Chapter 168

Chapter 168

That night, Victoria lay in bed after her shower, tossing and turning.

The moon was bright outside, slicing a cold white line across the wall through the gap in the curtains.

She kicked off the covers and sat up, threw on a jacket, and left her bedroom.

If she couldn't sleep, she might as well get some water.

The hallway nightlights cast a dim amber glow. She paused when she reached Edward's door.

Still awake?

She knocked twice. The sound was startlingly clear in the quiet corridor.

Footsteps inside. The door opened.

Victoria's gaze landed on him, and she froze.

He'd just showered. His hair was still dripping, water trailing down the side of his neck, over his collarbone, disappearing beneath the towel wrapped low around his waist.

No shirt. The lines of his shoulders and back were carved sharp and clean in the hallway's muted light.

He clearly hadn't expected her. A towel dangled from one hand.

"...Something wrong?"

His voice was lower than usual, loose and unhurried from the shower.

It took Victoria approximately two seconds to drag her eyes away from his chest.

She felt her heartbeat slam against her eardrums. Her ears started to burn.

"...I can't sleep. I wanted to talk to you."

Edward glanced at her, then stepped aside. "Come in."

She walked in and sat on the low bench at the foot of his bed, eyes fixed on her own knees.

Edward crossed the room, draped the towel over a chair back, grabbed a T-shirt from the headboard, and pulled it on.

Victoria caught the motion in her peripheral vision. A strange flicker of regret surfaced, and she immediately startled at her own thought, pinching her palm hard.

He sat down, half a bed's distance between them. "What did you want to say?"

Victoria took a deep breath and cleared the chaos from her head. "I wanted to ask about what you said in the living room before—when I asked if you meant it. I need to confirm something."

Edward leaned against the headboard, watching her. "Confirm what?"

"Whether you're doing this... just out of obligation."

Victoria's fingers twisted the fabric over her knees. "Because of Yara. Because of the agreement. Because you're helping me overturn the Spencer family case. I'm afraid you're confusing all of that with how you feel about me as a person."

Edward was quiet for a few seconds.

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze meeting hers head-on. "Victoria. I proposed the agreement first. I ordered the ring first. Your father's situation, Aiden, Michael—when I did those things, I never asked you for anything in return."

He paused. "I just wanted to make your life easier."

Victoria's grip on the fabric slowly released. "Don't you think I've been hesitating too long?"

"You should hesitate."

Edward's voice was even. "You've been hurt before. It's normal to keep your guard up. I can wait."

Victoria lifted her head and looked at him.

Moonlight fell through the window onto the side of his face, illuminating the sincerity in his eyes with perfect clarity.

She opened her mouth, started to say something, then swallowed it back.

In the end, she said only one thing. "Okay."

She stood and walked toward the door. At the threshold, she turned back.

Edward was still sitting on the edge of the bed, his gaze resting on her, hair still dripping.

She looked at him for two seconds. Then spoke. "Edward, my heart was racing just now."

"I know."

His voice was light.

Victoria stared. "You knew?"

Edward reached over and gave her earlobe a gentle pinch. "Your ears were red the moment you walked in."

There was a smile in his voice.

Victoria's ears flared hot. She spun around, yanked the door open, and walked out fast.

As the door closed behind her, she heard a laugh from inside—low, brief, quiet.

She stood in the hallway and pressed both hands over her face. Her palms were hotter than she expected.

---

The next morning, she met Veda at their usual coffee shop.

She arrived ten minutes early, chose a window seat, and ordered a hot Americano.

The cup had just been set down when Veda pushed through the door in a bright-colored trench coat, heels clicking across the floor as she slid into the opposite chair.

Her first words: "What's with that ring? You weren't wearing it last time I saw you."

Victoria glanced down at the ring on her right hand and turned it unconsciously. "Edward gave it to me."

"Well damn."

Veda dropped her bag to the side and leaned in, studying Victoria's hand for two seconds. "Perfect fit. Thoughtful. Did he measure it himself?"

"...Yes."

Veda laughed and leaned back. "Alright, I don't need to ask where things stand between you two. Just tell me—what did you want to talk about today?"

Victoria lifted her cup and took a sip. "I just wanted to tell you that I think I really have fallen for Edward."

She'd had enough time to see her own heart clearly.

Veda dropped the smile and studied her seriously for a few seconds. "So when are you going to tell him?"

Victoria thought about it. "I don't know. I might need a little more time to be sure."

Her words trailed off, her gaze drifting to the coffee shop window.

Veda followed her line of sight and turned.

Outside on the sidewalk, Aiden was walking past on the other side of the street.

As he passed the café entrance, he turned his head slightly. His eyes met Victoria's through the glass.

Victoria didn't look away. She just watched him through the window.

Aiden's steps slowed for a beat. He didn't stop. He kept walking.

His figure turned a corner at the end of the block and disappeared.

"Huh."

Veda turned back to Victoria. "He didn't come in to start trouble?"

Victoria pulled her gaze back and took a sip of coffee. "That is unusual."

She wasn't entirely surprised, though.

After everything Aiden had done—

"He's scared now, that's why."

Veda picked up her own cup. "I heard about Creative Haven. The board votes next week. There's no way he keeps his position. If he came after you now, he'd basically be signing his own death warrant."

Victoria didn't argue.

She set her cup back on the saucer and looked out the window. A strange, unnameable feeling surfaced.

Not residual affection. Just... something odd.

She turned back to Veda. "Have you heard anything about Bianca?"

Veda set down her cup. Her expression grew more serious.

"Yeah. Nerve damage in her right hand. First surgery didn't work. They did a second one—still no improvement."

She lowered her voice. "I know someone at the hospital. They said the chances of her right hand recovering are basically zero now. Even the top nerve repair specialist in the country took a look and said it's worse than your injury was back then. There's nothing they can do."

Victoria went still.