Chapter 167

Victoria jolted awake, her drowsiness vanishing in an instant.

Her heart pounded, a primal fear gripping her. It couldn't be William. If he were back, he'd know she locks the door when she sleeps and would call first.

The room fell into an eerie silence. The door that had been hit stood still, with no further noise.

Victoria barely dared to breathe. She sat on the bed, staring at the door, her hands clutching the blanket so tightly her knuckles turned white.

After what felt like an eternity, with no more sounds outside, Victoria cautiously moved her feet, silently approaching the door.

She reached out with a trembling hand, slowly bringing her eye close to the peephole to see what was happening.

The hallway outside was dimly lit and empty, eerily quiet.

Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a bloodshot, menacing eye suddenly appeared on the other side of the peephole, as if it had been lurking in the darkness, waiting for her to look.

Victoria screamed in terror, instinctively stumbling back several steps, nearly tripping in her panic.

She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle any more sounds, but her heart pounded loudly in her chest, impossible to calm.

Cold sweat poured from her forehead and back, soaking her clothes, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

A loud banging came from the door.

Victoria pressed herself against the wall, trying to control her shaking and stay calm.

Suddenly, she thought of calling the front desk. She fumbled for her phone on the nightstand, her fingers quickly dialing the number.

When the call connected, she tried to keep her voice steady, stammering, "Hello, this is Room 805. There's a man banging on my door. Please send someone to help me immediately."

The person outside must have heard her making the call, as the banging abruptly stopped, followed by a string of vile curses: "You bitch, calling for help? Just wait, I'll deal with you later!"

He kicked the door hard and then walked away.

Not long after, there was another knock at the door.

Victoria cautiously approached the peephole again and saw the little girl she had met yesterday, Giselle, along with two burly security guards.

She quickly opened the door. Giselle immediately noticed Victoria's fear and unease, stepping forward to hold her hand and softly reassure her, "Victoria, don't be scared. It's okay now."

Giselle's eyes were full of concern and sympathy, her small hand conveying a warm strength that helped calm Victoria's frantic heart.

Then, Giselle looked at Victoria with some anxiety and said, "Victoria, please don't call the police, okay? This resort belongs to my brother. We'll take full responsibility for what happened. We'll check the surveillance right away and make sure you get an explanation."

Her eyes were sincere and urgent, clearly afraid that Victoria might impulsively involve the police, causing an international incident and damaging the resort's reputation.

Victoria looked at the young but earnest Giselle in front of her, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded.

She knew that in this unfamiliar place, having a friend was better than making an enemy, and Giselle seemed genuinely willing to help.

Seeing Victoria agree, Giselle smiled with relief, quickly giving instructions to the security guards before they hurried to the surveillance room.

But when Giselle and the guards anxiously pulled up the surveillance footage, it made everyone frown.

During the time the suspicious man appeared, the footage first shook violently.

Then, a hand holding a baseball cap reached out, precisely covering the hallway camera, plunging the screen into darkness.

Giselle's face turned pale, and Victoria immediately realized that such a skilled and targeted action was likely done by someone from the resort.

Her mind flashed to the two men who had troubled her yesterday. They had bad intentions then, and now, with William away, they had come again. The suspicion was too strong.

"Victoria, I'm so sorry. This is our fault. Our security wasn't up to par."

Giselle's eyes reddened with tears, her voice trembling, "I'll find out what happened as soon as possible and give you an explanation! Please don't call the police. If this turns into an international incident, our resort's business will be ruined. Victoria, how about this: no matter how long you stay here, I'll waive your room fee as an apology."

Victoria weighed her options. She understood that in a foreign country, the fewer complications, the better, and Giselle seemed genuinely kind.

After a moment of thought, she nodded slightly.

Victoria slowly climbed the stairs, heading back to her room.

As she reached the corner, she saw Jett and Hayden from yesterday.

Her alarm bells went off, and she instinctively slowed her pace, watching them warily, pressing herself against the side of the stairs to stay as far from them as possible.

Jett, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, swaggered along. Seeing Victoria, he smirked maliciously.

He deliberately swung his shoulder, bumping into her, muttering, "What a coincidence. Sorry, didn't see you, slipped."

Victoria couldn't dodge in time, stumbling and hitting the wall hard.

A local wooden carving hung on the wall, its sharp edges scratching her arm. The pain was sharp, but the cut wasn't deep, and there was no blood.

"Such delicate skin, looks so fragile," Jett's eyes roamed over Victoria like a predator, his gaze making her feel like he wanted to devour her.

Victoria looked into his eyes, a chill running from her feet to her head, her mind flashing back to the bloodshot, menacing eye at the peephole.

"Hurry up!" Hayden, ahead, turned back impatiently, glaring at Jett before forcing a fake smile at Victoria, "Miss, don't be scared. With your boyfriend so fierce, we wouldn't dare bother you now."

After they swaggered down the stairs, Giselle appeared out of nowhere, angrily blocking Jett, demanding, "Jett, was that your doing just now?"