Chapter 529 Unexpected Incident
The moment Victoria announced her pregnancy, she was instantly treated as the Howard family's most treasured member.
Upon learning she was carrying twins, the Howard elders practically wanted to watch over her day and night.
She didn't need to worry about anything—her only job was to happily nurture her pregnancy. Saskia meticulously arranged every detail and necessity that expectant mothers typically need to consider.
Three months later, Victoria's pregnancy was clearly showing. With twins, her belly appeared larger than women carrying single babies.
Recently, Alexander had been by her side constantly. Wherever she went, he followed.
This heightened vigilance began a week earlier when she nearly fainted in her research lab. Fortunately, Billy was there at the time. After examination, they determined it was just low blood sugar combined with working too long.
Since then, Alexander had forbidden her from working at the research facility.
Thankfully, she didn't experience morning sickness—just sleepiness and food cravings. Whenever she napped, Alexander would work in his study, returning to her side the moment she woke.
"Darling, you should go handle your business. You don't need to babysit me—I promise I won't run off," Victoria said as she sat by the large floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, glancing at Alexander who had been accompanying her since she woke from her afternoon nap.
Though they had always been close, lately they'd been practically inseparable—almost like conjoined twins, spending nearly 24 hours a day together. But she understood his concern.
Alexander raised an eyebrow. "What? Tired of me hovering around you?"
She shook her head. "Not at all. I just worry people at the company might think I'm high-maintenance, keeping their CEO away from work to accompany me all day. That would ruin my reputation."
Alexander's eyes filled with tenderness and adoration. "It's no big deal. Ignore them."
Victoria fell silent.
Time to change the subject. Since her pregnancy began, they hadn't discussed whether they preferred boys or girls.
"Darling, you haven't mentioned whether you'd prefer a daughter or a son?"
"I prefer you," he answered without hesitation.
"I'm talking about the babies."
"A daughter."
In truth, Alexander had no strong preference between sons or daughters, as Victoria was the only person he wanted to spend his life with. But he slightly favored a daughter, not only because daughters tend to be more attached to their fathers, but because he wanted a little girl who looked exactly like Victoria to raise personally. He once had the chance to watch Victoria grow up, but circumstances beyond his control prevented that.
Looking at Alexander's expression, Victoria could already predict their future son's life—possibly a boy who wouldn't receive much affection from his father.
Victoria blinked. "But I prefer sons."
"Why?"
"Because sons protect and support their mothers. They're always useful."
"What? Am I not enough for you?" Alexander asked seriously.
Victoria laughed at his expression. "Darling, are you actually jealous of our son?"
With complete seriousness, he replied, "Why shouldn't I be? He's another male, and everything he'll have will come from me. He won't be as useful as I am."
Time passed quickly, and Victoria's belly grew larger each day. As the new year approached, she had missed most Howard family gatherings and holiday celebrations due to her pregnancy—primarily because someone was worried she might bump into things.
Even for New Year's Eve, she stayed home without needing to worry about anything.
On December 30th, Alexander took her back to Howard Villa.
On December 31st, Alexander brought Esme over as well.
By now, Victoria had long since let go of her resentment toward her mother. Since her pregnancy began, Esme had frequently visited, kept her company, and shared many helpful tips.
"Vicky, I need to visit your grandmother for New Year's. In your condition, you shouldn't travel with me, but your grandmother thinks of you often. She'll come see you after the babies are born," Esme said.
Esme's health had improved considerably, and she looked much better than when Victoria had first reunited with her. Though she still couldn't walk, Esme didn't seem to mind.
"Alright, please give my grandmother my regards," Victoria replied.
Though she didn't have much connection with the Penrose family, Electra had been kind to her, and as Esme's mother, Victoria had no reason to reject her relative's goodwill.
By now, most of the Penrose family assets had returned to Esme's control.
As for Zephyr, he had tried to see both Victoria and Esme several times, but Esme had turned him away each time, and Victoria couldn't help the situation.
In truth, she felt sympathy for her mother. Years ago, Esme had watched the man she loved marry someone else while she was pregnant, yet somehow survived that despair. Then she married someone else for Victoria's sake, only to end up in her current situation.
Looking back, Victoria realized she had no right to blame Esme.
"Happy New Year, Mom," Victoria said.
Esme froze, her eyes widening.
"Vicky, what... what did you call me?" she asked, uncertain.
Since their reunion, Victoria had never addressed her this way. Esme knew she couldn't push Victoria and was already grateful that her daughter was willing to maintain a relationship with her. She hadn't dared hope for more.
Victoria smiled and repeated, "Mom."
She added, "Thank you for being strong enough to bring me into this world."
Indeed, if Esme hadn't insisted on keeping her, Victoria would never have experienced the happiness she now enjoyed.
That long-awaited "Mom" stirred a thousand emotions in Esme's heart. She had never regretted her past decisions—children were always a mother's most precious treasures.
With a slight catch in her throat, she responded, "Yes, dear."
Standing by the second-floor window, someone watched Victoria and her mother sitting together holding hands in the front courtyard, a smile spreading across their face.
"Victoria reconciling with her mother counts as one of our Howard family's blessings this year," Saskia said contentedly, standing beside Alexander.
A family should live in harmony.
This was Victoria's second New Year's Eve at Howard Villa.
This year, she had gained a new identity: mother-to-be.
As in previous years, the family ate dinner together and gathered around the television afterward. Soon, the elders began distributing gifts.
Even Victoria's unborn twins received presents.
Victoria accepted graciously, without pretense.
Around nine o'clock, Esme left Howard Villa. After seeing her home, Victoria and Alexander didn't linger in the main house, returning to their own residence.
After showering, Victoria lay in bed looking at the numerous gifts—half for her, half for the babies.
Though not numerous, they were extremely expensive. These children would start life with significant advantages.
When Alexander emerged from the bathroom, he found her staring pensively at the gifts.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Victoria looked up at him, furrowing her brow slightly. "Do you think the babies would be upset if I kept their gifts for myself?"
Alexander sat on the bed beside her and ruffled her hair.
"What are you thinking? They wouldn't dare be angry with you. Without us, they wouldn't even exist."
Just as he finished speaking, Victoria exclaimed, "They just kicked me again! They must be protesting."
Since she'd begun feeling movement, the twins would occasionally stir, especially when she said something against their interests.
They seemed to be aware.
Whenever the babies became active, Alexander would address her belly, "You two stop bothering your mother, or you'll face consequences when you're born."
Amazingly, whenever Alexander spoke, the twins would immediately settle down.
With a month remaining before Victoria's due date, Thomas and Bryan were the first to arrive in Rihegde, moving directly into Serenity Grove Manor.
They had known about Victoria's pregnancy since she announced it in their group chat, but recent business had prevented them from visiting.
Seeing Victoria's prominently rounded belly, they truly realized that Vicky was about to become a mother.
"Vicky, are they boys or girls?" Thomas asked excitedly.
Bryan chimed in, "I hope they're girls, cute like Vicky."
Thomas preferred boys. "No, Vicky should have boys. I want to pass Heaven's Net to him—he could inherit my business."
Bryan teased, "Come on, that shabby organization of yours will probably collapse before Vicky's son grows up. If you want a girl, have Ruth give you one—why insist on Vicky having girls!"
At the mention of Ruth, Bryan's expression turned pained.
Adrian currently wouldn't allow him to see Ruth at all, and he couldn't use forceful methods against his future father-in-law.
Victoria watched the two bicker back and forth, finding it quite noisy. Having grown accustomed to peace and quiet, she found the sudden presence of these two chatterboxes somewhat jarring.
She wondered if letting them stay at Serenity Grove Manor had been the right decision.
However, since their arrival, Alexander had returned to working at the company.
Victoria had been surprised. "You're not jealous of me spending time with Bryan and Thomas?"
Alexander replied, "With your standards, you wouldn't be interested in either of them, and they couldn't measure up to you anyway."
He'd said this right in front of Bryan and Thomas.
One day, Victoria went to the back garden to enjoy the morning sunshine as usual. Alexander had gone to the office, so Kimberly accompanied her instead.
Just as she settled into the rocking chair, she heard a beast's roar echoing through the air, tinged with resentment and grievance.
Kimberly explained, "Mrs. Howard, that's Caesar throwing a tantrum."
Recently, the tiger had been confined to the west wing, forbidden from approaching the main building. Alexander feared it might accidentally harm Victoria.
"Why is Caesar upset?" Victoria asked.
Kimberly replied, "Since you became pregnant, Mr. Howard had Matthew cage him."
Victoria was startled.
She knew Alexander had restricted Caesar from coming to the main building, but she hadn't realized he'd taken such drastic measures as caging the animal.
"Caesar is too clever. Mr. Howard worried he might sneak over to the main building, so he had to confine him," Kimberly explained. "But don't worry, Mrs. Howard—he gets proper food, water, and rest. He just occasionally roars to vent his frustration."
Victoria could understand Caesar's feelings. Having been accustomed to freedom, being confined for so long naturally made him irritable.
"Let's go see him," she suggested.
Kimberly responded, "I'll get the golf cart. It's too far to walk from here."
They happened to meet Thomas, who joined them.
When Caesar saw Victoria, he pressed himself against the bars of his cage, looking utterly forlorn. His roaring stopped immediately.
This was Thomas's first time seeing the tiger in person, having only glimpsed him in videos before.
"Incredible!" he exclaimed. "He's enormous! Alexander truly isn't an ordinary man—keeping a tiger as a pet. How extravagant!"
Victoria approached the cage and commanded, "Caesar, lie down so I can pet you."
Caesar immediately obeyed, lying flat on the ground.
Thomas watched with twitching eyes. "He's that obedient?"
Kimberly explained: "He only obeys Mr. Howard and Mrs. Howard."
Thomas fell silent.
Victoria gently rubbed Caesar's head. "You've had a tough time being in this cage."
Caesar made a low sound in response.
Then he extended his paw, attempting to touch Victoria's rounded belly.
Kimberly and the others rushed forward in alarm, ready to intervene. Who knew if the tiger might use too much force and cause harm?
But Victoria stopped them, taking Caesar's large paw and gently placing it on her belly.
She trusted him. Caesar was intelligent.
"After they're born, would you like to play with them?" she asked.
Caesar made a pleased sound.
Victoria smiled, chatted with him a while longer, then rose to leave.
On the way back, however, the golf cart suddenly accelerated.
Kimberly tried to stop and check, only to discover the brakes had failed.
Pressing the brake pedal produced no response.
She frowned deeply. "Mrs. Howard, the braking system has failed. What should we do? I can't stop it."
For Kimberly and Thomas, the speed was manageable enough to jump off safely, but not for Victoria in her condition. If thrown off balance, she could fall—a serious risk.
Thomas and Victoria in the back seat grew concerned.
The cart had been working perfectly fine moments ago—how had this happened?
Any method of forcing the cart to stop would cause an impact, with unpredictable results, possibly even flipping the vehicle—which would be even more dangerous.
Victoria mentally ran through several options, all with similar poor outcomes.
"When we reach the lawn by the main building, we'll jump," Victoria said coldly.
"No way—that could hurt you and the babies," Thomas immediately objected.
"It's fine, Thomas. Trust me."
But at that moment, the cart suddenly veered off course.
Thomas's face darkened. "This is bad—the wheel's blown out!"
Kimberly could no longer control the vehicle.
Bryan had just exited the main building when he witnessed the terrifying scene.
The golf cart carrying Victoria and the others hit a protruding rock on the path and flipped onto its side.
"Vicky!"
"Mrs. Howard!"
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