Chapter 218

Chapter 218

"Why are you seeing her?" Bella had seen everything from upstairs. She watched her sister talk to the person she hated most, and he two of them seemed unusually familiar with each other.

Victoria’s tone remained flat. “I’m trying to convince her to reconcile with Matthew.”

"You're sick," Bella spat.

“I am sick. Didn’t you already know that?” Victoria replied.

Her gaze sharpened as she stared at Bella, and Bella’s heart tightened under that look.

Bella clenched her fists and glared back. "Why are you looking at me like that? You disappeared without a word back then. Do you know how worried we were? You vanished, and now you just show up again. You still can't tell right from wrong."

Under Victoria’s stare, Bella’s anger seemed laced with panic.

Victoria curved her lips. "Why did I disappear? Don't you know?"

Bella’s thoughts turned chaotic. She swallowed. "How would I know why you disappeared?"

“Sis,” Victoria said softly, “Do you think there are sisters in this world who would want their sister dead over a man?”

Bella's heart clenched painfully, and her breathing turned shallow.

She avoided Victoria's eyes. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Nonsense?" Victoria wheeled closer and looked up at her. "Eight years, and you still haven't succeeded. Should I say you're incompetent, or should I say Matthew has already seen through your true nature?"

Bella suddenly grabbed the wheelchair handles and shoved Victoria toward the escalator.

Victoria gripped the armrests tightly and stared at the descending steps, her heart leaping into her throat.

Nearby, Sophie and Emily were coming up the escalator.

When they saw Bella pushing Victoria at the escalator entrance, they exchanged shocked looks.

Perhaps noticing them, Bella yanked the wheelchair back and pulled it away from the escalator.

Victoria loosened her grip on the armrests slightly, but her expression didn't change.

Sophie and Emily said nothing. They simply walked past them.

After a few steps, Emily glanced back. “Did I see that right? Was Bella trying to push Victoria down the escalator?”

Sophie had thought the same at first.

“I don’t know,” she said.

She did not know what their relationship was actually like.

"It feels like they don't get along well," Emily muttered. "As soon as Victoria disappeared, Bella claimed to be Matthew's girlfriend. She has obviously had her eye on him for a long time. Two sisters liking the same man isn’t rare. Turning on each other over a man is pretty normal. Do you think Victoria’s disappearance had something to do with Bella?"

Sophie stopped and looked at Emily.

Emily looked down at herself. "What's wrong with me?"

“That guess of yours is pretty bold,” Sophie said.

"Is it also pretty scary?" Emily asked.

Sophie nodded. "It is."

"But it doesn’t add up.” Emily shook her head. “How could a living person just disappear because of Bella? If it were really over a man, then Victoria shouldn't have been able to come back at all." She felt that something was off.

Sophie followed that line of reasoning, but she remembered something Bella had once said to her. "What I can't have, you shouldn't think about having either."

Could Bella have known all along that Victoria would return?

"Could Bella have hidden Victoria away?" Emily felt like she was in a mystery drama and couldn't wait to find out the truth.

Sophie stared at her. "Your guesses are a bit scary, but they do seem to make sense."

Emily clapped her hands, extremely excited. "You think so too, right?"

“Stop thinking nonsense,” Sophie said quickly. “Their business has nothing to do with us.”

Still, Sophie could not shake the uneasy feeling Bella left her with.

If Bella had made Victoria disappear eight years ago because of Matthew, did Victoria know? If she did, could she really let it go?

Victoria’s injured leg and the scars on her body proved that her past years hadn’t been easy.

If Bella had truly done it, would Victoria forgive her?

Sophie did not believe people were incapable of evil.

Even within a family, some people would do anything to achieve their own goals.

"Matthew is the root of it all," Emily said with a pout. "But with his looks, he’s definitely worth fighting over."

At the mention of Matthew, Sophie fell silent. Emily quickly changed the subject.

After her health improved, Sophie returned to work as usual.

The company was organizing an auto show, and there was a great deal of preparatory work. Once Sophie got busy, she had no energy to think about anything else.

That day, she needed to meet a supplier who had requested an upscale club as the venue.

Sophie arrived on time with a colleague. Once inside, drinking was unavoidable.

Fortunately, her colleague could hold their liquor. Over the course of the meal, they finalized the details through easy conversation and laughter.

Sophie drank quite a bit. After confirming that everything was settled, she excused herself to use the restroom.

When she came out, she did not return to the private room immediately. Instead, she leaned against the wall to steady herself.

Her colleague texted her to say that they could leave.

Sophie started back toward the private room when the door beside her opened.She nearly collided with someone and quickly stepped aside.

She instinctively looked up.

It was Matthew. His face cold and stern.

Matthew ignored her and walked past without pausing.

He smelled faintly of alcohol, a scent that was both dangerous and compelling, just like him.

Sophie continued forward.

Passing him like a stranger was not as difficult as she had imagined.

She returned to the room, collected her things, and left the club with her colleague. She soon forgot about running into Matthew.

Sitting in the car and feeling the evening breeze, she felt more at ease.

Her colleague closed their eyes and complained about how crafty the suppliers were, then sighed about how exhausting work could be.

People complained every day about life and work, but they still kept going, hoping tomorrow would be a little better.

“I’m telling you,” her colleague suddenly said, “you had such a good husband. Why did you divorce him? If it were me, I would never divorce him no matter what. Even if he found other women outside, I'd turn a blind eye."

Sophie glanced at her colleague and smiled, "Want me to introduce you to a rich woman?"

“Well, thank you,” her colleague joked. “If you find me a rich woman, I’ll treat you to dinner every week.”

Sophie agreed without hesitation.

The taxi dropped Sophie off first. She had been drinking and didn't want to go upstairs yet.

She sat by the roadside, letting the breeze cool her face as she tried to clear her head.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over her, blocking the light.

Sophie looked up.

Matthew was standing nearby.

Their eyes met, and Sophie suddenly smiled.

She lowered her head again, the smile still lingering at the corner of her mouth.

She assumed he was simply passing by.

Matthew saw her smile clearly. He did not approach, only watched her from a distance.

Sophie sighed, then looked up again and asked, “So this time, what are you going to ask me to give back?”