Chapter 30

Vanya's POV

Cliff glanced at me, who was looking their way, and hesitated for a moment.

Then, he took a deep breath and said, "I'm coming over now."

With that, Cliff hung up the phone.

A wave of secret joy surged in my heart, but I didn't dare show it on my face and quickly pretended to continue eating.

I silently prayed he wouldn't notice anything off about me.

Cliff cleared his throat and said, "I have to go out for something."

"Was that Melinda on the phone?" I asked knowingly, already well aware of the situation.

I just wanted to see how he would explain it and was also thinking about how to get him out of the house as quickly as possible.

"Melinda's ankle isn't getting better. I need to take her to the hospital," Cliff said, somewhat uncomfortably adjusting his collar.

His gaze avoided mine naturally.

I could sense he was worried I would make a scene, as I had done in the past.

I nodded slightly and forced a magnanimous smile, saying, "Of course, you should go."

Inside, I was thinking, 'Thank heavens, he's finally leaving.'

I needed to hurry and meet Theodore. Maybe he could help me unravel the mysteries surrounding Jasper and the obsidian rough, bringing me one step closer to escaping this chaotic situation.

Cliff was visibly stunned by my response, his brows furrowing deeply.

He must have been wondering to himself. This wasn't like me at all.

Just a while ago, when he first brought Melinda back to the Silver Moon Pack, I had strongly opposed it, even refusing to share a bedroom with him.

In his eyes, I couldn't have changed so much in just a few days.

But he didn't know that I had been reborn, a person from a past life.

"Aren't you taking Melinda to the hospital? Why are you still dawdling?" I deliberately raised my voice, showing a bit of impatience.

I didn't want to give him a chance to regret or continue questioning me. My mind was preoccupied with meeting Theodore.

"Enjoy your dinner," Cliff glanced at the table where I had eaten most of the food, leaving barely anything behind.

A complex mix of emotions flashed through his eyes—surprise, confusion, and, above all, an indescribable sense of frustration.

He might have thought that Veronica had gone to so much trouble to arrange everything, but I was only focused on satisfying my hunger, showing no concern for him, my supposed mate.

Watching his conflicted and helpless expression, I couldn't help but feel a secret amusement.

He turned to leave, his steps slow and hesitant, occasionally looking back at me as if he couldn't believe I was letting him go so easily.

Seeing Cliff walk out of the house with a face full of reluctance and doubt, I sprang up from my chair like a jack-in-the-box.

I quickly took out my phone and dialed Theodore's number.

As I waited for the call to connect, my heart pounded with anticipation and a touch of nervousness.

I knew Theodore might be the only person I could turn to for help now, and I had to seize this opportunity.

"Hello? I was delayed by some matters today, but I'm on my way now," I tried to make my voice sound steady, though my heart raced uncontrollably.

"There's no need to rush," Theodore's deep, magnetic voice came through the phone, calming my chaotic heart slightly.

At that moment, I heard Derrick's voice in the background, "Where's Vanya? It's getting late, and she's not here yet."

"She was delayed," Theodore replied calmly.

"Delayed the whole day?" Derrick grumbled.

I felt a bit nervous, fearing he might refuse to see me.

"See you later!" I quickly hung up the phone, grabbed my coat and bag, and almost ran out the door.

Soon after, I drove at a fast pace to the entrance of Derrick's company.

Throughout the journey, I was organizing the questions I wanted to ask Theodore in my mind and worrying whether my tardiness would upset him.

The security guard at the entrance saw me, scrutinized and confirmed my identity, then approached politely, asking, "Are you Ms. Dalton?"

"Yes, I am," I nodded in affirmation, taking a deep breath to try and calm myself.

"This way, please," the security guard warmly offered to take my bag and escorted me to the elevator.

I looked around curiously, wondering why Derrick's company building was still brightly lit at this hour when employees should have long left.

I couldn't help but marvel at Derrick's extravagance, leaving all the lights on so late into the night.

This made me even more curious about Theodore's position and influence within the company.

Arriving at the CEO's office, Derrick was muttering to himself, looking at the lit building, "Do you know how much it costs to power all these lights? It's like being drained by a vampire..."

"What vampire?" I entered the room at that moment, puzzled.

"I mean, it feels like I encountered a vampire in my dreams today, lingering around me the whole day!" Derrick saw me and quickly changed his words to cover up, his flustered look making me even more confused.

His gaze shifted between me and Theodore, seemingly anticipating some interesting event to unfold.

At that moment, Theodore's magnetic voice rang out, "Didn't you come to see me?"

I snapped back to reality and got straight to the point, asking, "I'd like to know, was that obsidian rough acquired for you by Jasper?"