Chapter 12

Isabella smiled lightly. "What about you? Do you like Victoria?" She said it so bluntly that it actually caught Henry off guard. Seeing the brief flicker of surprise in his eyes, Isabella still looked confident. "They're not together anymore, but there are probably still some loose ends. If you can, keep her company. She could really use the support right now." With that, she got into her assistant's car and left. Henry stood there, lost in thought. Victoria and Theodore had split. But then... who exactly was Elijah? At the villa. The moment the car stopped, Victoria hopped out without hesitation. Yeah, they were still under the same roof, but that didn't mean she had to talk to Theodore. "So now that you've got a stand-in for Elijah, you won't even bother speaking to me?" Theodore slammed the car door and stared at her back, his eyes dark. That thought stirred up an odd frustration in his chest. Victoria paused but didn't turn around. "Think what you want." In a way, she didn't really want to trouble Henry with anything. Theodore barging in and dragging her away actually saved her some hassle. But to Theodore, her indifference felt like a slap in the face—a silent protest. He yanked off his tie in irritation and followed her into the villa. Victoria was exhausted. The moment she made it upstairs, she flopped onto the bed, ready to crash. But halfway through dozing off, her phone started ringing. It was the head of her department. "Victoria, you've been absent for days. Everything okay?" She sat up, rubbing her temples. Her voice still had that groggy edge from sleep. "All good. Sorry, Mr. Marson. I haven't been able to make it in lately." Victoria rarely talked about her home life at work. She usually kept to herself, which made people think she was stuck-up. But she didn't really care as long as her work was fine. Mr. Marson had always looked out for her. He'd been the one to give her a shot early in her career, so this unexpected call probably wasn't just a check-in. Sure enough, he quickly got to the point. There was a task, and he wanted her to handle it. She changed clothes and went downstairs—only to see Theodore already in the living room. He was turned away from the stairs, talking on the phone by the window. Victoria stopped for a moment, just watching him. For a second, he looked like that teenager who used to win basketball games by sheer will. How did they even end up here? Theodore must've felt her gaze, because he glanced back slightly. "I'll see you later then," he said, ending the call. Only one person he spoke to in that tone—Isabella. That name snapped Victoria out of it. She took a deep breath and started down the steps. Just as she was about to leave, his voice came from behind. "Where're you going?" "I think, given how things are with us now, we don't really need to check in on each other's plans anymore, do we?" Theodore frowned slightly, like he wanted to say more, but she was already out the door without looking back. He tightened his grip on the phone and stared at her retreating figure, deep in thought. At the morgue. Victoria got out of the car and walked in, spotting Mr. Marson at the office entrance talking to someone. "Victoria, come meet someone," he said.The man turned his head at the sound, and as soon as she got a good look at his face, a flicker of surprise crossed Victoria's eyes. Henry Carter? She honestly thought they'd never cross paths again after that encounter at the hospital. Henry clearly didn't expect to see her here either. His gaze shifted between her and Mr. Marson, visibly taken aback. "You said the person who could help me with this... is Victoria?" "You two already know each other?" Mr. Marson looked just as surprised. That actually made things much easier—he'd been a little worried their personalities might clash since both of them tended to be reserved. "We met before, and Mr. Carter helped me out. Didn't expect to run into him again," Victoria replied calmly, skipping any mention of the hospital. Henry quirked an eyebrow but said nothing. "Looks like fate keeps throwing us together," Henry said, chuckling. Mr. Marson led them into the office, cutting straight to the chase. "I normally wouldn't trouble Victoria with this, but this one's complicated. I'm asking for a personal favor." Victoria gave a small nod, her face composed. "Just say it." As long as it was his request, she'd do her best to help regardless. "Here's the thing—I need you to restore a body. But because of who it is, it has to stay completely confidential. It's best if you don't involve anyone else while you're working." Victoria immediately nodded. That kind of discretion wasn't anything new to her. In their line of work, keeping things private was part of the job. Families rarely wanted any details about the deceased to leak out. And professionally, they were trained to keep things separate—what happened in the lab stayed in the lab. Yet Henry still looked like something was bothering him. "Because of the person involved, this might bring you trouble later. That's the part I've been worried about." Victoria's expression didn't change. "I'll be careful." Still, Henry looked hesitant, like he wanted to say more. But Victoria didn't push. Since they were done discussing the job, she figured she'd head out. Back at the lab, Chloe Rogers dashed over as soon as she walked in. "Finally! You're here, Victoria. Mr. Marson's been asking about you all morning." "I know." Mr. Marson typically wouldn't reach out unless it was something serious. And from what she could see, his relationship with Henry was clearly more than just acquaintance-level. After a few quick words with Chloe, Victoria grabbed her things to go home. She had just stepped outside when she spotted Henry by his car, head down, scrolling on his phone. Noticing her, he looked up and started walking over. "Got time for dinner? I'd like to go over some things from earlier with you, just the two of us." Victoria's eyes lingered on his face—it reminded her so much of Elijah's. She hesitated for a beat, then nodded. Henry took her to a trendy fusion restaurant. The place was cozy, with a faint scent in the air and soft piano music playing in the background. It felt surprisingly calming. "You still look a bit pale. You probably shouldn't have been discharged so soon," he said. "I'm fine now. But thanks," she replied while sipping her tea. Henry gave a relaxed smile. "We're friends, you don't need to be so formal." Victoria didn't say anything right away. That word—"friends"—left her slightly unsure how to respond. Just then, a server came in with their food. From the half-open door, Victoria heard a voice outside. A voice she recognized.