SWNOVELS Departure with a Belly Chapter 354
Chapter 354
Picking up the wine glass on the table, Claudia finished what was left in it and
then refilled it in front of Alaric. Then, she held it in her hand and swirled it
gently. “Just take it as honoring me one last time for the sake that I once
saved your life. Let’s part on good terms, okay?”
Alaric’s thin lips almost compressed into a thin line. His eyes were cold, but
eventually, he sat down in front of her. “Is drinking with you considered
parting on good terms? Are the double shares I’m giving you not a nice
enough way of ending things amicably?”
Claudia’s face twisted into a mournful smile. “I just knew you’d think that way.
But Alaric, my love for you is genuine. Even if you weren’t a company
president but just an ordinary person today, I’d still love you. Why do you think
I asked for the five percent of shares? It’s totally because you won’t have
peace of mind as long as you’re indebted to someone. If I didn’t ask anything
of you, you wouldn’t even think that I sincerely wanted to make a clean break
with you. Well, it’s good the way it is now. Now that I’ve accepted your
company’s shares, you won’t feel indebted to me anymore, no?” she said
before raising her wine glass. “It’s been so many years now. Here’s a toast to
wish you happiness.”
Chapter 354 He’s Gone
She raised her wine glass in mid–air, but she never got a response. Still,
despite her aching arm, she continued to hold her glass of wine up high and
waited, unwilling to give up. Finally, just when she thought she wouldn’t.
succeed tonight, Alaric lifted his glass of wine and impatiently clinked it
against hers before taking a few sips from it. “Is that enough honor for you?”
He placed his glass back on the table with a slight clatter.
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Claudia’s heart thumped wildly as she made sure the man had swallowed
what he had drunk; even her hand tightened on her glass of wine. Did he
drink it? I did it at last!
Alaric had only taken a few sips of his drink, but she had long prepared for
this. To prevent him from overdrinking or drinking only one sip just for show,
she had prepared plenty of the stuff. Just one sip of it was enough to take
effect on the man, and besides, he had drunk more than that.
All I have to do next is stay here long enough. At the thought of this, Claudia
drank up all the wine left in the glass. The wine was cold, and it cooled her
stomach as she drank it. The effects should kick in in about 20 minutes. Once
he comes under its influence, I’ll have to sleep with him a few more times
instead of just once; it’s best to make sure I’ll get pregnant. Taking a deep
breath, she stood up and said to the man, “I need to use the bathroom.”
Chapter 354 He’s Gone
Alaric watched with a frown as she entered the bathroom. He wondered if he
was imagining things, but he couldn’t help feeling that something was odd.
about Claudia today. Perhaps because her change was so drastic, he felt
there was more to it than it seemed, but then, some of his misgivings were
dispelled when she asked for the five percent of shares. Instead of thinking
more about it, he merely sent a text message urging his attorney to hurry up
before calling Terrance to come over immediately. His relationship with
Victoria wasn’t getting anywhere at the moment, and he wasn’t sure at all
whether he could get back together with her. That being said, now that he
had the idea of courting her again, he couldn’t be alone with another girl like
this anymore.
After making the phone call, he went out and stood alone outside the room.
The cold wind greeted him, taking away some of his heat. It would take about
ten minutes for Terrance to arrive, and he decided to stand outside for a
while before going back in.
After standing for a long time, he heard light footsteps from behind, followed
by Claudia’s voice. “Al, why are you standing here?” Her voice quavered a
little, and there was a look of panic in her eyes, which gradually disappeared
after she saw him.
23 Gore
Claudia freaked out the moment she came out and saw that Alaric was
gone. It took her a while of searching to find the man, whom she thought had
gone out to see someone else. Of course, what she feared most was that he
had gone to Victoria. Won’t I be playing into Victoria’s hands if he goes to her?
No, I won’t let this kind of thing happen. She stepped forward and persuaded
in a soft voice, “It’s chilly out here, and you’re not dressed warmly enough. It’s
better to get back inside.”
Seeing her approaching, Alaric subconsciously took a couple of steps back to
keep his distance from her, and his bushy eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Whether it was because Claudia had been bothering him the whole time or
because Terrance had yet to show up after a long time, he actually felt
extremely restless deep down; even his body felt irritably hot. In addition to
the coolness, the night breeze actually made him feel a bit comfortable.
All at once, he was alerted by this strange feeling. Seeing the panicked look in
Claudia’s eyes, he recalled the drink he had consumed just now. If possible,
he really didn’t want to suspect the woman in front of him; she had risked her
life to save him back then, after all. However, the heat in his body reminded
him that everything tonight smelled fishy. For no apparent reason, she came
over saying she was going to leave; then she asked for shares and drinks
and said yes to everything I said. At the thought of this, he strode outside
Chapter 354 He’s Gone
immediately.
At the sight of this, Claudia was startled, and she quickly caught up with him.
“Al, what’s wrong with you?”
Alaric stopped dead in his tracks and stared at her with gloomy eyes. “What
do you think?”
Fixed by his penetrating gaze, which seemed to be able to see into people’s
hearts, Claudia felt as though she had nowhere to hide. Sheepishly, she
averted her eyes, saying, “I–I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
However, Alaric let out a sneer before turning around to leave at once.
At the sight of this, Claudia anxiously tried to catch up with him, but the man
strode so fast that she couldn’t keep pace with him at all. In just a moment,
she lost him right away; not only that, she didn’t even know where she was.
She pulled her coat together and shivered as she walked on, not because of
the chill but because the drink she had consumed just now was starting to
take effect on her. She didn’t see Alaric when she came out of the bathroom
just now, so she drank up what was left in his glass, thinking she might as well
drink a bit of it since they would end up together anyway. But now, Alaric was
11:41 Wed, 5 Jul
Chapter 354 He’s Gone
gone, while she… She fished out her phone and called Scarlette with
7
trembling hands.
D
80%1
Victoria tucked Nicole in before turning to check on Nathan. After making sure
that they were both well tucked in, she turned off all the lights in the room
except for a small nightlight. Then, she closed the door and left.
It was especially quiet in the house after the kids were both asleep.
Not feeling sleepy at this moment, Victoria took out the agreement that Alaric
had brought her when he came to pick her up during the day. As she didn’t
get a chance to read it in the car during the day, she had no choice but to
read it now.
She read through it carefully. Its contents were the same as what she had
previously sent to Alaric, with no alterations whatsoever. In fact, it was printed
one–for–one. Turning to the last page of the document, she saw Alaric’s
signature. All that was needed was for her to sign her name, and the
agreement, existing in two copies, would come into effect immediately.
After pondering for a moment, she put down the agreement and went to her
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study to get her pen. However, just when she was about to sign the
agreement, the doorbell rang. She paused to look up at the door. Who could
be visiting at such a late hour?
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Chapter 355 Something Might Happen if He Stayed