Chapter 48
"Veda, there's something I need to tell you." After returning from the hospital, Victoria hesitated before finally approaching Veda.
She could hide the agreement with Edward for now, but not forever. It was better to explain it to Veda now and save herself a great deal of trouble than to have it discovered later.
"What's with all the mystery?" Veda asked. She was seated at the dining table, her legs crossed, fingers still flying across the keyboard of her laptop. Hearing Victoria's words, she paused and looked up. "Go on!" she said, raising a brow. "What's making you so hesitant?"
Victoria walked over and sat down opposite her, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.
"I made a deal with Edward." She took a deep breath and spoke softly, "He can help me get back full custody of Yara , and in exchange, I have to take Yara to see his parents occasionally."
In just a few sentences, she explained the entire situation.
"I see." Unexpectedly, Veda didn't get angry. She simply rested her chin on one hand and blinked. "Does this arrangement have any negative effect on you?"
Victoria shook her head. "On the contrary, he's helped me a lot."
Whether it was before or after signing the agreement, Edward's attitude toward her hadn't really changed. If anything, he had helped her from time to time.
"Well, there you have it," Veda said, waving a dismissive hand, unconcerned with the details. "If it's not hurting you, then I have no objections. But…"
She looked up, her gaze turning serious as she met Victoria's eyes. "If anything does happen, you have to tell me first, immediately. Do you hear me?"
She didn't care about the other details. But Victoria was her best friend, and she had to ensure her safety and well-being.
Victoria nodded immediately, promising with conviction, "Don't worry. If anything happens, I'll tell you right away!"
The matter seemed to be settled so easily. But on Aiden's end, the fight for Yara's custody was far from over. This time, he had told no one what he was planning.
He stood outside Yara's hospital room, staring grimly at the door., A bag containing new toys dangling from his hand.
He had deliberately chosen a time when he knew Victoria wouldn't be there.
If she wanted to back out of their deal, he would strike first and break down Yara's defenses.
As long as Yara agreed to live with him, what could Victoria possibly do? A smirk touched Aiden's lips as he straightened his collar and started walking toward the room.
"Stop!" Two bodyguards suddenly stepped forward and blocked his path. "You can't go in."
"My daughter is in there. Why can't I go in?" Aiden's brow furrowed, his expression darkening. "And who are you? If you keep blocking me, I'm calling security!"
With his plan on the verge of success, only to be stopped at the door, Aiden felt like his lungs were about to explode with rage.
Just then, a cool, indifferent voice sounded from a short distance away. "Calling security?"
The voice sounded vaguely familiar. He turned his head in its direction and saw Edward.
Standing beside him was Victoria. They weren't standing intimately close, but together, they looked like a couple.
"What are you doing here?" Victoria's tone was sharp. "If you're here to talk about the agreement, we have nothing to discuss. And I won't let you see Yara."
She didn't even have to think to guess his intentions. It was just like Aiden to show up and try to coerce or bribe Yara to win custody.
What Victoria couldn't understand was why he was suddenly so desperate to fight for custody now, when he had always looked down on Yara before. Something was not right.
"Yara is my daughter. Why can't I see her?" Aiden felt a twinge of guilt under her stare, and his voice involuntarily rose. "And you have some nerve to talk? When you needed me to find a kidney donor, you were quick enough to agree to the contract." He sneered. "The moment she's cured, you change your tune. Does Yara know her mother is this kind of person?" He conveniently forgot everything he himself had done.
Victoria let out a cold, incredulous laugh. "I'm not the one who ran off to a mistress and demanded a divorce."
Her eyes swept over him with a sneer. "Yara grew out of these toys when she was three. You claim to be her father, yet you don't even know what she likes? How pathetic."
She already despised him; she had no intention of saving him face.
People were constantly moving through the hospital corridor, and occasional strange glances landed on Aiden, the passersby clearly having overheard Victoria's words.
"I was just too busy with work to pay attention to these things. And Bianca is not a mistress!"
Aiden's face flushed, red with anger. "Besides, if it weren't for you… Why would I have wanted a divorce?"
Even now, he didn't forget to defend Bianca, his arrogant attempt to shift the blame onto her making Victoria feel sick.
"Then you can forget about it." She suddenly found the whole exchange tedious, her voice turning cold. "Since you love Bianca so much, why don't you have your own child with her? Why are you fighting your ex-wife for custody of a daughter? Or is it that you want to, but you can't?"
Whatever affection they once shared as husband and wife had long since evaporated. Victoria didn't hesitate to use the harshest words to attack Aiden's most vulnerable point. His fertility was a particularly sore subject for him.
Aiden clenched his jaw, his expression turning exceptionally ugly. But before he could speak, the man who had been silent beside them spoke up for the first time. "You will not get custody of Yara."
Edward's tone was level, a calm statement of fact delivered with absolute certainty.
Everyone nearby was a little surprised. Victoria's eyes widened slightly in confusion. 'Why would he suddenly say that? Is it because of Rhea again?'
Aiden, after his initial surprise, was deeply irritated. He scoffed, "Mr. Windsor, Yara is my daughter. This is a family matter, so why don't you stay out of it?" He had no idea when the CEO of the Windsor Group had become so concerned with his subordinates.
Edward's brow furrowed slightly, but he didn't respond.
Victoria, however, was even more exasperated by Aiden's words. "Yara is my daughter alone. She has nothing to do with you." She stated coldly. "You and Yara aren't even related by blood. You only have a legal connection because you're my ex-husband. A man like you…"
Aiden felt her gaze sweep over his lower body, followed by a cold snort, and rage surged through him. To make matters worse, Edward spoke again. "Mind your own business. Their affairs are not for you to manage." The tone was indifferent, but the bias was obvious.
Aiden's anger subsided, replaced by a nagging question that surfaced in his mind.
What exactly was the relationship between Edward and Victoria?