Kneeling for a Second Chance Novel

---- Chapter 366 Sebastian walked over. He took Valeria's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Go on inside. Go keep your grandmother company." Valeria wanted to say something, but he gave it another squeeze. She nodded, stopping briefly as she walked past Wendy. Once Valeria was gone, the warmth drained from Sebastian's eyes. His gaze went flat and cold as he looked at Wendy. A shiver of unease ran through Wendy, but she quickly straightened up. She might have been Sebastian's sister -in- law, yet because of her age, she had always seen herself as his elder.

"Sebastian, you don't want your parents finding out about me and Jane, do you?" "Don't get so familiar. Even my wife doesn't talk to me with that tone." Sebastian blew out a stream of smoke, flicked his cigarette onto the stone path, and crushed it under his heel. His voice was low and rough, his mouth twisting into a cold smile as he questioned , "And if they did know, so what? You think you can leverage that to threaten me?" "T took Martha for her body check-up some time ago and ---- picked up some medicine for her. Lately , she's been having palpitations.

I wonder what would happen if she suddenly heard this news. It might be too much of a shock." Wendy meant it as a threat. It wasn't as if she had no affection for Martha. She had spent 30 years in the same household, looking after Martha with care. But lately, resentment had been building. Alexander's kidneys had failed, forcing him to step down from Grant Group to recover. He had spent over two decades building Grant Group, only to step down and see Sebastian take over. To outsiders, the Grant Family looked harmonious, but in reality, resentments had been simmering for some time.

After all, Alexander was adopted. And now Sebastian had married the daughter Wendy had with Melvin. To Wendy, Valeria was the greatest shame of her life, amistake she could never erase. She had nearly smothered the baby at birth, but the sound of her first cry made her stop. Now, with Sebastian taking over Grant Group, Jane had risen toa place within the Grant family that Wendy could never accept. And what did that make her? So what had all her years of sacrifice been for? Sebastian's gaze turned cold, his lips twisting into a cruel smile.

"Since you're so worried about Mom, why don't you ---- and Alexander do the family a favor and get divorced? I'll even make sure the media covers it, so everyone can see just how selfless you are." "What? You want me to divorce Alexander ?" Wendy's body shook with fury. "You-" "Well, if you can't manage it, I'll be glad to take care of it for you," Sebastian said. The chill in his stare made her skin crawl. Wendy knew he could follow through on every word he said. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself before saying, "Sebastian, don't you get it?

Valeria only married you to get back at me. She doesn't love you. This marriage is nothing but revenge. "You've been fooled and used. She has always known I'm her real mother. If this scandal gets out, the media will tear it apart, and Grant Group's stock will take the hit. This is for your parents' sake. They're old now, and they don't deserve to go through something so humiliating." "Valeria is using me? To get back at you?" Sebastian's voice was calm, almost flat. There wasn't the slightest flicker of surprise in his eyes. If anything, his smile only deepened.

"So I was worth something to her after all. What a shame you kept that little detail from me until now." "You're out of your mind." Wendy's lips trembled. She found him unbelievable. ---- "She's using you. You should divorce her. She doesn't love you. All she wants is revenge on me and Gabriella. She has been married before and already has a nine-year-old kid, and you would actually take on a woman like that?

"The Grant family has carried its reputation for over a century , and you're the one dragging it through the mud!" Her words tumbled out ina frenzy, her whole body shaking as her self-control unraveled. She couldn't understand what Sebastian saw in Valeria. There were so many wealthy heiresses in Slate City, yet even Martha was blind enough to favor Valeria. Even Nicholas , known for being stern and old-fashioned , had approved the marriage . Back then, Wendy had been forced to break up with Alexander because the Grant family wouldn't accept her.

So what had all her years of suffering been for? The last trace of a smile vanished from Sebastian's face. His gaze darkened, his voice cutting cold. "Wendy, watch what you're saying. Keep running your mouth, and you won't be talking again. Speaking of a used-up woman, you should take a look in the mirror." Sebastian took a step forward, leaning down slightly as he said, "Starting tomorrow, every company under Grant Group will cut ties with ZeroMuses. Any projects already in motion will be canceled." ---- "What are you trying to do?

I still own three percent of Grant Group, and Alexander is your brother!" Wendy snapped. In the kitchen, Margaret was cooking when Valeria walked in to help. From the window over the sink, Margaret glanced outside , catching a view from another angle. "Riri, your mother called this morning. She said she'd be stopping by today. We'll all have lunch together." Valeria frowned, seeing the flicker in Margaret's eyes. She let out a quiet sigh. Now that she was a mother herself, she could understand the bond a mother felt for her daughter.