Departed With A Belly {1}

She Wants to Be the Mistress

It was rare for Claudia to throw a tantrum. She was typically gentle and
easygoing with others, and people often saw her as the 'it girl' because of how pretty and kind she was. Her friends were, therefore, stunned to see her lose her temper, and they all stared at her puzzledly.

The air around them felt especially still, and Claudia only returned to her senses after she realized how silent her surroundings were. She realized what she had just done after she noticed how everyone was staring at her. Claudia parted her red lips and hesitated for a while before she managed to explain herself.

"I'm sorry. I lost my temper as l was in a bad mood earlier. My apologies." Claudia had no choice but to keep apologizing to
maintain their good impression of her.
Tears started to form in her eyes before they trickled down her cheeks.

Tears started to form in her eyes before they trickled down her cheeks. Her friends had been shocked by her sudden outburst of anger earlier, but they immediately felt sorry for her when she started apologizing and crying.

"What happened, Claudia? Don't cry."

"Tell us what happened. We're all here to help."

"Yeah, Claudia. Weren't you on the phone with Alaric earlier?" All her started comforting her and handing her tissues. It took them a while before they finally managed to calm her down. Claudia was a gorgeous young lady, and she looked especially delicate and vulnerable when she cried.

She ran her fair fingers across her eyes to dry her tears. "Yeah, we spoke on the phone earlier. They're not getting a divorce for now," she muttered dejectedly.
Griselda's surgery was delayed after she fainted, which meant that Alaric and Victoria's divorce would have to be delayed as well.

Even though Claudia felt rather embarrassed, she knew that she couldn't hide the truth from others. "What? Are they not getting a divorce yet? Why not?" one of Claudia's friends asked.

"Yeah. Didn't they say that they would get the divorce after Old Mrs. Cadogan's surgery was done? Why are they changing their plans?"

"I know! That b*tch, Victoria, must have shamelessly clung onto Alaric. She didn't want to get the divorce, did she?" Claudia parted her lips to explain herself after hearing her friends' words. Right then, another one of her friends spoke up.

"I always knew that Victoria was up to something. Do you guys remember how she looked when we last went to look for her? Does she really think that she gets to hold on to the title of being Mrs. Cadogan
just because she has been with Alaric for two years?"

"Don't worry, Claudia. If she tries to snatch Alaric away from you, we'll make sure to teach her a lesson."

"We have to give her a taste of her own medicine."

Initially, Claudia figured that she would have no choice but to wait until Griselda was done with her surgery. However, after hearing how her friends wanted to teach Victoria a lesson, Claudia was reminded of the child in Victoria's belly.

If...If I can use my friends to get rid of the baby in Victoria's belly... How would that turn out?

Alaric might find out about this if things ever get exposed, but even in that case, Victoria will no longer be a threat since she no longer has the kid. Furthermore, I won't have to bear any responsibility as long as I'm not the one who hurt Victoria.

I'll still be Alaric's savior. Despite having these thoughts, Claudia still put on a good act. "You guys shouldn't talk about such things. I'm sure Victoria has her reasons," she uttered in a gentle tone.

"What reason could she have? How could one have a reason for clinging onto someone else's boyfriend for such a long time? I bet she just wants to be the third wheel in your relationship. Perhaps she just doesn't want to return Alaric to you. She's such a shameless b*tch," one of Claudia's friends hissed.