Chapter 112: Chapter 112
Eugene Vaughn was unapologetic, "I’m openly following you, it’s not stalking."
Victoria Sinclair was both amused and annoyed. She bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and handed him the clip, "Here, take it back. I don’t want it. And please don’t do this kind of thing in the future; it’s really uncool."
"I sat on the long bench below the apartment complex waiting for you. You hurried past me without even noticing." Eugene took the hair clip and once again fixed it in her hair, continuing, "I sat with you in the same café and even in the same train compartment, and you still didn’t see me."
Victoria raised her hand, intending to remove it, but Eugene held her hand, "Don’t take it out, your hair will get messy."
"I don’t want things from a stalker." She harbored a palpable resentment.
"I admit, I was curious about whom you were meeting, so didn’t greet you. Just consider me a stalker, then." Eugene pulled her wrist forward, his tone assertive, "Take a walk with me, let’s buy some decorations and flowers for the New Year."
Victoria struggled to pull her hand away, speaking in an exhausted and helpless tone, "Eugene, we’re already divorced, can you stop doing this?"
Eugene did not release her hand; instead, he turned and pulled hard.
Unprepared, Victoria fell directly into his arms.
Her waist was securely held by his large hand, her body pressed against his chest.
On this bustling flower street, they were particularly conspicuous.
The gazes from others made Victoria blush; she was so ashamed that she wanted the ground to swallow her, and she struggled to push away from Eugene.
But the harder she pushed, the tighter Eugene held her.
Eugene’s deep eyes were fervent, his gentle voice carried an immensely determined attitude, word by word, "Victoria Sinclair, the divorce was a solitary act by you from start to finish, I never agreed."
"We even got the divorce papers." Victoria lowered her voice, afraid that others might hear.
"So what? I said I’d never accept it." Eugene leaned down close to her ear, his hoarse and deep voice murmuring, "You can accuse me of harassing you, have the court order me not to approach you, but you should know that I will never obey."
"Lunatic." Victoria closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Would you rather I continue holding you , or accompany me shopping?" Eugene asked softly.
Victoria clenched her fists, holding back.
"Fine, could you please let go of me."
Eugene smiled broadly and released his hold.
Victoria immediately stepped back two paces, her face flushed with shame, and hurried past Eugene to walk forward.
Eugene strode to catch up.
"What do you want to buy?" Victoria asked reluctantly.
Eugene walked alongside her, "Couplets, New Year decorations, potted flowers."
Victoria focused on picking out items.
They spent more than an hour shopping, with so many things they called for a ride-share.
On the way back, Victoria kept staring out the window in a daze, with no conversation between them.
After arriving at the complex, Eugene carried the potted orange tree in his left hand and a large bag of decorations in his right, while handing the flowers for Victoria to carry.
Since all the items were bought by Eugene, Victoria followed him to the door of his apartment upstairs. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ noᴠelfire.net
Standing outside, Eugene turned to her, "Unlock the door."
"Me?" Victoria pointed to her nose in surprise.
Eugene slightly moved his arm, indicating his hands were full, "The password is the same."
Victoria sighed softly, took a step forward, approached the door, pulled up the password lock, and entered the code she had been using for two years.
The door lock clicked softly, and Victoria pushed the door open but did not enter.
Eugene went inside, changing shoes as he said, "Please help me trim the flowers and arrange them in the vase."
"I won’t go in, you can do it yourself." Victoria stood at the door, looking at the clean and tidy room, reluctant to go in and make it dirty.
Eugene changed shoes, placed the potted plant and items all on the balcony outside, turned around, walked to Victoria, grabbed her hand, and closed the door.
Pulled inside, Victoria’s heart skipped a beat, feeling a bit uneasy.
He opened the shoe cabinet and brought out a pair of pink slippers, placing them in front of her, "New, never worn by anyone."
Victoria stood still, looking down at the slippers.
Eugene didn’t take the large bouquet of flowers from her hand but supported the vestibule cabinet door with one hand, "Shall I help you put them on?"
Victoria had no choice but to concede, bending over to take off her shoes, placing them in the shoe cabinet, and wearing the slippers to walk into the living room.
Thinking to herself: I’m just here to help arrange the flowers, once done, I’ll leave.
The living room’s layout was not much different from the downstairs apartment, spacious and bright, its decor was simple and elegant, understated yet trendy.
Judging by the layout, it seemed to be a one-bedroom apartment.
Victoria placed the flowers on the coffee table, "Where’s the scissors?"
Eugene handed her scissors and a vase, "What do you want for lunch? I’ll cook something for you."
"No need, thanks." Victoria focused on trimming the lilies in her hand.
Eugene said no more, took some wet wipes to the balcony to wipe the orange tree’s flowerpot, watered it, and then decorated the tree with small lanterns and hangings.
Victoria was arranging the flowers while he adorned the small fruit tree, creating a very warm and harmonious atmosphere.
The once cold and distant home became cozy due to Victoria’s presence.
With these decorations, the whole house became lively and full of New Year spirit.
He answered the call and listened attentively, turning to look at Victoria, hesitating for a moment before saying, "I’m at home, you guys can come up."
After speaking, he hung up.
Upon hearing his words, Victoria put down the scissors and stood up, "If your guests are coming, I’ll leave now."
"Charlie Spencer and Miles Shaw, you know them too." Eugene brought the orange tree inside, placing it in the corner of the living room, speaking slowly, "The flowers aren’t done yet, don’t leave it halfway."
Victoria felt utterly exhausted, she didn’t want to meet Eugene’s friends, it was too awkward.
She had always been resolute about her decisions.
"You finish the rest yourself." Victoria resolutely walked toward the door.
As she touched the doorknob, a powerful force suddenly gripped her arm, spinning her around, and her back pressed against the wall.
Eugene used one hand to support himself against the wall, trapping her in front of him, looking down with a playful yet gentle gaze into her clear, steadfast eyes, his magnetic voice carrying immense warmth and a touch of teasing, "You won’t stay even a little longer, are you afraid I’ll eat you?"
Her gentle and pleasant fragrance drifted into Victoria’s nose, disturbing her thoughts.
His breathe was hot, his voice magnetic and appealing, being so close made her heartbeat accelerate.
Victoria replied nervously, "You... you have friends coming, it’s not convenient for me to stay here."
"The reason I asked them to come was to avoid you feeling uncomfortable alone with me. If you don’t want to see them, I’ll call them now to turn back."
Victoria panicked, "No need."
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Victoria quickly pushed him away, turned, walked into the living room, sat on the sofa, picked up the scissors and flowers, uneasy and nervous while trimming the flowers.
Eugene looked at her for a moment, amidst the continuous urging of the doorbell, opened the door in no hurry.
"Snowflake beef, tripe, beef balls, let’s have hot pot." Charlie excitedly entered with two bags of food.
Eugene opened the door wide to let him in.
Miles was the second to enter, waving his bag at Eugene, "Ivory snail, emperor fish, king crab."
When Eugene was about to close the door, Vivian Miller’s voice came, "And me."
Eugene’s face darkened as he watched Vivian enter with two bags of mushrooms and vegetables.
Three people changed shoes, walked into the room, suddenly stiffened, as if rooted in place, staring in shock at Victoria sitting on the living room sofa.
Victoria slowly stood up, feeling extremely uneasy; she didn’t wish to stay and join them for hot pot.
"Hello everyone." Victoria greeted shyly.
Charlie and Miles were dumbfounded, their reactions delayed, then they exclaimed in unison, "Sis-in-law."
Vivian’s expression was very grave, eyes flickering with a trace of barely noticeable anger; she was stunned and annoyed by Victoria’s sudden presence but managed to feign a smile, also pretending to greet affectionately, "Sis-in-law."
Eugene closed the door and entered.
Victoria corrected them, "I’ve been divorced from Eugene for six months now, please just call me by my name."