Tangled Hearts: Chased by Another Tycoon after Divorce-Chapter 170: Baby, I Want to Sleep With You

Julian Fordham had no plans to meet Victoria Monroe today; he was afraid his presence at her grandmother’s grave would anger her.

He waited a long time before going up the mountain, only to find Victoria still there.

What he didn’t expect was to see Rhys Hawthorne tenderly wiping her tears, the two embracing like intimate lovers.

Julian’s heart felt like it was wrapped in cold wind and frozen into ice, countless icy thorns piercing through.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing and refused to believe that Victoria would throw herself into another man’s arms in such a short time.

Yet the reality was right in front of him, forcing him to accept it.

Julian called out to her, and Victoria turned to look at him amidst the falling snow; he wasn’t using an umbrella and carried a bouquet of chrysanthemums.

He looked thin, noticeably frailer, with a prominent scar on his neck.

The wind and snow had coated his hair and eyelashes in white; he cradled the flowers, as if he had walked out of a comic book.

He had a handsome appearance, but Victoria would no longer be moved by his looks.

Victoria did not leave Rhys’s embrace. Instead, she glared coldly at him, saying, "What are you doing here? The last person Grandma wanted to see is you."

If Victoria had any intention of avoiding Julian, his heart might have been a little more at ease, but she didn’t.

She even leaned closer to Rhys.

Julian spoke in a hoarse voice, "I came to see Grandma off one last time."

Hearing these words from his mouth only disgusted Victoria, making her bristle like a cat, "It’s completely unnecessary! What face do you have to appear here as the one responsible for her death? Get out! Don’t sully Grandma’s path to the afterlife!"

"Victoria, I..." A thousand words were on the tip of Julian’s tongue, but he couldn’t say a single one.

The scar on his neck served as a reminder of how intense Victoria’s parting was, highlighting how close she came to dying.

Rhys glanced at him indifferently, then drew Victoria closer by the waist in front of Julian, "Victoria, let’s go back."

Victoria!

He actually called Victoria ’Victoria.’

Julian was so enraged that his blood boiled, jealousy consuming his rationality like a demon.

Victoria also remembered her pregnancy; she couldn’t let her emotions swing too dramatically.

She looked at the scars on Julian’s neck and hands.

She had made three slashes: one for her deceased daughter, one for her grandma, and one for herself. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Even though she couldn’t settle the debts he owed, at that moment, she didn’t want to have anything to do with that man anymore.

She nodded, "Okay."

Victoria averted her gaze from Julian’s face, walking off arm-in-arm with Rhys, leaving him behind.

Julian felt as if he’d become a stranger to her.

How can this be?

They grew up together, built a family, and even had a daughter once.

How could she abandon eighteen years so easily?

Julian raised his hand, wanting to hold onto Victoria, but as his fingertips moved slightly, he saw the scars on the back of his hand.

His mind replayed the scene of Victoria’s resolute jump off the cliff, making him lower his hand, just standing there as he watched her leave.

Rhys led a group of people down the mountain, Grandma’s grave was complete. Julian placed the chrysanthemums in front of the tombstone and accepted a box Corbin Prescott handed him.

Inside were photographs he had developed, which he affixed to the tombstone.

The photo showed Grandma in new clothes, smiling kindly under a cherry blossom tree.

Julian knelt before her, his eyes filled with guilt, "If I’d known you were leaving that day, I would never have used you to threaten Victoria. I just loved her too much; I really wanted to treat her well, but somehow it all went wrong and pushed her further away... Grandma, tell me, what should I do?"

Julian braced his hands on the cold ground, bowing devoutly, his voice trembling, "Grandma, how can I find my way back to Victoria?"

The mountain wind passed through, bringing a chill.

Corbin Prescott raised an umbrella, shielding him from the snow, hearing Julian’s muttered words, "Corbin, I really regret it. If I’d known it would end like this, I shouldn’t have let her go that day."

"Boss, try to stay calm."

Julian clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hands, knuckles turning faintly white, as he gritted his teeth, saying, "How can I stay calm? Did you hear just now? Rhys called her Victoria."

"He embraced my Victoria, and she didn’t push him away! The dynamic between them has changed."

Even without Julian saying anything, anyone with eyes could tell.

What’s the solution to that?

Time pushes everyone forward, and the path they choose, no matter how difficult, must be followed through.

Corbin had warned him from the outset, that even if in vitro fertilization was necessary, it would have been better with Victoria, rather than looking for other solutions only after failure.

But back then, Julian was too afraid of hurting Victoria. The IVF process was not only troublesome, but also harmful to women with a high risk of failure.

He didn’t want Victoria to become a guinea pig.

Who could have seen that fate wouldn’t spare them from a miscarriage anyway?

Julian’s mistake was his stubbornness, thinking his decisions were the best for everyone, assuming Victoria wouldn’t leave.

Only now did he realize she would not only leave but would also choose someone else.

Witnessing them leaving side by side, Julian was in utmost agony.

Clearly, she was his wife.

"Boss, after paying your respects to the old lady, let’s go back. Your health isn’t good, you need to recuperate to have the energy to work. Otherwise, with Rhys at the helm, you’ll have no chance left."

Julian slowly lifted his head, his dark pupils filled only with coldness: "I still have a trump card. The Hawthorne Family would never let Victoria marry in! Spread the word about Rhys’s return to Marinus, and soon the Hawthorne Family will tear them apart."

"Understand."

Corbin Prescott helped him up, "Your knees were never good, don’t kneel too long. If you become crippled, you can forget about competing with Rhys Hawthorne for her."

Nowadays, only this reason could persuade Julian Fordham.

Julian Fordham was still filled with thoughts of Victoria Monroe, "Yes, I cannot fall, I must bring Victoria back, and we will have children. By the way, have the hospital records from back then not been found?"

Julian Fordham hadn’t forgotten to search for his biological parents’ whereabouts these past days.

From Lana Jameson’s words, he learned the truth. Back then, the Fordham Family’s living conditions weren’t bad.

Julian’s father had a childhood sweetheart first love, and she was the first love’s best friend. Because of jealousy over their relationship and attracted by Julian’s father’s family background,

she drugged him and climbed into his bed, got pregnant, and broke up him and his first love to marry into the Fordham Family.

Julian’s grandmother was desperate for a grandson. When she secretly had a test done, she discovered she was carrying a daughter.

Once the grandmother found out she wasn’t carrying a son, fearing being kicked out, she had wicked thoughts and bribed a nurse at the hospital in advance.

It happened that on that day, two other out-of-town couples also faced difficult childbirth. At the time, there were no other family members around them, just right for the nurse to act.

The nurse chose the sturdier boy among the two other newborns and switched their footbands.

This child was Julian Fordham, who was brought back to the Jameson Family.

The private hospital from back then had long since closed down, and its electronic records and files had disappeared without a trace. Searching for the couples who gave birth there at the time was as difficult as climbing to the sky.

Julian Fordham’s background became a mystery.

Corbin Prescott shook his head, "It’s been so many years, it’s hard to find them, but I did find the nurse who was bribed to go abroad some time ago. She doesn’t remember what those two couples looked like, only one thing, that one of those couples spoke Cantonese, and the other’s accent sounded a bit like they were from Marinus."

So his biological parents were either from Cantos and Portoros, or from Marinus.

Finding his biological parents with only this accent as a clue was as tricky as reaching the heavens.

Julian Fordham’s face was calm, "How about that mother and daughter?"

When Julian Fordham cut off their financial support, Lana Jameson and Autumn Fordham lived tough lives.

Originally thinking they could rely on them to find Rachel Hayes, unexpectedly, Rachel secretly moved, and the two couldn’t find her at all.

They were at the end of their rope, and debt collectors could come at any time, so they moved back to their old rundown courtyard to avoid creditors.

"After they returned to the courtyard, having lived good days, they became lazy every day. Lana Jameson collected some debts she lent out, probably about a hundred thousand, and could last a while."

Julian Fordham sneered, "Squandering away. Let’s see how long they can last."

No wonder back then when his business failed, Julian’s father without hesitation, committed suicide.

Turns out, he never loved Lana Jameson at all, and when he found out Julian Fordham wasn’t his biological son, he left them and killed himself to find his first love who was forced to death by Lana Jameson back then.

Lana Jameson, this scourge, not only harmed him and Victoria Monroe but also harmed two other families. Death would be a relief for her!

Julian Fordham wanted her to live a life worse than death.

"Keep an eye on the Hawthorne Family’s movements. If anyone from the Hawthorne Family comes, there absolutely can’t be anything between Victoria and Rhys."

"Yes, boss, it’s getting dark, let’s go back."

Julian Fordham didn’t return to the bridal chamber but went back to the apartment, still holding hope in his heart that Victoria Monroe hadn’t been with Rhys Hawthorne, that she would return here.

But he was disappointed, the apartment was pitch black, neither of them returned.

Assistant Prescott spoke more hurtful words to him, "Boss, the Maybach returned directly to Sandalwood Manor, and Madam didn’t get off the car midway, which means..."

He paused, then cautiously continued, "Madam is living with Rhys Hawthorne."

Julian Fordham’s body wavered, almost fainting.

With a pale face, he muttered to himself, "Impossible, it can’t be... Victoria wouldn’t accept him so quickly."

*

Victoria Monroe originally planned on returning to the apartment, but Rhys Hawthorne mentioned Julian Fordham hadn’t given up on her, and thinking about that extreme person, he might do other things.

Victoria Monroe dismissed the thought, taking Rhys Hawthorne’s advice.

Since they agreed to a fake marriage, they should be living together.

Victoria Monroe had been here before, even carried into his master bedroom to sleep, but didn’t expect to return as half a household partner.

This change felt like a dream to her.

She intended to make the bed in the guest room, only to find the door was locked with a numeric code.

Without a fingerprint, it couldn’t be opened.

She stood at the door, a bit curious, "Rhys Hawthorne, is there something important in this room? Why is it locked?"

Rhys Hawthorne had already shown her around the house, the study was at the end of the corridor, even the important study wasn’t locked, how come this room was?

What could be more important than his company’s secrets?

Rhys Hawthorne’s large hand covered her smaller one, his voice carrying a mysterious meaning, "Do you want to know?"

The hallway was dimly lit; seeing the fleeting danger in Rhys Hawthorne’s eyes, she quickly retracted her words, "No, I was just asking."

Rhys Hawthorne stepped forward, cornering her against the door, leaning to her ear, "Victoria, one day, I will let you know what’s in here, but tonight, are you sure you want to sleep in separate rooms with me?"

The words ’separate rooms’ sounded strange to Victoria Monroe.

"We’re not at the Hawthorne Family, I thought we didn’t need to pretend..."

Rhys Hawthorne suddenly tilted her chin up, rubbing his fingertip against her tender lips, "Didn’t I say I’ve never been pretending with you?"

He had gradually led this little rabbit back to his house, finally fulfilling his long-standing wish, how could he let her leave at this critical moment?

Victoria Monroe felt his breath coming closer and closer, and her hands were on his chest, unable to resist at all.

The man’s magnetic voice fell beside her ear, "Darling, I want to sleep with you."