Chapter 442

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the office as Victoria Kensington finished her last email. She glanced at her phone, debating whether to call Alexander Whitmore for dinner.

She dialed his number three times. Each call went straight to voicemail.

Frowning, she called his secretary instead. "Daniel, I can't reach Alexander. Is he still in meetings?"

Daniel Prescott sounded surprised. "Mr. Whitmore left for Salzburg this afternoon for an urgent business trip. Didn't he tell you?"

Victoria's grip on her phone tightened. He hadn't mentioned anything.

"Was this trip planned last minute?"

"Yes, very sudden."

Even if it was urgent, he could have at least sent a text. But there had been nothing—no call, no message. The realization made her chest tighten.

After a moment, she grabbed her purse and left the office, dialing Sophia Whitmore's number.

Sophia was sprawled on the living room floor, assembling a puzzle when her phone buzzed. She grinned when she saw Victoria's name. "Hi, Victoria!"

"Hey, sweetheart," Victoria said, forcing warmth into her voice. "You're home already?"

"Yep! Just doing a puzzle."

Victoria smiled. "Did you have fun at your parent-teacher meeting today? Was your dad there?"

Sophia giggled. "No, silly! Mom came today, not Dad!"

At the mention of Isabella Sinclair, Victoria's smile faltered slightly. "Oh... really?"

She paused, then added, "I called your dad around noon, and he said the meeting was over. I assumed he went."

Sophia, still in high spirits from the day, chirped, "Nope! But after the meeting, Dad took me and Mom out to lunch!"

Victoria froze mid-step in front of the elevator, her finger hovering over the button. "He... suggested that?"

"Yep! He said he'd finish work early so we could all eat together."

Alexander had willingly arranged lunch with Isabella?

Victoria's stomach twisted.

But then she reasoned—maybe it was just to discuss final divorce details. The cooling-off period was almost over, after all.

She kept her tone light. "Did your dad say anything important to your mom during lunch?"

Sophia hummed, distracted by her puzzle. "Not really. Dad kept trying to talk to her, but Mom wasn't really listening. She barely said anything and didn't seem happy."

Victoria exhaled slowly. "Is that so?"

"Yeah."

Victoria stayed silent.

She knew the truth—for the past two years, Alexander and Isabella had barely spoken. No calls, just the occasional text.

If there were divorce matters to settle, he could have handled it through lawyers. Or a simple message.

There was no reason for them to meet.

Yet today, Alexander had gone out of his way to see her.

And from Sophia's words... it hadn't been Isabella seeking him out.

It had been him.