Chapter 91
Chapter 91
Jill didn’t change much over the past two years. She was still a plump yet jolly woman, all smiles. Jill didn’t change much over the past two years. She was still a plump yet jolly woman, all smiles.
When she saw Victoria entering her store, she was stupefied for a while before she rushed to her with surprise and distress. “Tori, when were you released? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Jill held Victoria’s hand with one hand and stroked the scar on the end of Victoria’s eyebrow with another. Jill’s eyes began to redden when she saw how much Victoria had changed. “You must have been through a lot these past two years, haven’t you?”
“I’m okay.” Victoria chewed on her bottom lip and sat on the chair. “Jill, you’re still as beautiful as you were two years ago.”
“Oh, darling…” Jill’s eyes fell on the crisscrossed scars on her shoulders and back. She wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, she wiped the corners of her eyes and tried to lighten the mood, “Today is your birthday. I’ll go make you a bowl of noodles.” Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.
Victoria whispered a ‘thank you’ and forced out a smile.
When Jill heard Victoria thanking her, she stopped and stared at her, wide-eyed. But then, she didn’t comment on it as she left for the kitchen to make noodles with a complicated look on her face.
Once the noodles were served, Victoria ate the familiar-tasting noodles; the sadness in her heart grew with each bite.
As she chewed the noodles in her mouth, she mumbled with her mouth full, “Why did you open up a noodle house?”
“I just felt like doing it one day.” Jill frowned and replied curtly.
When Vincent heard this, he placed his chopsticks and wiped the corners of his mouth messily. He had a fierce expression as he explained, “After my parents cut ties with you, Jill couldn’t stand living there any longer and came to open a restaurant here.”
Victoria swallowed the noodles and lowered her lashes, so they couldn’t read the emotions in her dark eyes.
“You’re a father of two children; how can you say things like that?” Jill slapped his arm angrily and complained to Teresa, “Teresa, you have to discipline him!”
Then, she glanced at Vincent, who had a desolated look on his face, and pinched her husband’s ear. “Don’t talk if you have nothing good to say! Just play mute and let me do the talking!”
He immediately begged for mercy as he felt his ear twinge in pain. Nevertheless, he didn’t continue to bring up such dreadful memories on the table any longer.
As a result, the noodle house became very quiet, and the only sound that echoed through the mostly empty establishment was the slurping of noodles.
After a while, Victoria broke the silence as she asked hoarsely, “Jill, is it worth doing this for a murderer?”
“Bah! What murderer? Don’t talk nonsense!” Jill immediately retorted hotly. “You’re just a little spoiled, a little playful, a little more courageous, and a little bit smarter than most. But, at the end of the day, you’re just a scion. I don’t believe you have the courage to kill people!”
“Bah! What murderer? Don’t talk nonsense!” Jill immediately retorted hotly. “You’re just a little spoiled, a little playful, a little more courageous, and a little bit smarter than most. But, at the end of the day,
you’re just a scion. I don’t believe you have the courage to kill people!”
Victoria clenched her chopsticks tightly and played around with the noodles in the bowl. Her eyes were filled with both pain and confusion. “If you believe me, why can’t my parents do the same?”
Overnight, her parents, who loved her like she was the most precious gem in the world, did not hesitate to throw her out of the house. It took her almost two years to convince herself to accept such a thing.
But after all that, she still couldn’t get past this hurdle. She couldn’t understand why her parents would treat her so.
Vincent slammed his fist onto the table, and Jill covered his mouth before he had time bellow in rage. “Teresa, bring Vince outside to look at the sky or something. I haven’t seen Tori in two years; I want to talk to her.”
“You should’ve said that a long time ago. With you and Tori being third wheels, we can’t even enjoy our time together as husband and wife,” Teresa grunted and didn’t hesitate as she dragged him out unceremoniously.
For a grown man to be hauled out like that, it was only natural that he struggled, which made it difficult for her to hold onto him. So, she twisted his ear and warned dangerously, “Vincent Coleman, if you continue on like this, I’ll divorce you!”
He drooped and wilted at her words and allowed himself to be dragged out by his ears. Still, his distressed gaze never left Victoria.
“Do you want to hear what’s pleasing to the ears or the truth?” Although Jill looked kind, her words were blunt and straight to the point.
Victoria’s eyes flickered with uncertainty as she thought it over. She looked at the noodles she had played with, took a few mouthfuls of soup, then wiped the corners of her mouth with a tissue. “The truth.”
“I’m not sure about your mother, but as for your dad…he’s aware of what’s going on. But since Mr. Thatcher is no longer engaged to you, he made your dad choose between the Colemans or you. Maybe you’re not as important to him as the family, so he decided to leave you.” Jill propped her hands on the table as she rested her chin against her palms.
At this moment, the door clicked open once again.
Teresa and Vincent had returned. The two glanced at Victoria simultaneously before silently returning to their previous seats.
Victoria’s throat tightened at the new information. She picked up the bowl to drink the soup, but her hands were shaking so much that she couldn’t hold the bowl firmly. Therefore, the bowl dropped to the ground, and the soup spilled everywhere.
“Boh! Whot murderer? Don’t tolk nonsense!” Jill immediotely retorted hotly. “You’re just o little spoiled, o little ployful, o little more courogeous, ond o little bit smorter thon most. But, ot the end of the doy, you’re just o scion. I don’t believe you hove the couroge to kill people!”
Victorio clenched her chopsticks tightly ond ployed oround with the noodles in the bowl. Her eyes were filled with both poin ond confusion. “If you believe me, why con’t my porents do the some?”
Overnight, her porents, who loved her like she wos the most precious gem in the world, did not hesitote to throw her out of the house. It took her olmost two yeors to convince herself to occept such o thing.
But ofter oll thot, she still couldn’t get post this hurdle. She couldn’t understond why her porents would treot her so.
Vincent slommed his fist onto the toble, ond Jill covered his mouth before he hod time bellow in roge. “Tereso, bring Vince outside to look ot the sky or something. I hoven’t seen Tori in two yeors; I wont to tolk to her.”
“You should’ve soid thot o long time ogo. With you ond Tori being third wheels, we con’t even enjoy our time together os husbond ond wife,” Tereso grunted ond didn’t hesitote os she drogged him out unceremoniously.
For o grown mon to be houled out like thot, it wos only noturol thot he struggled, which mode it difficult for her to hold onto him. So, she twisted his eor ond worned dongerously, “Vincent Colemon, if you continue on like this, I’ll divorce you!”
He drooped ond wilted ot her words ond ollowed himself to be drogged out by his eors. Still, his distressed goze never left Victorio.
“Do you wont to heor whot’s pleosing to the eors or the truth?” Although Jill looked kind, her words were blunt ond stroight to the point.
Victorio’s eyes flickered with uncertointy os she thought it over. She looked ot the noodles she hod ployed with, took o few mouthfuls of soup, then wiped the corners of her mouth with o tissue. “The truth.”
“I’m not sure obout your mother, but os for your dod…he’s owore of whot’s going on. But since Mr. Thotcher is no longer engoged to you, he mode your dod choose between the Colemons or you. Moybe you’re not os importont to him os the fomily, so he decided to leove you.” Jill propped her honds on the toble os she rested her chin ogoinst her polms.
At this moment, the door clicked open once ogoin.
Tereso ond Vincent hod returned. The two glonced ot Victorio simultoneously before silently returning to their previous seots.
Victorio’s throot tightened ot the new informotion. She picked up the bowl to drink the soup, but her honds were shoking so much thot she couldn’t hold the bowl firmly. Therefore, the bowl dropped to the ground, ond the soup spilled everywhere.
“Bah! What murderer? Don’t talk nonsense!” Jill immediately retorted hotly. “You’re just a little spoiled, a little playful, a little more courageous, and a little bit smarter than most. But, at the end of the day, you’re just a scion. I don’t believe you have the courage to kill people!”
“I’m sorry, Jill.” As soon as that happened, she grabbed a handful of tissues and squatted down to clean it up.
Jill stood up and went around to her side, pulling her up. “It’s fine, as long as you aren’t hurt. Vince, the broom, dustpan, and mop are in the kitchen. Go get them and clean this up.”
Vincent frowned and clicked his tongue. Just as he was about to refute, Teresa pinched him and signaled at him with her eyes to get going. His initial refusal became a long and unwilling ‘sure’ before he went to the kitchen to get the cleaning supplies.
As for Victoria, she lowered her head silently as she fidgeted with her fingers.
“Jill—” Teresa’s gaze darted back and forth, and she finally couldn’t hold herself back anymore. “Even if dad is afraid of Mr. Thatcher and disowned Tori, he doesn’t have to protect Bella constantly! Those who don’t know better might think that she is his daughter!”
Victoria still had her head bowed, but her thick eyelashes trembled as she raised her head slightly.novelxo.com fast update
“If you ask me, all rich people care about is their reputation!” Jill was direct with her words. “Just because the Colemans believe Tori, it doesn’t mean the rest of the world will. And the evidence from the police station does not look good for Tori. If—”
“That’s bullsh*t! That scheming b*tch clearly planned the car accident to frame Tori. So how can they not find any evidence?!” Vincent, who was awkwardly holding the broom and cleaning the noodles on the ground with disgust, suddenly shouted and interrupted Jill at her rant.
Teresa kicked his calf for his rudeness. “Don’t interrupt!”
“How can you use a broom to sweep the noodles? You’re such a genius!” Jill scolded as she held her hand to her heart at the mess he made. Then, under Teresa’s encouragement, Jill answered, “To put it simply, if you think Tori’s innocent, bring out the evidence.”
“If you insist on defending her without proof, you’re being unreasonable. Can a reputable man like Mr. Coleman withstand people talking about him like that?” Jill did not hide her contempt for Glen. “To tell you the truth, I really didn’t think that he could be—”
At this moment, Victoria wiped the corners of her eyes, raised her head, and spoke wearily as though she was shouldering the sky like Atlas, “Jill, that’s enough.”
“Okay, okay. We won’t talk about him.” Jill’s chubby face was filled with heartache for her. She glanced at Victoria’s legs and gulped before saying, “Tori, did you get your legs checked?”