Chapter 273

Chapter 273

It was no exaggeration—the moment Victoria heard those words, all her sadness vanished, replaced by a bone-chilling terror, as if she'd seen a ghost!

How could Amelia know she'd just met with Zephyr? Had her relationship with Zephyr been exposed? Did Amelia also know about Orion's parentage?

A flood of questions raced through Victoria's mind, preventing her from immediately coming up with a reasonable explanation.

Fortunately, Amelia had no intention of interrogating her over the phone. She simply dropped one cold line: "Don't bother coming to the airport. Just wait for me at home!"

Victoria's anxiety spiked instantly. Her first instinct was to rush back and consult with Zephyr about what to do.

She took two steps toward the hospital, alerting the security guards who hadn't left yet. Four tall, burly men immediately stopped and turned to watch her warily.

Zephyr's vicious attitude flashed through Victoria's mind. If she went back now to beg for his help, wouldn't that make her look pathetic?

But quickly, Victoria gave a self-mocking smile.

The power in this relationship was no longer in her hands. Even if she swallowed her pride, what difference would it make? She'd only be making herself a laughingstock.

With that thought, Victoria turned and left without looking back.

Forty minutes later, she appeared before Amelia with her swollen face, which at least somewhat dampened Amelia's fury.

"What happened to your face? Who hit you?"

When Victoria heard this, she realized Amelia still cared about her. That meant she at least didn't know about Orion's parentage—otherwise, she wouldn't be this polite.

With that understanding, Victoria relaxed considerably and began her performance. "Zephyr did it."

Hearing another man's name from Victoria's lips grated on Amelia's nerves as a mother-in-law. She immediately withdrew her concern and shifted into interrogation mode. "Why?"

Victoria understood. Amelia wasn't just asking why Zephyr had slapped her—she wanted to know why Victoria had gone to see him at all.

Victoria had been thinking up excuses the entire drive home. Now she had something that sounded reasonably plausible.

"Zephyr told me he had information about Robert."

At those words, Amelia straightened up immediately. "Really? Where is Robert?"

Rationally, Amelia knew that someone who'd been missing for five years was likely dead. But hope still flickered in her heart. After all, the people she'd sent out had never found Robert's body. Perhaps her son was still alive somewhere, surviving in some corner due to unforeseen circumstances.

Whenever there was even a chance of news about Robert, Amelia's hope ignited instantly.

Victoria had seized on exactly this psychology. With a mixture of grief and rage, she said, "Zephyr lied to me! He doesn't know where Robert is at all—he was just toying with me! I couldn't swallow that insult, so I fought back, and then... and then... sob..."

Though she didn't say it explicitly, Amelia understood. Zephyr wouldn't let a woman hit him without retaliating.

Everything seemed to make perfect sense. Only news of Robert could make Victoria skip the airport pickup to meet Zephyr. Being filled with hope only to be played for a fool—given Victoria's temperament, lashing out physically was normal.

Yet deep down, Amelia still felt something was off.

After a moment of silence, she fixed Victoria with an icy stare. "You told Zephyr about Robert's disappearance?"

Victoria's heart leaped into her throat. How could she have forgotten such a crucial detail?

But she quickly regained her composure and played dumb. "Mom, I swear I didn't! This is the Howard family's biggest secret. Even my own parents don't know. How could I possibly tell Zephyr? Mom, you have to believe me!"

Watching her disheveled daughter-in-law, tears and snot streaming down her face, Amelia wavered.

Though she looked down on Victoria's character and intelligence, Amelia had to admit one thing: after marriage, Victoria had known her place. She rarely returned to the Brown family and treated the Howard family as her own home—exactly the standard of a dutiful daughter-in-law.

As for that Zephyr, he harbored an almost obsessive hostility toward Robert. More than once, he'd asked Amelia for permission to visit Robert in the hospital. From her initial polite refusals to increasingly blunt rejections, he'd persisted relentlessly in wanting to see Robert.

Perhaps Zephyr really had put in the effort to dig up information on his own?

Victoria's crying continued. Amelia grew irritated and simply told her to go to her room. "Get some rest. I'm not blaming you—I just needed to understand what happened. Is your face okay? If it's serious, you should see a doctor."

Amelia offered a few words of concern, though her tone remained cold. Still, Victoria knew she'd passed this test.

She shook her head obediently and said softly, "Thank you for your concern, Mom. I'm not that fragile—I can handle a slap! It's just... I was so stupid, accidentally exposing this to Zephyr. What should we do now?"

This was another headache for Amelia.

But the problem was manageable. Even if Zephyr guessed that Robert wasn't seriously ill but missing, so what? He had no proof. If this young man dared to expose this matter rashly, Amelia would make sure he learned what "old ginger is spicier" truly meant!

"I'll handle it. Go to your room! Heal that face quickly. We have the meeting at the estate soon, and it wouldn't look good if your father and second uncle saw you like this."

Victoria nodded and turned to head upstairs.

After a few steps, she remembered Sophia and hesitated about whether to tell Amelia.

Logically, that bitch was now living in Emerald City and had become the director of the Stuart Group's Emerald City branch. A meeting with Amelia was inevitable, whether Victoria mentioned it or not.

But on second thought, Sophia had completely changed. Her behavior and thinking were unpredictable now—she was a difficult opponent. Plus, she had those twins whose parentage could very well be a ticking time bomb!

Perhaps telling Amelia in advance would give Victoria a strategic advantage.

Amelia noticed Victoria had stopped mid-step. "Is there something else?"

Victoria turned around and asked tentatively, "Mom, do you know that one of the companies in the second round of bidding for the Harbor Village project is a Stuart Group branch?"

Amelia had thought Victoria had something important to say. Disappointed it was just this, her tone took on an impatient edge. "I know. The Stuart Group has some influence overseas, but the domestic market isn't heavily affected by foreign companies anymore. Don't worry about any complications."