Chapter 238
Chapter 238
Victoria glanced at the screen. It was Charles.
She reached over, took the phone, and answered it.
Before she could speak, Charles's commanding voice cut through. "Where the hell did you run off to? Get back here. Now. Remember your place!"
"And what place would that be?"
Victoria's voice was cold.
A beat of silence on the other end.
Charles's tone shifted, suddenly cautious. "Victoria? Is that you?"
"It's me. And I'm the one who took her."
"Victoria—did you take her because you're jealous? I swear, if you come back to me, I'll make her disappear immediately!"
Charles's voice pitched with excitement.
Victoria's stomach turned. She grimaced. "Charles, exploiting a vulnerable girl and turning her into your kept woman—you really do have a talent for being repulsive."
"It's not like that, Victoria. I can explain—it was my mom who—"
"And yet you still kept her by your side, didn't you?"
Victoria cut him off with a cold laugh. "Charles, you keep finding new ways to lower my opinion of you. Percival having you as a father is a disgrace."
She hung up.
Veronica fidgeted anxiously beside her. "Is that really okay? Won't there be trouble?"
Victoria handed the phone back. "There won't be. If he contacts you again, just come to me."
Seeing Veronica still uneasy, Victoria pulled out her own phone, added Veronica as a contact, and transferred fifty thousand dollars to her.
"Use this for now. Buy clothes and food for yourself and your family—you're all too weak and need proper nutrition."
"Then figure out what college you want to apply to. I'll sponsor you."
After going over everything carefully, Victoria left the hospital.
Veronica was an adult. She didn't need someone hovering over every detail of her life.
The moment Victoria stepped outside, she looked up and saw Hugh waiting by the curb.
Her face lit up. She quickened her pace. "What are you doing here?"
"Came to find you the second I was done."
Hugh took her hand naturally. "Everything sorted out?"
Victoria nodded, then hesitated. "Do you think I did the wrong thing?"
"No. Whatever you do is right."
Hugh shook his head without a moment's pause.
From the instant Victoria had left with Veronica, he'd known exactly what she would do.
"Come on. Let's go home."
By the time they got back, Percival was already asleep.
Dena had prepared hangover soup for both of them.
Victoria sipped it and sighed contentedly. "Having Dena around is such a blessing. I'm leaving the country in a few days—without her, I honestly don't know what I'd do."
"Hmm?"
Hugh smiled. "Dena's obviously coming with us."
"Wait—she is?"
Victoria blinked.
The realization hit her a beat late. Her gaze settled on Hugh. "So when you said you'd come with me abroad and take care of Percival..."
Hugh's smile deepened. "Of course I'm coming to take care of Percival. But mostly, I'm coming to take care of you."
"You—! I see right through you now. You set this whole thing up on purpose to get me to say yes to being with you!"
Victoria stood up in mock outrage and pinched Hugh's cheeks.
Hugh didn't resist. He just gazed up at her, his smile impossibly tender.
Then his arm shot out and pulled her into his lap.
The distance between them vanished. The air shifted, turning warm and charged.
Hugh's eyes darkened. He lowered his head, inching toward her lips.
His voice came out rough. "You're right. I had ulterior motives. From the very beginning."
His lips met hers.
The kiss started gentle, exploratory. Then it deepened, growing urgent and consuming.
He kissed her like a man staking his claim.
Victoria's lashes fluttered. Her arms rose to circle his neck.
The heat between them intensified. Their breathing grew heavy.
Victoria was swept up in it completely. She was a woman with normal desires, they were officially together, and she was more than ready for wherever this led.
Just as they reached the point of no return, Hugh suddenly released her.
He steadied her carefully, making sure she had her footing, then shot to his feet. "I need a shower."
He practically fled the room.
Victoria watched his retreating figure, her eyes still hazy, her breath slowly evening out.
---
In the days before departure, it wasn't just Victoria who felt restless—everyone around her did too.
Elysia went on a shopping spree, buying Victoria everything she could think of.
Victoria told her repeatedly that it was too much, that she wouldn't need half of it. Elysia refused to listen.
"Better safe than sorry," was Elysia's motto.
She even had Sawyer arrange a private jet to ship it all overseas.
Watching his mother's anxious frenzy, Sawyer finally couldn't hold back. "Mom, you can buy most of this stuff abroad. You don't need to stress like this."
Elysia shot him a glare. "You have no idea how to look after someone! Victoria grew up here—how is she supposed to adjust to foreign food?"
The thought of Victoria leaving the country—for five whole years—made Elysia's heart ache with worry.
But she knew this was for Victoria's future. She couldn't bring herself to stand in the way.
Sawyer opened his mouth, hesitated, and swallowed whatever he'd been about to say.
He felt the same way. Every bit of it.
---
Victoria was busy too in those final days.
Veronica decided to spend a year studying to retake her college entrance exams. She rented an apartment halfway between the hospital and the school, arranged to commute as a day student, and set things up so she could care for her mother and Leo.
Victoria visited twice. Seeing that Veronica's life was finally on track, she felt reassured.
After leaving Veronica's apartment, Victoria made a detour to a jewelry store.
"Hi, I'm here to look at rings."
A sales associate approached with a bright smile. "Of course! Are you looking at fashion rings, or couple's bands?"
Victoria thought for a moment. "Wedding bands, actually."
The associate's smile widened. She guided Victoria deeper into the store. "Then you've come to the perfect place. We just received several new wedding band collections—all the latest, most popular designs."
Matching gold bands gleamed under the display lights.
The associate patiently walked her through each one.
"This set is called 'Intertwined Boughs.' The engraving on the band resembles tangled branches, symbolizing an unbreakable bond between two people."
"And this one—'Eternal Frozen Heart.' See the frost-like pattern across the surface..."
She presented at least a dozen sets.
Victoria frowned slightly. None of them felt right.
"Do you have anything else?"
Hugh didn't need expensive. She wanted something distinctive—a ring that would bring their story flooding back every time she looked at it.
The associate looked uncertain. "These... none of them appeal to you?"
Victoria shook her head.
The associate paused, then brightened. "Well—do you have a particular design in mind? We do custom work. It costs more, but we can create exactly what you're envisioning."
Victoria's eyes lit up. "That sounds perfect. How long would it take?"