Chapter 506: Have Never Betrayed You
"You must be mistaken," Harrison protested, trying hard to defend himself. "I never even looked at her."
"Really?" Adeline tilted her head, feigning confusion. "But I don't think I made a mistake. And honestly, you look like you're just making excuses."
The more she talked, the harder it was for her to keep a straight face.
Harrison's eyes, always so sharp, instantly narrowed.
"Are you teasing me?"
"Crap, he's caught on," Adeline thought.
She quickly straightened her face. "Of course not."
Harrison let out a low, cold laugh.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Adeline pretended to get mad. "You're the one who messed up, and you still have the nerve to laugh at me?"
"Fine, it's my fault," Harrison said, his tone suddenly soft and dangerous. "When we get
home, I'll make it up to you. I promise."
Adeline was speechless.
She didn't even have to think to know exactly what kind of "making it up" he meant.
Why did she never learn her lesson? She always teased Harrison without realizing the
consequences.
When Russell's call suddenly came in, Victoria's heart sank.
She thought, "Is he calling because I have failed to do what he asked? Is he about to come down hard on me? But it wasn't my fault. I've tried her best."
Still, if Russell called, she didn't dare ignore it.
So Victoria hurried to the address he'd given her.
It was a remote villa.
When Victoria got out of the car, it was pitch dark all around, only a few faint lights glowing from the windows.
A cold wind blew and she shivered, a sudden chill of fear creeping up her spine.
For a split second, she wanted to turn around, run straight back to the car, and get out of there.
But it was Russell she was dealing with.
Where could she possibly run?
Even if she fled to the ends of the earth, if Russell wanted to find her, he would.
And if she ran, things would probably end up even worse.
So, with a heavy sense of resignation, Victoria forced herself to walk up to the villa.
The living room was brightly lit.
She saw that Russell was the only one sitting there on the couch.
The sight made her even more anxious.
She'd almost have preferred if there were a group of people here.
In that way, maybe Russell would keep his temper in check.
But now, it was just Russell, all alone.
Victoria thought, "What's he planning to do to me?"
She took a deep breath, walked up to him slowly, and said with her head down, "Good evening, Mr. Hunter..."
Russell didn't answer right away. He just lit a cigarette, took two drags, and finally said, "Good? You really think I'm doing good right now?"
How could Victoria possibly answer that?
When she didn't reply, Russell's brows knit together. "Answer my question. Do you really think I'm doing good?"
"Mr. Hunter, I... I'm sorry. It's my fault. I didn't accomplish what you asked me to do," Victoria said, her voice quivering, nearly in tears. "But I really did my best, it's just... Harrison wouldn't even look at me... Mr. Hunter, I swear I did everything I could for you, even if it wasn't a success, surely you can see how hard I tried."
Russell stubbed out his cigarette and lifted his eyes to her.
"Clearly, you still don't get it."
Victoria froze.
She didn't know what he meant.
"I've never shortchanged anyone who's worked for me," Russell said flatly. "Even if you fail, as long as you try your best, l'l always make sure you're compensated for your trouble."
Victoria let out a silent sigh of relief.
If Russell wasn't going to blame her for failing, then why had he called her here so late at night?
"But there's one thing I can never forgive,"
Russell said, his gaze suddenly ice cold.
"Betrayal."
Victoria's heart stopped cold.
She instantly remembered how she'd nearly thrown Russell under the bus in order to get closer to Harrison.
"How could Russell possibly know about that? Did Harrison tell him?" Victoria thought.
She thought again, "No, impossible. Harrison hasn't even given me the chance to explain myself."
She hadn't even gotten to say Russell's name.
Besides, it wasn't like Harrison and Russell were friends, so she didn't think Harrison would rat her out.
The more she thought about it, the more Victoria felt Russell must be bluffing.
So she forced herself to stay calm. "Mr. Hunter, I have never, ever betrayed you."
She thought she heard Russell let out a soft laugh behind her.
"Is that so?" he said, his tone unreadable.
"Yes. It's true," she insisted.
Suddenly, Russell picked up the remote from the coffee table and pressed a button, aiming it behind her.
Victoria turned around and realized there was a projector pointed at the wall.
On the screen, a street surveillance video began to play.
After just a few seconds, Victoria's face went ghostly pale.
It was right outside Daphne's studio.
The color drained from her cheeks, her hands shaking harder and harder.
On the screen, she watched as Harrison helped Adeline into the car and saw herself appear, calling out to Harrison. And then the sound kicked in. "Mr. Thomson, let me explain about the last fashion show. I was set up. Someone put me up to it..."
The video was perfectly clear, both the images and the audio.
She heard the click of Russell lighting another cigarette.
Victoria was frozen in place, too terrified to even turn around.
After a while, Russell let out a mocking little laugh. "What a shame... There you were, pouring your heart out, desperate to spill your secrets to him, and he wouldn't even spare you a glance. Tell me, Victoria, if Harrison had actually stopped and listened, what exactly were you going to tell him?"
What would she have said?
Of course she would have given up Russell's
name.
Sure, Russell had sent her to seduce Harrison in the first place, but by now, she was just desperate for Harrison's attention and willing to betray Russell if that was what it took.
"Answer me," Russell's voice suddenly turned icy.
"Cat got your tongue?"
It took everything Victoria had to finally choke out, "Mr. Hunter, you're mistaken, I... I was just trying to throw Harrison off. I wasn't actually going to tell him your name."
Now, at least she had a plan.
As long as she denied everything, there was no actual evidence.
After all, she hadn't said Russell's name out loud.
As long as she held her ground, what could Russell really do to her?
He might be the master of the Hunter Group, but she was a world-famous supermodel.
Surely, he wouldn't actually do anything to her.
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