Chapter 009 Will You Marry Me?

Victoria sat up in shock by the sound of thunder and saw a flash of lightning flashing through the gap of the curtains. Then, there was another sound of thunder and the rainstorm started pouring again. Even her dream refused to let her calm down.

She touched the phone next to her pillow to look at the time. It’s only four in the morning and she didn’t want to sleep anymore.

When she woke up, she felt pain all over her body, especially on her arms and palms. Something pricked her fingers when she’s moving the ladder. This pain reminded her of the hospital, the bloody scene, the ear-piercing noise, the wailing of the patients, and her panic.

“It’s enough! Don’t appear anymore!” Victoria buried her head in the blanket and tightly covering her ears. After losing her job, losing herself, losing Frank, what rights does she have to return to Jincheng? To return to that place that let her feel happy, terrified, and discontented?

Once a person is frustrated, even the hometown could cause a broken-heart.

At five o’clock in the morning, Victoria got of bed. She turned on the laptop and started working. Although her camera was lost, the photos remained. All of these photos were her all. The scenery of Tibetan areas, all the people and things that she encountered along the way, could somewhat calm her frustrated heart, when she recalled it.

The job as a photographer might be bizarre but it’s easy to get started with. There were a lot of professional and amateurs photographers in the circle and they also formed their own smaller circle.

Victoria edited the photo well and sent it to the magazine editor, Lisa, for the cultural edition of Geographical Magazine. Victoria had been contributing as an amateur there since college.

The editors of the magazines were very busy. As soon as Victoria’s email was sent, Lisa immediately pings her on QQ, “Vicky, since you turned into a freelance photographer, you’ve worked so hard? Are you getting up so early to work?”

Victoria had always used her pen name ‘Vicky’ as a contributor and editors were used to calling her this way.

Victoria typed, “Not as hardworking as you. Did you pull an all-nighter again?”

Lisa sent an angry emoticon for her to imagine how she looked over there, “I don’t want to do it anymore! Being in a magazine field is too tormenting! Ahhhhh! I want to go home and have a baby!”

Victoria sent a grinning emoticon, “First of all, you have to own the baby’s dad.”

Lisa sent an emoticon with a bloody knife and said angrily, “Don’t burst my bubble! I’m so busy that I don’t have time to fall in love! A trustworthy man is clever! Money is still the best in this world, only money is the best. I really hope that I can sleep in a bed of money every day. It would be a blessing!”

After talking nonsense for a while, Lisa said that she needed to go home and caught up with her sleep. Before leaving, he sent another line, “By the way, Vicky, don’t you say that you want to shoot something different? Since you’re going back to Jincheng, why don’t you try the fashion circle? Our editor-in-chief said that your photos are very ingenious. Whether you take the picture of a person or an object, it was very special. If you can earn money and choose not to do it, you’re crazy. After you returned, I’ll introduce you to the editor of a fashion magazine. Use this chance to use someone powerful!”

After Lisa was offline, Victoria stared at the sentence in a daze, a fashion circle? She clearly knew that it’s a minefield but she still wanted to try and step into it?

But why couldn’t she step inside? Was it because she would meet Ashley frequently since she’s a designer?

It’s only about an hour's drive from Jincheng. She didn’t want to drive there, so she stuck herself in the hotel room and didn’t go out.

Her phone rang again, this time it was her mother, Shirley Lin.

“Where are you, Victoria?”

When the phone was connected, her mother was straightforward as always.

Victoria was silent.

Shirley was also silent for a while and then said, “Your sixth sister is getting married. Don’t return home, to avoid the awkward situation in the family. I’ve sent money to your card. You can go anywhere you want to calm your heart. It’s fine if you want to return to Jincheng, but don’t return to Tan’s house for the time being. You can come back when everything is over.”

From a nurse from a civilian family to a daughter-in-law of Senior General Tan’s family, and after learning for so many years, Shirley’s tone was gentle. There wasn’t any hint of dictating or commanding in her tone and sounded as if she’s in a discussion with Victoria.

Victoria’s face trembled when she finished hearing it. All her grievance and pain simultaneously broke out, “Why can’t I go back?! Why didn’t they avoid the awkwardness?! Mother, Frank is my boyfriend. He hooked up with Ashley. Why are they so bold and not letting me return?! What did I do wrong that I have to hide?”

Shirley didn’t get angry even when she was yelled at and she said clearly, “Victoria, it’s difficult for your sister. She is in a wheelchair for her life because of you. Even when your third aunt didn’t say anything, she still hated it in her heart. You’ll have a better choice in the future, but your sister won’t. It’s rare to have such a good man like Frank. Your sister might only be able to meet such a good man for once in her life that didn’t dislike her disability and able to offer her love and marriage. Just yield to your sister, Victoria.”

Victoria was on a brink of tears and her whole body was trembling. Instead of crying, she laughed, “Her love and marriage? Mother, have you ever thought that there’s also a possibility that I only have one love in my life and can only meet Frank! I’ll give my legs to Ashley. I’ll be the one in the wheelchair and I’ll return everything that I owed her! Let Ashley return Frank to me! Give him back to me!”

Shirley listened to her choking with sobs and she ended the conversation with one sentence, “However, Victoria, when Frank got together with your sister, you’ve already broken up. Nobody wants your legs, nobody wants you to be in a wheelchair. You don’t understand my word, child. Your love is gone. Frank will be your brother-in-law. It’s useless for you to cry. Even if I love you as your mother, I can’t side with you.”

Victoria hung up the phone in a daze. She felt that the rest of her life turned into ashes.

They had never witnessed those five years of her and Frank. The only person that she loved in five years wholeheartedly was gone. Her family, her mother, and everyone pointed at her to say that she’s the wrong one, not them. She may not complain, be jealous, and must bless them.

A notification was received on her phone and a large sum of money was transferred to her account. Victoria smashed her phone fiercely, opened the door, and rushed out.

She ordered a table full of food at the restaurant on the third floor. She continuously drank another glass of wine but she wasn’t drunk and didn’t act crazy. She just drank pretentiously and ignored whoever came to strike a conversation with her.

“Look at that girl. She’s drinking a bottle of red wine early in the morning. She drank the most expensive wine in the hotel as if she’s drinking water, tsk, tsk.”

“That’s right. she looks like a celebrity. She couldn’t be some girl from the outskirts, right? Maybe she has never seen anything in life!”

“Won’t she get into hospital if she drinks again? Go and talk to the manager.”

But it’s six in the morning and there weren’t many people in the restaurant. Robin was a bit tired last night so he’s still asleep. Oliver went downstairs to eat alone and heard the waiters whispering. As soon as they saw him coming, they quickly changed their expression, returned into a smile, and served him decently.

Oliver’s eyes were fixed somewhere and couldn’t return. He looked down at the clothes that he had changed into and casually took a portion of the Cantonese egg noodle before walking over there.

“Excuse me, miss. Do you need some help? It seems like you’ve drunk a bit too much.” The lobby manager approached Victoria and asked patiently.

Victoria looked up. Her vision was already blurry but she still held onto the red wine glass and didn’t put it down, “I don’t need it. I’m very sober. All of you said that I’m drunk, how am I drunk? I can still tell clearly whether you’re a man or a woman.”

The lobby manager and the waiter looked at each other. They hurriedly said when they saw Oliver approaching, “I’m sorry, sir. Could you please go over there for your breakfast? There’s a guest here that is probably drunk. To avoid her causing unnecessary trouble for you.”

Oliver stood still. Victoria retracted her gaze from the red wine bottle on the table and looked up to Oliver. He didn’t know it she could see his face clearly, then she slightly smiled, stretched her hands, and grabbed his arm, “Are you free?”

“I’m sorry, sir.” The lobby manager saw that Victoria had made a move on the other guest, so he quickly stepped forward to stop it.

Oliver was still holding a plate in his hand but he still didn’t budge. He raised his hand to stop the lobby manager, and nodded at Victoria.

Everyone exchanged their gazes. They had seen so many men and women hooking up. They’re afraid that this gentleman would take this opportunity and did something to her. A drunk woman really didn’t have an awareness to protect herself.

When Victoria saw Oliver nodded, she suddenly smiled at him, and said with her tongue-tied, “Let’s get married, then?”