Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria) novel Chapter 178

Chapter 178
Bane’s hand seemed to tremble for a moment, but he continued holding onto the
button on her coat. “Victoria,” he uttered with a slight chuckle. “Are you that
repulsed by me?” he muttered.
“No, I’m just…” Victoria was trying to find the words to explain herself when Bane
pulled his hand away with a soft sigh. “You can do it on your own, then.” Once he
pulled his hand away, Victoria hastily turned her back against him before she
buttoned up her coat. After she was done, she turned back around to find that Bane
had already picked up her laptop bag and walked ahead of her.
Victoria jogged after him. Most of the people in the office had gotten off work by
then, but there were a few workers who stayed to work overtime. They greeted Bane
and Victoria when they saw them. “Mr. Morison, Miss Selwyn,” they uttered. Both
Victoria and Bane nodded in unison.
Upon entering the elevator, Victoria began to tell Bane about how Summer had
ended up in her house. “She’s on holiday, huh? How rare. I can’t believe her boss
gave her a holiday,” Bane commented. Victoria couldn’t help but chuckle at the
mention of Summer’s boss. “Yeah. It’s really rare for her to be on holiday-I was
surprised to hear that her boss gave her three days off.” The two of them continued
to chat about their daily life as they headed to the car and drove out of the parking
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Chapter 178 Love Is in the Air
lot.
When Victoria and Bane got home, they were greeted by a mouth-watering smell.
The hall was dimly lit, and both Nathan and Nicole were watching a cartoon on the
couch. “Mommy! Mr. Morison!” The kids hadn’t seen Bane in a few days, so they
were both excited to see him now. They reached for a hug, and the man stretched
both his arms out to pick one kid up with each arm.
Nathan was slightly timid-he hung his arms loosely around the man’s neck. Nicole,
on the other hand, exaggerated all her actions-she looped her arms tightly around
Bane’s neck while crying out in a childish voice, “Thank you for sending Mommy
home, Mr. Morison. You’re the best!”
“Am I not the best when I don’t send your mother home?” Bane teased.
“No. You’re always the best,” Nicole replied sweetly. Bane glanced in the direction of
the woman who had slipped into her indoor slippers and headed toward the kitchen.
“If you think I’m that great, what do you say I become your father?” he asked in a
whisper.
“Hmm.” Nicole tilted her little head sideways as she fell deep into thought. Moments
later, she flashed a wide grin to reveal her baby canine teeth. “Would you be nice to
me if I allowed you to be my daddy?”
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“Of course.” Bane chuckled. “I’ll buy anything you want for you, I’ll make sure to fulfill
all of your requests.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Bane replied as he lifted his arm to hold her closer to his face. “Well… I’ll have
to think about it,” Nicole replied.
“Aren’t I the best? Do you still need more time to consider this offer?” he asked
again.
“Mhmm. I really like you, but I have to ask for Mommy’s permission,” Nicole
explained.
Tsk. Bane bit his bottom lip gently. He was about to say something when he heard
Summer’s voice coming from the kitchen. “Are you trying to fool the kids again,
Bane? Aren’t you a little too shameless?” Summer had just walked out of the kitchen
with plates in her hands, and she happened to overhear Nicole’s conversation with
Bane. She couldn’t help but tease Bane a little.
“You always fail at these little tricks of yours. Why won’t you just give up?” Summer
continued. Bane brought the two kids over to the dining table, and he watched
Summer serving the dishes as he lowered the kids into their seats. “I believe that I’ll
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Chapter 178 Love Is in the Air
get what I want if I’m stubborn enough,” he replied.
Summer froze for a moment before she let out a smile. “You’re right. I wish you all
the best. You know I’m on your side-I’m sure you’ll win her over someday,” she
stated.
“I’ll make sure not to let you down,” Bane replied. Summer hadn’t been as friendly
with Bane when they first met. Even though Bane seemed like a warm and gentle.
man, he was from an extremely influential family, so Summer had been reluctant to
treat him like just any other person. However, after spending time with him, Summer
realized how nice he was, although she sometimes wondered if this was merely
because she was Victoria’s best friend. Bane was generous when it came to the
things that he had to offer to her.
Soon enough, Summer jumped ships to side with Bane instead. She even put in a
good word or two for him with Victoria every now and then. On top of everything,
Summer felt certain that Bane was a decent man. After all, he had stayed by
Victoria’s side for the past five years, and he didn’t have any other women with him
throughout the years. I don’t think I can find another man who’s as loyal and
committed as Bane, right? Summer thought. He doesn’t even seem to mind the fact
that Victoria is divorced and has kids. He treats her kids like his own. If this isn’t love,
then…
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Chapter 178 Love is in the Air
“What is there to win over?” Victoria happened to walk out of the kitchen as they
were talking. She didn’t hear the front part of their conversation-she only heard the
back. Summer quickly cleared her throat before lying with a straight face. “What
else can we win over? We’re planning to win over one of the client’s projects, that’s
all.”
“Let me do it,” Bane offered as he took the plates from Victoria. Victoria handed it to
him as she continued talking. “It’s dinnertime. Why are you guys still talking about
work?”
“Tsk. What’s wrong with that? This just shows that we’re motivated people. Work is
our source of life,” Summer commented. Victoria then turned around to shoot her a
glare. “Is that so? Why don’t I call your superior now, then? Should I tell him what
just said?”
you
Summer immediately frowned. “Why would you bring up that man at a time like
this? Stop talking about him!”
After they all sat down, Victoria continued to giggle as she thought about the look
on Summer’s face. “Why do I feel like the two of you are in some kind of a love-hate
relationship?” Victoria teased.
“Pfft. Who’s in a love-hate relationship, huh? I’m warning you, Victoria-don’t you
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Chapter 178 Love is in the Air
dare put that guy and I in the same sentence when you talk about us. He’s the
reason I’ve been single for the past five years. He’s the person I despise the most!”
Summer hissed. Both Victoria and Bane simply exchanged glances and smiled
without saying much.
“I specially made these chicken wings for you two, Nicole and Nathan. Dig in!”
Summer placed some food into the two children’s bowls. The whole atmosphere in
the hall felt really warm and loving.
“By the way, how are things going with your company? When are you heading back
to the country?” Summer asked.
Victoria thought about her question for a moment. “I’ll probably finish up the
projects that I have on hand before I head back,” she replied.
“Are you still working on projects? It’ll take a while for you to complete them.
Wouldn’t you-”
“You should arrange a flight to head back in the next few days,” Bane interrupted
their conversation. Both women turned to stare at him, and he flashed them a
bashful smile. “Why are you guys looking at me like that? You should speed things.
up if you want to start a business. If you continue dragging things out, how would
you be sure that the market is suited for your business in the near future?”
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Chapter 178 Love Is in the Air
“You have a point, but…” Victoria muttered.
“The company wouldn’t go bankrupt even if I was the one who left, Victoria. So, you
shouldn’t worry about me and should just focus on what you want to do,” Bane
uttered. Victoria froze when she heard his words. At that moment, Summer felt like
she was a third wheel sitting at the dining table with them.
Summer took a glance at Victoria before looking at Bane. Then, she rolled her eyes
in exasperation. “That’s enough, guys. We’re having a meal here. Must you guys act
all lovey-dovey right now? Do you guys want me to flip the table?”
Victoria’s expression faltered for a second. There seemed to be love in the air after
she heard what Bane said, and now that Summer was pointing out how sweet they
seemed, Victoria felt as if there was actually something going on between the two
of them.