Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria)

Chapter 234

The memories Alaric brought up were all intimate moments he had shared with

Victoria. Her lashes subtly fluttered, and her crimson lips moved. In the end, she

stared at him before saying, “Alaric, you’re utterly shameless.”

He already has Claudia, yet he still wants to entangle himself with me. Who does he

think he is? It’s truly laughable. Hasn’t he hurt me enough five years ago?

“Shameless?” He approached closer with each step, cornering her. As she

attempted to flee, he extended his arm and firmly pressed his hand against the wall,

blocking her path. With pursed lips, he uttered, “You did not say that when you were

in bed with me.”

Slap!

Unable to control herself, she struck him across the cheek.

Caught off guard by her sudden slap, he was taken aback as his head turned to the

side. In response to her action, he swiftly caught hold of her wrist, leaning in and Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

attempting to kiss her.

Slap!

Victoria slapped him again in her haste. “Alaric, you’ve crossed the line! The things

you brought up are all in the past! We’ve been divorced for five years!”

Some of her words struck a nerve with Alaric and caused his movements to halt. He

stared at her from an extremely close distance, panting heavily. Five years… It’s

been five years already, and I thought my entire life had come to an end.

As he stood there, unmoving and panting, she confirmed that he had stopped his

actions. Seizing the opportunity, she pushed him away and turned to leave.

“Victoria, you’re just going to walk away like this? You sure are heartless.”

She sneered inwardly. Who is the heartless one here? He was the one who didn’t

want the children and initiated the divorce at the Civil Affairs Bureau. And now, he

dares to accuse me of being heartless?

“You don’t care about anything? Not even Grandma?” When she heard him mention

Griselda, her footsteps momentarily paused. Grandma, I do miss her, but…

They had divorced, and if she were to visit Griselda now…

“She misses you,” Alaric added.

Those few words nearly crumbled Victoria’s defense, but she managed to control

herself at that critical moment. While Griselda was indeed Victoria’s soft spot, it was

not a reason for him to manipulate her.

To ensure that he would not utter such words to her again in the future, she could

only speak harshly at that moment, “And what about it?” She turned her head and

looked at him with red eyes. “Since I divorced you, she’s no longer my family. She’s

yours, so take care of her yourself.”

Hearing her words, Alaric stood frozen in place. It seemed he had not anticipated

that she would go as far as ignoring Griselda. After a moment, he finally tugged at

his lips, his eyes filled with mockery. “Is that so? In that case, I’ll deliver your words,

so she’ll forget about you.”

As the words fell, Victoria felt an intense pain in her heart. She did not want to admit

that Griselda was no longer her family either because Griselda held a special place

in her heart. Still, harsh words had been spoken and could not be retracted. Even if

they were, it would not change the situation.

She nearly bit her lip until it bled. In the end, she stated, “Suit yourself.”

Leaving those words behind, she promptly left. As she took the same elevator and

exited it, she encountered Jordan, who had just returned from outside. Noticing the

slight redness in her eyes, he was taken aback and quickly approached to stop her.

“Miss Selwyn? What happened?”

Damn it. I only agreed to lend my place and space to Alaric. He wouldn’t have made

her cry, would he?

As he looked into the woman’s teary eyes, Jordan was in deep regret and felt like a

complete idiot. Despite his intention to approach her cautiously and inquire about

her well–being, Victoria simply brushed past him and walked away without intending

to engage in conversation.

He stood motionlessly, unable to shake off the image of her cold eyes with

suppressed tears; guilt was the only thing left in his heart. Just as he was about to

catch up to her, she stopped and turned around to approach him. “Mr. Floyd.”

Jordan replied, “Yes?”

“You have no intention to invest in my company at all, don’t you?”

“What?” He was taken aback. “I–Invest in your company? Did you start a company?

Wait, you mean that’s what you wanted to discuss when you mentioned work?”

As she heard his response, a hint of doubt appeared in the corner of her eyes. “What

else could it be?”

“I thought you had come to your senses and finally agreed to work at my company,

and it was that beast, Alaric, who didn’t want it and came to stop you.”

She was speechless by Jordan’s presumption. So, that’s how it is. He’s unaware as

well. It appears that Alaric has conducted his investigation, but how did he discover

it? For now, it looks like he only knows about my intention to seek investment from

Jordan. Is it merely a coincidence, or…

“Miss Selwyn, you started a company? Where is it?” Jordan asked with interest.

Hearing his question, she snapped back to reality and shook her head. “It doesn’t

matter anymore.”

“Why? Didn’t you just say you’d like my investment?”

“Yes, but are you willing to offend Alaric for the sake of our company’s investment?”

He fell silent instantly and pursed his lips. Although Alaric and I seem to have a

good relationship at the moment, I’m certain that if I entertain any thoughts of

coveting his woman, he will immediately turn against me.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Victoria did not trouble him further and nodded briefly

before leaving. After exiting Villower Group, she walked out into the sunlight. It was

not until she boarded the subway and found a seat that she wearily closed her eyes.

In her mind, Alaric’s words echoed.

“You don’t care about anything? Not even Grandma?”

“She misses you.”

“Is that so? In that case, I’ll deliver your words, so she’ll forget about you.”

At that, she abruptly opened her eyes, and her breathing became erratic. She urged herself to stop

dwelling on it, knowing that her sanity would shatter if she allowed

those thoughts to persist.

Without a shred of doubt, she was certain Griselda missed her. Throughout her years abroad, Victoria

entertained the idea of secretly returning to see her, even if it

was just for a glance.

However, whenever she recalled their divorce, she knew her return would only lead to more

complications. She also feared that her children would be exposed. In the end, she could only

ruthlessly suppress her longing. That led to her disconnection

with Griselda all these years.

I wonder how she’s doing now Is she leading a good life? After five years, how

much of her white hair has proved the scars of time? If she were to see me would

she still be willing to acknowledge me? Or perhaps, she blames me now for not

saying goodbye when I left. She must ve resented me, so how could she miss me?

Beads of tears rolled down her cheeks and slipped into her collar. Victoria raised her

hand and gently wiped them away, acting as if nothing had happened.