Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria)

Chapter 354

Picking up the wine glass on the table, Claudia finished what was left in it and

then refilled it in front of Alaric. Then, she held it in her hand and swirled it

gently. “Just take it as honoring me one last time for the sake that I once

saved your life. Let’s part on good terms, okay?”

Alaric’s thin lips almost compressed into a thin line. His eyes were cold, but

eventually, he sat down in front of her. “Is drinking with you considered

parting on good terms? Are the double shares I’m giving you not a nice

enough way of ending things amicably?”

Claudia’s face twisted into a mournful smile. “I just knew you’d think that way.

But Alaric, my love for you is genuine. Even if you weren’t a company

president but just an ordinary person today, I’d still love you. Why do you think

I asked for the five percent of shares? It’s totally because you won’t have

peace of mind as long as you’re indebted to someone. If I didn’t ask anything

of you, you wouldn’t even think that I sincerely wanted to make a clean break

with you. Well, it’s good the way it is now. Now that I’ve accepted your

company’s shares, you won’t feel indebted to me anymore, no?” she said

before raising her wine glass. “It’s been so many years now. Here’s a toast to

wish you happiness.”

Chapter 354 He’s Gone

She raised her wine glass in mid–air, but she never got a response. Still,

despite her aching arm, she continued to hold her glass of wine up high and

waited, unwilling to give up. Finally, just when she thought she wouldn’t.

succeed tonight, Alaric lifted his glass of wine and impatiently clinked it

against hers before taking a few sips from it. “Is that enough honor for you?”

He placed his glass back on the table with a slight clatter.

Claudia’s heart thumped wildly as she made sure the man had swallowed

what he had drunk; even her hand tightened on her glass of wine. Did he

drink it? I did it at last!

Alaric had only taken a few sips of his drink, but she had long prepared for

this. To prevent him from overdrinking or drinking only one sip just for show,

she had prepared plenty of the stuff. Just one sip of it was enough to take

effect on the man, and besides, he had drunk more than that.

All I have to do next is stay here long enough. At the thought of this, Claudia

drank up all the wine left in the glass. The wine was cold, and it cooled her

stomach as she drank it. The effects should kick in in about 20 minutes. Once

he comes under its influence, I’ll have to sleep with him a few more times

instead of just once; it’s best to make sure I’ll get pregnant. Taking a deep

breath, she stood up and said to the man, “I need to use the bathroom.”

Chapter 354 He’s Gone

Alaric watched with a frown as she entered the bathroom. He wondered if he

was imagining things, but he couldn’t help feeling that something was odd.

about Claudia today. Perhaps because her change was so drastic, he felt

there was more to it than it seemed, but then, some of his misgivings were

dispelled when she asked for the five percent of shares. Instead of thinking

more about it, he merely sent a text message urging his attorney to hurry up

before calling Terrance to come over immediately. His relationship with

Victoria wasn’t getting anywhere at the moment, and he wasn’t sure at all

whether he could get back together with her. That being said, now that he

had the idea of courting her again, he couldn’t be alone with another girl like

this anymore.

After making the phone call, he went out and stood alone outside the room.

The cold wind greeted him, taking away some of his heat. It would take about

ten minutes for Terrance to arrive, and he decided to stand outside for a

while before going back in.

After standing for a long time, he heard light footsteps from behind, followed

by Claudia’s voice. “Al, why are you standing here?” Her voice quavered a

little, and there was a look of panic in her eyes, which gradually disappeared

after she saw him.

23 Gore

Claudia freaked out the moment she came out and saw that Alaric was

gone. It took her a while of searching to find the man, whom she thought had

gone out to see someone else. Of course, what she feared most was that he All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

had gone to Victoria. Won’t I be playing into Victoria’s hands if he goes to her?

No, I won’t let this kind of thing happen. She stepped forward and persuaded

in a soft voice, “It’s chilly out here, and you’re not dressed warmly enough. It’s

better to get back inside.”

Seeing her approaching, Alaric subconsciously took a couple of steps back to

keep his distance from her, and his bushy eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Whether it was because Claudia had been bothering him the whole time or

because Terrance had yet to show up after a long time, he actually felt

extremely restless deep down; even his body felt irritably hot. In addition to

the coolness, the night breeze actually made him feel a bit comfortable.

All at once, he was alerted by this strange feeling. Seeing the panicked look in

Claudia’s eyes, he recalled the drink he had consumed just now. If possible,

he really didn’t want to suspect the woman in front of him; she had risked her

life to save him back then, after all. However, the heat in his body reminded

him that everything tonight smelled fishy. For no apparent reason, she came

over saying she was going to leave; then she asked for shares and drinks

and said yes to everything I said. At the thought of this, he strode outside

Chapter 354 He’s Gone

immediately.

At the sight of this, Claudia was startled, and she quickly caught up with him.

“Al, what’s wrong with you?”

Alaric stopped dead in his tracks and stared at her with gloomy eyes. “What

do you think?”

Fixed by his penetrating gaze, which seemed to be able to see into people’s

hearts, Claudia felt as though she had nowhere to hide. Sheepishly, she

averted her eyes, saying, “I–I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

However, Alaric let out a sneer before turning around to leave at once.

At the sight of this, Claudia anxiously tried to catch up with him, but the man

strode so fast that she couldn’t keep pace with him at all. In just a moment,

she lost him right away; not only that, she didn’t even know where she was.

She pulled her coat together and shivered as she walked on, not because of

the chill but because the drink she had consumed just now was starting to

take effect on her. She didn’t see Alaric when she came out of the bathroom

just now, so she drank up what was left in his glass, thinking she might as well

drink a bit of it since they would end up together anyway. But now, Alaric was

11:41 Wed, 5 Jul

Chapter 354 He’s Gone

gone, while she… She fished out her phone and called Scarlette with

7

trembling hands.

D

Victoria tucked Nicole in before turning to check on Nathan. After making sure

that they were both well tucked in, she turned off all the lights in the room

except for a small nightlight. Then, she closed the door and left.

It was especially quiet in the house after the kids were both asleep.

Not feeling sleepy at this moment, Victoria took out the agreement that Alaric

had brought her when he came to pick her up during the day. As she didn’t

get a chance to read it in the car during the day, she had no choice but to

read it now.

She read through it carefully. Its contents were the same as what she had

previously sent to Alaric, with no alterations whatsoever. In fact, it was printed

one–for–one. Turning to the last page of the document, she saw Alaric’s

signature. All that was needed was for her to sign her name, and the

agreement, existing in two copies, would come into effect immediately.

After pondering for a moment, she put down the agreement and went to her

study to get her pen. However, just when she was about to sign the

agreement, the doorbell rang. She paused to look up at the door. Who could

be visiting at such a late hour?

11:41 Wed, 5 Jul

Chapter 355 Something Might Happen if He Stayed