Departed With A Belly {1}

A Change of Appetite

As Victoria kept talking non-stop, Alaric realized he couldn't make up a comeback from every word she said. He knew how amazing Victoria was with her words. When he first took her to negotiation, she was timid since she had never experienced such a situation at a young age. However, as she participated in more and more cases, she began to work her way around and was able to take charge of the situation quickly.

She was fast to react and had critical thinking skills. Thus, she could make a comeback for her competitor. For example, she was using the same method against him now, and Alaric realized he had no words to say. After all, Claudia had indeed come looking for him and even wore Victoria's clothes.

Seeing that he was quiet, Victoria smirked coldly. "Why are you being quiet, Alaric? Think about it. How would you feel if I brought another man home and let him wear your clothes?"

Alaric remained silent. Just the thought of Victoria bringing another man home would drive him insane, yet... Knowing she had won the argument, Victoria pushed him aside, took her
laptop, and left. When she returned to her room, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Alaric must be stunned by my words. I'm sure he won't be asking any further questions. Anything is fine as long as my secret is safe with me. As she thought about it, she kept her laptop and went downstairs to the kitchen to find something to eat. At this moment, the chef was preparing
the ingredients for lunch.

When he saw her, he immediately greeted her.

Victoria looked around and nodded. "Did you make any snacks this morning, Mr. Campbell?"
"Yes." Andrew, aka the chef, immediately turned around and opened the cabinet behind him. Then, he took out a small plate of snacks for Victoria. Victoria's eyes lit up when she saw the plate was filled with cream puffs.

Noticing her gaze, Andrew knew that he had made the right snacks. Thus, he smiled and said, "Take it, Mrs. Cadogan. I will make some more in the afternoon if you like it. However, taking in too many sweets a day is unhealthy, so I'll be making other snacks."

Victoria didn't refuse since she was starving.
Now, she would lose her appetite whenever she saw oily or raw foods.

However, she had a craving for sweets. I have never craved sweets as much as I would now... Gentleness filled Victoria's eyes as she thought about it. My baby must be a sucker for sweet foods. Oh dear, I must keep a lookout for my baby when I give birth to it. I need to watch their sweet intake.

As she thought about it, she left the kitchen with the plate of snacks in a good mood. When the others saw her leave, they surrounded Andrew. "Did Mrs. Cadogan just take a plate of snacks, Mr.
Campbell?"

Andrew nodded his head with a smile. "It looks like she likes today's desserts. Prepare some flour and fruit. We'll be making some fruit snacks
for her."

"Okay. Though, do you know why Mrs. Cadogan has such a huge change in her food preference, Mr. Campbell? I remember that she doesn't crave
sweet stuff."

"What a silly question. People's food preferences will change over the years. This is a normal thing."

"I'm not saying Mrs. Cadogan is abnormal, Mr. Campbell. I'm just saying that she has a different craving because..." The staff smiled mysteriously.

"Is what?" Andrew looked at him with confusion. "Could it be that she is pregnant?" When Andrew heard his words, he was at a loss for words.

"Umm... I'm just guessing. After all, the fish fumet you stewed was delicious. I didn't smell any odd scent when I served them. Yet, Mrs. Cadogan had such a big reaction after taking a whiff.

My sister-in-law has the same reaction as Mrs. Cadogan. She can't stand the smell of raw food and is more sensitive than us. Not only that, she has a change of food preference too."

The more Andrew listened, the more shocked he was. After all, he felt that the staff seemed to have a point. If Mrs. Cadogan is really pregnant, I have to change her food! Andrew thought.

After Victoria had eaten the desserts, she patted her stomach in satisfaction. How did I never know that this food tasted delicious? It looks like my baby is a foodie.

"You are such a food lover," Victoria whispered as she gently poked her stomach. Since the baby was still small, her belly was flat. Thus, it was apparent that it wouldn't respond to her words. However, Victoria was still pleased to talk After some time, she was exhausted.

Then, she brushed her teeth and went to bed. Initially, she wanted to take a small nap. However, when she woke up and looked at the time, it was already 2:00 PM.

At that moment, Victoria jolted awake. What?
I overslept! The room was silent, so she quickly changed into a new set of clothes and went downstairs. However, no one was downstairs too. When the servant saw her, they greeted her. "You're awake, Mrs. Cadogan."

"Yes. Is Old Mrs. Cadogan awake yet?" Victoria looked at the servant. "She has already woken up and had lunch." Just as Victoria was about to ask Griselda's whereabouts, the servant took the initiative and said, "Mr. Cadogan has taken her out."

"Where did they go?"

"Ah... I'm not sure about this." To be honest, Victoria was worried since Alaric was a careless man. She was afraid that he didn't know how to take care of Griselda.

Before she could take out her phone and call Alaric, the servant said. "You iust woke up, Mrs. Cadogan. Why don't you have some food first?"
When Victoria heard the word food, she felt hungry.

"I guess I'll eat first."

"I'll tell the chef to reheat the food." When Victoria sat at the dining table, she took out her phone and sent a message to Alaric while waiting for the food to arrive. 'Where are you?"

Just as she was about to send it, she suddenly recalled the argument they had earlier on. Will Alaric think I'm trying to mess with him when he sees the text? After all, we just fought. Thinking about it, she changed the message.

Where did you bring Grandma to?'After editing the text, she was happy with her message and sent it to Alaric. Before Alaric replied, Andrew had placed her food on the table. When everything was on the table, she noticed they were all light servings.

At that moment, she was startled. Although she had a huge reaction this morning, she didn't tell the chefs anything.

After all, she had to keep her pregnancy a secret. Plus, she wouldn't stay here for long anyway. Thus, she decided to leave it as it was. Though, never would she expect that the chefs would be so considerate.

When Andrew approached her, she whispered tentatively, "The food seems different, Mr. Campbell." Andrew was an honest man. When he heard her words, he smiled and said, "I specifically made it just for you, Mrs. Cadogan."

Victoria's heart dropped when she heard his words. "What are you talking about?"
__________________________________
Published on: January 19, 2025
Time: 12:48 am
Word count: 1236 words