Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Vincent gave a sheepish laugh. “Testimony? No, you’ve misheard it. Uh, I had too much to drink and am having a terrible hangover, so I’m gonna sleep a little longer. Don’t call me again!” he said hurriedly before hanging up the phone, not giving Victoria the opportunity to ask more questions.
Victoria called him again, but nobody answered the phone.
After pursing her lips, she got out of bed, put on her shoes, and attempted to walk outside without changing out of her hospital gown. Vincent often acts on impulse with no regard for the consequences. Who knows what he’s just done?!
“Are you going out?” Gabrielle stood up and blocked her way. “Your sister-in-law said that you had to rest.”
Victoria frowned. “Step aside.”
Gabrielle argued, “Your leg’s been broken before, and now it’s scalded. What if your wound becomes inflamed, and your leg gets necrotized and becomes crippled for life?” She had no knowledge of medicine, nor did she know what she was blabbering about; all she wanted to do right now was to stop Victoria.
The furrows in Victoria’s brow deepened. “I know my own leg’s condition. Step aside!” she said before pausing for a moment. Then, she added, “If you don’t want to displease my sister-in-law, you can tell her that I forced my way out. She isn’t an unreasonable person.”
Seeing the look on her face, Gabrielle hesitated for a moment before stepping aside. “You said it yourself.”
“Uh-huh,” Victoria mumbled nonchalantly. Then, she walked past Gabrielle and ran outside.
Gabrielle pondered for a moment before swiftly catching up with her. “Wait for me, Victoria! I’ll go with you!”
Victoria didn’t stop, though. Running all the way to the elevator lobby, she pressed the button for all the four elevators. Then, lowering her head with a frown, she stood between two elevators that were arriving at about the same speed, waiting.
Ding! The elevator door opened. She looked up and was just about to enter, only to be stunned when she saw the people in the elevator.
Dressed in a silvery gray suit, Christian was standing behind the wheelchair in the elevator. Looking handsome and dignified, he was intently examining the wound on the back of Bella’s hand.
At the sight of this, Gabrielle, standing next to Victoria, was stunned as well.
“Why would you come out here?” Bella’s gaze fell upon Victoria’s leg. She said anxiously, “You’ve scalded your leg, so you’d better lie in bed and rest up.”
Christian raised his eyes. His gaze paused upon Victoria’s leg for a moment, but he looked away soon after that.
Victoria licked her parched lips. Looking at the wound on the back of Bella’s hand, she asked, “Did my brother cause that wound on the back of your hand?” Vincent must’ve gotten into big trouble to be held in the police station for such a long time. She couldn’t think of any reason for this, other than that he had messed with Christian and Bella. Vincant gava a shaapish laugh. “Tastimony? No, you’va mishaard it. Uh, I had too much to drink and am having a tarribla hangovar, so I’m gonna slaap a littla longar. Don’t call ma again!” ha said hurriadly bafora hanging up tha phona, not giving Victoria tha opportunity to ask mora quastions.
Victoria callad him again, but nobody answarad tha phona.
Aftar pursing har lips, sha got out of bad, put on har shoas, and attamptad to walk outsida without changing out of har hospital gown. Vincant oftan acts on impulsa with no ragard for tha consaquancas. Who knows what ha’s just dona?!
“Ara you going out?” Gabrialla stood up and blockad har way. “Your sistar-in-law said that you had to rast.”
Victoria frownad. “Stap asida.”
Gabrialla arguad, “Your lag’s baan brokan bafora, and now it’s scaldad. What if your wound bacomas inflamad, and your lag gats nacrotizad and bacomas cripplad for lifa?” Sha had no knowladga of madicina, nor did sha know what sha was blabbaring about; all sha wantad to do right now was to stop Victoria.
Tha furrows in Victoria’s brow daapanad. “I know my own lag’s condition. Stap asida!” sha said bafora pausing for a momant. Than, sha addad, “If you don’t want to displaasa my sistar-in-law, you can tall har that I forcad my way out. Sha isn’t an unraasonabla parson.”
Saaing tha look on har faca, Gabrialla hasitatad for a momant bafora stapping asida. “You said it yoursalf.”
“Uh-huh,” Victoria mumblad nonchalantly. Than, sha walkad past Gabrialla and ran outsida.
Gabrialla pondarad for a momant bafora swiftly catching up with har. “Wait for ma, Victoria! I’ll go with you!”
Victoria didn’t stop, though. Running all tha way to tha alavator lobby, sha prassad tha button for all tha four alavators. Than, lowaring har haad with a frown, sha stood batwaan two alavators that wara
arriving at about tha sama spaad, waiting.
Ding! Tha alavator door opanad. Sha lookad up and was just about to antar, only to ba stunnad whan sha saw tha paopla in tha alavator.
Drassad in a silvary gray suit, Christian was standing bahind tha whaalchair in tha alavator. Looking handsoma and dignifiad, ha was intantly axamining tha wound on tha back of Balla’s hand.
At tha sight of this, Gabrialla, standing naxt to Victoria, was stunnad as wall.
“Why would you coma out hara?” Balla’s gaza fall upon Victoria’s lag. Sha said anxiously, “You’va scaldad your lag, so you’d battar lia in bad and rast up.”
Christian raisad his ayas. His gaza pausad upon Victoria’s lag for a momant, but ha lookad away soon aftar that.
Victoria lickad har parchad lips. Looking at tha wound on tha back of Balla’s hand, sha askad, “Did my brothar causa that wound on tha back of your hand?” Vincant must’va gottan into big troubla to ba hald in tha polica station for such a long tima. Sha couldn’t think of any raason for this, othar than that ha had massad with Christian and Balla.
Bella nodded slightly as a pained look came over her pretty face. “Vincent said that this was an eye for an eye. He also said that I must’ve scalded you on purpose, and he refused to believe me no matter how hard I tried to explain myself.”
Not knowing where to look, Gabrielle averted her eyes.
“Didn’t you…” Victoria gulped back the urge to ask if Bella had done this on purpose. She asked, “What do you want in order to let him off?”NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.
Christian looked at the wound on Victoria’s leg, which was bulging with gauze. A dark glint flickered across his eyes, and he began to feel somewhat restless.
Bella heaved a sigh of resignation. “I’d said a couple of times that this should be settled in private, but Vincent… said that I was a scheming b*tch and refused to accept my kind offer. I really couldn’t do anything about it.”
After listening to this, Gabrielle, who had been silent all this while, replied with a frown, “This is Mr. Coleman’s fault, then. Miss Spritz, you’ve said that you won’t argue with him about this, but he…” She measured her words for a moment. “He even called you names.”
Victoria pressed her lips together while clenching her fists tightly.
Staring at the blisters on the back of Bella’s hand, Gabrielle continued, “Miss Spritz, you’d better hurry and let the doctor treat your hand. It’s so badly scalded; it’ll be bad if the blisters leave scars on it.”
Bella bit her lip with a pained look in her eyes. “I don’t mind if there’ll be scars on my hand. It’s just that I feel bad because Vincent has misunderstood me.”
Christian’s lips curved into a sneer, but he didn’t say a word.
Victoria bowed her head in a servile manner. “I’ll explain to my brother how you scalded me ‘by accident.’ Could you forgive him?”
Bella let out a sigh. “Don’t talk like I’m a stranger. I’ve never blamed Vincent for this. I just feel upset about it. Only now do I realize after knowing him for so many years that he has such a bad impression of me.”
Suppressing the feeling of nausea that surged through her, Victoria replied impassively, “Miss Spritz, please forgive my brother for his harsh words. Actually, he often told me to learn from you.” Vincent had
always told her to be as gentle as Bella so that she’d be liked by others, but that was two years ago.
“Still, I’m glad that he’s stuck up for you. You siblings are still as close as before.” Bella smiled as though she was sincerely happy for Victoria. She continued, “I just knew that Mr. Coleman wouldn’t have the heart to cut you off from your family. Despite his firmness in speech, he has a soft heart. At last, I don’t have to be so racked with guilt.”
Victoria’s pupils shrank in alarm. Instinctively, she turned to look at Christian while trembling slightly. The Colemans had only managed to save themselves two years ago by disowning her. She didn’t know if Christian would think much about what Bella said.novelxo.com fast update
Christian smiled with a hint of mockery in his eyes. “I almost forgot that I was supposed to buy walnuts for you. Luckily, you reminded me of it today.”
Bella smiled before replying meekly, “That’s thoughtful of you, Christian, but I’ve asked my family to do it instead.”
Christian let out a chuckle with an inscrutable expression. “That’s understandable. Judging from how much you use your brains, you must’ve eaten plenty of walnuts in the past. Walnuts are good for the brain, after all.”
Bella froze for a moment. Then, she smiled without saying another word.
Gabrielle stood aside while trying hard to be invisible. She couldn’t help feeling that the atmosphere right now was strange. Mr. Thatcher and Miss Spritz don’t seem as close as they’re rumored to be.
“Mr. Coleman has cut all ties with me.” Victoria looked up slightly. Looking into Christian’s eyes, she said humbly with an imploring note in her voice, “You’ve seen it with your own eyes at Mrs. Thatcher’s birthday party the other day.” After giving a gulp, she added with much difficulty, “Mr. and Mrs. Coleman find me a disgrace and have never met me since I was released from jail. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have
gone so far as to make my way into Mrs. Thatcher’s birthday party in order to meet Mrs. Coleman just once.”
“You were just trying to be clever,” Christian said softly while casting a sidelong glance at her. “Did I ask you about these things?”
Stunned, Victoria stood frozen on the spot. Does he mean that he’s not gonna give me a hard time for this?
Before she could ask him anything, he had left while wheeling Bella.
After the couple had left, Gabrielle came up to Victoria, saying, “Miss Spritz said she didn’t blame Mr. Coleman for it, you see. Mr. Thatcher didn’t say anything either, so Mr. Coleman would definitely be alright. Why don’t you go back to your ward and rest instead of messing around?” As she spoke, she attempted to hold Victoria’s arm.
Victoria took a step back as if inadvertently and avoided being touched by her. “It’s getting late. You should go back.”
Gabrielle smiled sheepishly after failing to catch hold of Victoria’s arm. “I’ll visit you tomorrow, then.”
Victoria stepped into the elevator without looking back and pressed the button to close the elevator door. The moment the elevator door was about to close, her impassive voice sounded from the inside. “Thanks, but it’s not necessary.”
Gabrielle watched the elevator door close with a dejected look in her eyes. The next instant, however, something occurred to her. After clenching her fist to encourage herself, she entered another elevato