Chapter 190 Breaking Off!
Bryan plopped down and just focused on his food, not saying a peep.
Nobody had a clue what he was getting at.
After dinner, Grant was the first to bounce, then Garrett and Caleb. Lila wanted to stick around for some juicy gossip, but Owen dragged her out without a word.
Alan got up next, his gentle eyes on Victoria. "Victoria, Billy and I are heading back to the hotel."
Victoria smiled, "Alright, get some rest. See you tomorrow."
Alan nodded, "See you tomorrow."
Before leaving, Alan shot a glance at Alexander but kept quiet.
Now, it was just Adrian, Ruth, Alexander, Victoria, and a flashy Bryan, who was still glued to his seat.
"Victoria, Alexander, we're heading out too," Adrian said, standing up, with Ruth naturally following.
Surprisingly, Bryan didn't try to stop Ruth this time.
Ruth felt a mix of surprise and relief.
"Alright, I'll see you out," Victoria said, standing up, with Alexander right behind her.
Bryan, sitting across from them, squinted at Alexander, clearly more interested in him. Ruth could wait; she wasn't going far since she knew Victoria.
"No need, the car's just downstairs," Adrian said, noticing Bryan's unusual stillness. He must have something to say to Victoria.
Years in business had sharpened Adrian's instincts to spot things others missed.
After Adrian and Ruth left, Bryan raised an eyebrow, his curious eyes bouncing between Victoria and Alexander.
Victoria knew he wouldn't leave without a word.
They didn't know about her and Alexander, and she hadn't spilled the beans. Only Sarah knew, and Victoria trusted her to keep quiet.
"Victoria, care to explain?" Bryan nodded at Alexander but aimed his words at Victoria.
Alexander's eyes twitched, remembering Bryan's half-finished sentence earlier. So, Bryan was here for Victoria, not Ruth.
Victoria slowly lifted her eyelids. "It's exactly what you think."
Bryan was silent for a moment.
Victoria was still as lazy as ever, not even bothering to explain.
But he loved teasing her. "What do I think? Did you two hook up? I thought of both options, so which is it?"
Alexander stayed silent.
Victoria's mouth twitched.
She glared at him. "Bryan, knock it off!"
Bryan, slightly reined in by the warning, said, "Alright, let me rephrase. How far have you two gotten?"
This time, Alexander spoke up before Victoria could.
His deep eyes had a hint of a smile. "Looks like you need an eye doctor. Lucky for you, I have shares in the Cleveland Clinic and can get you priority treatment."
Bryan, suddenly roasted, was left speechless.
Alexander didn't give a damn who Bryan was or what his deal with Victoria was. No one was messing with his marriage to her.
Bryan took another look at Alexander, realizing the dude's vibe was getting stronger. He hadn't clocked Alexander's powerful presence before, meaning the guy had been hiding it.
Someone with that kind of vibe wasn't just some rich dude.
Victoria, hearing this, laughed out loud.
Bryan took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and sighed, "Victoria, you just gonna sit there and let him roast me? All those years of looking out for you, down the drain."
Victoria closed her eyes, then opened them. "He's not just 'some guy'."
Bryan shot back, "You're just dating. What, he wants to be your husband? Forget what others think; I'm the first to say no!"
Alexander didn't seem like a good match, with his slick looks and cunning vibe. Not right for Victoria.
Alexander stayed quiet, his hand under the table gently squeezing Victoria's fingers.
He thought, 'Good thing we got hitched first.'
After Bryan's rant, Victoria dropped a bombshell.
"It's too late to disagree; we're already married." She interlocked her fingers with Alexander's and raised their hands. "See?"
Bryan looked up, feeling like the world just went dark, but the diamond ring on her finger sparkled under the lights, snapping him back to reality.
Had he been blind just now?
He hadn't even noticed the ring.
Suddenly, Alexander's earlier words echoed in his mind.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Bryan's shocked voice broke through. "Victoria, how could you get married without telling me! Friendship over!"
Victoria was speechless.
The next day, at the biggest exhibition hall in Ridge, the Global Pharmaceutical Research Exchange Conference and the pharma company bidding were going down, split into morning and afternoon sessions.
Today, only folks with invites could get in, and security was tight. No electronic devices allowed, except for specially invited journalists, whose gear had to be approved.
The conference kicked off at 9:30 AM.
By 8:30 AM, people started trickling in.
Adrian and Ruth found their seats. Everyone had assigned spots.
There were 200 participants, with limited seats.
The attendees were top dogs in pharmaceutical research, relevant leaders from various countries, pharma company reps, and business managers eyeing the pharma market.
"Ruth, what a coincidence." Bryan greeted.
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