Kneeling for a Second Chance Novel

---- Chapter 378 Valeria was sitting straight on the couch, an air of quiet strength about her. "Ts that all you wanted to say to me after getting me here?" she asked. Wendy's words didn't hurt Valeria. Valeria had always liked her original name, after all. She wasn't going to drown in sorrow because of some mean things Wendy said, because she no longer viewed Wendy as her mother. The ramblings of a madwoman couldn't wound Valeria in any way. "What exactly is your goal here? Does Sebastian know you're trying to seduce Alexander behind his back?

Is this your idea of taking revenge against me all because I abandoned you all those years ago? I didn't expect you'd become such a shameless young woman under Margaret's care," Wendy hissed. "T have no idea what you're talking about," Valeria replied. Seducing Alexander? What a joke. "You should see a neurologist if your mind's gone haywired." Valeria turned to leave, feeling like she was wasting her time here, Wendy had utterly lost her mind. But Wendy swiftly grabbed Valeria's hand, nails sinking into her skin.

Valeria winced in pain and flung Wendy's hand away, ---- but stopped in surprise when she saw the picture on Wendy's phone. "Still trying to lie, are you? I'll send this photo to Sebastian so he can see just what kind of woman he'd tried so hard to win over-someone who'd try and seduce his own brother! I'll show it to Martha and Nicholas too so they can see what kind of a woman their beloved daughter -in-law is!" Wendy cried. "Did you see me seduce Alexander with your own eyes? Are you really just basing it off of a random photo?

If I were you, I'd be looking into the sender of this image and what their intentions were when they sent this to you. "Here you are accusing me of seducing Alexander, but the real question is-do you have so little trust in him?" Valeria retorted. Wendy was stunned by Valeria's words. Her manic fury came to a brief halt due to the sudden shock, and a sliver of reason returned. Wendy admitted that she'd been blinded by rage when she saw the photo in her inbox. "I... Of course I trust Alexander . He would never betray me. We've loved one another since university.

But clearly someone was trying to seduce him Wendy's stammering tone soon grew firm again as she returned to blaming Valeria for everything. She was accusing Valeria of trying to seduce Alexander and ruin their marriage, of taking everything dear to Wendy away from her. "Feel free to send the photo to Sebastian. I'm sure anyone ---- with a functioning brain can tell that there was forced perspective in the photo. Only idiots like you would believe otherwise," Valeria retorted. "You-" Wendy ground her teeth angrily. "Oh? Why aren't you sending it to Sebastian then?

I trust my husband, and he trusts me in turn. Say, why don't I ask Martha to come over and look at the photo? "The Young family is here tonight too, so let's have them take a look as well. Anyone else would simply brush off a photo like this with forced perspective. "T respect Alexander as an elder, nothing more. Yet you accuse my act of helping him walk down the gazebo stairs as seduction." Valeria had wanted to leave and ignore Wendy entirely .

But now, she took a step forward and said, "You're very, very different from that beautiful, resilient, and loving wildcat Alexander described you to be." Wendy was stunned. "W-What did he tell you?" "Don't you want to know who it was that anonymously emailed you that photo?" Based on the angle of the taken photo, Valeria deduced that Gabriella and Lucas were the only possible culprits -besides the house staff, that is. Valeria had seen Gabriella not far away earlier when Valeria was helping Alexander walk. Gabriella had already been ---- wearing the hand-tailored dress Wendy made for her.

"Who is it?" Wendy glared at Valeria. "Who is it you're trying to shift the blame to, hm?" Just then, the sound ofa lighter clicking to life rang out in the room. Valeria turned around to see a man wearing a pure white suit leaning against the doorway. Lucas had been the only person today who'd worn a white suit. He walked inside, snapping his fingers as he did. "Sorry for the intrusion , Mom, Aunt Valeria. I was just passing by and happened to light a cigarette." His gentle smile paired with his roguish features created quite a disingenuous impression.

"Luke." Wendy smiled, her demeanor immediately turning calm and composed . She even shot Valeria a warning, glance. "I won't disturb your conversation any longer." Lucas smiled and turned to leave. He seemed to recall something all of a sudden and turned around to say, "Aunt Valeria, you dropped your bracelet earlier today when you helped my father stand up due to his weak knees. Gabriella and I happened to walk by just then. I've since put the bracelet in Uncle Sebastian's study on the third floor." Valeria looked at Lucas in surprise, puzzled as to why he was helping her.

---- With a polite smile, she said, "I see. Thank you." Wendy's expression froze. "Oh, so you were there with... Gabriella earlier, Luke?"