Chapter 121: Chapter 121: Shy
Victoria Monroe closed her eyes, she didn’t see the increasingly deep black pupils of Rhys Hawthorne.
Rhys deliberately avoided her gaze, focusing on the ointment, not daring to look any more, his husky voice sounding in Victoria’s ear: "I’ll be gentle."
In the quiet room, only the sound of heavy rain pounding against the glass windows remained.
One blushed from the neck, the other from the ears.
Just after finishing applying the ointment, Rhys packed it up without looking back, "I’m going to wash my hands."
Victoria looked at him, only seeing the back of the man fleeing in panic, so different from his usual composure.
A thought crossed her mind, could it be that he’s never touched a woman before?
However, the medicine Rhys brought was indeed very effective; her joints, which had felt submerged in ice, cold and stabbing, started to ease.
The ointment combined with his massage technique alleviated the pain, and after a while, she tried moving gently and found she wasn’t as stiff.
Except for the vague pain in her lower abdomen, reminding her of the loss of a child, everything that happened last night felt like a dream.
Thinking of the little girl in the dream who looked so much like her, Victoria’s heart ached.
Baby, will mom ever get a chance to meet you in this life?
After knowing and loving Julian Fordham for eighteen years, and ending up so battered, does she dare trust men again?
Just as dawn broke, Mrs. Xu appeared before her.
Seeing Victoria’s ghastly pale face, the usually straightforward Mrs. Xu couldn’t help but tear up.
She carried a thermos box and a handbag, quickly walked to Victoria’s side, put down the items, and hugged her.
"I’m sorry, I should have gone with you if I knew something would happen."
Her tears fell on Victoria’s neck, surprising her a bit.
Victoria knew Mrs. Xu was warm-hearted, but she didn’t expect her to cry for her.
"I’m fine, don’t cry, see, I’m all right."
Mrs. Xu hastily wiped her face, "I made you some soup, oh, and Mr. Hawthorne asked me to bring you some clothes, and a phone, given to me by Faye."
"Hmm."
Victoria opened the phone, finding messages from Director Lancaster and Faye York.
And photos sent by Corbin Prescott.
In the images, Julian Fordham was lying in a blood-filled bathtub, holding a sealed bag in his arms, seemingly containing blood.
Victoria’s expression changed drastically, only then realizing.
That was her daughter’s unformed remains.
Julian Fordham, he’s insane!
Corbin Prescott sent her a long message, and Victoria’s eyes landed on the last sentence.
He said: Although the boss made many mistakes, was it not wrong of the lady not to tell him about the pregnancy, leading to today’s outcome? If the boss dies, will the lady feel even a bit sad and distressed?
Victoria’s breath hitched, the Julian in the photo was pale, yet the corner of his mouth held a strange smile.
At that moment, he faced death calmly, sacrificing himself.
Mrs. Xu opened the thermos box and turned to see Victoria’s reddened eyes.
"Madam, you’ve just had a miscarriage, you must not be too sad, rest well to recover your strength, you’re still young and will have more children in the future."
"Who hasn’t met a few jerks in their lifetime? There are countless men in this world, nightclubs are half filled with beaux, once you recover, I’ll find you a couple of tall, handsome, and capable ones, ensuring you forget that jerk in just three days."
Victoria was feeling sad, but Mrs. Xu’s talk of beaux suddenly changed the mood, making Victoria laugh through her tears.
"Really handsome?"
Mentioning the beaux, Mrs. Xu had a seasoned look, "Absolutely, I know a private club where all models are of high quality, whether you like abs, long legs, dark skin, or pale skin, puppyish or aggressive, as long as the money is right, you’ll feel like heaven..."
Mrs. Xu was imparting her experience when she spotted Rhys Hawthorne approaching.
The tall, slender man in a long coat walked with an imposing stride.
Victoria wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but the naturally indifferent man’s face seemed to carry a hint of cold and menacing aura.
Even though he hadn’t said a word, when his gaze fell on Mrs. Xu, the imposing aura instinctively made the boisterous Mrs. Xu change the topic.
"Ah, the soup’s getting cold, drink it quickly."
Victoria knew Mrs. Xu’s temperament, she’d even confront Julian Fordham sometimes, so why was she acting like a mouse before Rhys?
Victoria teased deliberately, "Mrs. Xu, you didn’t finish, feel like what heaven?"
Mrs. Xu put down the soup, "Oh right, I’ve got an old hen soup simmering, I better head back."
"Mrs. Xu, if you’re free, could you feed October for me?"
With the situation at Julian’s side, who knew when he’d be discharged.
"Sure, madam, should I take October to your penthouse?"
"Not for now."
The penthouse hadn’t been set up with a cat tree yet, requiring preparation of a litter box, food, and other things; October might not adapt easily caused by stress.
The marital home was large with a courtyard, making it more comfortable for October. Besides, in her current state, she couldn’t really accompany October, and she still needed to take care of her grandmother in the mountains.
Victoria had it all planned, she’d take October along when she leaves.
The stands were hers, not even a single cat hair would be left to Julian Fordham.
After Mrs. Xu left, Rhys’s gaze settled on her, inexplicably causing a chill down her spine.
Under that cold gaze, she sipped the soup and looked at him, "What is it? Is there something on my face?"
Rhys sat in front of her, his presence enveloping her in his shadow, he leisurely said, "Feeling lonely?"
"Pfft..."
Victoria managed to avoid splattering the soup on Rhys this time, realizing Mrs. Xu’s teasing had been taken seriously by him.
She waved her hands quickly, "No way, I..."
The man extended a long arm for a napkin, tilted her chin with his finger, and gently wiped the soup residue from her lips.
He did it effortlessly, and before Victoria could react, he’d already withdrawn and tossed the napkin into the trash.
Victoria lowered her head, her eyes clouded with sadness, "I just lost a child, how could I be looking for a model?"
Seeing her cloaked in a perpetual haze, Rhys said softly, "Don’t dwell on it, you will have one again in the future, you made a promise, she will come looking for you."
Victoria gave a self-deprecating smile, "Again? How? I’ll never have anything to do with Julian Fordham again in this life!"
Rhys’s eyes darkened, he shifted the conversation, "Are you feeling okay physically? There’s a press conference later, if you can’t attend, we can livestream it online, since you just had a miscarriage, you can’t be exposed to the wind."
At the mention of this, Victoria’s eyes were resolute, "I want to personally put an end to our marriage. Three years ago, I left the circle for him, and now I want to tell everyone what kind of man I loved."
"Alright, I’ll help you."
At nine in the morning, Victoria didn’t wear makeup, appearing barefaced in a thick white down jacket, bearing the slight pain in her knees, with Rhys and the bodyguard’s protection, she boarded the car.
Hospital.
After emergency treatment, Julian Fordham was out of danger, his face pale without a hint of color. Corbin Prescott walked in briskly, with a worried expression, "Boss, the madam is organizing a press conference, she’s on her way now, once Rachel Hayes’s truth is exposed, you’ll be finished!"