The Clutches Of Hell Novel

Chapter 85

The cars ahead started to move, and Christian followed suit. “You’re one of the heads of the Thatcher Family. So you don’t need to ask for anyone’s opinions, including mine, for the things you want to do.”

“Then what if… I ask you to let Tori go? She’s suffered enough in the past two years. Can you let her go now?” When Evelyn found out that her son was forcing Victoria to work at Delta Club today, she experienced a wave of mixed feelings. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

He didn’t respond, and she didn’t broach the matter further, so for a long while, silence filled the car.

Finally, they drove past the traffic as they reached the highway, so he increased the car’s speed.

Evelyn fidgeted the clasp of her wallet repeatedly; the clicking sounds were extremely crisp amidst the stony silence.

She turned to look at him. “I can see that you have no romantic feelings for Bella. If that’s the case, then the incident where Tori knocked into Bella’s legs, breaking them the other night, has nothing to do with you. So why did you still…”

“Mom.” Christian interrupted and said seriously. “I won’t interfere with whatever goes on between you, Dad, and Tracy, so I hope you can also respect my boundaries.”

A hint of awkwardness flashed across Evelyn’s face, but she managed to regain her composure soon. Finally, she closed her purse, held it in her hand, and made no further comments.

Their parents arrived within half an hour of Vincent’s departure from the hospital. Denise scanned the ward and found no signs of him, making her blurt out anxiously, “Where’s your brother? I heard that he came here to look for you!”

It turns out that they’re not here for me but for Vince. The hope in Victoria’s eyes dimmed. “My brother…”

Just as she was about to speak, Glen cut her off sharply, “No matter how the outsiders slander Vince, he has never talked back to me before. But since you were released from prison, he disrespected me and even threatened to leave home! Did you egg him on?”

“Me?” Victoria pointed to herself as she laughed mockingly. “I egged him on?”

“Who else could it be if not you? You were mischievous as a child, and Vince always went along with your plans. Both of you fooling around as kids was fine, but how could you urge him to leave home? He dotes on you so much and has adored you since you were young. Don’t you feel guilty toward him for things you’ve done?” Glen roared; his expression was grim, and his face slightly flushed from anger.

Victoria just stared at him dazedly in the face of his fury. Suddenly, her father felt like an unfamiliar man to her. It was like she had never truly understood or knew him.

“Glen, Tori is your daughter too. Don’t be too harsh with your words.” Denise could not bear seeing Victoria suffer from Glen’s wrath, but she was also anxious about Vincent. “Tori, tell me. Where did you hide Vince?”

With her head hung low, Victoria said with trembling lips, “I didn’t hide him.”

With her head hung low, Victoria said with trembling lips, “I didn’t hide him.”

“And you said I was too harsh with my words?” Glen pointed at Victoria as he said to Denise, “Do you think she’ll tell you the truth when you speak nicely to her?”

Denise let out a long sigh and held Victoria’s hand, her tears falling. “Tori, you need to be considerate toward us too. You’re not a Coleman anymore, so if your brother doesn’t come home, do you know how

the outsiders will talk?”

Victoria’s entire body was taut when she heard her parents completely disregarding her again and again. She barely managed to suppress her tears by gritting her teeth.

“Even if you hate us, you should think for the sake of your brother and your sister-in-law too. Your brother is incapable of doing anything, so how will he survive after he leaves the Coleman Group? His children just turned one, and they’re still so young. Could you really bear to watch them suffer because of your selfishness…”

“That’s enough!” Victoria let out a low yell. I must be considerate of this and that, but who will be kind toward me?

Denise, surprised by her sudden volume, was stunned for a moment. When she returned to her senses, agony filled her face while tears ran down her cheeks.

“You’ve spoiled them too much! They’re like this now because of you,” Glen enunciated solemnly.

Denise wiped her tears as she choked, “It’s all my fault. If I had listened to you back then and were stricter toward them, they would not… turn out this way.”

“Vince went home, and we won’t be meeting up anymore after today.” Victoria held the corner of her hospital gown tightly. When she raised her head again, her eyes were bloodshot as she said, “Are the two of you happy now?”

“So he went home already…” Denise said, embarrassed.

Glen wanted to speak, but before he could do so, Victoria said, “Mr. and Mrs. Coleman, the both of you may leave now.”

When Denise saw the hostility in Victoria’s eyes, it pained her, so she scrambled for an excuse, “Tori, your father and I were just anxious earlier. We didn’t mean anything with our words.”

Victoria lowered her gaze. The sunlight came in through the windows, shining on her and wrapping her up in a halo. Instead of looking holy, it just made everyone present notice how thin she had become. “The both of you should probably leave now. If anyone were to spot you here and inform President Thatcher about this, you would place the blame on me again.”

Her voice was soft, but the mockery in her voice was evident.

“If Vince wasn’t here, do you think I would come here?” Glen felt that his pride had been bruised because Victoria kept dismissing them, so he stormed out of the room.

Denise, standing in front of Victoria’s bed, had a lot to say, but she did not know where to start. She nervously looked at Victoria before she took a card out of her wallet and pushed it into Victoria’s hand. “Take this.”

“Mrs. Coleman, we’re not related at all, so I’m afraid I can’t accept this.” Victoria dispassionately returned the card to Denise.

Her action hurt Denise, who tried to force the card back into Victoria’s hand.

“Mom…” Victoria looked up at Denise, and Denise could see her own reflection in her daughter’s hazel eyes. “This is the last time I’m calling you Mom. I’m not who I used to be, and pocket money can’t cheer me up whenever I’m upset.”

Under Denise’s crestfallen gaze, she said softly, “This is it. I’ll take it as I’ve never had you as my mother, and you’ll do the same toward me.”

“Tori, you…” Denise wiped her tears with a handkerchief, choking and unable to mutter any words.

At this moment, Glen’s impatient voice sounded from outside the ward. He was urging Denise to leave. Denise took a few more forlorn looks at Victoria before answering Glen and strode out of the ward.

“I need to obey my Father when I’m at home. I will have to obey my husband when I’m married, and I will need to obey my children when my husband’s dead.” When Victoria smiled, even though she was smiling, it couldn’t stop the rivulet of tears falling down her cheeks.novelxo.com fast update

She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and retrieved the gift box under her blanket. No one can help me. I can only depend on myself now!

After she was hospitalized for two more days, Evelyn brought her back to the Thatcher Residence.

Victoria had been looking for an opportunity to attract Christian, but she had only seen him once during dinner on the first night she moved in. In the next two days that followed, she didn’t even manage to catch a glimpse of him anymore, so there was no way she could execute her plan.

During lunch on the third day, Evelyn was chatting about random topics with Victoria. Without warning, she dropped the bomb, “It’s your birthday tomorrow. I want to throw a party for you.”

Victoria widened her eyes while her cutlery dropped to the ground with a clatter.

All the memories came rushing back to her; the conversation she had with Bella under the oak tree, Bella knocking into her car in front of the Thatcher’s mansion, the socialites reprimanding her during the birthday party as well as Christian breaking her legs in his mansion. All of that was torturing her mind one by one.

September 28th was a nightmare for her; it was a day she would avoid doing anything in the last two years