Chapter 766 Keeping It Under Wraps
After lunch at the Harrington Family Old Mansion, everyone gathered in the living room. On the table were several plates of strawberries and cherries, along with other fancy desserts and drinks.
"Victoria, I got some strawberries for you. Give them a try and see if they're sweet," Eloise said, looking at Victoria with a loving smile.
"Okay," Victoria replied.
Just as she was about to grab one, a slender arm reached out, and a pair of elegant fingers picked up a strawberry and handed it to her.
The gesture changed the atmosphere in the room. The elders watched silently, unsure if Victoria would accept it.
"Thank you," Victoria said, taking the strawberry and biting into it.
Alexander watched as the juice left a trace on her lips, thinking that if she hadn't taken it, he would have just fed it to her himself. He was determined that she had to have it.
"It's very sweet," Victoria said to Eloise, satisfied.
The strawberry was indeed sweet, and the taste brought a comforting warmth to her heart. She hadn't had strawberries often since moving abroad, and eating them now stirred memories she had tried to leave behind.
There was a time when Alexander would bring her strawberries every day.
"That's great. I told the suppliers that if my granddaughter-in-law didn't like them, I wouldn't order from them again," Eloise said, overjoyed.
"Thank you, Grandma," Victoria said, smiling gently.
Alexander watched Victoria, feeling a bit captivated. The way she ate strawberries was still so lovely. She liked strawberries, and he liked her.
Arabella noticed Alexander's gaze and thought, 'Does he still not know that Victoria has booked a one-way flight back to Elysium Country? She might even leave their child behind.'
Arabella sighed inwardly, feeling sympathy for Alexander. But seeing Victoria's obedient appearance, she felt a pang of pain. She knew Victoria was upset too and still hoped they could reconcile.
After chatting for a while, the elders went for a nap. Alexander casually leaned over and picked up another strawberry. "For you."
Victoria looked at the strawberry and smiled softly. "Thank you, but I don't like strawberries anymore."
She didn't want to lie to him. She couldn't refuse the elders' kindness before, but she didn't want to pretend in front of him.
Alexander held the strawberry, feeling a sudden pang of bitterness. "Is it just strawberries that you don't like?" he asked.
Victoria looked at him, not understanding.
Alexander put the strawberry in his mouth. It used to be sweet, but now it tasted bitter.
Victoria saw his expression grow colder and felt uneasy. She stood up and said, "I'll go check on Strawberry."
"If you don't like it, why did you name her Strawberry?" Alexander asked sharply.
Victoria froze, looking at him with blurred eyes. She thought they would never see each other again, at least not for years.
When others asked her what Strawberry's name was, she had thought of many beautiful names while pregnant, but only the name Strawberry kept coming to mind.
Alexander had once gently asked her if they could name their daughter Strawberry. It was an unusual nickname, but it had a special meaning for them.
Victoria turned around, her back to him, and said softly, "It's just a name."
She went upstairs. He didn't follow; he just sat there, staring at the plate of strawberries. She really didn't like strawberries anymore. She used to be able to finish a whole plate he gave her.
Alexander picked up another one and put it in his mouth. He thought to himself, 'Why did the strawberries that used to be so sweet now taste so bitter?'
Upstairs, Victoria noticed that Strawberry wasn't in her bed, feeling an involuntary emptiness.
Arabella stood at the door, watching as someone emerged from Strawberry's room. She said softly, "Victoria, come here."
Victoria snapped out of it, realizing that Arabella had taken Strawberry, and walked over, saying, "Mom, you're putting Strawberry down for a nap again?"
"She is usually not around us. I finally get to see her, so of course, I want to keep her close. Come in." Arabella took her hand and led her inside.
Maximus saw Victoria come in, greeted her, and then found an excuse, saying, "I'll go to the study to make a call."
Victoria, worried about disturbing their nap, said, "Dad, I'll be leaving soon."
"It's fine, you two chat for a while." Maximus smiled and left.
After Maximus left, Victoria walked to the bedside and saw that Strawberry was sleeping soundly, which made her heart feel a bit sweet.
"Come on, have a seat." Arabella invited Victoria to sit by the bed with her.
After sitting down, Victoria softly asked, "Mom, is there something you want to talk to me about?"
"Have you booked a ticket to return to Elysium Country?"
Victoria was surprised and fell silent.
"I didn't intentionally snoop. I just asked the person in charge over there if your sister-in-law had booked a ticket. He didn't find her name but accidentally saw yours," Arabella explained.
"Yes, I did."
"Didn't you tell anyone?" Arabella cautiously probed.
Victoria smiled slightly. "Yes, I didn't tell anyone."
They both knew that "anyone" really meant Alexander.
"Why?"
"We're divorced," Victoria smiled and calmly told her.
Two divorced people didn't need to inform each other.
Arabella saw that Victoria had no intention of playing dumb and didn't know what to say. She looked at Strawberry on the bed and asked, "Are you not taking Strawberry with you? You're leaving alone?"
"Yes, I'm leaving alone." Victoria nodded.
Alexander, who was unintentionally listening outside, heard this and slowly walked away.
Victoria looked at Strawberry for a while, thought about it, and then said seriously, "It's not that I don't want her."
Arabella looked at her expectantly. "So?"
"It's just that I think you all want to spend this Christmas with her, so this time I'll leave her here to celebrate with you," Victoria explained.
She then looked at Strawberry again and smiled confidently at Arabella. "There's no mother in this world who doesn't want her own child, you know that, right?"
Arabella suddenly felt regret for thinking that way about Victoria. She immediately hugged her gently and apologized, "I'm sorry, Victoria."Arabella had thought that Victoria didn't want Strawberry just to leave Alexander. How could she have forgotten that Victoria was such a considerate girl? She just wanted Strawberry to spend a wonderful Christmas with them.
"It's okay." Victoria gently hugged her back.
"Victoria, can you stay? Just to celebrate Christmas together. You may not be a couple, but you're still family."
"We're not family anymore." Victoria's eyes filled with tears as she raised her hand to wipe Arabella's tears.
She felt that it was enough for the elders to understand that she wasn't abandoning her child. As for her and Alexander, they were the kind of people who couldn't be friends after ending their relationship.
Victoria left Arabella's room, gently closing the door behind her, and turned to see Alexander standing at the bedroom door not far away. He held a cigarette in his hand, his cold eyes looking at her.
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