Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria)

Chapter 112

Only Griselda could go inside for her check–up, so the others had to wait outside.

Alaric leaned against the window, instinctively feeling inside his pocket before

recalling faintly that he hadn’t touched cigarettes in a very long time. It seemed that

he hadn’t changed the habit of wanting to smoke whenever he felt anxious.

He didn’t really smoke much before, but it was about a year ago that he completely

quit smoking. It was after he and Victoria had accidentally slept together and he

couldn’t forget her body and scent. It was as if he was addicted to it. He started to

kiss her from time to time, which happened anywhere and anytime since he refused

to lose any opportunities for that.

Alaric had once joined an hours–long meeting where the contents put him in a

horrible mood, so he started to smoke after returning to the conference room. After

just a few puffs, Victoria came in with some documents and became concerned at

the sight of him smoking. “Why are you smoking now? Are you in a bad mood?”

He did not answer and only stared darkly at her. Their relationship had still been

close back then, so she wasn’t afraid of his frigid expression and quickly went

Chapter 112 Hadn’t Kissed Her Well Enough

forward to grab the cigarette. However, she did not succeed and ended up being

dragged onto his lap.

After settling on his lap, she decided to play along and put her hands on his

shoulders. “Don’t be angry. Even if you are unhappy, it has already passed.”

Victoria’s mouth opened and closed in front of him while she chattered on,

glimmering so seductively that Alaric’s gaze became darker as she continued. He

lifted a hand and held her chin before kissing her, and she froze for an instant before

kissing back.

They kissed passionately in the office and when it ended, she leaned against him as

she panted. “Doesn’t feel good,” she mumbled.

“What doesn’t?” Alaric’s voice was terribly hoarse. His first reaction was that he

hadn’t kissed her well enough and she wasn’t satisfied with this.

Her eyes were shiny while her mouth was still swollen. “The cigarette.”

He then realized she was referring to his cigarette, and he immediately stuck it on

the ashtray and extinguished it.

Chapter 112 Hadn’t Kissed Her Well Enough

She pouted. “Not like that.”

The tips of his fingers moved against her cheek and the pads of his fingers lingered

on her ruined lipstick as he murmured, “Not like that? Then, how?”

“I meant that you shouldn’t smoke anymore,” Victoria answered, pulling on his

necktie in annoyance. “You knew that already but asked me that on purpose.”

“Oh?” Alaric laughed quietly and leaned toward her. “So, you meant that it feels good

and you enjoy it when I don’t smoke?”

Victoria was speechless upon hearing that. “When did I say I enjoyed it? Don’t flatter

yourself, all right?” Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“You don’t enjoy it, hmm? Then, who was the one that kept asking me to kiss her

after having too much to drink?”

“Alaric!”

Her pouty voice and the good times they had together seemed to have happened

yesterday, and only the cold wall stood before him when he came back to the

present. They had been giving each other the silent treatment for a long time.

Chapter 112 Hadn’t Kissed Her Well Enough

Alaric looked toward Victoria where she was sitting beside his mother as they

discussed something with their heads close together

His phone vibrated inside his pocket at that moment, the ringtone making everyone

look toward him. He recovered and took it out. After looking at the call notification,

he pursed his lips and looked instinctively at Victoria, who was coincidentally

looking at him. Their gazes met for a second before she discreetly shifted hers

away.

A/

After Alaric’s phone rang for several seconds, he hung up and muted it, causing

silence to fall once again, Mary understood everything from her son’s reaction, since

he would have picked it up had it been important. However, he had glanced

instinctively at Victoria after looking at the screen and didn’t take the call either,

which meant the caller was most probably Claudia.

Mary lamented Alaric’s incompetence before looking at Victoria, whose eyes were

lowered. Victoria didn’t seem affected by it, though no one knew what she was

thinking.

After the call was cut off, Claudia froze in disbelief. This was the first time Alaric had

Chapter 112 Hadn’t Kissed Her Well Enough

hung up on her.

Why? Is it because my face is about to be ruined so his feelings have changed? I’m

his savior, no? Even if my beauty is truly ruined, he should not treat me like that

since he would always take my calls immediately.

Elaine was beside Claudia and immediately complained after seeing her unhappy

look. “That vixen Victoria must have seduced him! Why else would Alaric not pick

up?”

Claudia bit her lower lip. “Stop talking.”

“Why not, Claudia? Hasn’t she made a promise to you? See how it turned out. She is

someone untrustworthy. You helped her out before, yet she stole your man. Why do

you think she will fulfill her promise?”

Claudia bit her lip, holding her phone tightly without speaking.

“Claudia, stop being so kind. The most terrifying thing is that she’s pregnant and has

said that she will get a divorce after Old Mrs. Cadogan’s operation is finished. Have

you ever thought about why Old Mrs. Cadogan’s operation has suddenly been

delayed? Why was she so healthy before but suddenly became so weak? Doesn’t

Chapter 112 Hadn’t Kissed Her Well Enough

Victoria have a hand in all this? She’s been Mrs. Cadogan for so long, so why would

she give up on that role so easily? It’s impossible. Stop being so trustful, Claudia.”

Elaine’s words were difficult to take in, yet Claudia felt they were all true. If Victorial

really wanted to fulfill her promise, why did she not sign the contract with Claudia?

Victoria’s unwillingness to sign the contract was proof of her not wanting to hold up

her side of the deal. Many people would go back on anything they had agreed to

verbally, so what could Claudia do besides scold Victoria if Victoria really did renege

on their agreement?

As Claudia was immersed in her thoughts, the door opened as one of her close

friends came in. “Bad news, Claudia. I bumped into Christopher on the way up, and

he has bought flowers to visit you. I don’t know where he got the information, but I

didn’t let him up.”

Claudia was in a bad mood and felt speechless after hearing his name.

Elaine rolled her eyes. “Is Christopher crazy? Hasn’t Claudia already turned him.

down? What does he want?”

Claudia was about to tell them to find an excuse to make him leave, but another

Chapter 112 Hadn’t Kissed Her Well Enough

person chimed in, “Exactly. What can a rascal like him do besides cause trouble? I

don’t know where he found the courage to pursue Claudia. Does he think she will

ever consider him?”

She felt like she had heard the most important thing then. Cause trouble, huh?

Her dejected gaze brightened once again. She had hated Christopher immensely

before since she felt he damaged her reputation, but she hadn’t felt so grateful for

his arrival ever before.