Chapter 57
Leo puckered his lips for a moment before saying, “Just… peanuts. Selena told me that both she and her mother are allergic to peanuts.”
Why had Sebastian’s expression become so scary?
“Uncle…”
What was up with him?
The waiter brought three ice creams to their table, two of which were placed in cooler bags. Leo started eating his portion.
Sebastian cupped a hand around the back of Leo’s neck and warned him, “Eat it here, and wait for me. Don’t run around, alright?”
“Okay.” With his ice cream, Leo wasn’t interested in leaving anyway.
Sebastian left. His footsteps quickened as he walked.
There was quite a distance between the first and the second wing. Clenching his fists, Sebastian glanced around himself, feeling lost. He watched the people passing by while breathing in deeply.
It was as though someone had blown a hole in his heart, and now the wind was gushing through it.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. It seemed hilariously impossible, but Sebastian still seized it.
If… If it turned out to be true…
Sebastian spotted a woman in a light blue cardigan with straight, dark hair falling across her shoulders. Gritting his teeth, he yelled, “Jane!”
She didn’t look back at him.
A few people shot curious glances at him.
Sebastian marched forward and grabbed Jane’s hand, pulling her against him. He frowned. It
was not Valeria. It was a stranger.
She stared at Sebastian in surprise and asked, “What are you doing?”
He let her go and apologized softly, “Sorry.”
Calming down, he realized his behavior had been severely out of line. How could he think Valeria was Jane just because they both had a peanut allergy? It was impossible.
It wasn’t because of their stature. Jane was a little shorter than Valeria. In addition, Jane’
medical records indicated that she’d given birth to a boy. Valeria was married with a daughter and a husband overseas.
Disappointment washed over Sebastian. He hated when emotions reigned over his thoughts. His head was no longer screwed on straight. The air was suffocating.
Turning around, he strode away. Patting his pocket, he frowned. Then, he bought a pack of cigarettes, lit one and took a long drag.
Valeria was not Jane. Sebastian could admit that he’d been attracted to her. However, he would not admit that he’d fallen for Valeria just because she looked similar to Jane. He’d never considered Valeria to be Jane’s replacement, and he would not allow himself to start thinking
that way.
What Sebastian didn’t know was that when he screamed Jane’s name, Valeria had heard him. She hadn’t been standing very far away from him.
At that moment, Valeria had been taking pictures of her daughter under a huge pumpkin. It was an ancient specimen.
Many children wanted to take pictures with it, as it was even bigger than a six-year old girl. Selena was ecstatic. She’d never seen such a big pumpkin in her life.
When Valeria heard that familiar voice calling for Jane, tears welled up in her eyes. She had been standing mere steps away from him. However, Sebastian didn’t see her in the crowd.
Valeria watched as Sebastian rushed toward a woman wearing a similar blue cardigan to grab her hand. Then, she slunk away sadly, mocking herself for her misplaced hope.
“Mom! Mom, what’s wrong?” Selena shook Valeria’s arm as she asked, “Mom, why are you crying?”
“Selena.” Valeria knelt down and hugged her, putting her chin on Selena’s shoulder.
Leo finished his ice cream and waited for Sebastian to come back. However, he hadn’t returned even when the ice cream had begun melting.
It would be a waste if he let the ice cream melt. In addition, Valeria and Selena wouldn’t be able to eat it if it had melted anyway. Grandma said he’d be a bad boy if he let food go to waste.
Upon Sebastian’s return, Leo finished all the ice cream. Feeling a little contrite, he shot glances at Sebastian through his lashes.
Sebastian was frowning, an indication that he was about to fly into a rage. Leo got off his chair with his head hung. “Uncle Sebastian, if I hadn’t eaten it, it would’ve melted. What a waste.”
Looking down at Leo, Sebastian realized that his expression had spooked Leo. Patting his
Chapter 57
head, Sebastian asked, “Where else would you like to go?”
Upon finding out that Sebastian wasn’t mad, Leo broke out in a huge grin and swung
Sebastian’s arm around while exclaiming, “Uncle Sebastian, let’s go find Ms. Neal and Selena!”
“Alright.”
Leo wanted to buy three portions, but as Sebastian didn’t want any and forbade Leo from having more, he ended up buying two portions. Leo was chattering like a little bird as he dragged Sebastian to the first wing.
“Uncle Sebastian, send Ms. Neal a text asking her where she is, please. My phone ran out of battery. Are you sure you don’t want any? This pistachio flavored ice cream is amazing..
“Don’t keep frowning, Uncle Sebastian. Grandma said you won’t appeal to any girls if you keep on doing that. What is this?”
Leo stopped walking. The exhibition center was huge, and had become one of the principal attractions in Slate City. A lot of merchandise was on sale there.
Leo was short, so he couldn’t reach over the table. The saleswoman standing beside them handed him a music box with a bunny inside. When the lid was lifted, music would play and the bunny would dance.
The cute bunny was carved from wood. It had a pair of bee-like wings attached to its rotund body. This made its dancing figure look especially funny.
While Leo really liked it, he was broke.
“Uncle Sebastian, could you lend me some money?”
Sebastian looked down at him as Leo blushed and continued, “I’d like to buy it for Ms. Neal as a gift.”
