Chapter 60
When Leo heard Valeria’s voice, he jumped with all his might, trying to reclaim his phone
from Sebastian.
Sebastian smirked mischievously and asked, “Leo, have you cleaned your butt? Let me take a
look.”
Clenching his tiny fists, Leo yelled, “Uncle Sebastian!”
Leo’s face was flushed bright red while Sebastian continued grinning. Leo dove under his covers and hugged himself tightly.
He hated Sebastian. Although Martha had been telling him from a young age that he would grow up to be as handsome as Sebastian, his ego had still been bruised by Sebastian embarrassing him in front of his crush.
Leo decided that he wouldn’t speak to Sebastian for the rest of the day. Looking at the bump under the covers, Sebastian massaged his temples before glancing down at Leo’s phone.
His eyes met Valeria’s. It was as though time slowed down at that moment. Sebastian could hear the hands of a clock ticking.
Valeria studied Sebastian. His eyes were almond-shaped, with the hint of a smile still glimmering within them. It only sparked when he was interacting with his family.
Valeria averted her eyes. She didn’t know what to say.
Just as she was about to hang up, Sebastian said, “Lucy has been discharged for a month now,
and she’s been taking her pills for just as long. It’s time for her to come to the hospital for a
blood test and a carotid artery ultrasound to examine the blood clots.”
“Alright,” said Valeria. “Thanks for the reminder, Dr. Grant.”
Sebastian was every bit the doctor giving instructions to the family member of a patient. His expression was calm, and his tone was measured.
Sebastian nodded before hanging up. Then, he placed Leo’s phone beside him. Patting Leo’s butt through the covers, he reminded him, “I’ve put a glass of water on the bedside table.
Remember to drink it.”
Leo didn’t reply. He only got out of the covers after Sebastian left.
Then, he turned his phone on and texted Valeria, saying, “Val, don’t listen to Uncle
Sebastian’s nonsense. I know how to clean my own butt.
“Grandma told me that Uncle Sebastian is a weird man who runs hot and cold. That being said,
he didn’t use to be like that. On the other hand, I’ve always been emotionally stable.”
Valeria replied with a compliment, “Leo, you’re a good boy.”
At her praise, Leo’s mood improved markedly. He drank the water on his bedside table in one
Valeria thought Leo had a lively personality. It looked like his parents, being Sebastian’s sister and brother-in-law, were also interesting people.
In the past, Valeria had met Sebastian’s family before. Alexander was a gentlemanly middle- aged man who she’d only met once, briefly. On the other hand, she would never forget Wendy, who glared at her with hatred every time their eyes met.
Valeria had no idea why Wendy loathed her. The disdain could not hide the depths of hatred that burned within Wendy.
When Valeria found out that her aunt and uncle had been blackmailing the Grant family using what happened all those years ago, it was the last nail in the coffin. Valeria was devastated. She no longer wanted to fight back.
“In that case,
what was Uncle Sebastian like, Leo?”
Valeria had an inkling. In the three years she dated Sebastian, she’d seen a different side of him. He was a genius when it came to finance. That side of him didn’t like studying medicine.
“Grandma said Uncle Sebastian was a mischievous, hell-raising rascal. She told me not to follow in his footsteps or else she’d give me a beating. She hopes I’m more like Uncle Florian. However, every time she mentions Uncle Florian and Uncle Alexander, she tears up.”
Valeria asked, “Leo, who’s Uncle Florian?”
“He’s dead. I’ve never met him, but Grandma tells me that he was a handsome man who was kidnapped when he was around my age.”
When it came to affairs of life and death, sadness would always permeate the conversation. However, Leo didn’t have that sentiment. He’d never met Florian. Everything he knew was from what Martha told him.
Leo let slip the secrets of the prestigious Grant family. Before long, Leo stopped talking about
it and wandered off to watch some cartoons.
Valeria stared at the ground. She’d seen Sebastian in his moments of devastation. They had just started their first year of university.
