Chapter 58
Victoria blinked, a flicker of genuine pleasure warming her. "Thank you for your confidence in me."
She had heard such praise before, many times before.
But that was before. Before the injury that had stolen the flawless precision from her hand, rendering her incapable of producing the perfect design drafts that had once defined her. In the aftermath, the compliments had been replaced by a chorus of insults and scorn. So many had forgotten her past brilliance, choosing instead to blame her for the very injury that had crippled her career.
Edward was the first person since it happened to acknowledge the potential that still remained.
Victoria lowered her gaze, a subtle ripple disturbing the quiet surface of her heart.
"It's merely a statement of fact," Edward said, his tone detached as he finally looked up from the documents. "Your scans are ready."
The hospital was a subsidiary of The Windsor Group. As its president, he naturally commanded certain privileges, and by extension, Victoria found herself benefiting from his influence.
What?
Her snapped up in surprise. True enough, she saw the doctor approaching, the freshly developed films held carefully in his hand.
"Ms. Spencer."
The doctor's expression was professionally placid. "Your right hand is much as I anticipated. The recovery plan remains the same as we discussed. However, I'll need you to come in for a follow-up in one month to re-evaluate its condition…"
When it came to her hand, Victoria was unfailingly attentive.
She listened with intense focus, nodding periodically to show she understood.
By the time the consultation concluded, and they were walking out of the hospital, her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.
She trailed a few steps behind Edward, the heavy glass doors swinging shut behind them with a soft hiss.
A part of her was undeniably happy, buoyed by the confirmation that recovery was possible.
Yet, a shadow of apprehension lingered. If the final outcome fell short of the expectations she harbored in her heart, she did not think she could bear the sensation of falling from a great height a second time.
"My mother would like you to bring Yara and move into the estate. She wants to see Yara up close."
The cool, measured male voice sliced through her chaotic thoughts.
Edward's features were as remote as ever, but his words were delivered with a calm neutrality. "What are your thoughts on the matter?"
Move into the estate?
"You mean… Windsor Estate?" Victoria asked, her voice hesitant. The anxieties about her hand were instantly pushed to the back of her mind.
Her brow furrowed slightly. "I don't think that would be appropriate. We've only signed an agreement. I have neither the standing nor the reason to live at Windsor Estate. If Mrs. Windsor wishes to see Yara, I can certainly bring her over for visits."
The agreement she had signed with Edward contained no such clause.
More importantly, moving into Windsor Estate would inevitably expose her and Yara to the kind of gossip and speculation she wished to avoid.
Even if their arrangement was a fabrication, the ravenous public wouldn't care about the truth; they only cared for the narrative they wished to see.
Edward's brow arched slightly, and a flicker of something akin to approval glinted in his indifferent eyes.
Just as he'd thought. He hadn't misjudged her.
Victoria surreptitiously glanced at his face. Seeing no sign of anger, she ventured to speak again, a bit more boldly this time.
"If Mrs. Windsor is truly set on seeing Yara every day, I could also bring her to the estate for a few hours during the workday," she suggested, blinking earnestly.
"Besides, I've already rented a suitable apartment and just paid the deposit. It seems unnecessary to move. Surely you can understand my reluctance to cohabitate under these circumstances?"
As far as she was concerned, there was little difference between the Spencer family home, the Windsor family estate, or the apartment she currently occupied.
As long as a place had a roof, it was sufficient for her needs. Victoria was not a person of high material desires, nor did she have a taste for extravagant comforts. Such things held no meaning for her.
She lifted her eyes, cautiously studying the man beside her.
"I will speak with my mother about this," Edward said, pulling open the car door and glancing back at her. "Get in."
He hadn't refused.
Victoria's eyes suddenly brightened, a brilliant smile curving her lips as she obediently slid into the back seat.
Chase, who had been conspicuously absent for some time, was seated in the front passenger seat.
He feigned a casual glance into the rearview mirror, his eyes sweeping over the two in the back.
They had only been gone for a short while, but he sensed a subtle shift in the atmosphere between them, an almost tangible bubble that seemed to discourage intrusion.
He wanted to look again, but his gaze was met by a pair of eyes as cold as frost.
"Is the contract signed?" Edward's fingers tapped lightly on his knee, his lips parting slightly. "Confirm the time for the collaboration meeting with The SkyCloud Group tomorrow."
A shiver went down Chase's spine; he could have sworn he detected a note of displeasure in that clipped tone.
He felt deeply wronged but knew better than to show it. Glancing nervously at his boss, he answered dutifully, "The time is confirmed for nine o'clock tomorrow morning. There is another meeting scheduled for three in the afternoon."
The query and response filled the car with the sterile, serious atmosphere of a boardroom.
Victoria blinked, lifting a hand as if to hide a yawn, and discreetly wiped away a tear that had welled in the corner of her eye.
She had been so excited about her appointment that she had tossed and turned until the early hours of the morning.
Now, the drone of business talk felt like a monotonous lecture, lulling her into a state of profound drowsiness.
The hospital was not close to her apartment, a drive of at least half an hour.
The conversation beside her continued, a steady stream of corporate jargon. Victoria pinched her own thigh, the small sting of pain doing little to fend off the overwhelming wave of sleepiness.
'Maybe just for a little while?'
Her thoughts grew hazy, her head feeling impossibly heavy. She leaned against the cool glass of the window, and in the next instant, her consciousness fragmented, and she plunged into a deep sleep.
Edward, who had been listening with impassive focus to the report, suddenly felt a weight settle against his shoulder.
He turned his head, only to be met with a cascade of dark, silken hair and the small, perfect whorl at the crown of her head.
'Had she fallen asleep?'
Edward remained perfectly still, lifting his other hand to make a subtle gesture.
Chase's voice tapered off into silence. He stared, barely able to believe what he was seeing. Was this really his boss? He risked a cautious glance at Victoria, then back at Edward, who showed no inclination whatsoever of pushing her away.
This was not right.
Edward himself seemed oblivious to the abnormality of the situation.
A deep quiet settled over the vehicle, broken only by the low hum of the engine.
Chase fixed his gaze forward, trying to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible.
He had never witnessed his boss do anything remotely like this. Would he be silenced for what he had seen?
The car continued its smooth journey, the driver completely unaware of the silent drama unfolding in the back.
The faint, clean scent of Victoria's hair drifted toward Edward, a delicate fragrance that teased his senses.
He lowered his gaze, his fingers, resting on his knee, beginning to rub together in a slow, unconscious motion.
A strange feeling stirred within him, an emotion he himself did not yet recognize.
The rest of the drive passed in this profound quiet. As if on cue, the moment the car rolled to a gentle stop, Victoria's eyes fluttered open.
Her mind was still foggy with sleep, but the first thing she saw was the sharp, handsome profile of Edward's face. The second thing she noticed was the shoulder of his suit jacket—the one that had been impeccably smooth, but was now creased and rumpled.
'Had she been sleeping on Edward's shoulder?'