Chapter 155
Hotel, Presidential Suite.
Martin didn't sleep well at all.
As soon as he fell asleep, he had a nightmare about something happening to Victoria, then woke up startled.
He checked his watch, only 8:40.
From last night until now, he'd only slept two hours.
After sitting up from the couch, Martin washed up, then drank a glass of water and smoked a cigarette.
He had packed today's activities pretty full.
Victoria loved taking photos. Back then, when she took pictures, she kept telling him how skilled that photographer was, which is why the photos turned out so beautiful.
No filters needed at all.
Martin never told her the truth. The real reason was that Victoria had clean, bright features.
Beautiful people look good even wearing a potato sack.
Ugly people, no matter how they dress up, it's pointless.
But Martin didn't tell Victoria this, because back then his heart was full of struggle and conflict.
The thought of being deeply loved by his enemy's daughter suffocated him!
So he rarely praised her looks, instead giving all the credit to the photographer.
This time, he specifically had Brian contact that photographer to serve only Victoria today.
Even the outfit was the same one from before.
Victoria loved the snacks at Rainbow Town. Although back then he hated her, he remembered everything she loved to eat.
Everything they'd done before, all the snacks she'd eaten. Today it was all just for Victoria.
He wondered what Victoria's reaction would be when she saw this.
Would she understand his good intentions?
Would she adjust her mood and have the baby without making a fuss?
Martin smoked, his mind wandering.
He actually looked down on himself, too. He thought he had clear-cut feelings of love and hate, but without realizing it, he'd lost his heart!
Given his personality, how could what Hayden did to his parents just end with Hayden in a car accident, paralyzed in bed, and driver Sean in prison?
When he learned about Hayden's accident, he acted very cold-hearted.
Even when Aria called him, he showed no mercy.
He deliberately said cruel things, but those words. Weren't they just for Victoria to hear?
Weren't they also for himself to hear?
He didn't want Victoria appearing before him because seeing her made him soft! Made him unable to truly take revenge!
But she just had to show up at his door, wanting to make a deal with him, wanting to kiss him, wanting to seduce him.
Now look what happened. While torturing her, he tortured himself too. Martin had to admit he'd lost his heart.
In this relationship, he'd always been in the position of power; Victoria had no say at all.
But now it was reversed!
She was affecting his emotions more and more!
Martin never used to smoke, but ever since Hayden's car accident, he'd become addicted.
The phone rang.
Picking up his phone from the table, Martin answered unhurriedly.
The front desk's voice came through, "Mr. Collins, do you need breakfast delivered to your room?"
"No need. I'll make it myself."
Martin said hoarsely.
He hung up.
He knew Victoria pretty well. She was very picky.
Especially about food.
You could say she liked him mostly because he was a good cook.
Also, he was a bodyguard with a great body and good looks, which made her devoted to him.
Martin went to the supermarket downstairs, bought some ingredients for a pregnancy nutrition meal, and watched a tutorial video online.
He was smart and had a photographic memory.
Just watching once, he learned everything.
Half an hour later.
A sticky but extremely good-looking nutrition meal was ready.
You could smell the aroma from far away.
Martin was satisfied. He thought that when Victoria woke up and saw it, she'd be happy too.
As long as she'd have the baby, it didn't matter if he gave in a little.
At this moment, Martin had no idea that Victoria was no longer at the hotel!
And that she was in a life-or-death situation!
He spooned the nutrition meal into two white porcelain bowls, then carried them to the dining table.
Martin knocked on the master bedroom door, "Time to get up!"
No sound from the master bedroom.
Victoria had always been cold to him, and he was used to it by now.
So Martin didn't think much of it, assuming she was still sleeping.
He thought, since she finally fallen asleep, it was good to let her sleep a bit more.
He turned and went to the kitchen.
Turned on the faucet, washed the dirt off the potatoes, then put them in a pot to boil.
Mashed the cooked potatoes, added butter, milk, salt, and pepper, and mixed well.
A few minutes later, the mashed potatoes were ready.
Martin plated them and brought them to the table.
But the master bedroom door still hadn't opened!
His knocking was restrained and measured.
Because Victoria had a bad temper when woken up.
But still no sound from the master bedroom.
Martin thought she was still mad at him. After all, last night she'd said harsh things and wanted to sleep separately.
He opened WhatsApp on his phone and found that the message he sent her yesterday still had no reply!
She used to reply instantly.
Martin felt really down.
Was his attempt to appease her useless now?
"Get up and eat. We need to leave at nine today."
"I found that photographer you praised before. You can eat all your favorite snacks today."
Still no reply for a long time.
Martin got a bit worried, then called Victoria!
At the same time.
Victoria was still in the cold wind. Because of her illness, her already petite frame had become even more frail and pitiful.
She stood by the lake.
Holding her phone, yes, she'd seen Martin's WhatsApp messages.
Victoria didn't know why he'd suddenly changed. Wasn't this pointless?
He wanted her dead, wanted to torture her. She'd accepted all that. Now he was pretending to want to take her down memory lane?
Wasn't he afraid that if he was good to her, she wouldn't want to die anymore?
That she wouldn't want to have this baby, that she'd want to live a few more days?
Martin's thoughts were really hard for her to figure out!
At that moment, an incoming call appeared.
She pressed her lips together, looking at Martin's name jumping on the screen, her heart oppressed to the point she could barely breathe.
What did it mean that he was calling her?
The phone kept ringing. Victoria blinked her dry eyes. He rarely called her proactively, especially since the cold war began.
Victoria's first reaction was to touch the answer button, wanting to answer Martin's call, wanting to hear his voice, because over these years, answering his calls instantly had become an ingrained habit, a hard-to-change reflex, and second nature.