Kneeling for a Second 10

 

Chapter 10 

Valeria resembled that of a startled bird as she immediately tried to get up and leave. To her surprise, however, Sebastian’s strong arms had already locked her down by the waist. 

She gritted her teeth lightly and said, “Excuse me, Dr. Grant.” 

Sebastian finally let go. 

Valeria stood up and took several steps back to put some distance between the two of them. She then took a deep breath and said, “Please have some self-respect, Dr. Grant.” 

With that, she turned and left. 

Sebastian was amused as he repeated her words. “Self-respect, huh?” 

He then watched as Valeria left the room. Her pale blue dress danced around her through the air, leaving a subtle fragrance in its wake. 

Sebastian drove out of the hospital and spotted the same pale blue dress from a distance by the roadside. The familiar and elegant scent seemed to have drifted through the sweltering heat and ended up around him once more. [2 

He was not quite sure whether it was due to the harsh sunlight during August, but he noticed that Valeria’s skin looked extremely pale. It was so striking to his eyes that it was impossible to ignore. 

It also gave him a strange sense of familiarity. 

Sebastian subconsciously started thinking about when he had leaned in to kiss her. While it was not a kiss on her lips, he had still touched the corner of her mouth. 

He recalled how soft her lips were, along with the faint fragrance she carried. He also recalled her waist, which he was able to hold with just one hand. 

He reckoned that Valeria was probably cursing at him in her heart, struggling and fleeing like a frightened bird. At the same time, she was also trying to maintain some dignity. 

Just then, Sebastian pulled up his black Cayenne beside Valeria and honked a few times. 

Valeria flinched like a startled cat before warily glancing at the vehicle beside her. 

The car window rolled down to reveal a handsome face. “Get in.” 

She replied, “I don’t wish to trouble you, Dr. Grant.” 

“I don’t like repeating myself,” Sebastian replied, his eyes fixed on her face that was burned 

red by the blazing heat. 

Valeria’s flushed cheeks were glistening with sweat as her long black hair stuck to her face. Meanwhile, hot air immediately surged into the car as he rolled down the windows. 

He continued, “Do you not want the dog anymore? If you don’t, I guess I’ll just throw that fat thing away.” 

She hesitated for a few seconds and eventually got inside the car. 

The car soon came to a halt in the underground garage of Vista Bay. 

Valeria followed behind Sebastian while maintaining a two-meter distance. 

Sebastian lived on the 12th floor. He did not bother to block the keypad when he entered the password. However, she still instinctively turned away, as it was never a polite thing to be peeking at other people’s passwords. 

He noticed what she was doing and chuckled softly. Then, he opened the door and walked in 

first. 

Valeria stood by the entrance. There were no slippers to change into, and no shoe rack for her 

shoes. 

While she was still hesitating over what to do, a bark rang out from inside the house. A cream- colored Golden Retriever soon ran out and locked eyes with her. 

Sebastian’s voice rang out right after. “Nemo, come here.” 

The dog ignored him and stared intently at Valeria instead while sniffing her. After a while, it started wagging its tail. 

Valeria looked at the Golden Retriever and saw that it looked rather pale. She reckoned that it 

must be in its senior years. 

The dog had a cream-colored coat, leaving her surprised that Sebastian even had a pet dog. 

She instinctively reached out to pat its head and could not help but recall the cream-colored stray puppy she had rescued seven years ago. It was also a Golden Retriever, but not a 

purebred one. 

She was living at the school by then, and she also had no family around. 

The stray puppy was about three to four months old back then, and it looked extremely pitiful while drenched in the rain. Valeria had pleaded for Sebastian to adopt and take care of it. 

Back then, he had refused her outright. “I don’t like dogs.” 

the same puppy from back then. 

She then dismissed the idea the very next second. She figured that there was no way it could be the same dog. 

Sebastian raised his voice and repeated himself. “Nemo!” 

The Golden Retriever finally turned around and ran back inside the house. He unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled his sleeves to his forearms to pick up a puppy by the scruff of its neck before handing it over to Valeria. “Here, take it.” 

He then used his free right hand to hold out a plastic bag filled with dog food and some treats. “I bought a little too much.” 

Valeria cradled the puppy in her arms, and it whimpered softly. She didn’t look at Sebastian as she murmured hank you, and sorry for the trouble.” 

loo 

at the plastic bag filled with dog food, milk powder, and various items for the he could tell that they were not exactly cheap stuff. “How much are all of these? 

ling stirred in her chest at that moment. 

in had not wanted anything in return initially, so he gave her a strange look upon g her question as she stood by the doorway. 

lowered his eyes as he realized that Valeria must have really liked the color blue. She was so wearing blue the last time he saw her. 

The lighting in the hallway shone down brightly upon Valeria, casting her with an 

indescribable presence. 

Sebastian could not help feeling that she looked familiar, but he had spent the past seven years overseas at Inkko. If he had seen Valeria during that time, he would have definitely remembered her. 

The woman in front of him was not someone a man would ever forget, given her character and her looks. 

That strange feeling of familiarity had first hit him when he saw her in the consultation room for the first time. 

Sebastian then took out his phone to accept Valeria’s payment. 

Valeria, however, just opened up her bag and took out her wallet. She still carried a few hundred dollars in cash even in this day and age. 

She had a total of 450 dollars, and she took it all out to hand it over to Sebastian. 

Sebastian looked at her slender fingers and raised an eyebrow slightly. He then took the cash from her and rubbed it between his fingers. 

He found her actions rather amusing, his dark gaze growing deeper. 

Valeria soon stepped back into the elevator. Just as the doors were slowly closing, however, a long hand reached in and pried the doors open, revealing Sebastian’s intense gaze. 

He stared at her as if trying to carve a hole through her. “Ms. Neal, have we met before?” 

Her heart immediately skipped a beat. “Oh, well, I brought my daughter to the hospital once, and you were there.” 

“I’m not talking about that time.” 

Valeria’s voice was steady and clear, almost as if determined to hide something. “No, we’ve never met before.” 

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