Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria) novel Chapter 172

Chapter 172
It had been a day since Alaric hadn’t replied to Victoria’s message. Now, it was
already approaching midnight.
The two children’s social media accounts were well-maintained with no random
things cluttering their profiles. Their bios were simple and even their posts were
infrequent. Occasionally, they would share edited videos with music and captions. It
was evident that the person managing the accounts didn’t have much free time.
Alaric clicked on one of the videos and the smiling faces of the two children.
immediately appeared on his phone screen.
At the sight of their smiles, he suddenly felt the restlessness and irritability in his
chest dissipate. He sat back against the edge of the bed, scrolling the account with.
his finger, and quietly watched for a long time. Gradually, his mood became
increasingly calm.
When Terrance pushed open the door to the room to find him, his restlessness had
completely subsided and his stomach felt better as well after taking the medicine.
“Why are you awake, Mr. Cadogan?” Terrance quickly walked up to him. “I thought
you were resting.”
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Although Alaric’s complexion hadn’t fully recovered, his gaze was noticeably
sharper. He glanced at the person before him and pressed his thin lips together
before asking, “Do you need me for anything?”
Only then did Terrance recall his purpose and quickly say, “Well, Joe bought some
chicken soup from the restaurant downstairs. The owner specially made it after
hearing about your condition. The smell is quite enticing. Would you like to have
some?” As he finished speaking, he rubbed his hands together. “Since you’ve taken
the medicine, it’s better for you to eat something to fill your-”
However, before he could finish his sentence, he heard Alaric coldly reject his
suggestion. “I’m fine. You can take it back.”
Terrance hadn’t expected to be rejected so quickly, but he didn’t want to give up
either. He hesitated in place, reluctant to leave.
“Is there something else?” Alaric glanced at him.
“It’s not that, Mr. Cadogan. Your stomach is not good and you can’t go on like this.
You must eat something.”
“What does that have to do with you?”
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Hearing that, Terrance pouted. I wish it had nothing to do with me. After all, I’m not
the one feeling the pain, but when you are in pain, I end up being busy. In the end,
I’m the one worried about you instead of yourself. Also, if you were to die from the
illness, I would lose my position. Where would I find another high-paying job?
Although there are many things to do when working with Mr. Cadogan, he is
extremely cold. He is different from other people. As long as I complete my work
during office hours, he doesn’t inquire about other matters. The end-of-year salary
and bonuses are also very generous. In short, if he could work at the Cadogan
Group for a lifetime, he wouldn’t consider going anywhere else.
At this thought, he planned to use a bunch of polite words to respond to Alaric. “You
shouldn’t say that, Mr. Cadogan. You are my superior. So, as your subordinate, I
should be concerned about your health. If you’re sick, Joe and I will worry.”
However, no matter how he expressed his concern, Alaric seemed as if he hadn’t.
heard his words.
Seeing that Alaric’s expression seemed impenetrable, Terrance was extremely
worried. He couldn’t help but say, “Mr. Cadogan, you already have a stomach
problem. Even though you took your medicine, no matter how good the medicine is,
not eating or drinking like this will…”
“Get out.”
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“Mr. Cadogan.”
“Get out!” Alaric’s expression turned cold.
Terrance stood still for a while, but in the end, he had no choice. With a sigh, he
turned around to leave.
As Alaric closed his eyes, he felt a headache coming on, but at this moment, a soft,
adorable voice echoed in his mind. ‘Mummy said that we have to eat well and on
time to have a healthy body. So, everyone must have their meals on time. This is…
Nicole’s voice. Why did I think of that child’s voice at a time like this? Is this a sign?
Although he had taken his stomach medicine, his stomach still ached faintly. He
pressed his lips together, and just as Terrance was about to leave the bedroom, hel
called out to him, “Wait.”
Terrance stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at Alaric with a dejected
expression. “Yes, Mr. Cadogan?”
“You mentioned… chicken soup?”
At his question, Terrance, whose eyes had lost their spark, immediately brightened
up and nodded eagerly. “Yes, Mr. Cadogan. It’s chicken soup specially made by the
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restaurant downstairs.”
Alaric pondered for a moment. “Bring it in.”
“Alright. I’ll go get it immediately.”
When Terrance left the room, the young intern, Joe, was anxiously waiting outside.
“How did it go, Mr. Levane? Is Mr. Cadogan willing to eat something?”
“Yes. Hurry up and bring me the chicken soup.”
“Here.” Joe handed a small bowl of chicken soup to Terrance.”
Once he received it, he hurriedly made his way back to the bedroom, fearing that
Alaric would change his mind if he was a few minutes late. In any case, when he felt
like eating, it was better to let him have a bite than not eat anything at all.
Instantly, the aroma of the chicken soup filled the room. Furthermore, it was still
warm when it was handed over.
Terrance handed a spoon to Alaric and said considerately, “Be careful, Mr. Cadogan.
It’s hot.”
After Alaric took it, he looked at the bowl of chicken soup and scooped up a
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spoonful, but instead of eating it, he lifted his head and looked at Terrance. “How
long do you plan to stay here?”
Terrance, who originally intended to watch him eat, retracted his gaze. “Alright then.
I’ll be outside.”
After the bedroom door was closed, the room fell silent.
Alaric stared at the bowl of chicken soup. In fact, he had no appetite at all. He had
never been enthusiastic about food in the first place. Food, to him, was merely
sustenance to keep himself alive.
He always ate very little. It was the woman who used to be by his side who had a
great interest in food. It was even more pronounced when they were younger. Every
time, after school or on weekends, she would always drag him to try out delicious
food and ask him to take her there. When he was with her, his appetite grew a little,
but after she left…
At this thought, his eyes grew slightly heavy. He pushed aside the unnecessary
thoughts in his mind, picked up the bowl, and without even using a spoon, he
reluctantly drank the chicken soup straight from the bowl.
The food in his mouth held no flavor whatsoever. It was as tasteless as chewing
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wax.
After finishing the congee, he glanced at his phone again and thought about the
message Victoria had sent during the day. Against his better judgment, he
succumbed to the temptation and opened it. Then he stared at the message for a
while before crafting a reply.
On the other hand, Victoria was busy with work tonight. By the time she finished, it
was already late at night. She felt a little hungry, but she was too lazy to cook, so she
settled for a few pieces of biscuits to fill her stomach. After washing up and
checking on her two little ones to make sure they were asleep, she planned to go to
bed too. Unexpectedly, her phone vibrated at that moment.
She was worried that it might be something important from work, so she wiped her
hair while picking up her phone to check.
When she saw the message, she realized it was a reply from a man named ‘Silent
Night’. After a whole day had passed, he chose to reply at such a late hour. ‘What do
you want to talk about?’