Kneeling for a Second Chance Novel

---- Chapter 266 During the New Year, Valeria ran into Kayla. She had taken Margaret and Selena to visit Caelum District in Broburgh City, where Margaret had grown up. At the bustling farmers' market, Valeria spotted Kayla standing in front of a breakfast shop, wrapped in a blinding pink faux-fur coat and wearing sunglasses at 8:00 am. She looked like a giant flamingo. With her studious look, the outfit looked even more ridiculous. She looked like she had just come from the station, dragging a suitcase in one hand and carrying a Chanel bag in the other.

The whole outfit was a complete mismatch. At that moment, she was standing at a crowded breakfast shop, telling the boss, "Extra hot sauce, please. Don't hold back." The boss gave her a look. Then, they scooped out a spoonful of bright red hot sauce, muttering that they made it themselves and it was especially tasty. The diner was packed, and Valeria was still waiting in line. She overheard the woman behind the counter exclaim in the local dialect that Kayla was being wasteful, piling on so many condiments just for herself. Kayla sat there alone, hogging an entire table.

Dressed like ---- she was about to walk a runway, she stood out from the crowd more than anyone else. She tossed her pricey Chanel bag onto the table like it was nothing, sunglasses still on, and flicked at her ear. "Natalie, you're so stingy. Customers are supposed to be treated like royalty. What's a little hot sauce and pickles? Don't tell me that's too much to spare." The vendor, Natalie Mason, froze, staring at Kayla in the flashy pink coat. "Kayla? You're back?" She quickly called over to the middle-aged man flipping pancakes and said, "Honey, come here.

Kayla's back!" From a few steps away in line, Valeria watched as what had looked like a showdown between a "difficult customer" and a "stingy boss" suddenly turned into a tearful reunion between mother and daughter. Valeria carried a bag with three pancakes and toasts. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should say hello to Kayla. However, Kayla had already spotted her. "Hey, Valeria. Long time no see!" The breakfast shop buzzed with the morning crowd. Valeria took the seat across from Kayla, watching her. Before she could even get a word out, Kayla spoke first.

"I quit my job and decided to come back to Broburgh City and start over. What about you? Where are you working now?" Valeria told her she wasn't working at the moment. She still ---- had some clients who reached out for small-time freelance projects , but most of her time was spent with Margaret and Selena. Kayla nodded, grabbed the hot sauce from the table, and spooned a few helpings onto her plate. "Nobody wants to be stuck working for other people forever .

Before I resigned , I stopped by Gonni's factory , and some of their new samples looked like they could've been your designs." She added, "Why keep designing for other people? We could build our own brand." The breakfast place was packed, the place buzzing with chatter and clattering dishes. Kayla looked at Valeria and said, "Why don't we partner up?" Natalie came out with a sizzling plate of bacon and eggs. When she found out Valeria was Kayla's friend, she even packed an extra box of hash browns for Valeria. Kayla laughed , grumbling that no one had such a heavy breakfast .

She had just gotten off a plane, traveled by train from the Broburgh City Airport for 30 minutes, then grabbed a cab straight to the breakfast shop. Exhausted, she told Natalie to pack the bacon and eggs for Valeria to take home instead. Valeria and Kayla hit it off right away. After New Year's, they moved to Soltia, a coastal hub. They rented a tiny office in Soltia -a cramped space on the 33rd floor of a high-rise. The space was barely two thousand square feet.

---- It was just the two of them, a handful of old desks pulled together, and the plastic floor covering from the renovation still taped down. By midnight, a pile of empty beer cans cluttered the desks. Kayla, a little tipsy, slipped an arm around Valeria's shoulder. Inher heels, she stood about the same height. She cracked open two fresh beers, handing one over. "Alright . Let's give our brand a name," Kayla said, already tipsy. Valeria gazed out at the starry night sky and suggested, " What about Etoile?" The name lingered , shining and brilliant , like the night sky itself.

Kayla followed her gaze, her eyes a little hazy. With her arm slung loosely over Valeria's shoulder, she finished the last of her beer and whispered, "Today is a big day for me." It was no different for Valeria. It was also a big day for her. They were finally moving forward, stepping into a new chapter. With the moonlight spilling across her face, Kayla pressed her palms against the glass. For a long moment, she stared at the sky, then, as ifa decision had finally cleared her head, she unlocked her phone and blocked Nathan.