Chapter 146
Agnes quickly posted a tweet, sincerely apologizing to Victoria.
She admitted her misunderstanding, claiming she thought Victoria was responsible for Sophia's injuries.
She also apologized to the online community for her hasty comments that had disrupted public resources and caused negative fallout.
Both curious onlookers and fans were left dumbfounded. After all the fuss, they had been used as pawns. Fans flooded Agnes' Twitter with angry comments, and her DMs were bombarded with insults. She didn't dare check her notifications, knowing she'd opened a can of worms.
In the meeting room, Victoria's beautiful features were tinged with frost as she spoke. "We don't have much time left in our collaboration. From now on, I expect no more nonsense. We both dislike each other, so let's wrap this up quickly and avoid crossing paths in the future."
Sophia remained silent, her expression still gloomy.
"Go get your makeup done. Don't waste my time," Victoria ordered.
Sophia stood abruptly and left, but once she reached her makeup room, she she spun around and slapped Agnes across the face.
"Useless! You couldn't handle something so simple!"
Agnes covered her face, tears welling in her eyes. "Sophia, I didn't expect her to have access to my chat logs!"
If Victoria hadn't gotten her hands on those records, she would have been the one in trouble!
Frustrated, Sophia sank into a chair, feeling cornered by Victoria's threats. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. In a fit of rage, she swept everything off the table, sending bottles and jars crashing to the floor.
She closed her eyes and said, "Get me ready." The makeup artist approached, trembling.
After a moment, Sophia added, "You can't stay by my side anymore. I'll give you some money, but remember, you can't share anything about me. You signed a confidentiality agreement."
"I understand." Agnes nodded, feeling the weight of the situation.
Meanwhile, Victoria arrived at the studio, adjusting the camera while contemplating Sophia's words.
She thought, "Her lead role was taken away? Did Henry pressure the director? I can't believe he'd do something like that."
For a fleeting moment, Victoria felt a twinge of confusion, but she quickly regained her composure. She didn't want to dig deeper into his motives.
"I can handle this on my own. I don't need him."
Later, Sophia complied, and the shoot went smoothly. In just two days, they finished all the photos. Victoria sent the edited images to the brand, and they promptly settled the final payment.
After that, she didn't see Sophia again.
Finally enjoying a day off, Victoria invited Evie and Emma to the amusement park.
Upon seeing the little girl, she rushed over and wrapped her in a warm hug, showering Emma with kisses.
"My darling, I've missed you so much!"
Victoria was completely smitten with Emma, holding her tightly.
Emma giggled, saying, "Ms. Victoria, your lipstick is all over my face!"
Victoria chuckled and wiped it off with a wet wipe. "Alright, I won't kiss you anymore. You can kiss me instead!"
Emma blinked her big, round eyes at Evie. "Mommy, if I kiss Ms. Victoria, you won't get jealous, right?"
Evie just rolled her eyes, exasperated. Emma burst into laughter, planting several kisses on Victoria's cheek.
At the amusement park, Victoria bought VIP tickets, allowing them to skip all the lines and enjoy the rides at will. They started with the carousel and the teacups, both of which thrilled Emma to no end.
Victoria snapped photos, capturing the beauty of Evie and Emma together. Every pose was picture–perfect.
After lunch, Victoria's gaze fell on the roller coaster. "I want to ride that one!"
Evie raised an eyebrow. "I want to ride it too."
"What about Emma?" Both women turned their attention to the little girl.
Emma cradled a huge cup of juice, slurping through the straw before declaring, "You guys can go ahead. If I do, I'll just cry."
Evie raised an eyebrow, speechless.
Victoria chuckled, reaching over to ruffle Emma's hair. "How about I find someone to keep you company?"
Evie looked at her, puzzled. "Do you know anyone here?"
Victoria pulled out her phone and sent a quick message. Moments later, a tall man in a black suit appeared, standing silently beside her.
Evie blinked in surprise. "Who's he?"
Victoria explained, "Henry arranged for him to be my bodyguard. He's here to keep me safe."
Evie's eyes widened. "He got you a bodyguard? Does that mean he doesn't want a divorce?"
Victoria shrugged. "The bodyguard's just here to hang out with Emma, that's all."
Emma looked up at the bodyguard, her innocent curiosity shining through. "Can you fight?"
The bodyguard nodded silently.
"Wow, that's so cool!" Emma's eyes sparkled as she peppered him with questions about different boxing moves, even asking him to demonstrate a few moves.
Victoria tugged at Evie's arm. "Let's hurry up and get on those rides."
Evie glanced back at the bodyguard. "I think I should get one too. That way, I won't have to worry about anyone bothering Emma."
Victoria nodded thoughtfully. "These kinds of bodyguards start at a salary of around a 500.000 dollars a year."
Evie paused, considering. Then she gritted her teeth and said, "Let's do it! 500.000 dollars to keep my daughter safe? Totally worth it!"
They entered through the VIP entrance, waiting in line for just a moment before it was their turn.
Emma was completely captivated by the bodyguard, watching him as he executed a series of movements, her eyes wide with wonder.
"Can I learn that?" she asked eagerly.
"Sure," the bodyguard replied, nodding.
Then, he began teaching her some moves. Before long, a crowd of kids gathered around, all eager to learn from the impressive bodyguard, their faces lit up with excitement.
Meanwhile, Jennifer hadn't seen Jude in nearly a month. Finally meeting him, she took her grandson to the amusement park immediately.
However, the noise was overwhelming, and she frowned, contemplating calling the manager to clear the place. But before she could act, Jude suddenly took off running ahead.
Jennifer called after him, rushing to keep up, "Jude! Don't run off like that! There are too many people here; you could get hurt!"
Ignoring her, Jude darted right up to Emma, his bright eyes shining. "Why did you change school?"
Emma, in the middle of practicing her boxing, pushed him away playfully. "Hey, you're in my way! Can't you see I'm learning to box?"
Jude stumbled back a couple of steps, his expression shifting from surprise to a pout.
"Mr. Jude Harrison," the bodyguard said, recognizing him and greet him.
Jude didn't know the bodyguard, but the way he was acting made it clear that the man was probably his dad's bodyguard.
He thought, "How come Dad's bodyguard is hanging around here? And teaching Emma how to throw punches?"
He thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "My mom is here, isn't she?"
The bodyguard nodded. "Yes, she is."
Jude immediately began scanning the area, but he couldn't spot Victoria anywhere.
Just then, Jennifer caught up, grabbing his hand. "Jude, why are you running off like that?"
"My mom is here!" he exclaimed.
Jennifer felt a chill run through her. She hadn't expected to run into Victoria while out with her grandson.