Chapter 113: Chapter 113
Charlie Spencer and Miles Shaw’s throats bobbed as they didn’t dare to call out her name.
Charlie chuckled dryly, scratching the back of his neck.
Miles’s lips were stiff, as if hooked by a fishing hook.
Vivian Miller walked straight to the open kitchen and instructed, "Bring in all the ingredients, wash them and get them ready for the pot."
Passing by Victoria Sinclair, she abruptly raised her pitch: "Oh, my memory! I should call you Miss Sinclair. Would you like to stay for a meal?"
The scissors made a snip, clipping the rose’s overgrown stem, Victoria didn’t even lift her head, "I’m leaving after arranging the flowers."
She didn’t want to stay a moment longer to face Vivian, feeling an aversion.
Vivian offered a knowing smile, walked to the stove, and began washing the ingredients.
A few minutes later, Eugene Vaughn came out holding bowls and chopsticks, placing them on the dining table, as others brought out the ingredients.
Victoria finished arranging the flowers and cleaned up the scattered branches and leaves on the coffee table.
"Victoria, come over for hotpot," Eugene called to her.
Victoria looked at the tidied coffee table, then at Eugene, "No, thank you. I’ve arranged the flowers and cleaned up for you, I’ll be leaving now."
She picked up her bag, ready to go.
Eugene strode over, snatched her bag and walked towards the room.
"What are you doing?" Victoria was shocked and quickly followed.
Eugene pushed the door open, tossed the bag onto the large bed, and closed the door with a reverse hand.
Victoria was speechless, clenching her fists and looking up at him, her eyes full of helplessness.
"Eugene, you’re being really unreasonable, you know that?"
"I know," Eugene replied gently, his deep eyes brimming with affection, "But what can I do? I just want to spend more time with you, could you not avoid me , please?"
"I don’t like crowds," Victoria lowered her voice, trying not to let others hear.
"I’ll chase them away right now," Eugene turned around, assertively, "You guys..."
"No need." Victoria panicked, quickly grabbing his arm, "I’ll stay for lunch, okay?"
She didn’t want to be the unkind bad guy.
Charlie arranged the bowls and chopsticks, "The soup is boiling, come and eat."
Eugene wanted to take her hand, but she dodged, walked past him, and sat down at the table.
The hotpot with a divided soup base bubbled on the induction cooker, peppers rolling in the red soup, while a few red dates floated in the clear soup. The rightful source is novel~fire~net
Everyone sat down. Eugene went into the kitchen, and when he came back, he had an apron in his hand.
"Victoria, get up," Eugene stood beside her, speaking with extreme warmth.
Victoria didn’t react at first, thinking he meant to change seats, so she got up.
Suddenly, Eugene’s large hand circled to her front, directly putting the apron over her. Instinctively, she lifted her hands through the apron, her heart rippling like a pond.
Charlie and Miles smiled, while Vivian’s face darkened and she secretly clenched her fist, as if trying hard to endure.
"People with a cleanliness obsession don’t need to wear aprons?" Charlie teased.
Eugene ignored him, tying the apron around Victoria, "Sit down."
Victoria felt somewhat moved, yet she didn’t wish for Eugene to treat her differently.
But this special treatment had a unique favor in its undertones.
After they sat down, Vivian forced a stiff smile, "I remember Eugene didn’t used to be . After the divorce, he’s become considerate."
Victoria heard the implication in Vivian’s words, as if reminding her that a cold man in marriage turning considerate after divorce must be pretending.
Of course, she could also hear a hint of jealousy.
However, she couldn’t be bothered to figure out Vivian’s intentions, nor did she want to pay her any mind.
No one responded to Vivian’s words, and everyone began cooking the ingredients in the pot.
Both the spicy and the clear soup bases had various ingredients added.
As Charlie was about to place some meat slices in, Eugene asked, "What meat is this?"
"Victoria doesn’t eat lamb." He picked up the whole plate and turned to the kitchen.
Victoria raised her head, seeing Charlie’s dumbfounded expression, quickly said, "I don’t mind, you all eat."
Charlie pointed to the kitchen, "He’s already taken it away. Actually, we don’t eat lamb either, bought by mistake." He chuckled dryly, twice.
Victoria felt very awkward, pressing her lips into a smile.
While eating, Vivian asked, "I heard Miss Sinclair went on many road trips in the past half year, did you encounter any peculiar stories?"
Victoria picked up a slice of beef from the spicy pot, replying indifferently, "No."
"Which places did you visit?"
Her attitude towards Vivian was extremely perfunctory, indifferent, anyone could see it.
Eugene returned, sat, and continued picking ingredients from the clear soup pot to eat.
Victoria glanced at his bowl.
Though they lived in the south, Eugene ate spicy food, having hot pot in winter, and eating clear soup?
Everyone else was eating the spicy dish, but he was feasting on the clear soup.
Her suspicion was noted by the attentive Miles, who slowly remarked, "Eugene drank too much before and messed up his stomach, he can’t handle spicy food now."
Victoria paused slightly with her chopsticks.
Charlie added, "After you divorced, he almost..."
Before he finished speaking, Eugene placed his chopsticks down, leaned back against his chair, and interrupted sternly, "Do you two still want to eat?"
"Of course, we haven’t had enough," Charlie laughed awkwardly, hurriedly placing the king crab leg into the clear soup pot.
Miles said nothing more.
The dining atmosphere was somewhat cold and solemn.
Victoria couldn’t fit in with their circle, always feeling uncomfortable.
A sentence interrupted halfway, was there something not meant for her to know?
The king crab was cooked, Eugene placed a few pieces in his bowl, put on gloves, and began trimming the shell with scissors.
"This meat is so sweet and tender." Charlie was slurping at the king crab leg and said to Vivian, "Why aren’t you eating?"
Vivian shook her head, "The shell is too hard, I don’t want to put in the effort."
"I’ll cut it for you," Charlie offered.
"No need." Vivian picked up the geoduck, dipped it in sauce after briefly boiling.
Eugene put down the scissors, removed his gloves, and placed the small bowl in front of Victoria.
Looking at the crab meat in the bowl, Victoria froze, her heart stirred with ripples of panic.
Afraid that feelings, once resolved and forgotten, might reignite, afraid that if Eugene kept treating her well, she might not resist falling for him again.
Others’ gazes also drifted over.
Vivian turned to look at the balcony, slightly opening her mouth to exhale, gripping her chopsticks tightly until her knuckles turned white.
Yet no one paid attention to her.
Vivian looked back at Victoria, seeing her staring at the crab meat without touching it, forcing a smile and asking, "Does Miss Sinclair dislike crab or dislike Eugene’s peeled crab?"
Expecting her to pick one of the two options.
Victoria chose a third option, picking up the chopsticks to take the crab meat from the bowl, speaking softly to Eugene, "Thank you."
Eugene smiled knowingly, said nothing more, and continued eating the clear soup ingredients.
Vivian took a deep breath, her smile evaporating as she put down her chopsticks and took a sip of water, "I heard both Ethan Vaughn and Nathan Austin have liked Miss Sinclair for many years, has Miss Sinclair ever considered remarrying?"
Charlie and Miles were startled by Vivian’s topic, their expressions turning serious, nervously watching her, constantly sending her looks, indicating not to provoke in Eugene’s presence.
They all knew Eugene had always loved Victoria, never accepting the reality of the divorce.
Vivian, however, paid no heed, her mouth curving into a smile, staring directly at Victoria.
Victoria also noticed she was stirring trouble.
"She hasn’t considered it." Eugene’s voice was cold and forceful, making the entire table fall silent.
Then, he looked at Charlie, "You told me over the phone you and Miles were coming up for hotpot, why did you bring someone else without asking my permission?"
Charlie panicked, nervously gulping.
"We’re all friends, let’s not make the atmosphere tense," Miles tried to mediate.
Eugene sneered coldly, grabbing a wet wipe to clean his hands while leaning back in the chair, coldly glaring at Vivian, "What kind of friend stabs me in the heart ?"