Dolores lowered her head in silence, stunned by Victoria’s words.
Last time Matthew had mentioned canceling the engagement, Dolores hadn’t taken it seriously. But now it seemed he had actually gone through with it.
“After he returned from Country A, he told me he wanted to call off the engagement. His father was furious about it. They weren’t close to begin with, and now their relationship is even worse,” Victoria shared, feeling helpless herself when she thought about the situation.
Clasping her hands tightly, Dolores asked, “How… how did you find out?”
She wondered how Victoria could be so certain that Matthew had only canceled the engagement after meeting her.
“He suddenly wanted to cancel the engagement, which angered his father. So his father asked our butler, Thomas, to look into the matter. That’s why I’m here,” Victoria explained frankly.
Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, Dolores asked calmly, “And why did you come to me today?”
“I don’t have any ulterior motives. I just wanted to meet you in person. Initially, when we asked Thomas to investigate, our intention was to prevent Matthew from canceling the engagement. However, he had already done it in a self-destructive way, so there was nothing more we could do. He even ended a relationship that had lasted for so many years. It showed how resolute he was. Even his father had no choice but to let him be,” Victoria explained, her gaze fixed on Dolores.
“I came to meet you because I wanted to, not because anyone sent me.”
In Victoria’s opinion, Dolores must have been the reason why Matthew was so determined to call off the engagement.
Since she learned about Matthew’s actions for his ex-wife, Victoria had become curious, wondering what kind of woman she was.
She hadn’t met Dolores when Matthew and she first got married, so as soon as Thomas discovered the information, Victoria came to find Dolores.
Dolores was still bewildered. She had thought Victoria came to ask her to leave Matthew so he could continue his engagement with Maria.
But it turned out her prediction was wrong.
Seeing Dolores’ confusion, Victoria smiled. “You and Matthew haven’t been married for long, so you might not know him well. No one can stop him once he sets his mind on something. Initially, Jayden didn’t agree with him calling off the engagement, but in the end, he had to compromise.”
Dolores looked down, a faint, helpless smile forming on her lips. It was true that she hadn’t been married to Matthew for long, nor had they spent enough time together. However, she knew well enough how he operated.
Take what had happened since she returned from abroad as an example. If Matthew hadn’t interfered, she wouldn’t have come back at all.
Clearly, when it came to achieving what he wanted, Matthew would stop at nothing.
“I apologize for disturbing you today,” Victoria said as she stood up. “I’ve been out long enough. It’s time for me to go home.”
Dolores also stood up and offered to see Victoria off. Victoria accepted her offer with a smile.
As they walked out of the office, Dolores noticed the decoration materials on the floor outside the door. Worried that Victoria might trip, Dolores kindly warned her, “Be careful.”
Looking at Dolores, Victoria smiled tenderly. It was clear that she had a good first impression of Dolores. “I hope you’ll keep our meeting today a secret.”
She didn’t get along well with Matthew.
If he found out that she had come to see Dolores, Victoria was worried it would lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
“I understand. I won’t tell anyone,” Dolores agreed.
The driver opened the car door for Victoria, and she bent down and got in. Rolling down the car window, she looked at Dolores. “I’ve never seen Matthew care about a woman so deeply.”
Those words hit Dolores like a bitter pill, leaving her with a mix of bitterness and sorrow in her heart, as if she had swallowed a cup of vinegar mixed with holly leaf tea. Her emotions were conflicted.
After learning that Matthew had genuinely canceled the engagement because of her, she could no longer deceive herself into thinking that she felt nothing about it.
Yet, she was uncertain about her own feelings for Matthew now.
Victoria wanted to say something more, but she changed the topic at the last moment. “His mother passed away a long time ago. He doesn’t like me… If it’s possible, please take care of him.”
Dolores pursed her lips, hesitant to make an easy promise.
‘Take care of him?’ She echoed Victoria’s request inwardly.
Even if he had canceled his engagement, remarrying was still out of the question for them.
Too much had happened between Matthew and her.
“He has someone else to take care of him. I can’t be that person,” Dolores refused.
Victoria let out a heavy sigh, reminding herself that she and Matthew were already divorced. Remarrying would require time and a process. Wanting to change the subject, she smiled and said, “Alright then. By the way, when will your store be opening? Don’t forget to send me an invitation.”
“Sure, I will,” Dolores replied with a smile.
“Let’s go,” Victoria instructed her driver in a casual tone.
“Yes, Mrs. Nelson,” the driver promptly started the engine, and the car swiftly drove away.
Standing on the roadside, Dolores couldn’t help but feel puzzled by Victoria’s actions.
Based on what Coral had previously told her, she knew that Matthew and Victoria didn’t get along. Dolores had assumed that Matthew’s stepmother would be similar to Beulah, both having attractive exteriors but wicked intentions. However, after meeting Victoria today, Dolores realized they were completely different.
Victoria was gentle, elegant, and exuded great charisma-nothing like those flirtatious mistresses she had encountered before.
She shattered Dolores’ preconceived notions about mistresses.
“Lola,” Theresa emerged from the store and stood beside her, curious. “Why did she come to see you? What did she want?”
If Matthew hadn’t resorted to certain means to cancel his engagement, Victoria would have likely come to ask Dolores to leave him.
Ironically, she had never been involved with Matthew in that way.
But in the eyes of others, she was considered the cause behind Matthew canceling the engagement.
She felt deeply wronged.
Since Victoria hadn’t mentioned their meeting to anyone else, Dolores believed that she genuinely wanted to see her.
“Nothing important,” Dolores turned to face Theresa. “How about I treat you to lunch?”
“Great!” Theresa grabbed Dolores and hugged her tightly. “I’m exhausted. You even made me handle the interior construction. You should definitely treat me to more than just a simple lunch. It should be a grand feast to reward me.”
Despite her complaints, Theresa didn’t actually seem displeased. In fact, she appeared delighted.
How could she not be happy when her lunch was being taken care of?
“Sure. Tell me where you want to go,” Dolores agreed. Although she knew Theresa was joking, her assistant had been working tirelessly, single-handedly managing the entire store.
“Really? Are you letting me choose?” Theresa asked, smiling.
“Absolutely,” Dolores affirmed with a smile. “I’ll treat you to lunch. Why would I deceive you?”
“Okay.” Theresa extended her small hand and pointed towards the nearby Kong-Tsing Hotel. “Let’s have lunch there.”
Dolores fell silent.
“What’s the matter? Are you hesitant?” Theresa wrapped her arm around Dolores, resting her chin on Dolores’ shoulder, acting like a spoiled child. “Lola, you can’t be stingy! You promised me!”
“Sure, I made a promise. I’ll keep it. Let’s go.” Although Dolores had earned a significant amount of money, she still had two children to support. For the sake of her children, she saved money whenever possible and spent wisely.
She was only generous when it came to her kids.
“Are you sure?” Theresa had been teasing her earlier, fully aware that Dolores saved almost all her money except for necessary expenses.
“Of course. I made a promise, didn’t I?” Seeing the traffic light turn green, Dolores pulled Theresa and started crossing the street.
“Lola, I was just joking. Now that Samuel and Simona are growing up, you need to spend money on them. I feel guilty about wasting it.” Trying to pull Dolores back, Theresa suggested going back.
“I won’t become poor after one lunch.” Dolores held onto Theresa, drawing closer and whispered in her ear, “In fact, I’ve never been to a place like this alone. Today, I want to indulge myself. Let’s see if a domestic five-star hotel can compare to the ones abroad.”
She had been to countless restaurants run by five-star hotels, but she had never paid the bill herself. As a renowned designer, she often attended events and dinner parties, giving her access to such places.
“In that case, can I order an Aussie lobster?” Theresa playfully acted like a spoiled child.
“Of course,” Dolores chuckled. She looked up and coincidentally noticed a woman standing in front of the hotel entrance. The woman had her arms crossed over her chest and was staring at Dolores with a gloomy expression.