Chapter 202

Victoria had been eavesdropping for a while before she finally pieced together that Bobby had been granted medical parole to donate a kidney to Nora.

What a sneaky move!

Victoria's lips twisted into a mocking smile. She didn't buy for a second that Nora would actually let Bobby go through with the donation.

It was just a temporary fix.

Sure enough, Bobby soon started whining, each word more pitiful and dramatic than the last.

"What do you need help with? Why don't you just tell me?" Victoria strode into the living room, breaking the awkward silence.

In the living room, Nora and Bobby were sitting on the couch, looking pretty downcast.

Bobby had a fresh buzz cut and was dressed in simple, loose clothing. He looked much thinner and more worn out, a far cry from his former self.

He seemed especially cautious and quiet, a stark contrast to his previous arrogance.

Nora sat beside him, occasionally dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Alvin sat across from them, his face dark and silent.

Hearing Victoria's voice, Bobby's body trembled slightly before he quickly lowered his head, as if ashamed to meet her gaze.

"Victoria, you're back." Nora glanced at her and greeted her indifferently.

After the last suicide incident, Nora's heart had turned cold. She now saw Victoria as being in cahoots with that wretched Daisy.

"I'm still your mother. When you see me, shouldn't you at least ask how I'm doing? Even if you don't like me or acknowledge me as your mother, blood ties can't be severed." Nora felt disgruntled.

Victoria paused for a moment, then said in a flat tone, "How are you feeling?"

Though Victoria asked out of obligation, Nora acted as if she hadn't heard, her gaze drifting elsewhere, ignoring her.

Victoria sat down next to Alvin. "Dad, you've been catching up with them for a while now. You must be tired. Why don't you go upstairs and rest? I'll handle things here."

Alvin gave her a deep look. "Can you manage?"

She smiled faintly, her expression calm. "It's just entertaining guests. What's so difficult about that? I'm not a clueless child anymore. I've seen my fair share of these complicated dealings."

Guests?

Nora bit her lip and glared at her hatefully upon hearing this.

"Alright then." Alvin didn't want to get entangled with Nora any further. He stood up immediately, his steps hurried, not even bothering with a polite farewell.

"Alvin! I'm not done talking. You can't leave!" Nora, panicking, tried to get up and stop him.

Victoria stepped in front of Nora with a smile.

"Get out of my way!" Nora snapped at her angrily.

"Mom, I suggest you sit down and talk to me, your daughter. After all, I'm the one who was victimized by Bobby's crimes." Victoria's tone was equally indifferent.

Nora turned to glare at her, gritting her teeth, and hissed, "Don't think that just because your father is back, you have someone to back you up. Let me tell you, I've been married to him for years. Sooner or later, we'll reconcile and be as good as new!"

Victoria lowered her eyes, a mocking smile playing on her lips. She chuckled softly, "Just cut to the chase. Why are you really here?"

She then turned her sharp gaze to Bobby. "And you, how did you manage to get out of prison so quickly?"

Her words dripped with sarcasm, making Bobby's face flush red. The arrogance and swagger he once had were long gone. Now, he looked down, speaking timidly, "I'm on medical parole to donate a kidney to Mom."

"Really?" Victoria raised an eyebrow, her eyes full of amusement. "I remember when they did the matching tests before, they said your kidney wasn't a match. How did it suddenly become a match after a few months in prison?"

Her feigned surprise infuriated Nora.

"Victoria, watch your tone! How can you talk to Bobby like that?" Nora scolded.

Victoria glanced at Nora, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Does he deserve my respect? This shameless bastard."

Seeing Nora about to retort, Bobby gently tugged at her sleeve, speaking softly, "Mom, I understand why Victoria is angry with me. I acted impulsively before and hurt her. It's understandable that she's still upset and doesn't want to talk to me. Please, calm down."

As Bobby spoke, his eyes reddened, as if he genuinely cared about Victoria.

Victoria sighed inwardly. Bobby's acting was quite good, but she had seen too many of these fake acts growing up.

Sure enough, Nora immediately patted his hand, comforting him, "Alright, let's not bring up the past. She's already had you locked up for months. She should be over it by now. How long does she plan to hold a grudge? What more does she want?"

Then, she looked at Victoria, her eyes full of resentment, her tone commanding, "I came here for one thing. You need to paint a few pictures for Bobby. First, to publicly announce that you two have reconciled; second, so he can use a new pen name and make a fresh start in the art world."

Bobby kept his head down, waiting obediently for Victoria's response.

Victoria resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

So she was supposed to be the one to suffer?

"Why should I?" Victoria sounded as if she had heard the most ridiculous thing. "Are you two out of your minds? Is your brain foggy, or did I hear wrong?"

She pointed at Bobby. "He locked me up, tortured me, and nearly killed me! And you want me to paint for him so he can re-enter the art world? Mom, are you crazy?"

Bobby bit his lip, his eyes reddening, and stammered, "I was in a bad mental state back then. I didn't know what I was doing."

"So, you're saying you have a mental illness?"

"Yeah, I was diagnosed."

Victoria let out a cold laugh, mercilessly mocking him. "If your brain is sick, why be an artist? You should stay in prison and stop causing trouble!"

Bobby opened his mouth, looking to Nora for help.

Nora's eyes widened in anger, shouting, "Victoria! How can you say that? He's your brother!"

Victoria had secretly turned on her camera when she entered the room, recording their conversation.

If it weren't for wanting to capture their ugly faces on record, she wouldn't have wasted her breath on them.