Chapter 156: Chapter 156: There Are Many Things That Can Be Done
Victoria Monroe placed the milk tea and pastries she bought in front of the urn and rambled on to her grandmother about what happened today.
She touched her still flat belly, estimating that in about a week she’d reach three months, and by then her stomach would gradually start to show.
She was filled with unease about the future, believing that most wealthy families were complicated. Perhaps Rhys Hawthorne wanted to use her child to gain inheritance rights.
The worst thing Victoria Monroe ever did in her life was stealing a squirrel’s stored pine nuts. She had never swindled anyone and feared being exposed. She also feared not doing well and implicating Rhys Hawthorne.
By nature, she was kind and did not want to deceive people, but Rhys had helped her a lot; this was his only request that Victoria Monroe couldn’t refuse.
With her grandmother’s death, Victoria Monroe lost her main support, and her path forward seemed bewildering.
She murmured softly, "Grandma, am I doing the right thing?"
The sea breeze blew in through the window, gently stroking her cheeks and hair, as if her grandmother’s hand was comforting her.
No one could tell her if life’s choices were right or wrong; it was like a pony crossing a river—only by going in would she know its depth.
Victoria Monroe had just come out when she unexpectedly ran into Rhys Hawthorne coming out of the small dark room.
Rhys had thought she went back to her room to freshen up and didn’t expect to meet Victoria Monroe face to face.
Victoria gazed at the man in the white shirt, noticing it was stained in quite a bit of red.
Rhys Hawthorne’s face still bore remnants of murderous intent; the distant light fell on his bloodthirsty and murderous visage, devoid of any warmth.
The former Rhys Hawthorne was like snow on a mountain stream, pine trees in the rain, lofty and untouchable.
At this moment, he was like a war god descending to the world, holding heavy arms and fighting fiercely in blood, his entire being exuding sharpness.
It was like the unsheathing of a sharp sword, making Victoria instinctively flinch.
It seemed like this was Rhys Hawthorne’s true form, not only cold but ruthless.
Rhys hadn’t had the chance to clean up before being caught by Victoria. He didn’t want her to see the blood on his face, fearing it would frighten her.
He had already realized that amid her repeated injuries, Victoria Monroe had developed a psychological shadow regarding blood.
Yet unexpectedly, Victoria Monroe didn’t run away at first sight but instead rushed towards him.
"Rhys, are you hurt?"
Victoria didn’t realize it was someone else’s blood. Seeing him filled with coldness, she thought something unexpected happened.
Before Rhys could explain, Victoria’s soft hand fell on his face.
Confirming there was no wound there, was it on his body?
That small hand scrambled all over him, while Rhys’s voice was low and hoarse: "Victoria, I’m fine."
Victoria furrowed her brows, certain Rhys was lying to her. If he was fine, why was there so much blood?
She reached out and grabbed the man’s wrist, pulling him into a bright room.
Rhys did not want to appear in front of Victoria Monroe in this state, but he couldn’t resist her concern.
Under the light, Rhys appeared somewhat crestfallen due to the bloodstains.
Victoria confirmed that it wasn’t his blood, finally relieved, "You scared me to death."
Rhys’s deep gaze captured the worry in her eyes, "Why?"
"You are very important to me. I don’t want you to get hurt or have trouble." Victoria said bluntly.
The word "important" brought considerable warmth to Rhys’s heart.
"Hmm, I won’t get into trouble."
As their eyes met, Rhys curved into a smile that almost dazzled Victoria.
There was no depth to it, no scheming, just like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy standing under a cherry blossom tree smiling at her, refreshingly warm like the spring breeze.
Victoria quickly averted her gaze, not daring to look again.
God knows this type of man was her favorite; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been smitten by that chilly top student back in the day.
"Well, it’s getting late. It’s good that you’re alright. I’ll go freshen up and rest."
Victoria stayed in the adjoining bedroom with her grandmother’s ashes; she found it not frightening but rather more comforting.
After washing up and saying goodnight to her grandmother, she went back to sleep.
The mattress was soft, the quilt carried a light scent of grass and wood. Listening to the sound of the waves outside, logically, she should have found it easy to sleep.
But as soon as she closed her eyes, she saw the scene of her grandmother’s suicide.
She tossed and turned until midnight before she fell asleep.
Just as she dozed off, Victoria Monroe dreamed of herself falling off a cliff, her body weightless as she plunged into a blood pool.
The water turned crimson before her eyes, her body sinking, blood flooding in from all directions, her lungs aching as if they would explode.
So uncomfortable, so painful, she couldn’t breathe.
"Help...help..."
Suddenly, a beam of light shone down, and Victoria Monroe abruptly opened her eyes.
The blood water disappeared, and the suffocating sensation vanished.
A tall man’s silhouette stood in front of her, and he spoke with concern, "Victoria, are you okay?"
Victoria Monroe was covered in cold sweat, "Rhys... Rhys Hawthorne, why is it you?"
She looked outside; it was pitch black, with only the dim yellow light in the corridor. Rhys Hawthorne said, "I was passing by after handling some matters in the study and happened to hear your scream."
"Sorry, I had a nightmare."
Having encountered so many things one after another, how could she not be afraid?
Rhys understood in his heart, "Don’t be scared, I’m here with you."
It was the guest room, without even so much as a sofa. As he prepared to sit on a chair by the bed to keep her company, Victoria sensed his intention and gently tugged at his shirt, "Um..."
By the not-so-bright light outside, he saw Victoria sitting on the bed, biting her lip with some difficulty in her speech, "Hmm?"
"Young master, can you hold me to sleep?"
These words were quite suggestive, but Victoria originally had the habit of holding onto things to sleep.
Now, she felt less secure than before, and Rhys was her greatest reliance.
Moreover, she was a pregnant woman, and he a man incapable of certain things, nothing would happen.
Unbeknownst to her, to Rhys, this was like a little lamb inviting the big bad wolf into her house.
Rhys’s eyes darkened, "Okay, my bed is bigger, I’ll carry you over."
He didn’t want to stay in this room since there were his grandmother’s ashes, which always felt like a pair of eyes watching him coax the little sweetheart into his mouth.
Perhaps at night, his grandmother would come in a dream to chase him with a knife.
He bent down to pick up Victoria, who wrapped her arms around his neck, her bare feet dangling, as the sea breeze caressed their hair.
Rhys held his moonlit flower with a heart full of joy, "Victoria, you can rest your head on my chest."
"I’ve never had a girlfriend, and you’ll be my wife in the future, so you don’t need to have any reservations about me; you can rely on me like a husband."
Victoria murmured lightly, "Husband..."
"Yes, I will be your child’s father and your husband. From now on, we’ll share a bed, and I’ll take good care of you."
Victoria vaguely felt something was off, but she couldn’t figure it out.
Not until her body was placed back on the master bed that Rhys gently whispered in her ear, "I’ll take a quick shower; if you’re scared, wait for me, I won’t take long."
Victoria glanced at the time in the room; it was already three a.m., which meant he had been busy until now without any rest.
He was not as leisurely as he made himself out to be.
Her guilt towards Rhys deepened, as he had always been meticulously caring and attentive to her. What could she do for him?
"Alright."
The sound of water came from the bathroom, and Victoria found this feeling quite strange.
Previously, she’d lie in bed waiting for Julian Fordham, but now it had become Rhys Hawthorne.
Rhys, indeed, came quickly, appearing in the room within a few minutes, carrying a scent with him.
Victoria’s heart suddenly felt a bit tense; they had slept together last night, granted, without her knowledge.
Now awake and mostly rid of sleep, she somewhat regretted her earlier impulsive request to sleep together.
As he lifted the quilt to lie on the bed, her tangled expression was caught in his eyes.
Before she could think further, Rhys’s long arm wrapped her into his embrace.
Their bodies fitted against each other, and Rhys’s voice softly husky, "Victoria, you can start getting used to me from tonight. From now on, we will be together day and night. Don’t feel shy, I’m unmarried and you’re unwed. Even if we really do something together, it’s okay. If you want, after my grandmother is laid to rest, we can return to Portoros to register our marriage."
In Victoria’s shocked eyes, he said earnestly, "I said I would take responsibility for you."
"No, no registration."
Thinking of the divorce certificate with Julian Fordham, which nearly took a layer of skin off her, she already had a psychological shadow.
Rhys understood and didn’t push, "Alright, whenever you’re ready, we can register."
"But..." Victoria blinked, "I just feel like there’s something off about our relationship."
She hadn’t realized she had already fallen into Rhys’s trap, and Rhys didn’t expose it.
He leaned close to Victoria’s ear and said, "Victoria, I need you."
How could Victoria refuse such a request from Rhys? "I understand, young master, so what can I do for you? Can I help you secure your inheritance with this child?"
Rhys’s gaze fell on her soft pink lips, and his Adam’s apple moved.
"There are many things we can do, such as..."
"Like what?"
Victoria felt that what he referred to was entirely different from what she had in mind.
Rhys’s gentle voice dropped into her ear, "I’ve never kissed anyone until you took my first kiss while filming. I’ve always wanted to try that feeling again."
Victoria was taken aback, not expecting such a request.
Rhys’s thin lips brushed her earlobe with warm breath, "Victoria, can you teach me again?"