Chapter 101
Sebastian’s gaze darkened as he watched Valeria hurry downstairs with her keys in hand to unlock Lucy’s front door.
He felt it might be better to drink himself to death than to stay in this half–drunk, half–sober
state.
That phone call from Shane had felt like a bucket of cold water being poured over him. For the moment, reason took the upper hand.
Leaning against the doorway, Sebastian lit a cigarette. When the smoke touched the cut on his lip, he couldn’t help but hiss in pain.
He knew what he had been doing. He’d already kissed her and didn’t particularly regret it.
Originally, he had just been hit by the inexplicable urge to come over and give her a box of chocolates.
If anything were to blame, it was Valeria’s waist for being too soft and her for being too kind. If she had just stood there and watched him collapse to the ground, locking him outside, then nothing would have happened.
There was a difference in strength between Sebastian and Valeria. When she glared at him so hard that her eyes turned red, Sebastian had actually wanted to let her go.
He didn’t want Valeria to hate him.
But the moment he touched her, he felt his blood boil, and all his reason slipped away.
Whether it was right or not, he had already kissed her.
Sebastian’s gaze fell on a pair of men’s slippers sitting in the top section of the shoe cabinet by the door. The more he looked at them, the more they irritated him.
He clicked the ash from his half–smoked cigarette and pressed the glowing tip onto the
slippers, and the air filled with the faint smell of something singed.
“Mr. Grant.” Sebastian suddenly heard Selena behind him.
She sounded so soft, like she had just woken up.
Sebastian’s back went rigid. It felt as though he had just been caught doing something shameful by that little angel.
Sebastian turned his head stiffly.
The hallway was unlit, but the room inside was warm and bright. In the living room stood a
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little girl holding a pink bunny plush toy.
Selena was wearing pink pajamas, and her hair was a mess. She looked just like a beautiful little angel as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. “Mr. Grant, what are you doing in my house?”
Sebastian instinctively blocked the doorway.
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Of course, he didn’t think he was any sort of upright, proper figure in Selena’s eyes, but he still didn’t want Selena to see him doing anything shameful.
A child’s world should always be kept pure and innocent.
Sebastian said, “Yes, I came here tonight to…
Why had he come here tonight?
He was at a loss for words. Even his usually agile mind couldn’t come up with an excuse.
Thankfully, Selena didn’t ask any further. She was just too sleepy. She had just been going to the bathroom when she saw the front door open and noticed that Valeria wasn’t home. That
was when she saw Sebastian.
Still sleepy but feeling curious, Selena took two steps closer. Then, when she smelled the smoke, she frowned slightly as she blinked at Sebastian.
Even her nose was scrunched up.
Sebastian suddenly felt an odd sense of defeat. He had been about to reach out and pat her head to send her back to bed, but his hand froze before he did it.
He realized that the sense of defeat he felt was because Shane probably didn’t smoke. That meant that Selena had never smelled cigarette smoke on her father, so he seemed like a healthy, wholesome dad.
The thought made him swallow a surge of frustration.
Selena hugged her bunny. “Where’s Mommy? I’m looking for Mommy.”
Sebastian answered, “She went to your grandmother’s. Go to bed now, or the old man on the moon will come to take away the little kids who don’t sleep.”
Selena stuck her tongue out. “The person on the moon is a lady.”
Sebastian wasn’t very good with children.
Meanwhile, Selena was now wide awake and walking toward Sebastian.
Sebastian told her to stop where she was. “I just finished smoking, so I smell.”
“Mr. Grant, it’s my birthday on Saturday. Will you come?” Selena clutched her bunny tighter.
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She really liked Sebastian, and hoped that Sebastian could come and celebrate with her.
Her birthdays were small, unlike Leo’s birthdays. She only had Valeria, Lucy and Margaret.
So, if Sebastian were there, there would be one more person.
Sebastian replied, “Sure, I’ll come celebrate your birthday with you.”
“But, Mr. Grant, I have to go to Great–Grandma’s house on Saturday…” Selena sounded a little disappointed.
She had wanted to invite Leo, since Leo had invited her the last time. But she was going with Valeria to see Margaret for the weekend.
She missed Margaret, since it had been a long time since Selena had seen her. Margaret’s hair was all white now, and Selena really wanted to keep Margaret company.
Sebastian had only been speaking casually earlier.
