Chapter 81
Christian’s lips stopped less than a centimeter away from Victoria’s. Their faces were so close to each other that as he spoke, she could feel him breathing onto her face. “You reek of alcohol. Is there a man hiding in the ward?”
“No.” Victoria blinked faster than usual, and her palms were covered in cold sweat. “A female friend experienced a break-up, so she came here and had some beers.”
He stared at her for a while before smiling and releasing her. It was up in the air whether he believed her words. Still, he remained silent for some time and said, “I won’t go inside if someone is there. Go and get a chair out.”
She grumbled and was very careful not to open the door too wide when entering. But as she came out with a chair, she had no choice but to open the door wider to fit the chair through.
She kept glancing in his direction several times in a seemingly natural way and pondered whether he could see who was sleeping inside from his position. On the other hand, Christian saw her little trick, narrowed his eyes, and smiled mysteriously.
She placed the chair behind him and took a few steps back, widening the distance between them. “If there is nothing else I could do for you, I’ll return to my ward.” In her opinion, the fact that she had to breathe the same air as him was the most unbearable thing, akin to drinking arsenic.
“Sit down,” he ordered.
She furrowed her brows slightly in displeasure, but her face smoothed almost immediately afterward. “Mr. Thatcher, please sit. I can stand instead.” She did not know what he was playing at, so it was impossible for her not to feel discomfited.
He tapped the back of the chair with his fingers a few times, and his voice got even lower than before and sounded like a mild warning. “Sit down.”
“Okay.” She walked to the chair with reluctance but still did as told. Nevertheless, her back was tense, her bottom merely occupied a small portion of the chair, and her toes faced outward— practically announcing to the world that she was ready to bounce and flee at a second’s notice.
The circular incandescent lamps along the corridor were very bright but not as warm as the dim yellow dawn lights. The white lamps lit her face up, making her look even paler.
“A man who has only seen you a few times came to plead on your behalf. I must say, Victoria, that you are good.” Christian stood behind her while resting his palms on the chair’s armrests. He looked as if he was wrapping her in his arms from afar.
Victoria could not see his face, but she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck, and for some reason, she could feel a chill down her spine.
She was so stiff that it was only after a while that she realized who Christian was referring to. “Not at all. Matthew was willing to intercede, all thanks to Janice. It has nothing to do with me.”
“That girl really cares about you, huh?” He let go of the armrest, stood up, and sounded less threatening. “But I told you long ago that no one can help you.”
She clasped her hands together tightly and closed her eyes bitterly when she heard that. “Yes, you did. I don’t have any delusions of that.”
“Go back then. It’s cold outside.” He then walked toward the elevator without waiting for her response.
She watched his figure cast a shallow shadow on the ground, and her hatred started fermenting wildly in her blood. She could feel her blood vessels were about to burst, but there was nowhere she could vent her anger and resentment.
In the past, people used to be envious that she was born as a Coleman because the Colemans were influential and affluent. But she had always thought otherwise. No matter how powerful and wealthy the Colemans were, she was practically useless if Christian did not love her. She had a rude awakening as Christian’s immense power forced her to accept that death was even extravagant hope. Every day, she had to curry favor with him and struggle to live in humiliation.
Ding! The elevator arrived, and Christian walked into the elevator.
Victoria slightly raised her head and blinked before moving the chair back to the ward.
As soon as Victoria entered the ward, the smell of alcohol and disinfection penetrated her senses, bringing her back to reality.
“F*ck you, scheming b*tch…” Vincent cursed in a low voice before turning and kicking the quilt to the ground. Vincent scrunched up his face, and he was also crying and laughing hysterically.
Victoria sighed as she walked over to her brother to pick up the quilt and tucked him in before laying back on the hospital bed.
Perhaps it was the first time he drank, or maybe it was because he drank too much—he was vomiting and cursing until midnight. Anyhow, Victoria’s infusion contained hypnotic ingredients, and as she was too exhausted to care for her brother, she fell asleep shortly after laying on the hospital bed.
The weather was good that day. If one looked up, one could see the blue sky and white clouds, and if one took a deep breath, one would also inhale the refreshing autumn air.
Bella, wearing a white dress, was waiting for someone under the sycamore tree at the school. Her long black hair softly draped over her body and looked so gentle and beautiful that pa*sersby would stare at her every now and then.
On the other hand, Victoria was wearing a crop top and a pair of shorts and had limited-edition earphones hanging around her neck. She was chewing gum in her mouth and walked toward Bella utterly carefreely.
“What’s the matter?” Before Bella could answer, Victoria managed to blow a big bubble that burst, and she smiled. “I’m guessing you want to give me a birthday present but don’t want others to know what the present is?”
“Happy 18th birthday, little princess! The older you become, the more beautiful you get!” Bella laughed at Victoria’s teasing and handed her a beautifully packaged gift box.
“Huh?” Victoria took the gift box and was about to open it as she continued, “I’m already beautiful enough. If I get any prettier, everyone will start getting jealous. Better that you wish Christian and me a happy marriage and bless us with a cute kid.”
Bella’s eyes dimmed a little upon hearing that. She quickly held Victoria’s hand and said, “Don’t open the gift now. Open it at home.”
“Okay!” Victoria put the gift box under her arm and winked at Bella. “Don’t dress up too pretty tonight and steal my limelight, okay? Remember, Christian, is going to propose to me tonight!” After she finished speaking, she put on her earphones and did not wait for another moment as she left humming a song.
Bella trotted a few steps and grabbed her hand from behind. “Victoria, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?” Bella looked quite serious, so she took off her earphones, leaned against the tree, and blew another big bubble.
Bella remained silent for a bit as she bit her own lips before finally taking a deep breath and mustered up all her courage to say, “I’ve liked Chris for many years. I like him very much.”
Pop. The bubble that Victoria was blowing burst, and the gum smeared half of her face making her look a bit funny. Did Bella, my best friend, just say that she really really likes Christian?
“I wanted to keep my love for Christian in my heart forever and never tell anyone, initially. But from the moment I knew you were going to get engaged to him at your birthday banquet, I have been having trouble sleeping every night. Every second I spend on this earth is nothing but torment.” Bella’s dark circles were not very obvious, but they were enough to prove her words.
As the gift box was under Victoria’s arm, she used the other hand to clean up the gum on her face expressionlessly, but her fingers, which were trembling a little, gave her up. “Since you have decided not to tell anyone, why did you tell me?”
“My love for Chris is perhaps more than yours.” Bella looked Victoria in the eyes, pointed at her own heart, and stated, “I can no longer hide the love I have for him anymore after so many years.”
The gum was stubbornly stuck on Victoria’s face, and she had difficulty cleaning it. The white gum turned black due to oxidation, causing Victoria to look paler and more ridiculous. Eventually, she simply gave up cleaning the gum and stared at her best friend. “So, what are you trying to say?”
