The Abandoned Wife Dumped Him First (Victoria and Elias) novel Chapter 219

Victoria stared at the empty chat window, recalling the note that came with the friend request that morning—'Your next-door neighbor.'

Even on-screen, the message landed sharp and distant.

After accepting the request, she had been busy with her resignation paperwork and handover tasks, so she hadn't gotten around to messaging.

Now, it was evening.

Victoria tapped on the plain white profile picture, curious to see her neighbor's feed.

The result…

It was a blank slate. Even the background photo was the default one.

Anyone seeing it would assume it was a brand-new account.

Victoria's lips twitched. She went back to the chat, her fingertips tapping the screen as she considered how to start the conversation.

[Hi there, I'm your neighbor…]

No, that sounded a little too familiar right off the bat.

[Hello, I'm your neighbor from next door. The reason I'm contacting you is to discuss the matter of compensation…]

Still not right. The neighbor had brought her cold medicine, pear soup, and hangover remedies. A message like that would sound far too formal and ungrateful.

She continued to hesitate.

Ten minutes passed. Victoria had typed and deleted several messages, and all she had left in the input box was: [Hello, my name is Victoria. I live next door to you.]

Victoria took a deep breath, a headache starting to form. She suddenly realized there was something even more frustrating than creative block—messaging her next-door neighbor.

Just then, her phone vibrated.

Victoria looked at the screen.

In the empty chat window, a message popped up from the white profile.

E: [?]

Victoria froze.

Before she could process it, another message came through—a screenshot.

It was a picture of their chat window. It looked normal at first, but a closer look revealed the "typing…" notification at the top.

E: [It's been ten minutes.]

Elias was looking at his own phone screen when Lucian spoke. He glanced at Cerys's message:

[Bro, are the economic crime investigators in the capital a bunch of idiots? It's so obvious Genevieve had a secret deal with Vista Heights Lodge, how could they lie with a straight face? Are they even competent? If they can't do the job, they should just quit!]

Elias's gaze darkened. "Genevieve didn't have any private dealings with Vista Heights Lodge."

Lucian raised an eyebrow, tapping his fingers on the bar, but said nothing.

After a moment of silence, Elias continued, "The investigators were refusing to release her because of Victoria's video. I just went to have a conversation with them."

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Lucian put his phone away. "Elias, you know, sometimes I really don't understand you."

Elias looked at him.

"Do you love Genevieve?" Lucian asked.

"You've asked me that before, and I answered," Elias said with a frown. "She saved my life. What I feel for her is gratitude, nothing more."

He knew the difference between gratitude and love.

"Then do you love Victoria?" Lucian asked again.