Chapter 184
When Victoria heard what Jayce said, her heartbeat suddenly went off rhythm. She stared at him, momentarily stunned.
Yet, his face remained expressionless. His pale complexion, paired with the single mole beneath his eye, was strikingly seductive–his features were so unnaturally beautiful that he looked like one of those brooding vampires straight out of a
movie.
Victoria opened her mouth, but for a moment, she couldn't find the right words. His blunt expression of emotion left her completely at a loss. After a pause, she finally managed to utter, "Um... My studio opens the day after tomorrow. If you have time, stop by to visit."
Jayce responded seriously, "I'll be there."
Ding–the elevator doors slid open. Jayce stepped out first. Instead of heading home right away, he turned back to Victoria and said, "Victoria, if you need anything, you can tell me. I'll do whatever you need." Moments later, the elevator doors closed, cutting off his gaze.
Victoria let out a slow, shaky breath. That kind of straightforwardness left her feeling completely overwhelmed, unable to even think of a reply.
She wasn't even divorced yet. And even if she were, she wouldn't dive into another relationship so quickly, especially with someone whose background was as complicated as his. But she needed to think of a way to thank Jayce. She then called Evie for advice.
Evie, who sounded like she had just woken up, suggested, "Why not get him a service dog, like an emotional support dog? Doesn't he have depression? Having a little animal around might make things casier for him."
Victoria's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "That's a great idea. I'll start looking now."
She hung up and began searching online. Soon, she found the right resources, gathered all the necessary paperwork, and applied for an exceptionally gentle Labrador that very same day.
That very evening, Victoria went to Jayce's place and knocked on the door. Delia opened it, clearly surprised to see her. "Mrs. Harrison?"
"Long time no see, Delia." Victoria greeted her with a warm smile. Then, she asked, "Is Mr. Caldwell home?"
Before Delia could respond, Jayce's voice came from inside. "I'm here." He stepped up behind Delia, his gaze landing squarely on Victoria.
Victoria's smile widened slightly. "Do you happen to like dogs, Mr. Caldwell?"
"Dogs?" Jayce blinked, momentarily taken aback.
"Yeah, do you like them?" Victoria's tone carried a hint of nervousness.
Jayce studied her for a moment and then nodded. "I do."
Victoria let out a noticeable sigh of relief and clapped her hands. "Sunny, come here!"
From around the stairwell, a Labrador bounded into view, its tongue hanging out and tail wagging enthusiastically. Its big, glossy eyes gazed at them with innocent curiosity. Delia froze, glancing at Jayce with visible hesitation as though she wanted to say something but held back.
Jayce, however, focused on Victoria. "For me?" he asked, his voice steady.
"Yes." Victoria nodded firmly. "Given your situation, you can't rely solely on medication or aromatherapy. I thought you might benefit from some companionship. Sunny is a therapy dog with a gentle temperament. I'm confident having him by your side will help lift your spirits."
Jayce's eyes drifted to the Labrador. The dog sat obediently, its eyes still fixed on him, radiating a calm, harmless demeanor.
"Thank you," Jayce said sincerely, meeting Victoria's gaze as he reached out to take the leash. "I'll take good care of him."
Victoria's lips curved into a genuine smile. "That's good to hear. But over the next few days, you'll need to work with an organization for some training to build a bond with Sunny and learn to understand each other better."
"I will," Jayce said without hesitation, his agreement unwavering.
Jayce asked, "Want to come in for a bit?"
"No." Victoria shook her head. "I need to pick Jude up from school." She remembered she had promised him yesterday. As an adult, she couldn't go back on her word.
"I see." Jayce looked a little disappointed. After a brief pause, he suddenly asked, "Can I go with you, then?"
Victoria instinctively wanted to say no. But when her eyes met him, the deep, somber look in them, paired with his pale complexion, made the words stick in her throat. She thought, "He helped me out so much before. How could gifting a dog possibly repay that?"
"Sure," she said with a smile and a slight nod.
Jayce took hold of the dog leash. "I'll take Sunny along."
Victoria nodded again. "Okay."
Without hesitation, Jayce headed for the door. Delia moved to follow him, but he glanced back and said, "You don't need to come with me."
She hesitated. "But Mr. Caldwell..."
Jayce cut Delia off firmly. "That's an order." His tone toward her was distant and stern.
She then watched as they stepped into the elevator, her face clouding with quiet sadness. She pulled out her phone and called Edward to report the situation.
Edward was irritated and snapped, "I've already warned him to stop this nonsense! Why is he still being so unreasonable? I didn't even call him out for going after that actress for no reason before!"
Delia pressed her lips together before suggesting, "Sir Caldwell, perhaps you should talk to Mrs. Harrison and ask her to keep her distance from Mr. Caldwell. He's sensitive. Once he realizes he's been turned down, I'm sure he won't pursue her anymore."
She mused, "What a shameless idea, all for the sake of keeping Mr. Caldwell to myself. But... even if it's a single, simple girl, that would be fine. Why does it have to be Mrs. Harrison? She's Mr. Caldwell's good friend's wife! He can't make that kind of mistake..."
Edward was silent for a moment before agreeing, "You're right. Let Victoria turn him down a few more times."
Hearing that, Delia let out a small sigh of relief and thought, "Mrs. Harrison is so smart. Once Sir Caldwell talks to her, she'll understand what she needs to do."
The order at the kindergarten entrance was well–maintained. Even so, Victoria said to Jayce, "You and Sunny stay in the car. I'm worried some of the kids might be scared of the dog."
"Alright." Jayce nodded without fuss.
Jace glanced down at the Labrador, Sunny, sitting obediently nearby. It also looked back at him.
After a moment, Sunny suddenly let out a low whimper, lying flat on the seat. The dog avoided making eye contact with Jayce, even tucking its tail tightly. Jayce kept staring at Sunny, and its whole body began to tremble under the intensity of his gaze.
"Mom!" Jude spotted Victoria and called out, running toward her as fast as his little legs could carry him.
"Don't run," Victoria reminded him softly with a gentle smile. She couldn't help but notice that Henry's shadow in Jude - his coldness, indifference, and aloofness–was gradually fading away. That was a relief.
She reached out, ruffled Jude's hair affectionately, and held his hand as they began walking back to the car. Just then, the sound of a car horn broke through the air.
They instinctively turned toward the noise and saw a luxury car not far away. Jacob was behind the wheel, and Henry sat in the backseat.
"It's Dad," Jude said and then looked up at her. "Are you going over there, Mom?"
Victoria shook her head. "No, but do you want to go say hi to him?" Jude nodded in response.
She released his hand with a small smile. "Go ahead. I'll wait for you right here."
"Okay," Jude replied.