Chapter 272

Chapter 272

Esriel Preschool—run by Zephyr's sister-in-law's brother—wasn't exactly a secret in Zephyr's circle, so Victoria knew about it.

The fact that those little brats Sophia gave birth to could attend that preschool meant Zephyr had clearly pulled strings for them! And to think he'd promised her, swore up and down, that he'd never fall for Sophia. So what the hell was this?

In a sense, Victoria was someone whose love and hate burned intensely. For those she loved, she'd gladly hand over everything she had. For those she hated, she'd rack her brain and use every means possible to wish them dead.

So in Victoria's mind, there was no middle ground for playing nice. As long as Zephyr was still helping Sophia, that meant he liked her!

Victoria furiously dialed Zephyr's number.

When Zephyr saw "Victoria" flash on his screen, his first instinct was annoyance—he didn't want to answer. And he didn't. He silenced his phone, shoved it under his pillow, and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

Zephyr remembered Victoria had left in a daze of shock. As far as he was concerned, she'd come to her senses by now and wanted to settle the score! But he'd just made major progress with Sophia, was in a great mood, and refused to let Victoria ruin it.

Eyes closed, he actually drifted off without realizing it.

He didn't know how long he'd been asleep when someone shook him awake again.

Seeing Victoria's furious face once more, Zephyr felt a surge of murderous rage.

What the hell does this stupid woman want now?

Looking at Zephyr's face, Victoria's fury instantly turned to hurt. She truly didn't understand—he'd secretly loved her for so many years, so why did his attitude change just when she'd decided to commit to him? Had his years of unrequited love twisted into resentment? Did he only want revenge now instead of a real relationship?

When Victoria just stared at him without speaking, Zephyr asked coldly, "What are you doing here again? Didn't you need to pick up Amelia at the airport?"

His emotionless interrogation reignited Victoria's anger. She said bitterly, "You still owe me an explanation! Why did you arrange a school for those little brats? Don't you know they bullied our son?"

Zephyr was fed up. He called out her lie directly. "Enough! Victoria, do you honestly not know whether Orion was the one being bullied or the one doing the bullying?"

Victoria's eyes widened. "What's that supposed to mean? You're blaming me for not raising him right? And when have you ever taken care of him?"

Through that one sentence, Zephyr could vividly imagine just how torturous his married life would be if he'd impulsively married Victoria!

At that thought, Zephyr asked casually, "What does it have to do with me? He's a Howard, you're raising him, aren't you?"

Victoria trembled with rage. Was he even speaking like a human being?

"You, you—"

She was too angry to finish.

But Zephyr had found his angle. He continued unhurriedly, "What do you want, then? To divorce Robert? Come to think of it, he's been missing for years now. You could just file directly."

Victoria gasped for air, finally understanding what it meant to be so angry your heart hurts.

She looked at Zephyr with disappointment, trying to find even a trace of guilt in his eyes.

Zephyr looked completely unbothered. Watching him, Victoria felt grief well up from her heart. She asked, "Do you really have to get tangled up with that bitch Sophia? There are so many women in the world—I, I can allow you to be with someone else!"

This was the biggest concession Victoria could make. To get Zephyr to cut ties with Sophia, she was even willing to sacrifice some of her dignity!

Zephyr was genuinely shocked by her words. He looked at her in disbelief and finally asked the question that had been nagging at him for quite some time: "You hate Sophia that much?"

Victoria smiled bitterly. Instead of answering directly, she countered, "Why do you go out of your way to target Robert?"

Her subtext: she hated Sophia the way Zephyr hated Robert. The deeper meaning was reminding Zephyr that she and he were the same kind of people.

What Victoria didn't expect was that this would infuriate Zephyr. His expression went ice-cold instantly.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

He was so angry his lips trembled, making his words come out garbled.

Victoria didn't catch it. She leaned in slightly. "What did you say?"

Zephyr's hand flew up and slapped her across the face. He shouted furiously, "You're just a stupid woman who only knows how to be jealous—how dare you compare yourself to me?"

His rivalry with Robert wasn't just about a woman—it was about their careers! How dare this short-sighted, unreasonable shrew put herself on his level?

The burning pain on her face reminded Victoria that the man before her had actually struck her.

Shame, rage, confusion, bewilderment—so many emotions surged up at once that Victoria couldn't react immediately. She just covered her face and stared at him blankly.

If Zephyr still had feelings for Victoria, if that slap had just been a momentary loss of control, then seeing Victoria like this should have made him feel guilty.

But the opposite was true. Zephyr coldly spat, "Idiot!"

Victoria finally snapped out of it and lunged at Zephyr, ready to fight. But Zephyr pressed the call button, grabbed her wrist, and shoved her to the floor.

Zephyr was in a VIP room—the highest tier, most expensive kind. His assigned nurse was on standby in the next room, so within ten seconds or so, a young nurse pushed the door open.

The scene made her pause, but she remembered her duty and looked directly at Zephyr. "Do you need assistance?"

Zephyr pointed at Victoria on the floor, his face expressionless. "This woman is disturbing my recovery. Remove her, and don't let her visit again."

Victoria screamed at the top of her lungs, "Zephyr, you're not human—you're an animal! I'll never let you get away with this, you just wait! You just wait..."

The nurse hadn't expected this seemingly dignified woman to be so hysterical. She quickly called security to drag Victoria out.

Victoria was escorted straight to the hospital entrance. She sank to the ground, crying her heart out.

Just then, her phone rang. It was Amelia.

"Didn't you say you'd wait for me at the airport entrance? Where are you?"

Victoria hastily wiped her tears and swallowed hard a couple of times before forcing a smile into her voice. "Mom, something came up. I'm heading over right now!"

"Is that so?" Amelia's voice was ice-cold. "What kind of business required a visit to Zephyr?"