Chapter 13

"Are you Ella? If you hand me a million bucks, I'll get Victoria to sign the settlement," Bobby said, his voice dripping with greed like he already had the cash in his pocket.

Ella shot him a look of pure disgust. "You? You're as low as Victoria. Do you even know your own worth? How dare you ask for a million dollars?"

But Bobby wasn't backing down. "Don't underestimate me. Give me the money, and I promise she'll sign."

His eyes gleamed with confidence, like he had Victoria wrapped around his finger.

Ella hesitated. She couldn't stand Bobby, but she wanted to get this mess with Victoria over with. "Fine. I'll give you two hundred grand upfront. Once Victoria signs, you'll get the rest."

Bobby's face lit up. "Deal. You better not back out."

A smug grin spread across his face, as if he was already picturing himself living it up with the money.

Ella pulled a check from her bag and tossed it to him. "Take it and get to work. Screw this up, and you'll regret it."

Bobby grabbed the check, still grinning. He watched Ella walk away, already plotting how to get Victoria to sign. Bobby strolled into the hospital room, seeing Victoria lying weakly on the bed. He didn't show a hint of concern.

He tossed the settlement agreement in front of her. "Victoria, sign this now," he demanded, his voice cold and selfish.

Victoria looked at the agreement, then at Bobby, her eyes filled with disappointment. "Bobby, I'm not signing this. Forget it."

Bobby's face twisted with anger. "Why are you so stubborn? If you don't sign, how am I supposed to get the rest of the money? I need it for a training camp. Can't you help me out?"

His voice was sharp, and he completely ignored Victoria's condition.

Victoria sighed. "Bobby, it's not that I don't want to help, but what she did was awful. I can't just let it go."

But Bobby wasn't listening. He always thought, thanks to Nora's favoritism, that Victoria should do everything for him.

"You're useless. You can't even handle this. Do you know how much effort I've put into this training camp? Can't you think about me for once?" he snapped, full of blame.

Victoria's face turned pale with anger. "Bobby, how can you say that? Haven't I done enough for you? Do you have to drain me dry to be satisfied?"

Bobby ignored her and kept insulting her. "You're just a loser. You can't even get the money for my training camp. Stop pretending to be noble. Sign the agreement now, or I'll get Mom to deal with you."

Victoria looked at his twisted, ugly sneer, her heart sinking. She never thought someone so close could treat her this way. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see him anymore. But Bobby, seeing Victoria ignoring him, got even more pissed.

He grabbed her arm and shook her hard. "Did you hear me? Sign it now!"

His actions were rough, showing zero compassion. Victoria, dizzy from the shaking, used all her strength to break free. "Bobby, get out! I won't sign this agreement."

Bobby was about to keep at it, but luckily, the doctor and nurse rushed in after hearing the commotion.

Bobby shot Victoria a nasty glare and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

The doctor looked at Victoria, all disheveled and worn out, and sighed. "Ms. Carter, things will get better."

Victoria forced a bitter smile and thanked him for his kindness.

William, being generous for once, gave Victoria five days of sick leave, telling her to rest up and not look so sickly, as it would affect the Scott Group's image.

The VIP hospital room was top-notch, spacious, and bright.

Victoria sat on the wicker chair on the balcony, staring blankly at the beautiful scenery outside. It was late autumn, and the trees and flowers had withered, but the mountain behind the hospital was still lush and vibrant.

This was the life of the wealthy, while Victoria felt like just an ordinary person who had taken a wrong turn.

Victoria stayed in the hospital for two days, during which Nora came up from the regular ward downstairs several times.

Facing Victoria's uncooperative attitude, Nora was anxious and impatient. "Victoria, sign that agreement quickly! Bobby's future depends on this. You can't be so selfish and only think about yourself. Bobby is the hope of our family. Can't you sacrifice a little for him? If you don't sign, you'll ruin Bobby and our family's future."

Before Victoria could respond, Bobby also rushed into the room, shouting angrily. "Victoria, how can you be so ungrateful? If you don't sign the agreement, what will I do? If I can't go to the training camp, my future will be ruined. You just can't stand to see me doing well. You've never cared about me. If you have any conscience, sign the agreement now and stop ruining my life."

Seeing Nora's and Bobby's relentless pestering, Victoria was completely disheartened. Unable to bear it any longer, she decided to call the police.

The police quickly arrived at the hospital to file a report. A female officer named Luna Bailey sat by Victoria's bed, carefully asking about the situation.

"Ms. Carter, don't worry. Tell us what happened in detail," Luna's voice was steady and reassuring.

Victoria tried to calm down and began to recount her ordeal. "A few days ago, at the Starry Nights Hotel, I was almost..."

She told the police everything that happened that night in detail.

Luna then sent her colleagues to the Starry Nights Hotel to check the surveillance footage, only to find that all the records from those days were gone. The hotel explained that they had been hit by a virus. Although everyone knew something was fishy, the police couldn't do much about it.

Luna frowned slightly. "Do you have any suspects?" she asked.

Victoria bit her lip and said, "I think it might be Ella."

Why she didn't mention William's name, even Victoria herself might not know.