Chapter 31

Victoria hesitated for a sec but then came clean, "Yeah."

"Which hospital?" Samuel pressed.

After a brief pause, Victoria answered, "Dawn Healthcare Center."

Samuel was quiet for a moment before saying, "Wait for me."

"Professor Brown! You don't have to..." Victoria started, but Samuel had already hung up. She sighed and put her phone away.

Half an hour later, Samuel showed up at the hospital room door, rocking a dark gray suit and gold-rimmed glasses. He had a bouquet of lilies, a fruit basket, and a few books in hand.

Victoria had never seen him with glasses before, and now he looked like a whole different person. Gone was the casual, charming guy from art shows and lectures. With glasses, he seemed more refined and intellectual, giving off a mature vibe that made Victoria feel at ease.

"Professor Brown, you really didn't have to go through all this trouble," Victoria said politely.

Samuel set the fruit on the table, then sat on the edge of her bed. "Why so formal? Aren't we friends?"

Victoria smiled and nodded.

Seeing her pale face, Samuel frowned. "What happened to you?"

Victoria looked down, biting her lip. "I just had a fall."

Samuel could tell she didn't want to get into it, so he let it go. "What did the doctor say? Is it serious?"

"The doctor said I just need to rest for a few days. I can go home by the weekend," Victoria replied.

"That's good." Samuel's expression softened. "I brought you some new books. Thought you might like them."

"Thanks, Professor Brown," Victoria said with a smile.

Samuel chuckled. "Just call me Samuel from now on."

Victoria hesitated but then nodded.

Samuel laughed. He handed her a book titled "Art and Visual Perception" and started explaining some key points. "This book dives into how we see and create art..."

Victoria listened closely as Samuel explained. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a peaceful glow over them. When the nurse came to ask visitors to leave, Samuel reluctantly stood up. "Get some rest. I'll visit again when I can."

Victoria smiled as she watched him leave. Once the room was quiet again, she picked up the book and started reading.

Later, Wendy and Diana showed up with fruit and flowers. Wendy rushed over and hugged Victoria, tears streaming down her face.

"Victoria, you're finally awake! I was so worried," Wendy cried.

Victoria felt a lump in her throat. "Thank you, Wendy. If you hadn't noticed I was missing, who knows what would've happened!"

Wendy wiped her tears and scolded, "Don't say thank you; we are friends."

Victoria smiled.

Diana added, "Just focus on getting better. We'll deal with the assessment later. No need to stress."

Victoria nodded. "Thank you, Ms. Simpson."

She had been worried about it and was planning to call Diana, but seeing her at the hospital made her feel a bit overwhelmed.

Wendy ordered some light meals, and they had lunch together in the hospital room before reluctantly leaving.

Meanwhile, William stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window at the Scott Group, lost in thought as memories flashed through his mind like a slideshow. A flood of emotions hit him: the grief from his parents' death a decade ago, the comfort from his aunt Daisy Scott and uncle Wayne Scott promising to find the culprit.

He also remembered Victoria nervously applying for a receptionist job at the Scott Group, and how he instantly recognized her as Alvin's daughter. He recalled Victoria fainting when Alvin was arrested and later accepting a humiliating agreement.

The last image in his mind was Victoria's eyes, filled with emotion. Now, Victoria lay in a hospital bed, hoping to have nothing more to do with William. But that was impossible.

Unless William could shake off his nightmares and the torment of the past. Otherwise, Victoria would be stuck with him until the end.

As William was deep in thought, the office door swung open, and Harry walked in. "Mr. Scott, Ella has been sent back to the Garcia Villa."

William glanced at him and asked casually, "How is she?"

Harry described Ella's miserable condition. She had been locked in the basement for two days, enduring the cold, damp darkness, insects crawling around her, and unbearable hunger.

More importantly, William had Harry block all the windows, so Ella couldn't see any light and had no idea how much time had passed or how long she'd be kept there. This psychological torment was worse than physical pain.

"When Ms. Garcia was released, she had lost a lot of weight, her cheeks were sunken, her skin was dull, and she was covered in red marks from insect bites. She seemed to have a fever," Harry reported.

William was silent for a moment, then asked indifferently, "She didn't cause any trouble, did she?"

"No," Harry replied.

William's eyes showed a hint of mockery. "I hope she learns her lesson this time. If it weren't for..." He didn't finish his sentence, just snorted and went back to work.

Victoria stayed at Dawn Healthcare Center for a few more days, during which Samuel visited her several times to explain some challenging points from the books.

With his help, Victoria felt enlightened. She had inherited her artistic talent from her parents and had always loved and worked hard at learning art, so her skills were pretty solid.

Now, with Samuel's guidance, many problems that had troubled her for a long time were resolved.

After being discharged, Victoria returned to her job. Although she had missed a week of training, Wendy sent her daily training points, and with Samuel's professional guidance, she didn't fall behind much.

Once she started working again, she quickly caught up.

The remaining five interns not only helped adjust the gallery and introduce products to customers but also learned to acquire artworks at reasonable prices, especially those of popular artists.

Securing works by popular artists was crucial for the Starry Studio Gallery. It could enhance the gallery's reputation and influence, attracting more visitors and collectors. Especially now, Joshua's works were highly sought after globally.

The piece Victoria saw when she first arrived at the gallery had sold for a million dollars in the first week. So the interns who managed to get hold of Joshua's work had the best chance of staying on.

However, Joshua was very mysterious. He only sold three or four pieces a year, all through his manager, never appearing in public. So getting his work was very difficult.

Wendy and the other three interns either used family connections to get works by foreign masters or found many new artists' works, hoping to win by quantity.

But Victoria wanted to try to get Joshua's work to increase her chances of staying. So she called Samuel, "Professor Brown, you're a professor at the University of Aesthetics Shine. Can you help me find out about Mr. Thomas?"

Samuel was stunned for a moment, then asked, "You want to acquire his work for your gallery?"