Chapter 2 Return, but no one expected

Edward came in from the company in a neat light grey suit. Time had not left any trace on his handsome face, and his gaze was still as gentle and calm as Victoria remembered.

However, although Edward visited her every year, Victoria felt strange at the moment. Seeing that she was still not in the car, Edward called out softly, "Xiaojiu."

This familiar and deep voice instantly made Victoria's nose surge with an indescribable sourness. She quickly lowered her eyes, bent down and sat in the car, and called softly, "Brother."

The car shuttled through the evening rush hour traffic, but the car was so quiet that only each other's breathing could be heard. Edward crossed his legs and asked calmly: "What time is the flight?"

" It landed at around 2 o'clock." Victoria replied.

"Why didn't you ask me to pick you up?" Edward's voice was filled with confusion.

"I'm afraid to disturb you at work." Victoria explained, "It's very convenient to take a taxi from the airport."

Edward turned his gaze from the other side and stared at her lowered eyebrows and obedient appearance. The little girl who was once spoiled by him, lively and cheerful, and extremely dependent on him, has now become so quiet and distant.

Since she was forced to go abroad, she didn't even want to go back home for the Spring Festival, maybe because she was angry, or maybe she just didn't want to face these people in China. The last time Edward saw her was on her birthday last year. She was curled up alone in her apartment abroad because of a high fever . Edward flew over to visit her.

Now , she has lost the immaturity of a girl, replaced by the beauty and elegance of a young mature woman. Edward stared at her for a moment and whispered, "Xiaojiu has become estranged from her brother."

"No, I just..." Victoria hesitated and finally made up an excuse, "I wanted to give you a surprise."

However, surprises for adults often come with a 50% risk of turning into a fright.

When Victoria and Edward returned to the Davis family, Reginald and his wife had been waiting for a long time. As soon as they entered the door, Evelyn was overjoyed and held her tightly, looking her up and down, saying that she had grown taller, but also that she had not changed, and was still exactly the same as before.

" You video call her every month, of course you can't see the difference." Reginald smiled happily, and then turned to Victoria , "Why didn't you tell us in advance when you came back? We didn't have time to prepare anything at home."

"I came back because of something urgent." Victoria explained, "I left in a hurry and didn't have time to tell you."

"You came back so late, you must be hungry, right?" Evelyn asked with concern, "Tonight's dishes are all your favorites. Mrs. Wang is so happy to know you're back."

The table was filled with dishes Victoria had loved since childhood, including the fresh and delicious grouper and the fragrant black chicken soup. Evelyn kept serving her food, while Reginald asked her about her life and work abroad, and the topic naturally turned to her trip back home.

" How long did you take this vacation?" Reginald asked.

Victoria knew she had reached a minefield, but she didn't want to lie. She put down her chopsticks, raised her head, and said seriously, "I quit."

As soon as these words were spoken, the living room fell into silence.

"You resigned?" Evelyn paused with her chopsticks in her hand, looked at her in surprise, then turned to look at Edward, "I haven't heard you mention it, why is it so sudden?"

Quitting her job abroad means that she may not leave Yancheng this time. The warm atmosphere just now is like a layer of delicate glass, beautiful but fragile.

"Now that you've quit your job at the airline, are you planning to return to your home country for development?" Evelyn asked.

Victoria did not answer directly, but asked: "Can I come back?"

Evelyn hesitated: "You are living well abroad, why do you suddenly want to come back?"

Why did she suddenly want to come back? On the one hand, it was because Grace was sick, and on the other hand, more importantly, she wanted to go home. But Victoria knew that they didn't want a simple reason. Although foreign countries were good, they couldn't compare to her deep attachment to Yancheng. The summers here were unbearably hot and the winters were long and cold, but it was where she grew up. However, no one here was looking forward to her return.

At this time, Edward, who had been silent all the time, gently placed a plate of fish with bones removed in front of Victoria. The fish meat was crystal clear and tender, served in a white porcelain plate, and fell on the table with a slight "clack" sound, breaking the awkward silence at the table.

" How is your senior sister?" Edward asked.

Victoria briefly introduced Grace's condition. Edward then asked, "Do you need my help?"

She shook her head: "The chemotherapy plan has been determined, and the drugs used are the best. The specific results will depend on the effects of chemotherapy."

The topic was cleverly diverted.

After dinner, Evelyn insisted that Victoria stay at home. Without giving her a chance to refuse, she directly pulled her upstairs.

"Your room was just cleaned today. Your old things were left untouched. It's still the same as before." Evelyn pointed at the brand new pink floral bed sheet like she was offering a treasure. "I bought it especially for you. Do you like it?"

Victoria said gratefully, "Thank you, godmother."

" Why are you always saying thank you? You're so polite to me." Evelyn paused for a moment, held her hand and said affectionately, "It's good to be back. You're alone in such a far place, unfamiliar with the place. If something happens and no one takes care of you, I'll be worried. Last time your brother went to see you, he said you had a fever and were confused. You were lying at home alone, and no one even brought you water. It made me so upset that I couldn't sleep in the middle of the night."

Evelyn's eyes were red when she said this. Victoria quickly comforted her: "I'm fine. I'm an adult now and I can take care of myself."

"No matter how old you are, you are still a little girl." Evelyn touched her cheek, "You have never been able to sleep on airplanes since you were a child. Are you exhausted? Go take a hot bath and go to bed early."

After Evelyn went downstairs, Victoria slowly walked around the room alone, her fingertips gently stroking the table and the bookshelf on the opposite wall. This is the room she has lived in for ten years, and the dust in the air exudes a familiar smell.

After taking a shower, Victoria wanted to go downstairs to talk to Wang's wife and make some soup for Grace. However, when she reached the stairs, her steps stopped involuntarily. Through the gap in the handrail, she could see the scene in the living room - Edward was sitting with his back to her, and opposite him were Reginald and his wife.

"Edward, tell me the truth, did you really not know about Victoria's return this time?" Evelyn asked, "Did you agree to it?"

Edward crossed his legs and said calmly, "If she wants to come back, she can come back. She doesn't need anyone's consent."

" Then tell me the truth. Now that she's back, what do you think?" Evelyn asked.

Edward was silent for a moment, then said, "When you teamed up with the Smith family to send her away, you didn't ask for my opinion."

"I'm doing this for your own good," Evelyn explained. "Those rumors almost overwhelmed our family. If it weren't for her..."

Victoria stood against the wall, feeling the coolness slowly seeping up her back. Edward's tone remained calm, but he interrupted Evelyn's words: "The child is a bad-mouthed rumour, and others take it seriously, so do you."

Evelyn was silent. Reginald patted her hands: "Let's not talk about the past. She refused to come back in the past few years. She must have felt that we didn't want her to come back and was sad. Since the child wants to come back, don't send her away again."

" If she wants to come back, this will always be her home." Evelyn 's words were full of sincere love.

"But Edward," Evelyn continued, "Victoria is no longer a child. Even siblings have to avoid suspicion, let alone you."

Victoria didn't listen any more, turned around and went back to her room silently.