---- Chapter 374 Valeria thought to make use of her free time as well as learn how to play chess. She figured Sebastian hadn't come back yet, so she took up a chess piece. Valeria had thought that Alexander was purposely avoiding the topic earlier. After all, Valeria had been grumbling about Wendy, Alexander's wife. Who would have known he'd end up responding to Valeria? It seemed like he'd returned to normal. "Wendy has always been like that. She was a wildcat when she was young -beautiful but fiery. She had many admirers in uni. "Were you one of them?" Valeria asked. "We dated during university , but my parents frowned upon our relationship. My father was especially against it. You might think Nicholas is a very pleasant man now, but he was like a warlord in the business world when he was younger. "Nicholas hoped I'd have a marriage of convenience with a woman from an influential family. He paid Wendy's parents one million dollars in order to separate us. I..." Alexander sighed and continued saying, "I was just an adopted child in this family, so I hadn't been determined ---- enough with my choices back then." Alexander had been adopted by the Grant family when he was 12. He lived a luxurious life, but owed it all to the Grants. Alexander was a gentle and kind man. When he took over the company from Nicholas, Alexander used an entirely different modus operandi to run it. But this trait of his also became his weakness. He ended up being too hesitant and considerate before taking action. "So I split up with Wendy. I've always regretted not having the courage to continue being in that relationship . The year after we ended things, I got word that she'd gotten married and was pregnant. "Melvin had struck Wendy after they got into an argument . She then wounded Melvin with a pair of scissors and slit his wrists. She called me afterward and asked to borrow some money. "Wendy was a beautiful, wild-spirited woman. She could wear a plain cotton dress and still look stunning. She always looked so resilient and undefeatable. You're very like her in that way. No wonder Alexander had thought Valeria looked familiar when he first saw her at the book shop. Alexander had figured that maybe it was just fate that made their paths cross. But now, he felt it was likely due to her ---- being Wendy's daughter. Wendy hadn't been able to get pregnant after giving birth to Valeria. She'd tried countless times, but none of them had succeeded. What loving couple wouldn't have wanted a child of their own? So Wendy's hatred continued to grow each day. She'd seethe in rage whenever this matter was brought up. She seemed to transform into an entirely different person when that happened. Alexander both understood where Wendy was coming from, as well as Valeria's stance. He felt regret too. "Time heals all wounds. Now that you're with Sebastian, you're bound to bump into Wendy more. I'll bring her out traveling soon though, so she can have a change of scenery and enjoy herself." Alexander wanted to lessen the frequencies of Valeria's uncomfortable encounters with Wendy too. "Don't you blame me?" Valeria asked. This was the first time she'd heard of Wendy and Alexander's past. "If it weren't for me, you two would've had a baby of your own. If hadn't married Sebastian, your family's relationship with one another would still be good." Alexander seemed to sigh as he stared at the chessboard. "If we really need to find someone to blame, then that person ---- would be me. I was too much of a coward in my youth." Why did Valeria have to be the one to suffer from the mistakes Alexander had made? To him, Valeria was just an innocent child who had unfortunately been caught in the crossfire. "T'll need to talk to Wendy about your relationship with her and about keeping it a secret. Sebastian has talked to me about this before. "Though I'm technically his older brother, age-wise I'm more of an elder in this family. I watched Sebastian grow up myself. It's my wish that the both of you live a happy life," Alexander said. Alexander's words slowly calmed the turmoil in Valeria's heart. She paid attention to the chess game, learning how to play as Alexander guided her. Time flew by quickly. Alexander glanced at the time before standing up. He felt a little dizzy and wasn't sure why. Was it because he'd been sitting too long, or because he'd been so busy with Gabriella's wedding preparations the past few days? Regardless , Alexander had lost a lot of strength and energy ever since he recovered from his illness. Valeria helped him stand up. ---- She found herself unable to see Alexander as her brother -in- law. In fact, she saw him more as a father figure in this family.