Chapter 148
L&M Design Studio wasn’t large, and Kayla only stayed because of Nathan.
If it weren’t for Nathan, she would have had better opportunities elsewhere. But it was precisely because that person’s name was Nathan.
Kayla normally didn’t concern herself with her coworkers‘ personal lives. Valeria seemed sweet. And sure, some people only acted that way. But Valeria wasn’t like that.
Valeria had been with the company for three years, and Kayla had worked alongside her the entire time. Kayla knew exactly what kind of person Valeria was. She was also well aware of the gossip and backhanded comments people in the company made about Valeria.
But Valeria was impressive. She was the kind of person who made every compliment feel
earned.
At the dinner that night, there was a distributor visiting from Elaris, and Valeria even spoke a bit of Elarian with him. The company wasn’t big, and Kayla didn’t interact with Valeria much on a daily basis, but moments like this still caught her off guard.
“Valeria, you speak Elarian, too?” Kayla asked.
Valeria said modestly, “I picked it up on my own during college… I only know a little.”
But Kayla knew she was just being humble.
She remembered clearly that Valeria had graduated from the Broburgh City College with a degree in design. Kayla had been there when she and Nathan interviewed Valeria.
Back then, Valeria didn’t meet the company’s hiring requirements due to her academic background. But her raw talent stood out so much that Nathan hired her on the spot, breaking protocol to do it.
Because of that, there were always rumors floating around the office that Valeria was Nathan’s mistress. Some even alleged that Selena was Nathan’s child from an affair.
Valeria spent three days in Broburgh City. It was already 6:00 pm on the fourth day when she left.
She carried her luggage, rubbed her slightly stiff neck, and slowly climbed the steps to her front door, only to find the lock had been changed.
She held her keys, staring at the new keypad lock. It was a smart lock equipped with facial recognition.
A red light scanned her face, and the system replied in a flat and robotic voice, ”
Chapter 148
Authentication failed.”
Valeria began to wonder whether this was actually her home.
She took another glance at the door, then headed downstairs to Lucy’s apartment. She noticed Lucy’s door lock had been changed too. She knocked on the door, and it was Selena who
opened the door, bouncing on her feet as she called out, “Mommy!”
Lucy was sitting on the couch, watching TV. When she heard Valeria’s voice, she simply said, Oh, you’re back.”
Valeria stepped inside. She said, “The door lock…”
Selena answered brightly, “Mr. Grant!”
Valeria paused, caught slightly off guard.
Lucy chimed in, “It was Dr. Grant. He has a friend who sells high–end smart locks, and he got us a 50% discount. With the New Year coming up, there’ve been a lot of break–ins, possibly caused by some unemployed kids getting into trouble. A few apartments in the building have already been hit.
“So I figured it was time to replace the old lock. Now we don’t even need keys because it unlocks with facial recognition or a fingerprint. It’s really convenient, and Dr. Grant happened to help us out.”
When Lucy didn’t hear Valeria respond, she added, “Do you have his contact info? Maybe invite him over for a meal to thank him. I tried to pay him, but he wouldn’t take it.”
Valeria gave a quiet nod.
The passcode was Selena’s birthday. Valeria entered the passcode and stepped into her apartment.
She was about to shower and change clothes when her phone rang.
She had just pulled off her sweater when she saw it was a video call from Sebastian’on WhatsApp. In a rush, she quickly threw the sweater back on. Knowing his temperament, she didn’t even have time to fix her hair before answering the call.
Sebastian looked at the screen, watching as her hair stood up slightly from static, and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling.
But the moment Valeria mentioned transferring him money, his expression changed.
Valeria had looked up the models and brands of both locks, and each one cost over three thousand dollars. Installing something like that on an old metal security door felt like putting lipstick on a pig. Honestly, she felt bad for the technician who had to make it work.
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“Do I really look like I’m that desperate for money?” Sebastian asked.
Valeria could tell from his tone that Sebastian wasn’t happy.
“You don’t have to keep giving me things, Sebastian.”
She had slept with him, but it wasn’t supposed to be a transaction. There was a time when she thought that was what it was, and that he didn’t really care about her but only wanted her body. He had used her to satisfy his desire, then handed her expensive gifts as if it were some kind of unspoken deal.
It felt like a transaction.
Wendy was right. Thomas and Jennifer were leeches, bleeding her dry for four years, all to give Ivy a leg up.
And what about Valeria? Wasn’t she doing the same thing in her own way?
There was a long and heavy silence on the video call.
