Valentina Recognized It Was William That Night

A man smartly dressed, wrapped up in the evening’s crispness, strode across the courtyard and entered through the door. His eyes meet those of Geoffrey, and with a small nod of recognition, he stood to the right and behind Valentina. As the man approached, Valentina seated on the sofa with her back to him, felt the Shadow cast by his imposing figure. "A rare guest indeed!" Geoffrey chuckled. "What sort of wind has blown you my way? Are you here to see me, or have you found the person I've been searching for?" Geoffrey was forever retrospective of that elusive math prodigy. "I met a client nearby and thought why not drop by to pay my respects," William responded, instructing Leonard to hand over a gift to the Principal's assistant. "If I remember correctly, your granddaughter's birthday is next week. I've brought over a small present." "Ah, how thoughtful of you," said Geoffrey, nodding in gratitude. "You have a guest?" William couldn't help but glance at the motionless girl on the couch. "No, not a guest," Geoffrey shook his head and corrected him, "She's the benefactor who saved my life." "Benefactor?" William took another look. Geoffrey said, "Sit, sit. Let's sit and talk." William walked over and sat next to Geoffrey. His posture was relaxed, casual yet gracefully dignified, his legs habitually crossed, and his temperament stern, pervaded by the aura of someone of high status. As William lifted his eyes, he was slightly surprised when he saw the girl's face from across him. It was her. The very same girl who saved his nephew. Leonard was stunned for a moment, instinctively verbalizing, "She…" William carefully compared the image in his head with the girl before him. She was considerably slimmer than the version he saw through the car window a short distance away some days ago, but he knew it was the same person. However, wasn't this girl in Mapleville, miles away just yesterday? And hadn't she broken a young man's leg there? How did she appear in Biddeford today, seated in his teacher's house? Valentina made no attempt to avoid his gaze. The moment their eyes met, a thought crossed William's mind. She seemed to know him. So, William wondered. What would her reaction be upon meeting him? But she had no reaction. With the look of a stranger in her eyes, she unenthusiastically averted her gaze, picked up the water on the table, and began to drink. It was a typical response to a stranger, although it could also be considered impolite and informal. William was a little unsettled. Leonard had previously arranged for someone to protect this girl clandestinely. However, she discovered them and even commented, "Seems like the Felton Family has spent their money hiring bodyguards." If this didn't clarify that she was aware of their family and Lewis's connection, then Rory's mediation as per his wishes to help her out of trouble twice should. Yet, she acted as if she did not recognize him. William placed his hand on his leg, rhythmically tapping his fingers. Valentina's gaze was drawn to his hand. His palm was broad, with defined joints and long, standing fingers, the veins subtly visible on the back of his hand. On the first knuckle of his index finger was a tiny mole, adding a hint of forbidden allure to his already handsome hand, identical to the one she recalled seeing on the computer screen that night! Valentina's drinking motion slowed down slightly, her eyes lingering momentarily on the mole on William's hand. Then her gaze moved up, eventually resting on his chest and waist, carefully comparing. The bold gaze of Valentina caught William's attention. Following her gaze, he cast his eyes down at his own body. It was indeed him! Valentina confirmed that the second person who invaded Augus's phone that night was the man in front of her - William. Somewhat surprisingly, the chairman of the Felton Group turned out to be a computer whiz. "What's she looking at?" Leonard muttered to himself. He knew his boss was good-looking. Not just women, but men were intrigued as well. But wasn't she a bit too daring? The girl seemed to lack any sense of restraint. William didn't mind. He withdrew his gaze and asked Geoffrey, "You just mentioned this young lady saved your life. What happened?" Geoffrey briefly described the incident, "I had just left the house to buy a birthday gift for my granddaughter, and my old ailment acted up again. I nearly didn't make it if it wasn't for the young lady who worked on me with some needles. If I hadn't bumped into her, I would have been in real danger this time." "Needles?" William glanced at the bag of herbs with the words "Bright Hall" written in front of Valentina. "You know acupuncture?" William turned to ask Valentina. "A bit." Intuitively, Valentina didn't want to be too involved with this seemingly polite but dangerous man. She knew this man was certainly more than just a simple businessman. "I am William Felton," William introduced himself. "May I know your name?" Geoffrey slapped his own thigh. "Right, how forgetful am I! I've forgotten to ask you. Young lady, what's your name?" Valentina replied, "Valentina Ricardo." When Leonard first saw Valentina's face, he was taken aback. His thoughts were almost identical to William's, fuddled about why Valentina, who should be in Mapleville, had suddenly appeared in Biddeford, and absurdly ended up being the lifesaver of Geoffrey. Leonard doubted whether he had misrecognized her. After all, Valentina looked much thinner compared to their last encounter, and there were many similar-looking people in the world. But after listening to Valentina introducing herself, Leonard confirmed that she was indeed the one he remembered. So he glanced at Valentina, and then at William who was chatting with Valentina, clearly wanting to chime in. "What a good name!" Seeing Valentina only made Geoffrey like her more. He laughingly praised Valentina to William, "Don't underestimate this young lady for her age. Her medical skills and courage..." Geoffrey gave a thumbs-up. "Mind-blowing. Her future is certainly limitless." "Nowadays, people’s hearts are unpredictable. However, Miss Ricardo was brave enough to help a total stranger who was also a patient. She truly has a warm heart," William ambiguously reminded Valentina that she had saved Lewis one night, and was indirectly probing for details. Unexpectedly, Valentina sidestepped his intentions effortlessly, and replied, "Not many people praise me like this." Unaware of this implicit conversation, Geoffrey continued to introduce William warmly to Valentina, "This young man is the Chairman of Felton Group. He may look young, but he has high-level business skills. He is the student whom I'm the proudest of. If you study at Biddeford University, you'll be his alumna." William asked, "Is Miss Ricardo in school? Planning to apply for our university?" Regardless of whether Valentina truly didn't recognize him or if it was a pretense, William didn't remind her, nor did he plan to expose her. "Do you have any good suggestions, Mr. Felton?" Valentina casually asked. William replied with a faint smile and shook his head. "Biddeford University is excellent. I wish you success." Valentina replied blandly, "Thank you." "Young lady, won't you consider Biddeford University's medical faculty? With your abilities and qualifications, you'll certainly make a big name in the medical field." Geoffrey, eager to contribute to the medical faculty, didn't want to lose such a promising seedling. Valentina did not respond immediately. At this moment, William asked, "Miss Ricardo, do you have a preferred major?" Mathematics or medicine? Valentina pondered for a moment, "Computer major is not bad." Geoffrey's face showed heartache. It was hard to believe. "Computer?" "The computer industry has a lot of job opportunities. After graduation, if you are interested, you can come to my company. We are in great need of technical personnel." William offered solely out of gratitude to Lewis. Go and work for Felton Group under William? The corners of Valentina's eyebrows raised involuntarily. She sneered in her heart. Just how high was the Felton Group's threshold? She could easily pit any of her identities against his, William's capitalist and board chairman of Felton Group. Work for him? "Not interested," Valentina declared directly. "Ungrateful!" Leonard thought to himself. He had no idea how polite Valentina's words were. If Grey were here, he would have laughed heartily, then retorted on Valentina's behalf, "Let Victoria work for you? Are you daydreaming?"