Chapter 73
The moment they recognized Edward's identity, the few men instantly fell silent. They exchanged glances, stunned into speechlessness.
Edward let out a cold snort, reached out his hand, frowned slightly, hesitated for only two seconds, and then directly lifted her into his arms.
She was too light. His fingers moved slightly in discomfort. Holding Victoria, who was limp like a noodle, he headed straight upstairs.
There happened to be a resting room set aside for him here.
On the way up, he coincidentally ran into Chase, who had come looking.
"Mr. Windsor, what's going on with Ms. Spencer?"
"Call the doctor."
Edward lifted his chin and gestured toward the resting room beside them, speaking concisely. "She was drugged."
Drugged?
'Could Ms. Spencer be like this because she had been given something?'
Chase reacted quickly, hurriedly took out his phone, and followed Edward into the room.
Edward's brows remained tightly furrowed.
The soft warmth in his arms made him inexplicably irritable.
Victoria only felt hot.
There was not a single part of her body that wasn't burning, not a single part that felt comfortable.
Only when she touched Edward did that heat ease a little.
Under the strong effects of the drug, she had long lost consciousness. All she knew was to keep moving toward the only source of coolness, trying to make herself feel even a little better.
But obviously, this would make Edward rather uncomfortable.
The handsome man stood in place. The woman in his arms twisted like a water snake, yet this did not kindle even a trace of pity in him.
No, if this continued, things would get troublesome.
Chase had just finished his call and was about to look up to check the situation.
Wait. Was there something wrong with his eyes?
Or had he simply not slept well yesterday?
Because he seemed to see Edward carrying Victoria into the bathroom and then directly throwing her into the bathtub.
From his angle, he could clearly see that Edward turned on the cold-water faucet.
Chase opened his mouth, then silently closed it again.
Edward definitely had his own reasons.
It was better if he didn't speak.
The cold water effectively soothed the burning in her body. Victoria instantly quieted down, as though she had fallen asleep.
But it lasted only a moment.
The cold water was warmed by her body temperature and no longer had any soothing effect.
When Paxton opened the door and came in, this was the strange scene he saw.
"Edward, do you really not know how to cherish a woman?"
He raised a brow and clicked his tongue. "Even if you don't like her, you shouldn't just dump her in cold water, right? This isn't good for her body."
He spoke while shaking his head, looking a little irritating.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Edward lifted his gaze coldly. "She doesn't even have consciousness. If I took advantage of her, that wouldn't be cherishing her."
He stood up from the chair. The hem of his clothing had long been soaked, darkened by the water.
Only now did Paxton notice that his sleeve had been tightly grabbed by the woman in the bathtub.
Was this still the Edward he knew?
It was like someone else pretending to be him.
His expression grew even stranger. In his eyes, when he looked at Victoria, there was more curiosity and an inexplicable hint of admiration.
When Edward saw his gaze, he felt as if a stone jabbed at his heart, an unpleasant feeling.
He shifted his steps and quietly blocked the scene behind him, revealing nothing.
“Alright.” Paxton took out the medical kit and quickly began mixing medicine. He spoke casually on purpose, “That little girl we were talking about just now… have you had any new thoughts about her? After all, she looks so similar to you. Normally, people would mistake her for your child."
His eyes blinked rapidly, a sign of guilt.
That little girl, he had seen her several times at the hospital. She looked far too much like Edward. His suspicion of the report had originally been only four out of ten. After seeing the child, it shot straight up to ten.
How could there be such coincidences in the world?
But he glanced at the slightly closed bathroom door, and a look of realization flashed through his eyes.
That woman earlier also looked quite similar to that little girl.
Could she be the girl's mother?
"Why are you suddenly asking about this?" Edward turned his gaze on him, with a hint of probing. "You weren't this nosy before."
Paxton's smile stiffened. Pretending to be casual, he said, "I just suddenly wondered—if that little girl really was your child, what would you do? After all, she carries the Windsor bloodline. You can't just let her wander outside, right?"
He originally thought Edward would give an answer.
But he didn't.
"You saw the test results. They're clearly written."
These were the words Victoria heard when her consciousness had just begun to clear.
That cold voice sounded at this moment especially distant and impersonal.
"The question you're asking is meaningless. Even ignoring everything else, the results already proved she isn't my daughter. Asking questions that have no outcome is meaningless."
Daughter?
Was he talking about Yara?
Victoria only now realized that she had been soaking in ice water. She forced herself to sit up. Her rusted brain took a long moment to process things.
So Edward meant that even if Yara were his daughter, he still wouldn't acknowledge her?
'But he had clearly said before, forget it.'
Someone like Edward was never someone she should have had any connection with.
Since this was how he thought, she needed to be clear‑headed too and draw a clean line sooner rather than later.
Paxton suddenly exclaimed, a teasing glint in his eyes. "The young lady who was drugged is awake. Do you want to give her the antidote?"
He pointed at the woman not far away, still unsteady on her feet and drenched from head to toe.
Victoria pressed her lips together. She hadn't expected to be discovered the moment she stepped out.
She glanced at the men in front of her, a bit surprised.
"Ms. Spencer, hello, nice to see you again." Paxton refused to let the atmosphere turn awkward. He stepped forward with a smile. "Here's the antidote I just mixed. Take it first. If your body still feels uncomfortable, remember to tell me. I'll adjust it again."
His tone was sincere, his attitude unchanged from last time.
But Victoria felt something off.
His gaze seemed to carry a hint of assessment?
What was he assessing?
Victoria had just regained a little clarity, and thinking too much made her head hurt, so she pushed the thought aside.
She offered a faint smile and thanked him. "Thank you, Mr. Brooks. I'll take it now. Sorry for troubling you to come here."
After she said this, she deliberately turned toward Edward and politely added, "Thank you, Mr. Windsor, for saving me. If there's anything I can do later, please feel free to call me. I'll follow your instructions."
At first glance, it all sounded perfectly normal.
But Edward's brows tightened, and even Chase beside him sensed something wrong.
Victoria seemed to have gone back to the distant, unfamiliar attitude from when they first met.