Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria)

Chapter 563

Chapter 563 I Won’t Necessarily Agree With It

However, there was this one kid who always seemed to find joy in causing trouble. After hearing her words, Nicole couldn’t contain her excitement as she enthusiastically clapped and cheered. “Yay, Lazy Piggy Mommy and Lazy Piggy Daddy!”

Victoria was left utterly speechless by her daughter’s reaction.

Meanwhile, Alaric saw no issue with the nickname their daughter had come up with. Instead, he joyfully

bounced Nicole in his arms and showered her with praise. “Nicole, you’re amazing! Coming up with such creative names at such a young age!”

Once again, Victoria found herself at a loss for words, struggling to comprehend why Alaric would endorse such a derogatory nickname and exaggerate Nicole’s innocent playfulness.

“Do you like it, Daddy?” Nicole’s attention shifted toward him, and she began brainstorming various names for

her father.

A speechless Victoria stood there, observing their joyful playtime together. Nicole even leaned on Alaric’s shoulder, amusing herself by playing with his hair, and the man seemed to relish every moment.

As she watched, a faint smile formed on her lips. Well, it’s just a few unpleasant names, nothing more. As compared to the way they interact with each other, it doesn’t seem to matter much.

Victoria quickly brushed it off and remained in place for a moment before Alaric urged her, “Go downstairs and

have your meal. Don’t just stand there.”

“Has everyone already eaten?” she inquired. Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.

“Yeah,” he confirmed.

“Okay, then. I’ll head downstairs first.”

Before going downstairs, Victoria made sure to take her phone with her.

As soon as she reached downstairs, a servant courteously led her to the dining room and presented the prepared meal.

“Thank you.

As she sat down to eat, Victoria took out her phone and happened to stumble upon a message from Summer.

‘Hey there, sleepyhead! Since you were still snoozing just now, it wasn’t convenient for me to stay any longer in your house, so I headed out for now. Just reach out to me once you wake up, okay? Lots of love and kisses!‘

As Victoria read Summer’s message, she could almost picture the mischievous expression on her friend’s face as she typed those words. It brought a smile to Victoria’s lips as she replied, ‘I’m awake now.”

After sending the message, she dialed Summer’s phone number.

Summer answered promptly. “You woke up so early? I thought you were going to sleep until the afternoon.”

“It’s not that early anymore. It’s already 12.00PM. Why did you leave without calling me when you woke up?”

Victoria asked.

disturbed you both last night, and I’m already guilty for keeping you up. Now that you’ve finally had some sleep, it wouldn’t be right for me to disturb you again. If not, I’d probably deserve a good scolding.”

“Aren’t we best friends? Why are you saying all this?”

“You silly girl! It’s precisely because we’re best friends that I didn’t want to disturb your sleep. I wanted you to get more rest. Plus, you’ve lost so much weight. You need to rest and eat more, okay?”

Toward the end, Summer’s tone even carried a hint of sternness and warning.

Although her words sounded strict, Victoria couldn’t help but raise the corners of her lips as she took a sip of chicken broth. “Alright, alright. Where are you now?”

“I’m still in the car and on my way home,” Summer responded.

Summer’s home was in another city which was not too far away. Victoria remembered her mentioning it before. With the New Year approaching, Summer wanted to return to her home.

“How much longer until you arrive?”

“Not quite sure. I thought it would be just a few hours‘ drive, but you know how it is at the end of the year- traffic is just awful,” Summer replied, stifling a yawn.

Concerned for her friend, Victoria promptly urged her to get some rest.

“Sure. I’ll take a nap in the car for a bit and let you know when I arrive.”

“Sounds good.”

After ending the call, Victoria shifted her focus to eating her lunch.

As the end of the year approached, the days seemed to grow busier. After quickly finishing her meal, she rushed to the office to attend to the remaining tasks on her list.

By evening, Victoria had completed all her responsibilities at the office. She felt a sense of relief knowing that she wouldn’t have to return to work. From now on, her focus would shift to taking care of things at home.

Amid the busyness of work, Victoria couldn’t shake the feeling that she never had enough time for herself.

However, upon finally returning home after wrapping up all her tasks at the company, she quickly realized that

her presence at home was hardly necessary.

Adrian and Mary took care of most household matters while the remaining tasks were handled by the dedicated helpers. Victoria and Alaric only pitched in with the occasional decorations.

As time went on, some of the helpers started heading home early to celebrate the New Year with their families. Meanwhile, those who lived far away or had no close relatives chose to stay and celebrate the festivity at the Cadogan Residence.

Victoria received a phone call from her father, who wanted to know her plans for the year ahead. He asked if she intended to stay at the Cadogan Residence or travel abroad together.

Having been informed about her amnesia, Tony remained silent for a long time upon hearing that she had ended up with Alaric again.

During that time, Alaric had a private conversation with Tony for a long time, even going overseas to meet him without Victoria’s knowledge.

Eventually, Tony’s stance softened. “Since she relies on you so much without her memories, I’m placing my trust in you to take care of her. However, if you continue to make my daughter unhappy, I will never entrust her to you again.”

Tony had been deeply saddened by the situation of Victoria taking care of her children all by herself in the

past.

His precious gem hand had been mistreated. Therefore, he harbored significant resentment toward Alaric, his former son–in–law, for quite some time.

his

However, Tony had also been young once and understood that certain relationship issues were beyond the control of elders. The more he intervened, the more pressure it could place on the child, potentially leading to

unfavorable outcomes.

Moreover, Tony knew his daughter very well. In the end, he decided to respect her decision and support

whatever she wanted to do at the moment.

Nevertheless, he still couldn’t shake off the deep concern he felt for Victoria.

Even during the New Year, aside from calling to inquire about her plans, he wanted to gauge her emotional state and see if she had been doing well.

When her father inquired about her plans, Victoria was momentarily taken aback before finally replying, “I don’t

know…”

Deep down, she longed to celebrate with her family.

However, now that she was married to Alaric, he had become her family as well. Additionally, Adrian and Mary treated her with such love and care, as if she were their own daughter.

This inner conflict left Victoria in a state of dilemma for a moment.

When he heard the uncertainty in her voice, Tony couldn’t help but let out a sigh. “Well, I won’t make it difficult for you either. You can celebrate the New Year there for now. After the holiday, come over whenever you have

time.”

Victoria was unsure how to respond and could only agree by saying, “Alright. I’ll see how it goes then.”

After ending the call, she immediately sought out Alaric to discuss the matter at hand.

Alaric remained silent, attentively listening to her words. When she finished speaking, he met her calm eyes and asked, “What’s your plan?”

gaze

with

Her pink lips parted in response, and she quipped, “If I already knew, would I still be asking you?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle softly at her remark. “So are you looking for some suggestions from me?”

Victoria snorted lightly. “Even if you offer one, it doesn’t mean I’ll necessarily agree with it.”