Chapter 41

Victoria's whole body went rigid, and her face turned bright red.

She quickly looked down, pretending to be super interested in her food, not daring to glance at Samuel again.

"Hey, slow down. I'm not gonna steal your food," Samuel said, chuckling as he watched her scarf down her meal.

It was only then that Victoria realized she was already pretty full; she had unknowingly eaten more than half a bowl.

It had been ages since she had eaten this much.

It seemed like she could only relax this much when she was with Samuel.

After the meal, they cleaned up the table together.

Samuel pulled out some documents and handed them to Victoria. "Check this out. It's the process and details of the competition. You should start prepping."

Victoria flipped through the papers and nodded. "Okay, don't worry. I'll get ready."

"Alright, I'm heading out now," Samuel said, grabbing his bag and heading for the door.

Suddenly, Victoria grabbed his arm. "Professor Brown, I'm moving back tomorrow. Thanks for everything during this time."

Samuel stopped and turned to look at her, smiling. "Didn't you enjoy staying here?" he asked.

Victoria shook her head. "It's not that I didn't enjoy it. It's just that this is your studio, and it's not right for me to stay here all the time."

Samuel looked at her and nodded. "I respect your decision. Remember, no matter what happens, I'll always be here to help you."

Hearing this, Victoria was momentarily stunned, then lowered her eyes to hide her emotions. "Thank you."

After Samuel left, Victoria sat on the sofa, hugging her knees and staring into space.

No matter what, she had to do her best and not let Samuel's trust and help go to waste.

Early the next morning, Victoria returned to work at Starry Studio Gallery.

Her colleagues excitedly gathered around her, pushing her into a chair and bombarding her with questions.

"Victoria, you're finally back! Tell us, how did you become Joshua's student?"

"Yeah, we're all dying to know. Joshua is a legend in the art world, and you're his student. That's amazing!"

"You really kept this a secret! No wonder you could get two of his works at once before. So you had this connection!"

Victoria felt a bit embarrassed by their enthusiasm. "It was just a coincidence, and I'm only a nominal student. It's not a big deal."

Her colleagues saw that she wasn't eager to talk and expressed their understanding.

"Anyway, it's great now. With Joshua supporting you, those rumors will definitely be dispelled."

"Yeah, we've all seen your hard work and talent. Those people were just talking nonsense."

Everyone was chatting away, making the Starry Studio Gallery lively.

However, Victoria noticed that Wendy was quietly staying in a corner, not saying a word.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she walked over to Wendy, trying to be friendly. "Wendy, I'm back."

Wendy glanced at her and forced a smile. "I see that," Wendy responded.

Wendy didn't know why she felt this way. She had been worried about Victoria, but when she found out that Victoria was Joshua's student, she felt a bit down. She had wanted to celebrate Victoria's return, but seeing so many people around her, she felt uncomfortable and decided to stay in the corner and watch.

Yet Victoria wasn't upset by Wendy's coldness.

She went to the break room, made a cup of coffee, and brought it to Wendy.

Smiling, Victoria said, "Wendy, are you mad at me for not telling you about Mr. Thomas?"

Wendy didn't say anything, still looking down.

Victoria bit her lip and said softly, "Wendy, if I told you that I didn't know the person I knew was Mr. Thomas until yesterday, would you believe me?"

"Really?" Wendy slowly looked up, her eyes filled with doubt.

She finally understood why she was upset. She had talked to Victoria about Joshua many times, and they both admired him. But Victoria had never mentioned that she was Joshua's student, making Wendy feel deceived. More importantly, Wendy felt that Victoria didn't consider her a true friend.

Victoria nodded earnestly and said, "I swear! When I met him, he used a different name. I can't tell you who he is yet, but I swear I didn't know his identity beforehand."

Wendy stared at Victoria, as if trying to determine if she was telling the truth.

Victoria met her gaze steadily.

After a long moment, Wendy snorted, picked up her cup, and took a sip. "I'll believe you this time. But if you lie to me again, our friendship is over!"

Hearing this, Victoria found Wendy's serious little round face incredibly cute.

She couldn't help but step forward, cupping Wendy's face in her hands and giving it a good squeeze. She said, "Wendy, you're so cute like this!"

"What are you doing!" Wendy screamed, covering her face.

Victoria stepped back, smiling, and enjoying Wendy's bashful annoyance that came from her light-hearted teasing.

She glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "It's almost time to open. Let's get to work."

Wendy glared at Victoria and started her own work.

Because of the big news about Victoria, many people in and out of the art circle knew she was Joshua's student.

They came to Starry Studio Gallery out of curiosity to see what Victoria looked like.

Some pretended to be customers wanting to buy her paintings and subtly asked her about Joshua's true identity, but Victoria handled them all skillfully.

She didn't mind the attention. Whether they were genuinely interested in buying art or just there to gawk, she earnestly introduced the various works at Starry Studio Gallery.

Some people were moved by her professionalism and sincerity, and she actually made quite a few sales.

It was almost as much as her sales for the past half month-an unexpected surprise.

As she was about to leave work, her phone rang with a unique ringtone that made her shiver. When she answered, William's voice had a hint of drunkenness. "Come to my place."

Knowing what this invitation meant, Victoria gripped her phone tightly. "I'm really tired today. Can we do this another day?" she asked.

However, William's voice turned cold. "I don't want to repeat myself."

Thinking of their two-month agreement, Victoria gritted her teeth and agreed. "Okay, I'll be there soon."

When Victoria arrived at the Scott Villa, William was lounging on the sofa with his eyes closed.

He was wearing a white shirt paired with black trousers, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his strong, slender arms.

His features were incredibly handsome, like a male lead straight out of a comic book.

A cigarette dangled from his mouth, the red glow flickering.

Upon hearing her, he opened his eyes and glanced at Victoria.

"I'm going to take a shower," Victoria said softly.

William extended his hand toward her and said, "No need. Come here."

Tonight, his emotions were a bit turbulent, tinged with a hint of anger.

Victoria hesitated for a moment, then walked over to him.

He pressed her onto the sofa, his deep eyes fixed on her, as if he wanted to devour her whole.

He asked, "How did you manage to hit on Joshua?"