Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria) novel Chapter 174

Chapter 174
E
Thus, that was how Bane obtained the entrance code to her house. Afterward, he
would often personally bring breakfast over. As the frequency increased, Victoria
also felt embarrassed and said to him, “Actually, you can have your subordinates
deliver it.”
Bane then ruffled her hair and said, “Didn’t you want to sleep a bit longer? If they
deliver it, they’ll have to give you a phone call which will wake you up.”
“Don’t you have the entrance code?”
Upon hearing that, Bane sighed, “Do you think I would trust others with the entrance
code to your house?”
“Not even your subordinates?”
“Not even them.” Unless he was truly busy, he would take care of her no matter
what.
“Have you washed up?” Victoria was lost in thought when she suddenly heard Bane
ask her a question.
She snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head. “Not yet. I got up to check
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because I heard a sound in the living room.”
“You’re still not used to it?” Bane placed a cup of warm water in front of her and
continued, “What difference does it make if you’re awake as soon as I arrive?”
“There’s still a difference. From the time you wake me up with a phone call to the
time you spend arranging things in the living room, I can at least sleep a few more
minutes.” Victoria smiled.
Hearing that, Bane was amused by her and playfully tapped her delicate nose with
his finger. “You’re so cheeky.”
With that, Victoria paused and blinked her eyes gently before laughing. “I’ll go wash
up.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
When Victoria finished washing up and came out, Bane was already sitting in the
seat next to hers with a newspaper in hand. Upon hearing her movement, he folded
the newspaper and put it in his bag.
“You’re here.” Victoria glanced at her seat and thought for a moment before
deciding to sit opposite him.
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Bane noticed her actions and his gaze darkened slightly. However, he didn’t show it
on his face. He then pushed the plate of breakfast toward her. “Have some.”
“Thank you.” Maybe it was due to the fact that she had just chosen to sit across
from him, the atmosphere between them became a bit strange, and they both had
breakfast quietly.
As Victoria looked at Bane’s handsome face, she felt a twinge of guilt in her heart.
He was treating her so well, yet she was still concerned about something as trivial
as the seating arrangement… The thought of it gave her a sense of guilt. After
swallowing the food in her mouth, she was about to speak to break the awkward
silence when she heard Bane say, “How are things going with the business?”
Upon hearing that, Victoria paused. “What business?”
“Are you still half-asleep?” Bane gently reminded her. “I’m talking about the company
you’re starting.”
It was only then did Victoria understand what he meant. “Oh, you mean that.” She
lowered her gaze and said softly, “I’ve already thought it through, but I might make a
slight change in the location.”
“Location?”
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“Yes, I plan to open the company domestically.” When Bane heard the mention of
the domestic market, his hand paused for a moment, but it was so subtle that it was
almost undetectable. Not to mention, Victoria wasn’t even looking at him at that
moment.
“The domestic market?”
“Yes, I’ve done market research, and the domestic market is the most suitable in
recent years.”
“You’ve really grown. You’ve even learned how to do market research.”
Victoria was speechless upon hearing that. She was already a mother of two
children, and it had been five years. Why did Bane still treat her as a young girl?
After praising her, Bane fell silent for a moment, then spoke gently, “But wouldn’t it
be better to set up your company overseas? Set it up near my company so I can
help.”
“You’ve helped me so much in these five years and I shouldn’t rely on you for
everything.” Victoria felt a bit embarrassed.
“Rely on me for everything?” Bane chuckled lightly at the description. “Victoria, if you
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Chapter 174 Shouldn’t Rely on You for Everything
were truly willing to rely on me for everything in these five years, I wouldn’t have had
to go through so much trouble.”
Although she now agreed to let him bring her breakfast, it was the result of Bane’s
efforts. Even if he didn’t do these things, Victoria could still live a good life.
“Don’t say that. You’ve already helped me a lot. If you do more, I won’t be able to
repay you.”
“Who said you have to repay me?” Bane looked at her with a deep gaze, and he
spoke in a deep voice. “Anyway, I’m doing it willingly so I can’t do anything to you
even if you don’t repay me.”
Victoria remained silent upon hearing that. It was true that he couldn’t do anything.
to her as he had always respected her. But the more she owed him, the more guilty
she felt. If she couldn’t repay him, she wouldn’t be at ease for the rest of her life.
“Alright, relax. It’s not an issue if you want to go back to the country. I can even go
back with you.” Upon hearing that, Victoria, who had been looking down, suddenly
raised her head.
“You’ll go back with me?”
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“Why not? Since you’re going back to start a company in your home country,
shouldn’t I go there to help?”
Victoria was speechless after hearing that. The truth was, her decision to return to
her home country to set up a company wasn’t just based on market research. There
were other reasons as well. She simply felt that Bane had done too much for her,
and she wanted to go somewhere far away from him. But she never expected him
to make such a significant decision for her or for him to decide that immediately.
“What’s wrong? Are you startled by my words?”
“Before this…”
“Don’t worry. Did you really think I wanted to go back to the country with you?
Victoria, I’m a businessman. I won’t do anything if I don’t gain from it. Even if you
don’t want to go back to the country this time, I will still go back. I plan to expand my
business domestically as well. As for the market research report, my assistant
handed it to me last month. Do you think I did it for you?”
Upon hearing about the market research report, Victoria heaved a sigh of relief, but
at the same time, she became suspicious. “Last month? Are you telling the truth?”
“Don’t believe me?” Bane took a sip of coffee and smirked. “If you don’t believe me,
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Chapter 174 Shouldn’t Rely on You for Everything
go to the company later and have Ethan show you the report.”
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“Don’t think that I’ll believe you just because you say so. I will really go and see it.”
“Sure, go take a look. There’s nothing in my company that you haven’t seen before.”
His frankness made Victoria feel that she had been too presumptuous.
Come to think of it, if he hadn’t made any preparations in advance and just gone
back to the country with her, his business abroad would definitely suffer a huge
loss. How could a businessman allow himself to lose so much money?
“By the way…” Bane remembered something and took out an invitation letter from
his pocket. “There’s an auction in the country next month, in Riverdale. Will you
accompany me?”
Victoria took the invitation letter and opened it while asking, “Is there something
specific you’re looking at?”
“Well, it’s Old Mr. Morison’s birthday, and there’s a particular antique he’s interested
in that is said to be available in this auction. I plan to bid for it and give it to him as a
birthday gift.”
Victoria nodded upon hearing the reason. “Okay, I’ll accompany you then. I need to
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see what gift I should prepare for Old Mr. Morison as well.”