Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria)

Chapter 583

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Chapter 583 Sharing Weal and Woe

“Mommy!” As soon as Nicole and Nathan saw Victoria, they swiftly dashed to her, vying to cling to her and hug her. Such enthusiasm startled Victoria. Still, there was a smile on her face as she returned Nicole and Nathan’s

hugs in surprise and delight.

Soon, a realization hit her, making her look up at Alaric. When she noticed that Mary and Sasha had yet to approach them, she took the chance and questioned him under her breath. “I thought you were joking just now! I can’t believe you actually snatched Nicky and Nate from Mom and Sasha!”

Alas, Alaric simply looked at her with a serious expression and said, “I never said I was joking.”

His response rendered Victoria speechless. Aren’t people usually just joking about these things under such circumstances? I mean, who would actually snatch their children from their relatives like that? They’re not child

traffickers. Geez!

“What’s wrong? Did you think I was joking?”

Victoria felt the corner of her mouth twitch. She initially wanted to say something in retort. However, she had. no choice but to bite back the words that she was about to say as she smiled when she saw Mary and Sasha

had come up to them.

As for Mary and Sasha, both had awkward expressions after greeting Victoria.

Once they came closer, Mary reached out, pinched Alaric’s arm, and questioned sharply, “Everything was fine, so why did you suddenly show up and snatch Nicole and Nathan?”

Thanks to Mary, Victoria felt less embarrassed. It seems that Alaric had simply taken Nicky and Nate back without giving them a reason. Thank God! That, at least, won’t make me end up in a difficult situation. Unfortunately, Victoria soon began to worry again. Seeing as how Mom and Sasha chased after Alaric and interrogated him, I have a feeling that he just took Nicky and Nate away and left without saying anything at all.

Now that we have nowhere to run, does that mean he has no choice but to answer them? What if he told them

the real reason here in front of me?

“Oh, it’s because-”

Before Alaric could finish his sentence, Victoria abruptly interrupted him, “I suddenly miss Nicky and Nate. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

That’s why I have asked Alaric to bring them here. Mom, it’s absolutely none of Alaric’s business.”

As soon as these words escaped her lips, the three paused simultaneously, especially Alaric. He was the first to

look in Victoria’s direction after snapping back to his senses prior to being momentarily stunned. Then, he curled his lips into a slight smile and looked at her with a tinge of resignation. Making concessions in order to gain advantages, I see… Such a brilliant move.

Sure enough, Mary instantly realized something after hearing what Victoria said. So, she narrowed her eyes and shot Alaric a harsh glare.

“Are

you for real, Al? As a man, not only did you go nuts and snatch my grandchildren away from me without warning, but you also let your wife bear the blame for you?”

When faced with Mary’s accusation, Alaric swept his gaze at the strained smile on Victoria’s face and had no choice before replying lazily, “I’m not. What can I say? She felt sorry for me, so she spoke up for me. What’s wrong with that?

“What’s wrong with that? How dare you ask me that question? If you were a man, you would solve this conflict before your wife came to your defense!”

Alaric remained utterly nonchalant and unrepentant as he said nothing in the face of Mary’s harsh words.

Mary questioned him once more, “Did you even hear what I have just said to you?”

Only then did Alaric answer helplessly, “Yes, I heard you, but Nicole and Nathan are my children. You can’t deny that I am dissatisfied with you constantly carrying them in your arms without giving me even the slightest. chance to spend some father–and–child time with them.”

I am aware that Alaric is saying these words to his mother, but Sasha is standing on the side. I can’t believe he is being so straightforward. At that thought, Victoria dragged Alaric over embarrassedly and said with a smile, “He’s just joking. Sasha, Mom, please don’t take it to heart.”

Meanwhile, Alaric glanced at her but didn’t answer. His actions were akin to a tacit agreement with what she

said.

Instead, Sasha turned around and smiled at Mary. “Why don’t we go upstairs for a stroll and let them spend some alone time together for a while? I know a jewelry store that sells particularly fancy jewelry pieces with

unique designs.”

Even though Mary was reluctant to part with her grandchildren, she still took what Alaric said seriously. Indeed, I have been occupying all of Nicole and Nathan’s time during the day and when they go off to bed. I’ve been treating them as though they are my son and daughter.

Prior to today, Mary didn’t think that there was anything wrong with hogging her grandchildren’s time because

she simply wanted to take care of Nicole and Nathan..

Now that Alaric brought up this matter, Mary realized she had indeed been spending a lot of time with Nicole and Nathan. As a result, the two little fellows had no time to bond with their parents. Then, Mary put herself in Victoria’s shoes. If the same situation had occurred to me when I gave birth to Alaric last time, I would certainly have disallowed others to take him away from me. Once Mary did so, she also felt that she had truly gone overboard in the past two days. So, she said yes to Sasha’s proposal.

“Sure. It’s been a while since I last bought a piece of jewelry too. Let’s go and have a look.” Thus, the two left together without a backward glance, leaving only the four in the aisle. When Victoria lowered her head to check on Nicole and Nathan, their gazes remained locked on her as they clutched her clothes tightly, looking as though they missed her dearly.

Such a scene brought immense warmth to Victoria’s heart. It seems that Nicky and Nate miss me as much as I

miss them.

Victoria reached out and placed both her hands on Nicole and Nathan’s heads before ruffling their hair gently. Finally, a chance for us to spend time together!

At this moment, Alaric leaned over and muttered, “What do you think? Are you pleased with the outcome?”

Victoria was a rather open book in front of her children. So, when she heard him ask her these questions, she remembered the awkward situation earlier and couldn’t help but complain, “Can you refrain from behaving so rudely with the elders from now on?”

However, Alaric disagreed with her.

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“I’m afraid Mom wouldn’t get my point if I’m not blunt.”

“Well… I think she will get it if you can just explain to her nicely.”

“Nah, these two aren’t related. Mom is the one engrossed in the joy of looking after her grandchildren, so she may not take my words seriously if I don’t tell her so straightforwardly.”

Victoria stared at him, utterly speechless. She actually found herself in a position where she was unable to refute Alaric. He does have a point. Indeed, Mom was so occupied with raising Nicky and Nate during this period that she even changed her entire lifestyle to suit the children’s needs.

“Furthermore, you seem pretty good at playing things by your ears. Either way, I am the one suffering from shame in the end.” There was a slight grievance in Alaric’s eyes as he said that. It was as if he was blaming her for selling him out without having a second thought.

If truth be told, Victoria was also a little guilt–stricken concerning this. Hence, she coughed slightly to ease the tension as she reconstructed her sentence in her mind before saying, “Although you were the one who suffered from shame in the end, we are a team, aren’t we? Does that not indicate that I am also suffering from shame?”

Victoria’s words unintentionally pleased Alaric greatly.

Alaric quirked his brow at her remarks as he stretched out his hand and hugged Victoria’s shoulders in front of Nicole and Nathan. Then, he pulled her into his arms and murmured, “Wow, you are so self– conscious. So, you finally know how to share weal and woe with me?”

As for Nicole and Nathan, they smiled when they saw this scene.

Victoria looked up and saw the sly smile playing on the edges of his lips. After she gave it careful thought, she immediately understood why Alaric was so happy. This rendered her slightly speechless. Seriously? He’s getting all happy merely because of what I said? Hah, I knew it. I can really read him like a book as per usual.