since that number was accessible at all times. "It's me. Mr. Grant, is my daughter's dog with you?" The gentle female voice on the line made Sebastian pause. For a moment, he wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him. Had thinking about Jane so much lately made him lose it? Otherwise, why did that voice sound so familiar? He replied, "Yes, it's here with me." Valeria asked, "Would you be available tomorrow, Mr. Grant? We could arrange a place to meet. My daughter really likes that dog…" Sebastian replied, "I need to head to Amstead tomorrow, so let's do next week. I'll contact you then." "Alright." Valeria bit her lip. "Sorry for bothering you." As she was about to hang up and lower her hand, Sebastian asked, "What's your name? I'll save your number." "Valeria," she responded. "That's a strange name." Sebastian frowned, mishearing her. Mallory couldn't help but roll her eyes at her brother. "Valeria is a pretty normal name. Are you dumb?" On Valeria's end, she heard the woman scolding Sebastian and pictured a pampered heiress teasing him. She immediately hung up the phone, telling herself that running away wasn't shameful. At least, for now, it was necessary.