Chapter 182

Alvin clenched his jaw, shot William a furious look, and stormed off.

William smirked, unfazed. He was always tough and never backed down from a challenge.

Then, he turned to Victoria, his gaze softening instantly.

Victoria stood there, stunned, watching Alvin leave in a huff, feeling a bit lost.

She mumbled to herself, "This is bad. Looks like I really made Dad mad this time."

William, however, thought to himself, 'So what if he's mad? Worst case, you won't go back home, and I'll take care of you!'

But he was smart enough to know that saying this out loud would definitely cause a rift between them.

Just then, the doctor walked in with more medication for William.

Victoria quickly composed herself and moved to the bedside.

"You didn't sleep well last night. Get some rest now, I'll stay here with you," she said softly.

William didn't argue, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Alright, I didn't sleep well holding you last night anyway."

"You!" Victoria's face turned red as she glared at him. "Stop talking nonsense!"

"Isn't it true?" William teased, his eyes twinkling. "You were clinging to me pretty tightly while you slept."

"Get lost!" Victoria snapped, embarrassed. "William, can you be serious for once?"

She had never realized he could be so shameless!

"Okay," William agreed readily, though his deep, starry eyes still sparkled with mischief.

William slept deeply, even after three IV bags had been administered. He still hadn't woken up.

Victoria asked a nurse to keep an eye on him while she went out to get lunch.

When she returned, she ran into Louie at the door of the hospital room.

"Louie?"

Louie was there with Hayden, and Paxton was carrying a basket of fresh fruit.

It was quite a surprise to see him visiting.

Louie was dressed in a gray suit today, his shirt collar open, revealing his attractive collarbone and Adam's apple.

He looked quite dashing, though a bit flashy.

Louie smiled slightly at her and naturally took the food from her hands.

"No need, I can carry it myself. It's no trouble," Victoria instinctively protested.

"Let's go in," Louie said, taking the food and handing it to Paxton, then confidently leading the way.

Victoria followed him.

Before they even opened the door, they heard a woman's exaggerated voice from inside.

"How can you not have eaten yet? Is this how she take care of you? William, I'm here, you could have just called me! Ms. Carter is young and inexperienced, how can you rely on her?"

Victoria frowned.

Louie glanced back at her.

Recognizing Alice's voice, Victoria shrugged helplessly and whispered, "His ex-fiancée."

Louie raised an eyebrow, understanding.

He then looked at Victoria with interest. "You two have quite the complicated relationship. You have a boyfriend, and he has an ex-fiancée."

Victoria felt a bit embarrassed.

"Why aren't you coming in?" William's voice called from inside.

Louie turned back, a meaningful smile on his lips.

He then pushed the door open and walked in. "Mr. Scott, I'm here to collect on your promise."

Victoria followed him into the room, nodding politely at Alice. "Ms. Garcia."

Paxton placed the fruit basket and food gently on the table and then stepped back quietly.

Alice glanced at the food on the table, frowning slightly, her tone a bit reproachful. "Ms. Carter, William is a patient. Are you planning to feed him this junk food?"

Victoria knew it wasn't ideal. She smiled awkwardly and explained, "I've been at the hospital all night and didn't have time to go back and make a nutritious meal. Plus, the hotel I'm staying at isn't very convenient."

Alice laughed softly, though her smile carried an unclear meaning. "It's alright. Luckily, I brought some soup."

She quickly served the soup from a thermos. "Ms. Carter, you've been here all night. You must be exhausted. Why don't you go rest? I'll take over."

Victoria was actually tempted.

William shot her a look and casually asked, "Are you tired?"

Feeling guilty under his gaze, Victoria quickly shook her head. "Not tired."

Alice's hand paused slightly, but she maintained her gentle smile. "William, have some soup."

Louie, sitting on the sofa, watched the scene unfold with quiet amusement.

William glanced at the bowl of soup. Alice said softly, "This soup is very nutritious. I borrowed the hotel's kitchen early this morning to make it. Even though staying at a hotel is inconvenient, I just cared about you, so nothing felt too difficult."

Louie found it interesting and looked at Victoria with a knowing smile.

Victoria finally caught on. Alice was subtly implying that she didn't care enough.

William held the bowl of soup but didn't drink it. He looked up at Victoria. "Come here."

Victoria walked over, puzzled. "What is it?"

Without a word, he pushed the bowl of soup towards her. "Drink it."

Victoria was taken aback and instinctively stepped back. "This is for you, from Ms. Garcia. It's not right for me to drink it. Besides, I'm not the one who needs to recover."

Alice's smile instantly turned cold. She moved to a spot where William couldn't see her and glared at Victoria.

Under her glare, Victoria didn't dare drink it.

Besides, she genuinely thought William was being unreasonable.

No matter what, it was a kind gesture from Alice.

Even if he didn't accept it, he shouldn't waste trash her kindness like that.

"Who says you don't need it?" William said slowly, his tone teasing. "You were more exhausted than I was last night."

That one sentence made the atmosphere even more tense.

Victoria glared at William, her eyes full of warning, signaling him to stop talking nonsense.

Alice's fingers dug into her palm. In the past, she would have stormed out in anger.

But now, as his ex-girlfriend, she knew she couldn't overreact.

So, she suppressed her anger and bitterness, forcing a smile. "Ms. Carter, William cares about you. Just drink it. I'll make more for him later."

At that moment, Louie stood up leisurely and said, "I can tell from the smell that Ms. Garcia is a great cook."

He picked up the bowl of soup and smiled at Alice. "Mind if I try it, Ms. Garcia?"