Chapter 109

"Ms. Carter." Lyanna's voice cut through the room.

Victoria froze, her face turning awkward.

William frowned. What did Lyanna want now?

Outside the door, Lyanna, puzzled by the silence, raised her voice a bit. "Ms. Carter, you there?"

Victoria pressed her lips together, glanced at William, and called out, "Yeah, I'm here. What's up?"

Ignoring William's darkening expression, she answered while getting dressed.

"Ms. Carter, could you open the door?" Lyanna asked politely.

Victoria hesitated for a moment, then walked over and opened the door.

Lyanna looked surprised to see Victoria standing there in bathrobe.

"I was just taking a shower," Victoria explained, noticing Lyanna's gaze lingering on her neck. She quickly covered it, a hint of panic on her face.

Lyanna awkwardly looked away.

"I was just wondering if you've seen William. He's not in his room, and I can't reach him by phone," Lyanna said, glancing around the room but seeing nothing.

Victoria stammered, then feigned ignorance. "I don't know. Maybe Mr. Scott had something to take care of."

A flash of disdain crossed Lyanna's eyes as she looked at Victoria. Her tone turned harsh. "Ms. Carter, you're just William's former secretary. You should keep your distance from him. Not everyone can cling to William."

Victoria's expression turned cold.

"How I interact with Mr. Scott is our business, not yours!" She shot Lyanna a frosty look and slammed the door shut.

Lyanna clenched her fists in anger as she stared at the closed door.

'Damn Victoria, how dare you disrespect me like that!' she cursed under her breath.

Lyanna stomped her foot in frustration and ran off.

As soon as Victoria closed the door, William pinned her against it.

"Ms. Carter, you're quite bold!" He lifted her chin, his gaze intense.

Victoria pouted, displeased. "You know she likes you. Why do you keep her around?"

"She likes me?" William sneered. "Lots of people like me. I'm only tolerating her because of my uncle."

"Well, you sure tolerate a lot of women," Victoria muttered.

William found her disgruntled tone amusing.

He pinched her cheek and laughed. "Are you jealous?"

Victoria swatted his hand away, scoffing. "Jealous? Are you kidding?"

She was just a mistress he paid for. She had no right to be jealous of the women around William.

William's eyes narrowed dangerously as he stared at her.

Victoria felt a bit scared under his gaze and took a step back.

She nervously adjusted her collar and asked cautiously, "Mr. Scott, do you have any other instructions?"

William didn't respond, just continued to look at her with an unreadable expression.

After a long moment, he suddenly bent down and scooped her up.

Victoria screamed in surprise as he tossed her onto the bed.

The next moment, he was all over her, kissing her face, neck, and collarbone.

By the time William was done, Victoria's body was covered in hickeys, her skin flushed, looking particularly enticing.

William bit her ear gently. "Now do you see how powerful I am?"

Victoria's face was flushed, her eyes slightly red. She glared at him. "Jerk!"

William laughed, a low chuckle. "Jerk?" He traced her face with his long fingers. "Well, I'll take that as a compliment."

Victoria grabbed his hand, wary, as if facing a great enemy.

William found it amusing, kissed her on the cheek, and got out of bed. "Hungry? Let's grab a bite."

Victoria was indeed starving. She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment before getting up to change and put on makeup to cover the marks on her neck.

William watched her busy figure, his gaze deepening.

Downstairs in the restaurant, Harry and Lyanna were already dining. When they saw the two of them come down, they immediately approached.

Victoria felt Lyanna's intense gaze as soon as she sat down at the table. She frowned.

Lyanna glanced at Victoria with a look of disdain.

Victoria felt a surge of irritation.

William gave Lyanna a brief glance before sitting down and sipping the soup in front of him.

"William, where did you go?" Lyanna asked sweetly.

William put down his spoon. "Had some business to take care of."

"Then how did you run into Ms. Carter?" Lyanna asked tentatively. She had been shocked to see Victoria with him earlier.

Victoria's heart skipped a beat. She looked at William, who was calmly drinking his soup, showing no intention of responding.

Victoria quickly answered, "It was an old client. Mr. Scott asked me to come along."

Lyanna's eyes darted around, then she smiled. "But Ms. Carter, you've resigned. It's more appropriate for me to handle such matters since I'm William's secretary now."

Her words were clearly laced with hostility.

William set down his spoon and looked at Lyanna coldly. "Do I need your permission to decide who accompanies me?"

His tone was calm but carried a strong sense of authority.

Lyanna's body trembled, and she lowered her head. "I didn't mean it that way."

William smirked. "If that's the case, then stay quiet."

Though his words were light, they carried an undeniable command. Lyanna bit her lip, tears welling up but held back due to the setting.

She hated Victoria! Why did William always side with her?

Victoria initially thought William was too harsh on Lyanna, but seeing Lyanna's hateful glare, she felt she deserved it.

It wasn't Victoria who was being harsh. If Lyanna wanted to blame someone, it should be William, not her. It was absurd!

Lyanna ate a few bites of her meal, then excused herself, glaring at Victoria one last time before leaving.

Victoria pretended not to notice and continued eating.

The dinner was lavish, with a variety of dishes, but Victoria had no appetite.

William ate gracefully, his movements slow and deliberate, making him a pleasure to watch.

Victoria couldn't help but steal a few glances, finding him more and more handsome.

"Have you seen enough?" William suddenly stopped eating and looked at her.

Victoria quickly averted her gaze, shoveling a few bites of food into her mouth. "I don't know what you're talking about."

William's smile grew more mischievous.

As they ate, a woman at a nearby table suddenly exclaimed, "It's snowing!"