Chapter 198: Revenge

The most important thing right now was to see Easton. She couldn’t get him to agree to a meeting, and using someone else’s name no longer worked. So today, Victoria had no choice but to come to the Hudson Group.

As soon as she stepped inside, before she could even reach the elevators, the receptionist immediately stopped her. Victoria had been here many times before and had always come and gone freely. Granted, Easton had questioned her last time about why no one ever informed him in advance whenever she showed up.

Lifting her chin haughtily, she said, “You’re blocking my way. I’m going up to the top floor to see Easton.”

The receptionist maintained a professional smile despite Victoria’s slightly overbearing attitude, though inwardly, she was rolling her eyes. Another day at work, another idzot to deal with. See Easton? Yeah, right. His assistant already blacklisted you from entering the company. You can take that attitude and cry outside in a minute.

“Ms. Victoria, may I ask what business you have with Mr. Hudson?” The receptionist remained polite and gestured for Victoria to step aside and register. “Once you’ve signed in, I’ll notify someone from the executive office.”

“Register!” Victoria frowned in displeasure. “Are you mistaken? Me, Victoria, register?”

The emphasis on her name was obvious, and the receptionist certainly caught it. Everyone in the company knows you are Easton’s so-called first love. People even bet on how soon she’d become the new Mrs. Easton. But things weren’t the same as before. And at this moment, the company did not welcome her.

Suppressing her inner amusement, the receptionist continued smiling. “That’s correct, Ms. Victoria. It’s company policy that any non-employee visitor must register before entering.”

Losing her special privileges, Victoria’s expression soured. “I’m not registering. I’ll have Taylor come down and get me.”

With Jackson gone, Taylor was now the one managing the financial support for her company. She had her number.

Without another word, Victoria dialed. “Taylor, I’m in your lobby. Come down and get me.”

Victoria always spoke as if her demands were a given, but to Taylor, who had years of experience dealing with people, this was nothing new. It didn’t bother her in the slightest, though she was becoming increasingly certain that Victoria would never become the next Mrs. Hudson. Escorting her to the top floor would mean risking her job. She wasn’t about to make that mistake.

“Ms. Victoria, I’m sorry, but I’m not at the office. I’m out on a work assignment,” Taylor replied in a deliberately busy tone. “Mr. Hudson isn’t in the office either.”

Of course, both she and the boss were in the building. She was just making excuses.

“Where did he go?” Victoria didn’t immediately suspect Taylor was lying. She was too focused on finding out where Easton was so she could meet him elsewhere.

“I don’t have access to Mr. Hudson’s personal schedule,” Taylor replied, suddenly sounding apologetic.

“Does he have any public events in the next few days? I want to see him.”

“None, as far as I know.” Taylor dodged her questions three times in a row. Even if Victoria was slow on the uptake, she wasn’t that oblivious. Taylor was avoiding her, and she had no intention of bringing her upstairs.

She hung up while slightly lowering her chin. Left with no choice, she went over to the receptionist to sign in herself. But signing in wouldn’t get her through the door. The receptionist had already found another excuse to delay her.

Chapter 198: Revenge (Continued)

The difference between how she was treated now versus before was staggering. Unable to take it, Victoria stormed out of the Hudson Group. She called a few friends to meet up at their usual spot to blow off steam.

One of her friends, however, was dealing with family drama. Her parents had frozen her credit card and taken away her car, leaving her strapped for cash. She asked Victoria for a ride.

On the way, they passed her friend’s neighborhood. Victoria hadn’t even pulled up to the entrance when she spotted something, or rather, someone, before even seeing her friend waiting outside. Ellis, and she was stepping out of a cab. That wretched woman who made her feel like she was picking up someone’s secondhand trash! The same woman who had slapped her in Easton’s office! Victoria hadn’t forgotten.

Because before Ellis, no one had ever dared to slap her. Fury and resentment surged within her, making her face turn livid. Without hesitation, she parked the car, jumped out, and charged straight toward Ellis.

For once, she wasn’t working overtime and was able to leave the office on time. As usual, Ellis took a cab home. Since cabs weren’t allowed inside the residential complex, she had to walk a bit from the entrance.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain on the back of her scalp. Someone was yanking her hair. Instinctively, she reached up to grab the back of her head and turned around to see who it was.

And there stood Victoria, seething with rage. “Ellis! I ran into you today, huh? You slapped me once? I’m gonna triple it back to you!”

Victoria wasn’t bluffing. All the frustration from being shut out by Easton, all the humiliation she had suffered, and all the stress from her company’s struggles, it all boiled over. And right now, with Ellis in front of her, she had found the perfect outlet for her rage.