The Returned Heiress Who Never Fit In

hapter 818 Who Knew Victor Could Coddle

When Dale spoke, his tone was sharp and tight, each word gritted out between clenched teeth. Trevor could tell

immediately-Tessa hadn't given in.

Dale pressed a hand to his temple, rubbing hard as if the ache there could ease his frustration. “Lina and Lana

too-who told them they could act on their own?”

Just the thought of what Tessa had said earlier made his anger boil again.

In his mind, Tessa’s resistance toward him all stemmed from that incident with Lina and Lana. And from the way

she'd spoken, it seemed she was waiting for him to give her an explanation- something to make it right.

An explanation.

His own children had turned on each other, and the whole situation infuriated him.

Trevor hesitated when Dale brought up the twins; for a long moment, he didn’t know how to respond.

Finally, he said softly, “The two young ladies have been spoiled by you and Madam for years. With a new sister

suddenly appearing, they must have felt... threatened.”

Dale let out a sharp snort. “They're just too spoiled.”

So spoiled they'd lost all sense of restraint and caused chaos.

And now that he thought about it, it seemed every problem had started right after they went after Tessa. Ever

since then, the Ashen Pact had been hit with one disaster after another.

Trevor stayed silent.

Meanwhile, Victor had taken Tessa back to their lodge. She'd just eaten, so the hot springs were out of the

question for now; he wanted her to rest first. The mountain was covered in snow year-round, and the paths were

slick with ice.

On their way up the wooden stairs, Tessa slipped.

She'd already been leaning into Victor's arms, and the sudden slip startled her so much she instinctively clung to

his narrow waist.

Victor caught her easily, sweeping her up into his arms. “What were you thinking about? You can’t even walk

straight.”

Just like that, Tessa had once again fallen into his mental category of useless little thing.

1/3

Her nose was pink from the cold, and she sniffled. “Wasn't thinking anything; the ground’s just slippery.”

Victor gave her a sideways look, his gaze lingering on her flushed nose and watery eyes, glimmering from the

sting of cold air.

“You're not coming down with something, are you?”

Her nose was red, her eyes glassy-she looked exactly like someone catching a chill.

Her voice had grown nasal, and she sneezed twice in quick succession.

Victor didn’t respond right away.

Tessa rubbed her nose. “I think I really don’t feel too good.”

“You dared wear so little earlier, and now you're sick,” Victor said, his tone laced with reprimand.

Tessa sniffled, sounding pitiful. “But when you're skiing, you can’t wear too much.”

She'd gone skiing plenty of times before and never caught a cold then.

Victor sighed and carried her straight back to their room.

He tucked her tightly into the blankets. Her small face had turned flushed with fever.

“Not feeling well?” he asked quietly.

“My head hurts,” she murmured.

Especially after walking through that biting wind; her temples had been throbbing ever since.

“I shouldn't have let you have your way,” Victor muttered under his breath.

He hadn't expected her body to be so delicate; she was like something fragile hatched from an eggshell.

Shivering, Tessa burrowed deeper into the blankets until only the top of her head peeked out. She looked up at

him pitifully, and he sighed, ruffling her hair with a gentle hand before turning away to make a call for medicine,

Soon, the staff brought over scold medicine-a simple powder mix. Victor stirred it into

warm water himself.

When he returned to the bedside, her little face was even redder than before.

2

“Sit up and drink this.”

Tessa blinked drowsily, her lashes fluttering. “I'm cold,” she murmured weakly.

She looked like a small, trembling animal; the sight of her tugged at something deep in his

chest.

Victor sighed again and sat on the

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He lifted the cup to her lips with a tenderness that surprised even him.

He had never imagined himself

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All his memories stopped at that night—the fire, the screams, the blaze that swallowed everything.

Before that, everything had been burned away.

From then on, he'd lived in darkness,

surviving among rats in {he spagows.

He'd neyer gnoethobih his world

would include someone small and

fragile... someone who needed him.

Tessa took a sip and immediately scrunched up her face. “Ugh, bitter!”

The medicine was far too bitter; after that one taste, she refused to drink any more.

Her cheeks were flushed from fever, but without the medicine, there was no way she'd get better.

“Be good,” Victor coaxed softly. “You have to finish it.”

Tessa turned her head away. “No. It's bitter.”

The medicine had a sharp, minty sting that burned her nose; she couldn't stand it.

She squirmed in his arms, trying to twist away, and Victor's expression darkened.

He set the cup aside and caught her firmly in place.

“Don’t move,” he warned-his voice low and rough, a rasp that carried a dangerous edge.

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