Departed With A Belly {1}

I'm Not an Outsider

"W-What?" Claudia couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was not what she wanted at all. She had hoped that after she made Alaric lunch, she would show him her injured finger when she went to his office.

Then, he would be moved and concerned for her. Following that, the two of them could be alone together and deepen their relationship.

But now, it seemed like that wasn't going to happen. Claudia tried to hide her
disappointment and said awkwardly,
"Al, what are you going to do? If it's not going to take too long, I can wait for you in your office."

"Sorry, Claudia, I'll be gone for a while. You should go back first," replied Alaric.

Claudia didn't want to leave just yet. She bit her lip and turned to look at Alaric, her eyes slightly red.

How about this? Would he still be indifferent to me if I act like this.

However, Alaric did not notice her tearful look and had already left with long strides as if he had some urgent matter to attend to.

Claudia could only stand there and watch as he disappeared.

Alaric's assistant spoke again, "Miss Johnson, are we leaving?"

Claudia glanced at Alaric's assistant who had an impassive look in his eyes and an unfriendly tone of voice. She felt like he didn't like her.

Her intuition was right though; Alaric's
assistant didn't like her because everyone in the company knew about Alaric and Victoria's relationship.

As Claudia had deliberately come to the meeting room with a lunch box, which made her intentions obvious.

After hanging around Victoria for so long, the assistant thought that she was a really capable yet friendly woman, so it was annoying to see Claudia act this way around Alaric.

Although the assistant was annoyed
by Claudia's actions, he didn't say anything since he was only there to help Alaric with his work.

Nevertheless, Claudia was reluctant to leave at the moment. She had put so much effort into cooking and injuring her finger. If she were to leave now, what was the point? The injury would heal very soon, and it wouldn't do if she had to deepen her wound to show Alaric later.

She couldn't let this opportunity go to waste. So, she smiled and asked the assistant, "Where did Al go? Will he be back this afternoon? If he'll come back, can I wait for him in his office?"

The assistant had no expression on his face as he spoke in a monotone voice, "I'm not sure about Mr. Cadogan's schedule. As for you going to the office, I'm sorry, Miss Johnson, but that's not possible. The office does not allow outsiders to enter when Mr. Cadogan is not there."

Claudia almost couldn't hold back her anger. She tugged her lips stiffly and said, "I'm not an outsider."

The assistant replied, "I can't be sure of that."

This assistant is so annoying. The first thing I'll do when I become the lady boss of the Cadogan Group is to replace this assistant of Alaric's. He's such a blind idiot.

Claudia cursed in her mind, but on the surface, she still maintained her calm and beautiful appearance. "Well, then, can you please take me back? By the way, I made this lunch with great effort. Since Al didn't have a chance to eat it, you can have it."

Although she hated the assistant, he was still working by Alaric's side at the moment, so she had to suck up to him for a bit. It would be even better if she could win him over to her side.

However, the assistant took a big step back and shook his head. "Miss Johnson, I can't accept something for nothing."

Claudia was so angry that she almost exploded. In the end, the assistant sent Claudia back home.
____________________________

When Alaric arrived at the nursing home, the time was almost right. His tense mood when he came here was also relaxed when he saw the scene of Victoria lying beside Griselda and leaning against Griselda's leg.

When Griselda heard the noise, she looked over at him. The two of them
looked at each other, and then Griselda made a gesture for him to be quiet.

Only then did Alaric notice that Victoria was actually sleeping next to Griselda's leg.

As Griselda's legs were feeble, Alaric went up to Victoria, bent down gently, picked her up, and placed her on the small bed beside them.

She was probably in deep sleep as she didn't even wake up when Alaric moved her. She even subconsciously rubbed her head against the soft pillow, and then fell back asleep again, hugging the covers in her arms.

When Alaric saw her like this, he couldn't help but reach out and gently pinch her soft cheek. She was so cute even when she was asleep.

Her skin was so soft and smooth; Alaric couldn't help but pinch it again. Just as he
was about to extend his other hand to continue pinching her, Griselda said in a soft voice, "Now, now. Are you trying to wake her up?"

Hearing this, Alaric's movement paused, and then he awkwardly cleared his throat. "No, Grandma. I'm not." Griselda then motioned for Alaric to take her outside in her wheelchair.

He obliged, and as soon as they left the room, Griselda's voice returned to its
normal volume.

"That little girl said she wanted to hear me tell a story, but she fell asleep before I even got halfway through. I don't know if it's because I'm a boring storyteller or if she hasn't been getting enough rest lately."

"It's probably because she hasn't been getting enough rest," Alaric responded. "She's got pretty bad dark circles under her eyes."

Earlier, when he pinched her cheeks, he noticed that her dark circles were especially pronounced. It was probably because she had pale skin.

"What's going on?" Griselda asked. "Why hasn't she been getting enough rest? Have you been bullying her?"

Alaric was dumbfounded. "Bullying her? Me? I wouldn't dare. If only she didn't bully me. Since we were kids, she's always been the one to get the upper hand."

"Ha!" Griselda snorted. "You're a boy.
So, what if you're bullied? You're even
wronged acting like you're the one who's been just telling the truth."

"No, that's not it," Alaric protested. "I'm telling the truth."

"Anyway, you're not allowed to bully her. That girl is really dear to me. Even though she's not my real granddaughter, I swear she's just as important to me as if she were."

Alaric didn't argue with that. Everyone could see it for what it was.

"Mmm." Victoria didn't know how long she'd been asleep. She just felt really tired and the bed was comfortable.

When she woke up, she hadn't even
opened her eyes yet when she stretched lazily. After she was done stretching, she suddenly realized something and opened her eyes wide, only to be met with Alaric's smiling gaze.

"You're awake?" he asked.

Alaric?

Victoria was surprised to see him sitting on the edge of her bed. When she looked around the room, she recognized it as Griselda's.

"Where's Grandma?" she asked while placing her hand on her forehead, feeling annoyed at herself. "How did I fall asleep?"

"Grandma went for a medical examination," Alaric explained while looking at her. "How could you fall asleep while she was telling you a story? No one
else does that but you."
____________________________Published on: December 30, 2023
Time: 3:27
Word count: 1259 words