The Abandoned Wife Dumped Him First (Victoria and Elias) novel Chapter 188

Night fell.

The Cloudscape, an elegant club favored by high-level executives during the day, transformed after dark. Dim lighting cast a glow over a world of hedonism and luxury.

"Miss Sanger, we've arrived." An attendant led Victoria from the elevator to the third floor, stopping in front of a private suite.

Victoria nodded her thanks. After the attendant had turned and left, she looked up at the closed door, images of her last visit flashing in her mind. Her few visits here had all been related to Elias, and each time, they had parted on bad terms.

She pressed her lips together, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and raised her hand to knock.

Soon, the sound of footsteps came from within, and the door was opened.

"James—"

Victoria looked up, her words dying in her throat as she saw who it was.

"Miss Sanger." Compared to Victoria's surprise, Hawk was clearly expecting her. He appeared much more at ease, a slight curve to his lips that was completely at odds with his usual cold demeanor.

Victoria came to her senses, a realization dawning on her. Her gaze moved past Hawk and into the room. Just as she expected...

Inside the suite, sitting on a black leather sofa, was not Tammie, but Elias.

Her fingers, hanging at her side, curled unconsciously. Her lips formed a straight line. After a few seconds of silence, she lowered her eyes. "My apologies. I have the wrong room."

Hawk opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Tammie's voice rang out. "Miss Sanger, thank God you're here!"

Tammie was on the verge of tears. *If you hadn't come any later, I really couldn't have handled that iceberg inside anymore!*

Victoria didn't know what Tammie was thinking, but the moment she saw him, her earlier thought that the attendant had led her to the wrong room was completely shattered.

She forced a slight smile. "Mr. James."

Looking at Victoria, Tammie couldn't help but think about how he had nearly lost a multi-billion-dollar partnership over a few cookies a couple of days ago. He plastered an even brighter smile on his face. "Don't just stand there, Miss Sanger. Let's go in."

With that, Tammie walked back into the suite.

Victoria remained standing in place. After a long moment, she took a deep breath, trying to appear natural, and followed him inside.

Soon, all the dishes were served, their aromas filling the air. However, once the three of them were seated, no one spoke. The atmosphere in the room was oppressive.

At the large round table, Victoria and Elias sat opposite each other, with Tammie forced to sit between them. Tammie stared at the gourmet spread, but with the tension thick enough to choke on, even the finest delicacies tasted like ash in his mouth. To his left was the oppressive, chilling aura from one man; to his right was the cold, detached demeanor of the other.

Clang!

Victoria closed her eyes, feeling the blood in her veins turn to ice. So, the reason Elias was here was because the person she was supposed to meet tonight wasn't Tammie, but him.

In an instant, she was transported back to the day Elias had used The Sanger Group to force her, sending her to Ronald to be humiliated.

"How have you been?" Elias didn't notice the color drain from Victoria's face. Her reflection was mirrored in his dark eyes, and the urge to see her that he had so desperately suppressed seemed to crumble in an instant.

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Shawn. I'm doing well."

At her words, Elias's brows furrowed. Hearing 'Mr. Shawn' from her lips was incredibly grating.

Before he could speak, a waiter knocked and entered with a decanter of red wine.

Victoria looked at the wine, then stood up, filled a glass to the brim, and walked toward Elias. She stopped just two steps away from him, a detached smile on her face. "Mr. Shawn, there's something I should have thanked you for much earlier. It's thanks to your help that The Sanger Group was able to reach a partnership agreement with Mr. James."

"I'd like to propose a toast. The Sanger Group values this partnership greatly. I hope you can be the bigger person and put our past unpleasantness behind us. Please, go easy on us. If you have any demands, just name them. I'll do anything I can."

With that, she tilted her head back, about to down the wine.

Elias's eyes darkened. His hand shot out, gripping her wrist, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. "Victoria, do you have to talk to me like this?"