Kneeling for a Second Chance (Sebastian and Valeria) novel Chapter 3

At 10:00 pm, Valeria lay on the bed and opened her long-neglected Telegram account.

There were a few messages from Luke.

Luke: "Jane, we're having a class reunion next week at Evening Breeze. The details are all in the Telegram class group. You're the only one we're waiting on. Are you coming?"

Luke: "I've messaged you a few times, but you're not replying. Jane, you can reach out to us old classmates, if you're having any difficulties in life. We'll help however we can."

Valeria opened the class group chat and saw the steady stream of messages.

She had actually considered leaving the group before, but with all 48 classmates around, her sudden departure would have stood out.

That said, she hardly ever logged into this account anymore.

Scrolling up through the messages, she found exactly what she expected. No one mentioned her at all.

Back in school, she'd been like air, but not the kind that people could ignore. Because she'd been so fat, even though she had tried so hard to make herself invisible, whispers and snickers always followed her.

Fatty, pig, tub of lard…

It didn't matter what she did; just walking past was enough to spark hushed giggles and remarks.

Valeria hadn't always been overweight. She'd been average-sized back in middle school, but after a serious illness and an overdose of steroid-based medication, her body ballooned.

Meanwhile, Sebastian's name was the one mentioned the most in the chat. He always ended up being the center of attention wherever he went.

He was always described with words like golden child, campus heartthrob, wealth, and power.

Sebastian and Valeria had always stood at opposite extremes.

Clicking on his profile photo, she noticed that it was an old picture. He probably didn't use Telegram much either.

Before she knew it, Saturday arrived.

It had been a hectic week. In the end, Garment Hall's management decided to accept the first version of the draft and signed the contract. Unsurprisingly, Sabrina's version of the draft had been rejected.

Sabrina wasn't happy about it, but L&M's co-partner, Nathan Ford, invited everyone out for a celebratory dinner.

The venue happened to be at Evening Breeze, a trendy new hotspot in the city for dining and entertainment.

Valeria felt a flicker of familiarity at the name, but there was no way for her to wiggle out of this company dinner, especially with Nathan attending.

…

At about 7:00 pm, the private room was bustling with activity. Everyone raised their glasses in celebration, and Valeria had two drinks as well.

At the same time, in a neighboring room, Sebastian had arrived late.

The room was filled with their old classmates, and they started egging him to drink the moment he stepped in.

However, that was all they dared to do. No one pushed him when he shook his head in rejection.

He explained in a calm, aloof manner that he couldn't drink in case he got called into the hospital later.

Several female classmates blushed and stealthily snapped photos with their phones.

Whether it was at high school or Stredview University, the attention had always been on Sebastian. He had the looks, brains, and a powerful family background.

Someone asked, "Do you have a girlfriend now?"

Someone else mentioned, "As a doctor, he's probably too busy to date."

"I heard you're in cardiothoracic surgery. Isn't that exhausting?" asked Yelena Quinn, the class beauty back then. Her cheeks were flushed as she looked at him shyly.

It was obvious to everyone in the room that Yelena liked him, and someone even teased her, which made her blush even more.

There happened to be an empty seat next to her.

Sebastian merely nodded and glanced at her, but he seemed not to recognize her.

The private room was spacious, with card tables and karaoke equipment.

He walked straight to a single-seater couch. He'd had a media interview earlier in the afternoon, so he was still dressed in formal business attire. Slipping out of his black suit, he draped it over the chair. His pale blue shirt only served to accentuate his features.

Leaning back, Sebastian massaged his temples with a faint weariness before he checked his watch.

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