Chapter 497 She Is Jealous
The conversation had reached its conclusion. Some things didn't need to be spelled out.
At the hospital, Alexander noticed Victoria's restlessness in the room.
So he kept giving her small tasks, trying to keep her mind from wandering. Though she claimed not to care, he knew she did.
"Honey, I'm thirsty."
"Honey, my legs are sore."
"Honey, my hands are sore."
"Honey, I'm hungry."
"Honey, I need to go to the bathroom."
"Honey, my nails are long, can you trim them for me?"
"Honey, I want some warm water."
After numerous requests, Victoria finally caught on.
She stood beside the bed eyeing him suspiciously, a glass of water in hand, her brow slightly furrowed.
"Alexander, why do you keep asking me to do the same things repeatedly?"
"I'm not. I genuinely was thirsty and needed the bathroom," he insisted.
"No, you're definitely hiding something from me." She didn't believe him.
Suddenly, a thought seemed to strike her, and her expression grew anxious.
Leaning closer, she asked, "Were the test results bad?"
She'd been so distracted since he returned from the examination that she hadn't even thought to ask.
Just then, Winter knocked and entered.
"Victoria," she said, biting her lower lip, "someone's here."
"Who?" Victoria turned, clearly confused.
"It's your mother."
This was their first meeting since the encounter at Rihegde, and Victoria still hadn't acknowledged her as "mother."
Their previous conversation had been unpleasant, and Victoria felt awkward about this meeting.
After learning about Esme's past, she found she didn't blame her anymore. And yet...
In the hospital room, Esme spoke first, addressing Alexander rather than Victoria.
"How are your injuries?" Her tone was unusually gentle, lacking the coldness of their first meeting.
"Nothing serious. Just need time to recover," Alexander replied.
"I heard what happened. Thank you for saving Victoria," Esme said.
She knew that without Alexander's timely intervention, she might never have had another chance to see her daughter.
Victoria was surprised by Esme's gratitude toward Alexander and gave her a puzzled look.
"Victoria is my wife," Alexander responded. "Protecting her is my responsibility."
Esme nodded slightly.
"I take back what I said before," she continued. "I won't interfere in your relationship."
In truth, she had never intended to interfere. It was just... But now, these two did seem perfectly matched.
Alexander smiled. "Thank you, Mom. Please rest assured—I'll keep every promise I made to you."
His words stunned both women.
Esme was moved. "I believe you."
Victoria was speechless, wondering whose side Alexander was on and what promises he had made to Esme without her knowledge.
Alexander's acknowledgment of Esme as Victoria's mother touched Esme deeply. Her eyes reddened, though she held back her emotions.
She had never had any issue with Alexander, especially since he was Saskia's son.
Victoria had assumed Esme came to see her, but throughout the entire conversation, Esme only spoke to Alexander while she stood silently by.
It was as if she were the outsider, while they shared the parent-child bond.
Admittedly, this bothered her.
"I need to make a call. You two continue," she said, leaving the room without looking at either of them.
Her mood was visibly sour.
The two exchanged glances after she left.
"Don't take it personally," Alexander said. "Victoria's just jealous."
Esme looked confused.
If anyone understood Victoria, it was Alexander. She had expected Esme to come for her, but instead, Esme had only spoken with him.
"Mom, Victoria doesn't truly blame you. It's just that for years, when she needed family most, no one was there. She believed you were dead, only to discover it was all orchestrated. That felt unfair to her. That's why she harbors resentment. Please don't hold it against her."
Esme hadn't expected this from Alexander, though she understood completely.
Her gaze darkened. She had never blamed Victoria—her precious daughter was blameless. At the time, she lacked the ability to resolve the situation and couldn't risk Victoria's safety.
But things were different now.
"Thank you, Alexander. I'm grateful Victoria has you," Esme said. "I only hope you'll love each other forever and live happily. That's all I want—for her to be happy. Even if she never acknowledges me as her mother again, I'll have no regrets."
She truly didn't regret her past decisions.
Outside the door, Victoria, who hadn't gone far, overheard these last words.
Three days later, once Alexander's condition stabilized, they returned to Rihegde.
Landon had arranged for Dylan and others to meet them at the airport.
Victoria brought Ignatius back with her this time. After recent events, he didn't want to return to Country G, and she wasn't comfortable letting him go.
Nancy and Winter accompanied them, while Eugene and his team returned to the O Alliance base.
During those three days, Esme had met with Electra. They had cleared the air about past issues.
Esme then followed Electra back to the Penrose family to resolve some matters, while Victoria had no interest in involving herself in Penrose family affairs.
After landing, Victoria received a message from Sophia: [Ellington is fine, just some minor injuries. I've brought him back.]
She replied: [Good to know. I'll visit once I've handled things here.]
Sophia: [He's probably afraid to see you.]
Victoria: [Why?]
Sophia: [Afraid you'll scold him. He tried to stop me from contacting you. I'm reporting to you secretly.]
Victoria: [Tell him to wait for me!]
On the way to Serenity Grove Manor, Landon turned from the passenger seat to face Alexander and Victoria in the back.
"If you two hadn't returned soon, I wouldn't have been able to handle things much longer," he said, looking like a child about to complain about some great injustice.
Victoria, in good spirits, asked, "What happened?"
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