Chapter 238

Marcella's eyes gleamed with a cunning light as she scanned the room. "This city's got a lot of hidden gems, doesn't it?"

Victoria stayed silent. Marcella turned to her, "Victoria, you seem to know a lot of folks around here. Are they all your friends? That guy just now, so cheerful and stylish, he doesn't seem like an ordinary person."

Victoria looked up and replied calmly, "The gallery sent me here for work before. He was a colleague back then."

Marcella narrowed her eyes, "Oh, I see. So, what's he up to now? You must know."

Victoria shook her head, "We haven't seen each other in years. We just had a quick chat."

Marcella's interest faded, and she pouted, "You really missed out on a good opportunity."

Victoria pressed her lips together and stayed quiet.

"I've got plans tonight." With a graceful wave, Marcella swayed her hips and left.

Victoria just wanted to get some sleep. She hadn't been feeling well these past few days, probably due to the intense workload and constant stress.

Now that she had a moment to relax, all the accumulated fatigue hit her at once. She had a low-grade fever and felt weak all over.

She shook her head, trying to stay awake, but as soon as she stepped into the elevator, a wave of dizziness overwhelmed her.

She struggled to breathe, gasping for air, but it didn't help.

As the elevator ascended, Victoria felt lightheaded and lost control, falling forward and hitting her head against the elevator door with a loud thud.

The ongoing project meeting was interrupted by a sudden, urgent phone ring.

"Hello, this is the hospital. Are you Victoria Carter's family?"

William, who had been focused on the meeting with a stern expression, stood up abruptly and walked quickly towards the door, "I am."

He gestured for his assistant, Carl Ward, to take over the meeting.

After listening to the caller, William's deep eyes narrowed, and he spoke urgently, "I'll be there right away."

Soon, William appeared outside the hospital room.

"She's just overworked and not used to the environment here. It's nothing serious. She just needs to rest and recover."

Hearing the doctor's words, William finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He walked quietly into the room and looked at Victoria lying on the bed. Her face was as pale as paper, and her breathing was light and weak.

She was curled up under the white blanket, looking especially small and fragile.

William's face darkened inexplicably. He stood by the bed for a moment, then pulled up a chair and sat down slowly.

She had only been here for a short time and had already ended up in the hospital. She really didn't know how to take care of herself.

Victoria slept deeply and for a long time, dreaming of many chaotic things.

She dreamed of her family going on a rare outing together, filled with laughter and warmth;

She dreamed of her friend Wendy, reuniting after a long time, and Victoria excitedly asked her about her life over the years.

Finally, she dreamed of William.

In the dream, he was like a cold, distant iceberg, exuding an aura that kept people at bay. Just standing there and staring at her from afar made her feel a chill and break out in a cold sweat.

"No, don't look at me like that. I... I'm not afraid," she murmured in her sleep.

Victoria woke up suddenly, sitting up in a panic.

When she took in her surroundings, Victoria realized she was in a hospital room.

She raised her hand to rub her head, wincing as a sharp pain shot through her forehead.

"Careful, you've got a bump there."

The deep voice startled Victoria. She turned to see William sitting nearby.

"What are you doing here?"

"The hospital called, asking if I was your family."

Victoria felt her face flush with embarrassment. "Sorry, they didn't know the situation."

"What I'm curious about is how the hospital got my number and why they were so sure I was your relative."

Victoria's face grew even hotter, and she mumbled, "I just changed your contact name."

"Really?"

He seemed intrigued, asking slowly, "What did you change it to? Dad? Brother?"

"Of course not!" She cleared her throat, her voice barely audible, "Honey."

As soon as she said it, she wished she could disappear.

William was clearly taken aback, then looked at her in disbelief, staring intently, "What did you save it as?"

Victoria was so embarrassed she wanted to flee, regretting her words.

"You heard me." Her voice was still as soft as a whisper.

William suddenly smiled, then slowly walked over to her, his usual intense gaze roaming over her, "Honey?"

Victoria felt her face was hot enough to fry an egg.

"Don't you remember?" Victoria bit her lip, looking down to avoid his gaze, "You made me change it after that time."

William paused, then remembered he had indeed forced Victoria to change his contact name.

He smirked, his smile devilishly charming.

All these years, she hadn't deleted him or changed it back.

He narrowed his eyes, a playful look in them, nodding slightly, "So, since I made you do it, why didn't you change 'Honey' back? Couldn't bear to?"

Victoria knew he was doing this on purpose!

He repeated "Honey" over and over, clearly trying to embarrass her to the extreme!

Finally, Victoria decided to just go for it.

She said, "I just wanted to get through these years peacefully, without being bothered by boring people. So, whenever someone asked for my number or wouldn't leave me alone, I'd show them that contact name."

She continued, "The reason I saved your number is because it looked like an unused number, and changing the contact name didn't feel weird. I didn't plan on contacting you anyway."

William listened, his expression unreadable.

"I see. So, for you, that contact name was just a way to avoid harassment?"

Victoria thought for a moment, then replied nonchalantly, "If you want to see it that way, sure."

William's gaze on her grew colder. "Never contact again, what do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like."

At this point, she had nothing to hide. "You're here now, and you probably won't go back to Silvermist City. I have my own life, and I'm quite happy with it. I don't plan on leaving. We're probably completely done now. I'm satisfied with my current state, so why would I call you?"

William didn't speak, just stared at her without blinking.

Victoria avoided his gaze, "I'm just stating the facts."

William was silent for a long time before nodding slowly, "You're right."

His attitude was much colder than before, his eyes distant, "How could I forget, you always kept your life and feelings separate. To you, I might just be a memory."