Departed With A Belly {1}

Claudia's True Colors

On that day, Alaric finished his breakfast while looking displeased. The maids couldn't see his face because he had his back toward them. They merely assumed the two had made up based on their intimate interactions.

In the following days, Victoria didn't have to enter the company as she requested annual leave. She took the time to accompany Griselda every day in the nursing home. Griselda's mood was obviously elevated after a few days, Simultaneously, Victoria felt calm and reassured over this short period.

Things seemed to go according to her plan. Before she knew it, three to four days passed in the blink of an eye.

Sometimes, when she was left alone, she would caress her belly.

To be frank, her mentality had undergone changes. When Victoria first found out that she was pregnant, she was still quite
confused about what to do with the child, but as time passed, she gradually felt connected to the child in her belly as if they shared the same body and heart. Thus, her love for the child grew.

Many times, she would even tell the baby secrets that she couldn't tell others. This further brought Victoria closer to her child.

At first, things were going as expected.
Victoria thought she could accompany
Griselda peacefully until the day of her operation, but as soon as her annual leave was used up and she was about to return to the company for work, Claudia called her once again and asked to meet her.

Since the previous incident, she had been hesitant to meet Claudia because she knew what the latter was up to.

At that thought, she rejected Claudia without hesitation.

"Miss Johnson, I understand why you'd like to see me, but l've made my decision. I'm not going to change my mind no matter what, so we don't need to meet again."

Perhaps she had spoken too bluntly as Claudia went silent for a second before asking, "Are you sure nothing can change your mind?"

"Yes."

"Victoria." Claudia's voice suddenly softened. "I remember that you owe me a favor, don't you?"

Victoria's gaze instantly turned cold in response.

Claudia continued, "What if I ask you to do me a favor now? Will you still reject me?"

Victoria bit her lower lip hard, her lashes trembling.

"You don't need to answer me in a hurry. Perhaps, we can meet up first."

After hanging up the phone, Victoria stood on the spot as her mind went
blank. It was not that she didn't think about repaying Claudia her favor, but she
intended to do it in another way.

As long as she needed help, Victoria was even willing to sacrifice her life for her. However, she never thought Claudia would use that as a condition during this time.

At a quiet cafe on Rodeo Street, Victoria noticed the 'closed' sign in front of
the door of the cafe as she was about to enter.

Just then, her phone rang. "Victoria, push the door and come in. My friend owns this cafe. They aren't open for business yet."

Victoria hung up the phone blankly before pushing open the door. As soon as she entered, she noticed Claudia waiting for her in the corner. Claudia waved at her to indicate her seat.

Victoria walked over with steady steps and stopped in front of Claudia. There was a man with a scar sitting next to Claudia. The man looked fierce, but when he saw her coming, he stood up straight away and spoke in a gentle voice.

"Hello, beautiful. You must be Claudia's friend. Would you like to have a drink?"

The man looked at Victoria with a hint of surprise in his eyes. Without much thought, Victoria replied, "No, thanks."

The man was taken aback by her refusal, but Claudia chimed in, "Carlo, give her a cup of warm milk."

Carlo Jabba nodded neatly. "Sure. I'll get it and leave you guys to do the talking."

Before leaving, Carlo couldn't help taking another glance at Victoria. Claudia caught all his subtle actions, and once he left, she smiled at Victoria.

"Come over and take a seat."

Victoria glanced at her and took the seat opposite her.

Claudia judged her outfit as she uttered softly, "Carlo is a friend I met abroad. He's an open-minded and honest guy. After returning to the country, he opened this cafe. Even though he isn't very ambitious, he earns enough to get by. He's into serious relationships and treats his girlfriend gently."

She then paused for a while before saying tentatively, "If you have nowhere to go after divorcing Al, you can consider him."
Victoria was speechless as she heard that.

She suddenly raised her head and blurted, "Miss Johnson, even though I owe you a favor, did I give you the right to decide for my marriage?"

Claudia was stunned by her response before she chuckled. "Of course not.

Don't get me wrong, Victoria. I'm not trying to decide your marriage. I just think my friend here is a great person."

"Is that so? Then why don't you consider him?" Victoria snapped.

Claudia's smile faded.

Since when were they so close to each other? Her true colors were revealed as time passed.

Frankly speaking, Victoria did not assume that Claudia would help her out sincerely.

After all, they had Alaric stuck between them, but it was also true that Claudia once helped her out.

After a moment of silence, Claudia picked up the spoon and stirred the coffee in front of her while commenting, "I never expected you to be so aggressive to your savior, Miss Selwyn."

Her tone was no longer gentle, and her voice was completely different now. It was crisp and clear now as she looked at Victoria with disdain. Despite that, her current look made Victoria teel much at ease.

Following a chuckle, Victoria blurted,
"Are you finally letting go of your act?Honestly, your true face is more pleasing to the eye. At least, I don't find you insincere."

"Insincere?" Claudia sneered. "I just think you're not worthy of my kindness. I initially thought that you would be a nice lady despite not being smart, but I can't believe you're such an ungrateful person."

"Ungrateful?" Victoria rubbed her finger tips and narrowed her eyes in a judgmental expression.

"I may be an ungrateful person in your eyes, but I never expect that your kindness and righteousness would lead you to kill."

When Claudia heard Victoria's last two words, her expression changed entirely.

"What nonsense are you talking about?
When did I kill someone?"

"Does that mean you won't threaten me to get an abortion just because I'm indebted to you?" Claudia felt as if a cotton ball was stuffed into her mouth all of a sudden.

It took her a while to speak. "The child is like a time bomb. If you were in my shoes, there is no way you can accept it."

After saying that, she glared at her.
"Why do you want to keep the child when you're going to get a divorce? You could've remarried and carried another child. So, why insist on keeping this one? Do you think I have no idea about what you're thinking?"
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Published on: December 17, 2023
Time: 5:58
Word count: 1219 words