Chapter 9 Do You Really Know Me?

• The maid's face instantly turned pale in response to Alaric's query. "I've already disposed of the report, sir."
• Suddenly, a frown etched on his face, and he snapped, "What did you say?!"
• She was so frightened by his gloomy aura that she was on the brink of crying. In a panic, she explained, "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't throw it away on purpose, but the report was pretty torn up, so I threw it away without much thought—"
• The maid was not the type to delve into something the owner threw. Furthermore, Alaric would usually shred documents that contained highly confidential information. After all, she relied on her job to make ends meet, so she disposed of the report without giving it much thought that day.
• Over the past two days, she had been sending Victoria medicine, thinking it was for her illness. However, it turned out that the medication was intended to treat fever.
• Meanwhile, his brows furrowed at what the maid said. Then, he realized that something was amiss with his wife. Even if she had given the umbrella to someone else, she could have sought shelter and called the driver to pick her up or waited until the rain stopped before returning home. Why did she have to run home in the rain?
• At that moment, Hector walked toward Alaric and asked with concern, "Sir, is Mrs. Cadogan alright?"
• Before saying anything, Alaric handed him the car keys and his jacket. "I'm going upstairs for a while."
• Then, Hector quickly took them without a word.
• …
• Meanwhile, Victoria intended to rest after the maid had left, but she was interrupted by a phone call.
• It was a call from the secretary of Labauve Group's vice president, who wanted to discuss the recent project she had been working on. Due to her absence from the office the day before, nobody was available to fill in for her.
• After the call ended, she rubbed her brows. The office is busy, and after being gone for a day, I found that I had a lot of work to catch up on. I have no choice but to start working today. Then, she pulled out her laptop, but as soon as she logged into her email, she heard footsteps coming from the door.
• Victoria assumed it was the maid, so she ignored the sound and clicked on her email to start working. Suddenly, she heard a pause in the footsteps and felt a faint, cool breath beside her, so she turned to see who it was.
• With a single glance, her gaze locked on Alaric's obsidian eyes.
• She was startled at the sight of him. "What are you doing here?"
• When he heard that, he pursed his lips lightly and replied, "This is my room." His voice was unwelcoming and distant.
• Nonetheless, Victoria was taken aback by his tone and questioned subconsciously, "Did someone upset you? Why do you sound so moody?"
• "Upset?" Alaric furrowed his brows. Why does her question sound so ridiculous? Where could I have been early in the morning that caused me to become so upset? After pausing for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, he deadpanned and blurted, "I was home last night."
• At that moment, she gaped in shock at his response.
• Then, he stared at her. "Why are you surprised? I was lying beside you last night. Weren't you aware of that?"
• After hearing that, Victoria pursed her lips without a word. It turns out that the sensation I had last night of the mattress being pressed down was not my imagination. Remnants of sleep still clouded her mind when that happened, and when she woke up to feel the coolness on the other side of the bed, she thought Alaric hadn't come home all night.
• When she learned he was at home, she felt excitement rising in her chest. "I thought you wouldn't come home."
• It was after her sentence that they both went silent.
• Even though Claudia had only been back for two days, their relationship had become awkward. Despite that, none of them was willing to address the elephant in the room. The two seemed to be avoiding the subject tacitly, but the reason for their silence was known only to them.
• After some time, Alaric suddenly questioned, "Why aren't you taking medicine?"
• Why does he bring it up again? Victoria returned her attention to the laptop screen as if nothing had happened. Then, she explained, "I didn't feel like taking it yesterday, and since I felt so much better today, I decided I no longer needed it."
• Suddenly, her calm appearance made his lips twitch, and he inquired, "Really? What about the report, then?"
• At that moment, her hands stopped scrolling the mouse when he mentioned 'the report.' Victoria almost thought she had misheard him, but the tingling of his breath beside her was proof that he had said those words out loud.
• On the other hand, Alaric noticed how her fingers paused abruptly when 'the report' was mentioned. Due to that, he narrowed his eyes skeptically. She's trying to hide something from me.
• After a moment, she recollected herself and raised her head to meet his eyes. Her gaze was doubtful, and she asked calmly, "What report?"
• He merely stared at her in response. She's giving a convincing performance; she looks and sounds completely natural, from her expression and gazes to her tone. If I hadn't noticed her subtle actions earlier, I would have been duped by her facade.
• While staring intently into Victoria's eyes, Alaric questioned, "I am the one who initiates the inquiry. So, what report are you referring to?"
• Hearing that, she was stunned for a moment. "Yes, you were asking me that, but I'm not sure what report you refer to."
• The mere mention of 'the report' throws me off guard, and my first thought is that he must have seen it. So, did he learn about my pregnancy?
• Nevertheless, Victoria quickly calmed herself down.
• Since the Selwyns declared bankruptcy, she had grown from a pampered young lady to a well-respected secretary. Even the presidents of companies collaborating with Cadogan Group greeted her courteously when they saw her. They didn't do that simply because she was Alaric's wife but because they acknowledged her abilities. Two years of training and experience molded her into a completely different person. She was no longer the young lady who would panic and get flustered when things were messed up.
• I've torn the report into pieces; even if I hadn't, the rainwater would have washed away any traces of the words it contained. In addition, due to prolonged exposure to moisture, the report's contents would be illegible. After running a mental analysis, she completely calmed down.
• Meanwhile, his lips curled into a half-smile. Then, Alaric took a seat in front of Victoria, and the two exchanged glances.
• They were childhood sweethearts. After all these years, how could he have missed her dramatic transformation over the last two years?
• When Alaric first approached Victoria about working for the company, he intended to foster her development and independence. Within two years, she had matured into the person he had envisioned her to be, and she even became his ideal right-hand woman. Moreover, she could speak calmly in front of hundreds of people, let alone in front of him.
• At that thought, he squinted his eyes and asked, "Are you sure you don't know? Do you think I don't know you?"
• However, she met his eyes fearlessly. "Is that so? Do you really know me?"
• The next second, Alaric wrapped his hand around the base of Victoria's neck and leaned in until their foreheads were so close that their breaths intertwined. A sentence was squeezed out of his lips. "I've known you for at least 20 years and shared a bed with you for two years. Who else knows you better than I do, Victoria Selwyn?"
• She was immediately dumbfounded. Have we known each other for that long? He says he knows me, but he has no idea I've fallen for him.