They had agreed to give her five minutes, but they broke their promise. How... unfair.
Seeing Leo Carter walking away, Victoria grabbed his arm. "Leo, I didn't even hold it against you for sleeping with me. Can you at least get the expert team to treat my dad? I'll pay for the surgery. I have money!"
Yesterday, she had hoped Leo would give her a discount on the surgery fee, but the man had been too unreasonable, so she had to give up on that idea.
Just three minutes ago, she had been touched by Leo's words, "The expert team will treat your father," thinking he wasn't completely heartless and had some humanity in him. Now, it seemed she had been naive.
Leo stopped when she grabbed him, turned around, and his sharp eyes locked onto hers. His gaze finally landed on the necklace around her neck, finding it particularly glaring.
"Money?" His handsome face twisted into a mocking smile. "Are you planning to sleep with Lucas? How much for a night?"
For the past two months, he had someone secretly monitoring Victoria and her phone, so he was sure she hadn't slept with Lucas. But the nurses' conversations in the hospital and the necklace around her neck were enough to indicate that she and Lucas were dating. "You..."
Victoria couldn't believe how filthy Leo's thoughts were. She snorted angrily and said, "Yes, it's Lucas' money."
Fueled by some unknown fire, she lifted her chin and flaunted the beautiful necklace on her collarbone, declaring, "This necklace was a gift from Lucas. We're dating. So, Young Master Carter, please stay away from me, or my boyfriend won't let you off." Her deliberate 'boast' made her regret it immediately after saying it.
Despite claiming that her boyfriend was Lucas, hoping it would keep Leo away from her, Victoria wasn't too worried. After all, Leo's team had already left, so what did she have to fear?
Leo's cold eyes flashed with a hint of menace as he lifted her chin, his thumb brushing against her skin. "I'm warning you, stay away from Lucas, or don't blame me for what happens next."
Victoria scoffed, "Master Carter, just because you're used to having your way in New Orleans doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. You tell me to stay away from him, and I won't."
She was never one to back down easily. Her personality was such that she would rise to meet a challenge and yield only to kindness, making it impossible for her to submit to Leo. "Just try it!"
The man leaned in closer, his breath warm against her face, creating an intimate yet uncomfortable tension between them. But then he said, "If I catch you again, I'll break your legs."
"You're insane."
Victoria thought Leo was out of his mind. "Fine, if you won't treat my dad, I'll just transfer him to another hospital."
Having had enough of Leo's threats, Victoria's hatred for him ran deep. "I'll transfer him right now."
"Do you really think you can escape my grasp?"
Hearing his words, Victoria frowned deeply. "Hmph, my legs are my own. I'll do whatever I want with them."
Victoria's defiance was beyond Leo's control, and this loss of control made him deeply unhappy. He stepped forward, grabbed her collar, and lifted her slightly. "You're pregnant with my child, and you think you can do whatever you want?"
Although he had kept it a secret from Victoria, it had been a month since he tested her. She hadn't sought him out, and she even seemed to avoid him. Leo was sure Victoria had no interest in him. She had been working part-time jobs for the past month, and the baby was still there.
Leo thought it might not be a bad idea to let Victoria give birth to his child. Once the baby was born, he could give her some money and send her away. It would be a clean break, and she wouldn't bother him anymore.
Having made up his mind, Leo planned to tell her the truth in the next few days. But who would have thought he'd run into her and Lucas at the hospital? There was no way he would allow her to carry his child while being involved with someone like Lucas.
"What do you mean, pregnant with your child? If you're delusional, go see a psychiatrist." Victoria snapped, her voice filled with anger. "Even if I got bitten by a dog yesterday, I took my medicine. Leo, I, Victoria Kingsley, will never carry a child of the Carter Family."
Damn it, did she think he couldn't understand her insults?
"Oh, really?" Leo's anger turned into a cold smile. "After the last miscarriage, didn't you feel anything? Has your period come back?"
He reminded her.
"I..."
Victoria was at a loss for words, staring at the man in front of her, his question echoing in her mind.
That's right, she didn't feel anything the last time she had a miscarriage.
But she had heard that miscarriages were supposed to be painful, so why didn't she feel anything?
And come to think of it, her period really hadn't come.
A few days ago, Victoria had just assumed that her menstrual cycle was irregular because of the miscarriage surgery, but according to Leo...
She hadn't had a miscarriage surgery at all that day?!
"That's impossible. I took birth control pills yesterday."
"Were the pills white, oval-shaped, and slightly sour?"
"How... how do you know that?"
"Because I had everything from Velvet Club to Splendid Garden monitored."
Leo didn't hide anything. His handsome face held a faint smile, as if mocking Victoria's naivety.
Victoria felt like she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. She shook her head vigorously, "No, no, that's impossible. I didn't... I didn't get pregnant with your child."
"This is a hospital. If you want to know whether you're pregnant, you can get checked."
"I don't trust you. This is Haven Brook Hospital, your family's hospital. Whatever the result is, it would be up to you."
"If you want to confirm it, it's not hard. Go to a clinic and buy a test kit. One test will tell you."
"Impossible, liar..." Victoria muttered.
Despite her words of disbelief, her mind was a complete mess. She had just mentioned arranging a transfer surgery for her father, but now she walked past Leo and headed outside. She hopped on her scooter and started for home. On the way, she saw a pharmacy and thought about buying a pregnancy test. But then she wondered if Leo might have already tipped off this pharmacy, considering she often took this route.
So, she turned her scooter around and went to a less frequented street. There, she bought a few boxes of tests from two different pharmacies.
Back at home, she immediately started testing. Ten minutes later, a scream erupted from the bathroom:
"Pregnant?!"