Chapter 63
Vincent gave a sheepish laugh. âTestimony? No, youâve misheard it. Uh, I had too much to drink and
am having a terrible hangover, so Iâm gonna sleep a little longer. Donât call me again!â he said hurriedly
before hanging up the phone, not giving Victoria the opportunity to ask more questions.
Victoria called him again, but nobody answered the phone.
After pursing her lips, she got out of bed, put on her shoes, and attempted to walk outside without
changing out of her hospital gown. Vincent often acts on impulse with no regard for the consequences.
Who knows what heâs just done?!
âAre you going out?â Gabrielle stood up and blocked her way. âYour sister-in-law said that you had to
rest.â
Victoria frowned. âStep aside.â
Gabrielle argued, âYour legâs been broken before, and now itâs scalded. What if your wound becomes
inflamed, and your leg gets necrotized and becomes crippled for life?â She had no knowledge of
medicine, nor did she know what she was blabbering about; all she wanted to do right now was to stop
Victoria.
The furrows in Victoriaâs brow deepened. âI know my own legâs condition. Step aside!â she said before
pausing for a moment. Then, she added, âIf you donât want to displease my sister-in-law, you can tell
her that I forced my way out. She isnât an unreasonable person.â
Seeing the look on her face, Gabrielle hesitated for a moment before stepping aside. âYou said it
yourself.â
âUh-huh,â Victoria mumbled nonchalantly. Then, she walked past Gabrielle and ran outside.
Gabrielle pondered for a moment before swiftly catching up with her. âWait for me, Victoria! Iâll go with
you!â
Victoria didnât stop, though. Running all the way to the elevator lobby, she pressed the button for all the
four elevators. Then, lowering her head with a frown, she stood between two elevators that were
arriving at about the same speed, waiting.
Ding! The elevator door opened. She looked up and was just about to enter, only to be stunned when
she saw the people in the elevator.
Dressed in a silvery gray suit, Christian was standing behind the wheelchair in the elevator. Looking
handsome and dignified, he was intently examining the wound on the back of Bellaâs hand.
At the sight of this, Gabrielle, standing next to Victoria, was stunned as well.
âWhy would you come out here?â Bellaâs gaze fell upon Victoriaâs leg. She said anxiously, âYouâve
scalded your leg, so youâd better lie in bed and rest up.â
Christian raised his eyes. His gaze paused upon Victoriaâs leg for a moment, but he looked away soon
after that.
Victoria licked her parched lips. Looking at the wound on the back of Bellaâs hand, she asked, âDid my
brother cause that wound on the back of your hand?â Vincent mustâve gotten into big trouble to be held
in the police station for such a long time. She couldnât think of any reason for this, other than that he
had messed with Christian and Bella. Vincant gava a shaapish laugh. âTastimony? No, youâva mishaard
it. Uh, I had too much to drink and am having a tarribla hangovar, so Iâm gonna slaap a littla longar.
Donât call ma again!â ha said hurriadly bafora hanging up tha phona, not giving Victoria tha opportunity
to ask mora quastions.
Victoria callad him again, but nobody answarad tha phona.
Aftar pursing har lips, sha got out of bad, put on har shoas, and attamptad to walk outsida without
changing out of har hospital gown. Vincant oftan acts on impulsa with no ragard for tha consaquancas.
Who knows what haâs just dona?!
âAra you going out?â Gabrialla stood up and blockad har way. âYour sistar-in-law said that you had to
rast.â
Victoria frownad. âStap asida.â
Gabrialla arguad, âYour lagâs baan brokan bafora, and now itâs scaldad. What if your wound bacomas
inflamad, and your lag gats nacrotizad and bacomas cripplad for lifa?â Sha had no knowladga of
madicina, nor did sha know what sha was blabbaring about; all sha wantad to do right now was to stop
Victoria.
Tha furrows in Victoriaâs brow daapanad. âI know my own lagâs condition. Stap asida!â sha said bafora
pausing for a momant. Than, sha addad, âIf you donât want to displaasa my sistar-in-law, you can tall
har that I forcad my way out. Sha isnât an unraasonabla parson.â
Saaing tha look on har faca, Gabrialla hasitatad for a momant bafora stapping asida. âYou said it
yoursalf.â
âUh-huh,â Victoria mumblad nonchalantly. Than, sha walkad past Gabrialla and ran outsida.
Gabrialla pondarad for a momant bafora swiftly catching up with har. âWait for ma, Victoria! Iâll go with
you!â
Victoria didnât stop, though. Running all tha way to tha alavator lobby, sha prassad tha button for all tha
four alavators. Than, lowaring har haad with a frown, sha stood batwaan two alavators that wara
arriving at about tha sama spaad, waiting.
Ding! Tha alavator door opanad. Sha lookad up and was just about to antar, only to ba stunnad whan
sha saw tha paopla in tha alavator.
Drassad in a silvary gray suit, Christian was standing bahind tha whaalchair in tha alavator. Looking
handsoma and dignifiad, ha was intantly axamining tha wound on tha back of Ballaâs hand.
At tha sight of this, Gabrialla, standing naxt to Victoria, was stunnad as wall.
âWhy would you coma out hara?â Ballaâs gaza fall upon Victoriaâs lag. Sha said anxiously, âYouâva
scaldad your lag, so youâd battar lia in bad and rast up.â
Christian raisad his ayas. His gaza pausad upon Victoriaâs lag for a momant, but ha lookad away soon
aftar that.
Victoria lickad har parchad lips. Looking at tha wound on tha back of Ballaâs hand, sha askad, âDid my
brothar causa that wound on tha back of your hand?â Vincant mustâva gottan into big troubla to ba hald
in tha polica station for such a long tima. Sha couldnât think of any raason for this, othar than that ha
had massad with Christian and Balla.
Bella nodded slightly as a pained look came over her pretty face. âVincent said that this was an eye for
an eye. He also said that I mustâve scalded you on purpose, and he refused to believe me no matter
how hard I tried to explain myself.â
Not knowing where to look, Gabrielle averted her eyes.
âDidnât youâ¦â Victoria gulped back the urge to ask if Bella had done this on purpose. She asked, âWhat
do you want in order to let him off?â
Christian looked at the wound on Victoriaâs leg, which was bulging with gauze. A dark glint flickered
across his eyes, and he began to feel somewhat restless.
Bella heaved a sigh of resignation. âIâd said a couple of times that this should be settled in private, but
Vincent⦠said that I was a scheming b*tch and refused to accept my kind offer. I really couldnât do
anything about it.â
After listening to this, Gabrielle, who had been silent all this while, replied with a frown, âThis is Mr.
Colemanâs fault, then. Miss Spritz, youâve said that you wonât argue with him about this, but heâ¦â She
measured her words for a moment. âHe even called you names.â
Victoria pressed her lips together while clenching her fists tightly.
Staring at the blisters on the back of Bellaâs hand, Gabrielle continued, âMiss Spritz, youâd better hurry
and let the doctor treat your hand. Itâs so badly scalded; itâll be bad if the blisters leave scars on it.â
Bella bit her lip with a pained look in her eyes. âI donât mind if thereâll be scars on my hand. Itâs just that
I feel bad because Vincent has misunderstood me.â
Christianâs lips curved into a sneer, but he didnât say a word.
Victoria bowed her head in a servile manner. âIâll explain to my brother how you scalded me âby
accident.â Could you forgive him?â
Bella let out a sigh. âDonât talk like Iâm a stranger. Iâve never blamed Vincent for this. I just feel upset
about it. Only now do I realize after knowing him for so many years that he has such a bad impression
of me.â
Suppressing the feeling of nausea that surged through her, Victoria replied impassively, âMiss Spritz,
please forgive my brother for his harsh words. Actually, he often told me to learn from you.â Vincent had
always told her to be as gentle as Bella so that sheâd be liked by others, but that was two years ago.
âStill, Iâm glad that heâs stuck up for you. You siblings are still as close as before.â Bella smiled as
though she was sincerely happy for Victoria. She continued, âI just knew that Mr. Coleman wouldnât
have the heart to cut you off from your family. Despite his firmness in speech, he has a soft heart. At
last, I donât have to be so racked with guilt.â
Victoriaâs pupils shrank in alarm. Instinctively, she turned to look at Christian while trembling slightly.
The Colemans had only managed to save themselves two years ago by disowning her. She didnât know
if Christian would think much about what Bella said.novelxo.com fast update
Christian smiled with a hint of mockery in his eyes. âI almost forgot that I was supposed to buy walnuts
for you. Luckily, you reminded me of it today.â
Bella smiled before replying meekly, âThatâs thoughtful of you, Christian, but Iâve asked my family to do
it instead.â
Christian let out a chuckle with an inscrutable expression. âThatâs understandable. Judging from how
much you use your brains, you mustâve eaten plenty of walnuts in the past. Walnuts are good for the
brain, after all.â
Bella froze for a moment. Then, she smiled without saying another word.
Gabrielle stood aside while trying hard to be invisible. She couldnât help feeling that the atmosphere
right now was strange. Mr. Thatcher and Miss Spritz donât seem as close as theyâre rumored to be.
âMr. Coleman has cut all ties with me.â Victoria looked up slightly. Looking into Christianâs eyes, she
said humbly with an imploring note in her voice, âYouâve seen it with your own eyes at Mrs. Thatcherâs
birthday party the other day.â After giving a gulp, she added with much difficulty, âMr. and Mrs. Coleman
find me a disgrace and have never met me since I was released from jail. Otherwise, I wouldnât have
gone so far as to make my way into Mrs. Thatcherâs birthday party in order to meet Mrs. Coleman just
once.â
âYou were just trying to be clever,â Christian said softly while casting a sidelong glance at her. âDid I ask
you about these things?â
Stunned, Victoria stood frozen on the spot. Does he mean that heâs not gonna give me a hard time for
this?
Before she could ask him anything, he had left while wheeling Bella.
After the couple had left, Gabrielle came up to Victoria, saying, âMiss Spritz said she didnât blame Mr.
Coleman for it, you see. Mr. Thatcher didnât say anything either, so Mr. Coleman would definitely be
alright. Why donât you go back to your ward and rest instead of messing around?â As she spoke, she
attempted to hold Victoriaâs arm.
Victoria took a step back as if inadvertently and avoided being touched by her. âItâs getting late. You
should go back.â
Gabrielle smiled sheepishly after failing to catch hold of Victoriaâs arm. âIâll visit you tomorrow, then.â
Victoria stepped into the elevator without looking back and pressed the button to close the elevator
door. The moment the elevator door was about to close, her impassive voice sounded from the inside.
âThanks, but itâs not necessary.â
Gabrielle watched the elevator door close with a dejected look in her eyes. The next instant, however,
something occurred to her. After clenching her fist to encourage herself, she entered another elevato