Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria)
Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Alaric and Victoria sat in silence on the way home. Alaric's expression was

dark. He clutched the steering wheel so tightly that one feared he would accidentally pull it out.

He was troubled by what Victoria said to him earlier. The idea that she

would leave one day never crossed his mind, but he sensed that something was brewing when she purposely brought it up.

He stole a glance at Victoria. After getting in the car, she closed her eyes

and curled up into a ball on the passenger seat, as though she wanted to

shut out the whole world.

After all these years of living together, he witnessed her hard work and her ambition to prove herself, but today, she ran into a wall,

On the way to Victoria, he heard about the incident today from Yasmin. In

the end, Yasmin was stammering and hesitating. Seeing that, he quickly

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forced her to tell him more. As Victoria's right-hand woman, Yasmin

grabbed the chance to help Victoria air her grievances. "Well, Mr. Cadogan, I hope you won't blame me for telling the truth. And don't tell Miss Victoria that it was me who told you."

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"Cut the nonsense." He frowned.

"Okay. Here we go!" She took a deep breath and said loudly over the phone, "Mr. Burke said that Miss Victoria doesn't need to work too hard because Mr. Cadogan has brought his mistress into the company. Mr. Burke also told Miss Victoria that she was going to be abandoned soon, and since the Selwyns are bankrupt, she'll be bullied by others. Mr. Cadogan will never help her anyway."

Alaric's veins were throbbing. "What did you say?"

Yasmin emphasized, "Mr. Cadogan, I didn't say that! I was just

paraphrasing!"

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He rubbed his temples and grunted. When he gathered himself, he felt a headache creeping up.

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Half an hour later, he parked the car in the underground garage of Cadogan Residence. Victoria was still curled up in a ball as she finally

opened her eyes and happened to meet Alaric's gaze.

He gestured at her to leave with his chin. "You should go up first.

Grandma's probably staying up for you." She understood what he meant

and nodded at him. "Sure, I'll greet her." Then, she unbuckled her seatbelt to get out of the car.

"Wait."

Victoria turned around with a confused look to see Alaric leaning over, surrounding her with his crisp alpine scent. His good-looking face was only

inches away, and she could see the cracks in his lips. Shocked, she widened her eyes and leaned backward.

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He paused for a moment, and his eyes turned cold when he realized what

she had done. "Why? Do you dislike me this much? Did you think I was going to kiss you?"

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Staring at his mildly enraged face, she realized that she must have misunderstood his intention. She pursed her lips and turned her face away from him. She had wanted to explain herself, but any explanation seemed unnecessary at this point. She gave up and asked, "Why did you suddenly come closer to me?"

He scoffed but didn't answer. Instead, he went back to his seat with a long face. "You should go. Don't forget to get rid of the smell of alcohol before

you meet Grandma."

She finally understood his action just now. He was checking if she smelled like alcohol. She wanted to say something to diffuse the awkwardness, but in the end, she left without a word.

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Silence returned to the car after Victoria got out. He pulled out the car key, got out of the car as well, and leaned against it while using his phone. He said coldly to someone, "Look into the recent acquisitions for me.' Since Victoria did not drink, she only needed to change out from the outfit that stank of alcohol from the bar. After that, she washed her face and greeted Griselda. The old lady had not gone to bed-she sighed in relief

when she saw Victoria safe and sound.

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"You're safe. Everything's good." Griselda patted Victoria's hand and advised her earnestly, "I don't even know if I will survive the surgery. I might

not have a chance to see you again if the surgery fails. I don't wish for much, except for the health and safety of my children and grandchildren at this age."

Victoria's expression changed. "Grandma, what are you talking about? The surgery will be á success, and you'll be with us for a long time! Don't say

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that again or you'll make me angry!"

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Sensing Victoria's change in expression and tone, Griselda chuckled. "I

know you care about me. Alright, alright. I'll try my best to survive." Next,

she poked Victoria's puffed cheeks and muttered, "I'll let you in on a secret,

girl."

"Secret? What's it about?" Victoria looked curious.

"When Alaric heard that something had happened to you, he rushed out

without changing. He didn't even put on a jacket on this chilly day."

Victoria was taken aback by Griselda putting in a good word for her grandson. She had probably noticed that something was amiss between

them.

Victoria was right because before she could reply, Griselda asked her, "Are you both still not over the argument last time?"

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Victoria didn't want to talk badly about Alaric, so she pursed her lips and

said in a hushed voice, "No. This is a new argument."

"Huh?"

She bit her lower lip and said helplessly, "It was an argument about work

We have different opinions, so..." This was the best excuse she could offer

to convince Griselda.

However, Griselda didn't believe Victoria. "Is it only an argument about

work?"

Victoria stared at her with doubt. Griselda chuckled. "Does it have nothing

to do with that woman, Claudia Johnson?"

Victoria tried not to expose her emotions, but her eyes gave her away.

"Grandma, you..."