Chapter 463 Without Deviation
They had never actually left. Winter and Kimberly had been waiting in the adjacent room all along.
The woman panicked completely. She'd been told they would be gone—how had they returned so quickly?
Victoria fixed her with an icy stare and, with a quick twist, flung her to the floor.
"Deal with her," Victoria commanded.
"Please don't kill me! I'll talk!" the woman begged, sprawled on the ground in terror. "I swear I don't know who's behind this. Someone paid me $100,000 to drug you and deliver you to room 8990 on the sixteenth floor. That's all I know!"
Kimberly stepped forward, her face stern. "If you're telling the truth, we won't harm you."
The woman looked up desperately, nodding vigorously. "It's true, I swear!"
"What should we do now, Mrs. Howard?" Kimberly asked.
Victoria thought for a moment, then looked at the woman on the floor. "Continue with the original plan. Take me to the sixteenth floor."
The woman started to shake her head, about to refuse, but Victoria's cold gaze silenced her instantly. "Okay, fine. Just please don't kill me. I'm just a regular worker trying to make a living."
"Don't worry," Victoria assured her. "Complete your task and you're free to go."
"Mrs. Howard, your injury..." Kimberly frowned with concern. "What if Mr. Howard finds out? Let me go in your place—I could pretend to be you."
"No need. You and Winter will monitor from a distance," Victoria instructed.
"Should we inform Mr. Howard?" Kimberly asked.
Victoria smiled slightly. "Yes, let him watch this little drama unfold."
She wasn't trying to hide anything from Alexander. She'd accumulated enough misdeeds in his eyes already and needed to redeem herself somewhat.
Ten minutes later, on the sixteenth floor, the woman used the key card she'd been given to open room 8990. She wheeled in Victoria, who was pretending to be unconscious.
Following her previous instructions, the woman recorded a short video and sent it, then made a call with the speakerphone activated.
The call was answered immediately.
"Hello, I've delivered the person you wanted. Can I leave now?" the woman asked nervously, while Victoria watched with clear eyes. "When will you send the remaining $50,000?"
A man's voice responded, "I'll have someone transfer it to your account shortly. Close the door on your way out."
The call ended abruptly.
The woman looked at Victoria, swallowing anxiously. "The call's over."
Victoria glanced toward the door, signaling for her to leave.
The woman fled immediately, relieved to escape. She had never encountered a woman with such an intimidating presence—standing near Victoria had felt suffocating.
After the door closed, Victoria remained in the wheelchair, surveying the suite. Then she stood up and walked further inside.
She sniffed the air, detecting a strong perfume that had grown more potent as she moved deeper into the room. She could guess what this meant.
Turning toward the balcony, she decided to open the floor-to-ceiling windows for ventilation. To her surprise, they opened easily. She had expected them to be locked—clearly, whoever had arranged this trap had done so hastily, leaving numerous oversights.
The biggest mistake was claiming Winter had sent a stranger with clothes. Anyone who knew Winter would understand she would never entrust Victoria's belongings to a stranger.
Victoria had been suspicious from the moment the wine was "accidentally" spilled on her. She had played along, even letting Kimberly leave, but when the female server appeared, she became certain someone was targeting her.
Still, she was grateful to whoever had arranged this setup. The location couldn't have been more perfect.
Back in the ballroom, Waverly stood in a corner, swirling a glass of red wine.
A man in uniform walked past her, whispered something quickly, then departed with his serving tray.
As soon as he left, a satisfied smile spread across her face.
Just then, Holden approached.
"Holden, over here," she called out, spotting him first.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Nothing important. Hayes mentioned you haven't been home in ages," she said casually, changing the subject. "Did you know about your sister's arranged marriage to the Sanders family?"
He ignored her first comment. "Yes, I know."
How could he not? It had been humiliating—the engagement ceremony where the other party had failed to show up, publicly rejecting the match.
"What are you really asking, Waverly?" Holden raised an eyebrow, studying her intently.
Waverly replied, "Hayes asked me to talk to you. It's been so many years—surely you've moved on by now?"
Something flickered in Holden's dark eyes, quickly replaced by a relaxed smile. "Yes, I've moved on. Long ago."
She looked surprised—she had just mentioned it casually. While Hayes had indeed discussed this with her, he hadn't specifically asked her to intervene, and she had little interest in meddling.
Suddenly, someone bumped into her, causing her to yelp in surprise.
"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going," a woman apologized, having walked with her head down.
In the collision, Waverly's wine spilled—directly onto Holden's shirt.
Looking back, she saw Holden's chest was soaked.
"Holden, I'm so sorry. Do you need to change your clothes?" she asked apologetically.
Holden frowned with obvious disgust—he was known for being fastidious about cleanliness.
"I'll have someone show you where to go," Waverly said, summoning an attendant to escort Holden away.
Meanwhile, when Alexander returned from his phone call, only Thomas remained at their original spot.
"Where's Victoria?" Alexander asked, his brow furrowed.
Thomas, seeing Alexander's icy expression, felt he might be assaulted if he didn't answer immediately.
"Someone 'accidentally' spilled wine all over her. Winter took her to change clothes."
Alexander, being exceptionally perceptive, caught Thomas's emphasis on "accidentally" and immediately understood the implication.
Just then, Marcus approached.
"Mr. Howard, I need to speak with you," he said quietly, leaning in to whisper something.
"What's with all the secrecy? Let me in on it too," Thomas interjected.
He knew the wine spill had been deliberate but wasn't worried about Victoria—such petty tricks were unlikely to fool her.
Marcus glanced at him, then handed over his phone.
"Interesting! Looks like coming tonight wasn't a waste after all," Thomas remarked, his eyes lighting up.
Marcus remained silent.
A few moments later, Kimberly rushed into the ballroom entrance, a sight that didn't escape Waverly's notice.
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