Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria)
Chapter 442

Chapter 442

"Don't worry about that. Mr. Cadogan has paid us one year's fees in advance when we

signed a contract."

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One year? He paid in advance for one year?! Victoria was shocked when she heard this

little tidbit.

"So, we'll protect your safety for this whole year, Miss Selwyn."

She couldn't help but look up at him. "You will do whatever as long as you're paid?"

The lead man nodded.

"Great. If I offer a higher price than he did for you to accompany me to leave the country

and look for him, will you accept?"

The leader fell silent.

"Don't worry. Alaric isn't the only rich guy around. I have the money. If you don't believe me, I can pay in advance as well."

"This..."

"Or are your protection services only available within the country?"

Chapter 442 Maybe Just Trying to Trick You

"Well, no. We offer our services abroad as well. It's just that... we've promised Mr. Cadogan to protect you. So, we-

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"Yes." Victoria pursed her lips. "You're just here to protect me. You're not here to limit my movement, right? Did he say that I wasn't allowed to go anywhere when he paid you

guys?"

The few men didn't know how to respond in the face of her sharp questions.

As expected, they couldn't limit where she decided to go. They would have to follow her wherever she wanted. After she made this crucial connection, she felt like she knew

what she needed to do.

"Um. Miss Selwyn, I've no objection to you wanting to go abroad, but I have to remind you one thing. How would you know if he was telling the truth? What if Mr. Cadogan is fine, and he was just trying to trick you?"

The leader's words held merit. That thought had passed through Victoria's mind after her phone call with Bane.

What if he's trying to trick me? Victoria had known Bane for many years and he had always been by her side for the last five years. So, she felt that she knew him pretty well. Since he called her and said those words, it means that things were as she feared even though she frankly couldn't figure out just how Alaric lost to him.

Of course, this could just be Bane's scheme as he also knew her very well. So, there

was also a high chance that he intentionally said those things just to provoke her to go to him.

Victoria lowered her eyes as she fell into deep thought.

The leader caught sight of her hesitance and urged, "Miss Selwyn, I hope that you'll reconsider your course of action."

She came back to her senses at his voice and looked at him, saying, "I can do that, but can you contact Alaric?"

"This..."

"You can't get through to his phone or find him. You have no news of him, right?" Some things could be easily sussed out based on a few questions, but there were also some tricky situations where the water was murky, and one had no choice but to have a little faith. Victoria's question rendered the men speechless. Since no one could contact Alaric, there was a high possibility he was in danger.

Of course, Victoria was also worried that she would fall into a trap. So, she decided to play it safe by setting aside some time to wait for Terrance.

Terrance had already gone abroad. So, she could only place her hopes on him. If he still

couldn't find Alaric even when he was there. Then...

Victoria's heart sank at that thought. Even though it was almost time for her to clock

off, she went to look for Henry and chatted with him for a long time before finally leaving.

When she returned home, she acted like nothing had happened and continued her life with the rest of the Cadogans as per usual.

Although she had tried her best to hide her unease, Mary still noticed something was off. After dinner, Nicole and Nathan followed Adrian to the study to play while Mary quietly asked her, "How is it? Did you manage to get ahold of Alaric?" Victoria stiffened for a second at that question and didn't know how to answer her. "What's wrong? Is there something you're worried about? Victoria, even though I'm not your biological mom, you can treat me as yours if you're willing. You can tell me anything. I didn't manage to see you when you first left and didn't even know what happened between the two of you. If I knew, I would have told you that no matter what happens between you and Alaric... You can always consider me your mother even if things don't work out between you and Alaric."

That sudden speech made Victoria's eyes brim with tears as a warm feeling coursed through her heart, "Thank you, Mom. I'll remember that."

Chapter 442 Maybe Just Trying to Trick You

Victoria had always envied others for having mothers when she was young and

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wondered why she didn't have one. She desperately wanted a gentle and loving mother who would buy her beautiful dresses and would help her into those dresses. She wished for someone who would hold her to sleep and tell her stories at night. Then, when she woke up, a gentle morning kiss would grace her. Even though she couldn't have all those, she still wished for those things.

However, later on, she projected these feelings onto Griselda, who was an older female figure that became irreplaceable to her.

"Your grandma's gone now, but she was still thinking about you when she passed. She felt that she didn't do enough for you and if she had talked to you and Alaric more, maybe you both wouldn't have divorced."

Tears filled Victoria's eyes at the mention of Griselda. The mention of Griselda was a trigger for Victoria as she regretted that she couldn't see her one last time due to her stubbornness at that time. "I'm sorry. If I..."

"It's okay." Mary held her wrist gently. "It's in the past. Don't apologize for that. I don't want you to feel guilty by telling you this. If your grandma's still alive, she wouldn't want

to see you blaming yourself. I just wanted to tell you the truth."

Victoria tried her best to blink away the tears in her eyes as words felt stuck in her

throat.

"So, no matter what happens between you and Alaric, let's not repeat our mistakes." "Okay."

T

Victoria took quite a while to calm down before she wiped the tears away from her cheeks and said, "Mom, I've got a favor to ask."

"What is it?"

"Tonight... or maybe latest by tomorrow... I may need to go abroad."/

Mary was a little surprised at the news but didn't press for answers and simply waited

for Victoria to tell her about her plans.

"Nicky and Nate have never left my side ever since they were born. So, I'm not too sure how they would react when I leave. I'll let them know that I have some business to settle abroad and tell them to behave. Still, when I'm gone, can I trouble you-" "Nonsense. It's no trouble at all. I'm their grandmother. It's my job to care for them too.

Go do what you need to do and leave the rest to me. Besides, you've taught them well. Nicky and Nate are good kids."

Chapter 443 At a