Chapter 16 " Now that you put it that way , it makes sense . " " It is a fact , to begin with . What young mistress would work as a secretary ? " " But I don't get it . Why a fake marriage ? " " I'm sure there's a reason . Word is that Miss Selwyn and Mr. Cadogan grew up together . Back then , when the Selwyns went bankrupt, Mr. Cadogan started dating her probably because he wanted to help her out . I mean , look at it . Is there anyone who dares bully Miss Selwyn now ? " " Is that so ? Well , Mr. Cadogan sure is a great guy . " " I even heard that Mr. Cadogan has been waiting for Claudia Johnson's return all these years . I swear , only our boss is that loyal . " As the people gossiped , Victoria stood behind them and listened instead of stepping away . She looked calm on the surface , as though she was not the topic of their gossip . Soon , Noel pulled over at the entrance and rolled down the window , revealing his dashing looks . " C'mon , get in . " Just like that , Victoria entered his car under everyone's gazes , and it was not after the vehicle had gone far that the people who gossiped came to themselves . " That was … Miss Selwyn , wasn't it ? " " I think so . " " Then , do you think she heard what we said earlier ? " " So what if she did ? We're not the ones who spread the rumor . We heard from them . Besides , there's no wrong with what we've said . Are we not telling the truth ? Otherwise , why wouldn't she correct us ? She must be hiding something . " " She probably didn't know how to either . After all , that woman was sitting in Mr. Cadogan's car when he passed by . " The group continued gossiping as they looked at the car which had already gone far . Meanwhile , Victoria rolled the window up impassively and watched the retreating trees and buildings with an extremely heavy heart as the employees ' heated gossip replayed in her head , as well as … the black Cayenne that flashed past them . " What's up ? You look distracted , " Noel asked when he noticed her glumness . Victoria came to her senses at that and pulled a forced smile . " It's nothing . Might just be the after - effects of being sick . " He sighed in response . " You … How long were you going to keep it from me ? " His words rendered her frozen . " What are you talking about ? " What have I kept from him ? Can he possibly have found out that I'm pregnant ? But who was it who told him ? The only one who knows I'm pregnant is Summer , other than the doctors at the hospital . Of course , she ruled out the possibility at once . Because of her , Summer and Noel knew each other as well and kept an amicable relationship . Both she and Summer thought of Nool as a big brother figure , but Summer would never reveal anything about her to him . Hence , what he knew might not be her pregnancy . " Why didn't you tell me Claudia has returned ? " he asked moments later . Victoria froze for a second upon hearing his question . He was not talking about her pregnancy . In truth , she had become jumpy for the past two days because of her pregnancy . At that , she breathed a sigh of relief and monotoned . " What does her return have to do with you ? " Her words rendered him speechless , and he gazed at the young woman helplessly . Had he not known her well , he would have likely assumed she was retorting him . " You're right . It doesn't , but what about you ? Does it have nothing to do with you too ? Victoria fell silent at that , and Noel continued , " I already know you two were a no - show when you first started dating him . Especially when you know what he said , but you still … " The man left his words hanging , but his tone and emotions were enough to convey his message . He was disappointed in her . On the other hand , she was glad that he did not know about her pregnancy , or his tone would be even more awful than it was now . Perhaps because she was mostly silent , Noel said nothing more after that . After taking her to a restaurant and ordering their lunch , he told Victoria , " Wait for me here . I'll be back in ten . " " Alright . " She nodded , having no energy to bother with what he was up to . Ten minutes later , he returned with a bag of stuff . " Here , take this . " " What is it ? " " Medicine . " He revealed . " You're sick , aren't you ? You're already a grown woman . You should keep some regular medicine with you at all times , no ? You can pop one in whenever you don't feel well . " " But I'm already fine . " She fell into somewhat of a trance as she looked at the bag of items . " Keep it for next time , then . " " Okay . " With that , she put the bag away . In it was a comprehensive pile of regular pills . " Thanks , Noel . " " Don't mention it . " He poked her head . " Don't shut me out , okay ? Tell me if you're met with whatever trouble . " " Got it . " Subsequently, the two fell silent and ate their lunch quietly . Moments later , Noel could not resist asking , " You've already met Claudia , haven't you ? " Victoria's hands froze for a split second before she nodded . " Yeah . " " So , what is she trying now , coming right for Alaric as soon as she comes back ? She wants to rekindle their love ? " ' Rekindle their love ' sounded like nails on a chalkboard for Victoria as she corrected . " Not rekindling . What real relationship did they have from the start ? " Sure , Alaric had said what he had said , but the two were not seeing each other at the time . Speaking of which , Victoria never understood this . How come the two never dated back then ? By right , the two would have become a couple when he declared that the spot next to his would forever be Claudia , who was also in love with him ! Then again , it was useless even if she figured it out now . " Already defending him ? " Noel could not help but quirk an eyebrow , leading the young woman to purse her lips and mumble , " I'm just stating a fact . " He's already brought her to the office and even let others badmouth you . yet you're still defending him ? " he argued with deeply furrowed brows . What was it that he overheard at the office pantry this morning ? " You guys have heard about it , haven't you ? Mr. Cadogan's rightful girlfriend has returned . " " Rightful girlfriend ? Isn't Mr. Cadogan already married ? What rightful girlfriend are you talking about ? " " The marriage is fake , of course . If it's real , would Mr. Cadogan be willing to let his wife work as a secretary ? This one is the real deal . Word is that she had saved Mr. Cadogan once . Plus , she's from an affluent family and has finally returned from studying abroad . She and Mr. Cadogan are the real perfect match . " " What ? If she's seeing Mr. Cadogan , what about Miss Selwyn ? " " Are you even hearing yourself ? What else can she do other than to go back to her rags when she fails to go from rags to riches ?! " Those words had probably ticked their funny bones as everyone in the pantry guffawed uncontrollably . Meanwhile , Noel , who was standing outside , clenched his mug grimly . Does she have to do with Victoria's sudden illness ? Or else , how can it be so coincidental ?