It had been half a month since Josephine Garcia's death. During this time, Victoria Garcia made sure her three younger sisters were settled and then shut herself away, refusing to see anyone.
That year in Metropolis, it kept snowing.
Arnold Johnson sent a text message: I will look for you after I calm down.
He always spoke like that — Victoria really hated him.
Of course, there was something Victoria didn't know: Arnold Johnson's car was parked every night below the building where Victoria lived and left only after the lights went out.
Finally, one day, Victoria left her apartment and took a taxi.
Arnold Johnson's car followed the taxi until it stopped at the cemetery.
Victoria, dressed all in black with a black hat on her head, had only her pale face exposed.
She looked even thinner.
Approaching Josephine Garcia's grave, Victoria noticed a figure nearby. As she got closer, she recognized who it was.
By the time Victoria realized who it was, Alexander Mitchell had already walked towards her.
His face was red from the cold, and snowflakes clung to his hair and clothes.
Seeing Victoria's appearance, Alexander felt a surge of guilt and misery. Without hesitation, he rushed forward and hugged her tightly.
This action took Victoria by surprise.
If this embrace had happened that night, she would have been happy. But now, she just felt disgusted.
"Let me go!"
The voice wasn't loud, but every word was firm and resolute.
"No, I won't let you go." Alexander stubbornly held on to her.
Yet, Victoria repeated seriously, "I said, let me go!"
After a silent five seconds, Alexander finally let go, looking at her with a pained expression.
"Victoria, I didn't come to explain myself sooner for a reason. I really didn't know things would turn out this way. But what you saw that night was just appearances."
Victoria raised her head and watched him quietly. She saw his mouth moving, but it just made her feel exhausted.
"I didn't refuse to help you. It was my mom. She said that if I could bear you asking for help twice without agreeing, she would never interfere with me liking you again, and we could be together without any restrictions."
Looking at him, Victoria sometimes thought Alexander was very clever, but at other times he seemed as naive as a child.
"Even your mom knew that, given my personality, I would only ask you once." Victoria's voice was cold and indifferent. "But you didn't understand."
As Victoria's words sank in, Alexander felt as if something had struck him in the head.
"That can't be…" he muttered to himself.
Victoria didn't like comforting people, and she certainly wasn't in the mood to comfort him now.
However, Alexander insisted on this moment, "If that's the case, can't you ask for help again for my sake? Just one more time would do. After all, who else could you ask for help with your mom's case apart from me?"
Yes, that was why he initially agreed to his mom's condition. He believed that Victoria had no other choice but to ask him for help, so he took that bet.
Little did he know that all along, his bet was nothing more than a pawn in someone else's game.