Chapter 40
When Victoria returned home, her phone rang.
Jayce sent her a message: [Is it a good time?]
Victoria replied: [It's fine. Where are you? I'll come find you.]
Jayce was someone who knew her secret, and she needed to keep him on her side. She absolutely couldn't let him leak it!
Jayce sent over an address, and Victoria saw that it was a restaurant. She drove straight there.
By the time she arrived, the sky had already darkened. Jayce had booked a private room.
She entered and found him sitting in a chair, his head slightly bowed. Under the dim light, his face looked pale, his features. delicate and sharp. He pressed his lips together, exuding a brooding aura.
"Mr. Caldwell."
Victoria walked over, greeting him with a smile and pushing a box toward him. "These are my improved version. They help with sleep and also regulate emotions. If you ever feel restless, just light one of these incense sticks."
Jayce's gaze lingered on the box for a moment, then followed her hand to her face.
"Why are you lying to him?"
His voice was deep and magnetic, but there was something dry about it, and it was lacking warmth, sounding empty.
Victoria replied, "Because I'm about to divorce him. I will soon be cut off ties with him, so I don't want him to know this."
Jayce stared at her unblinkingly. His eyes were deep and mysterious, the mole beneath his eye adding a chilling edge to his gaze.
Victoria felt uneasy under his scrutiny. She clenched her fingers and asked, "Are you going to tell him?"
She knew Jayce had known Henry since they were kids. Their bond was certainly stronger than what she had with Jayce. She felt Jayce might tell Henry about her secret. That would be disastrous to her.
"No."
After a while, Jayce answered in a hoarse voice, then tucked the box away.
He lowered his head again, lost in his own world, as though the person sitting across from him didn't even exist.
Victoria sighed with relief and smiled. "Then let me treat you to a meal. Have you ordered yet?"
Jayce didn't answer.
Victoria guessed he hadn't ordered yet.
She called the waiter over and began to order. She tried to make small talk with Jayce, but he remained silent, not looking at her, his demeanor cold and withdrawn. She gave up on trying to communicate and simply ordered the restaurant's signature dishes..
The food arrived quickly, and Jayce started eating slowly. Seeing he didn't refuse the food, Victoria felt a little easy.
Victoria said, "You're a bit thin. You should eat more".
Jayce remained silent. Victoria fell silent as well, deciding to enjoy her meal.
Halfway through, she went to the bathroom. While she was in a stall, she heard a familiar voice.
"Why did you give her the certificate?"
Then, Jude's young voice sounded, "No reason. I just wanted to give it to her."
Henry's cold voice followed. "When you saw your mother, why didn't you greet her?"
"Dad, she doesn't care about me. I don't want to talk to her. She said she didn't want me anymore. You two should just divorce." Jude's voice was firm, resolute.
"Jude, is that how you talk to your mom?" Henry's tone turned even colder. "Don't talk like that in front of her. And when you see her, you greet her. If that's the attitude you've learned at Harrison Villa, you might as well come back home now."
Jude seemed afraid, his voice faltering. "Yes, I was wrong."
Then, there were the sounds of footsteps walking away.
Victoria hadn't expected to overhear them. She walked out with a complex expression, glancing at herself in the mirror. A mocking smile appeared on her face.
She thought, "Even our son couldn't wait for them to divorce. What is Henry still hesitating for?"
When she came back, Jayce had already put his fork down.
Victoria was surprised. "You're done eating so soon?"
Jayce didn't reply. He just stood up and walked off.
Victoria had already grown used to his indifference, so she didn't try to stop him and continued eating.
After finishing her meal, she stood up and glanced around. Seeing that Henry wasn't around. She immediately went downstairs to pay. However, she was told that the bill had already been settled.
She thought helplessly, "Well, it seems I should treat him the next time."
Victoria quickly left, but just as she was about to get into the car, a familiar voice stopped her.
"Victoria."
Her back stiffened. She realized that she was caught..
Taking a deep breath, she turned and forced a smile. "Hi, what a coincidence! You guys are eating here, too?"
Henry's deep eyes locked onto her, and he walked over with Jude in tow.
"Mom". Jude called out obediently and then stared at her, an inexplicable sense of hope rising in his chest.
Sarah's gaze turned cold when she saw Victoria. Her teeth clenched in frustration.
She thought, "This woman must be deliberately following us. She claims she wants a divorce, but she's playing hard to get. And she'd even claimed to have amnesia... What a clever trick!"
Sarah was certain Victoria was faking it, and she determined to find the evidence to expose her. She knew that Henry hated being lied to.
She thought that once he found out Victoria had been hiding such a huge lie, he wouldn't let her off the hook.