Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 38 You seem exhausted

Victoria’s POV:

I tried to calm myself down, gulping down a large glass of water before heading to the bathroom for a shower. It was strange—Ethan and I never had this kind of chemistry. During our five years together, we barely had any physical contact. Our relationship had been so bland that I thought it was normal.

The conclusion was obvious: Damien was simply more handsome than his half-brother.

After my shower, I crawled into bed but couldn’t fall asleep until the middle of the night. My mind kept replaying images of Damien’s face, the way he looked when he kissed me. That face of his was criminally attractive. I had to admit, Damien Sterling possessed an undeniable magnetism.

Over the next few days, I buried myself in work at Lancaster Corporation. I had already taken control of many projects, and news of Miss Lancaster assuming power had stirred quite a commotion in financial circles.

Many people sought meetings with the Lancaster heir, but I declined all requests. None of them realized that the Lancaster heiress was the same person who had been trending on social media for days alongside Ethan Sterling and Scarlett Sutton.

Kane entered my office carrying a stack of files. "Victoria, these all need your signature."

"Thanks, just leave them there." I rubbed my temples. These days, I’d been deliberately overwhelming myself with work to avoid letting my mind wander, often staying late at the office.

Keeping busy was the only way to banish a certain face from my thoughts—a face that was proving even more persistent than Ethan’s had ever been.

"You seem exhausted. You should rest, or Mr. Lancaster will certainly be upset," Kane said with concern.

"Grandfather hasn’t seen me lately. Don’t tell him anything—just say I’m doing fine." The last thing I wanted was to worry him.

Kane nodded, then added, "By the way, the phone’s been ringing off the hook. Many people want to meet with you. I’ve compiled a list of companies—see if any interest you?"

"None. I don’t want to meet anyone. Go in my place and tell them I’m unavailable."

"Also, ME Corporation is asking. Since the meeting fell through last time, the CEO’s office personally inquired when you might be available to reschedule."

ME Corporation! Just hearing the name made my heart race. Damien was definitely doing this intentionally.

"No, absolutely not!" I refused immediately.

But then I realized my abrupt rejection might reveal too much. Wouldn’t that make it obvious I had something to hide?

"Wait," I called out to Kane. "Actually, go ahead and schedule it. But either you go or ask Elena to pretend to be me. I’ll attend as your assistant."

This way, I could reinforce my cover as just an ordinary employee at Lancaster Corporation. Otherwise, Damien would surely suspect I was the Lancaster heiress.

Though Kane seemed confused by my request, he nodded. "Alright."

Just before the end of the workday, I received a call from Grace.

"Victoria, are you free tonight? Let’s have dinner together," she suggested cheerfully.

"Sure, what do you feel like eating? My treat," I agreed.

"I’ll book a restaurant and text you the address!" Grace replied energetically.

"Perfect!"

After finishing my work, I headed to meet Grace. The restaurant she’d chosen was a popular place, but she’d booked too late to secure a private room.

When I arrived, Grace was already there, waving at me. "Victoria! Over here!"

I sat down across from her. "Have you ordered yet? What would you like?"

Grace handed me the menu. "I’ve ordered two dishes. See if there’s anything else you want."

After ordering, we chatted about recent events while waiting for our food. I was busy with the company, and Grace was preparing for a fashion show. When the food arrived, she ate ravenously, as though she hadn’t eaten in days.

"I’m starving! Victoria, you have no idea—I’ve barely eaten these past few days. I’m absolutely famished!" she exclaimed between bites.

I placed more food on her plate. "Eat more then. You look like you’ve lost weight."

"Really? Then I definitely need to replenish," she said, continuing to eat.

Between mouthfuls, she couldn’t resist gossiping: "Have you seen all that stuff online about Scarlett and Ethan?"

"I haven’t really looked. It’s not my concern anymore," I replied.

"Well, I’ve seen it. People are tearing them apart, and I joined in to call him the cheating bastard he is!" she said with satisfaction.

I laughed. "You barely have time to eat, yet you find time to gossip online?"

Grace grinned. "It’s such big news that all the girls at our company are talking about it. I just took the opportunity to add my two cents."

"Next time, use that time to eat instead. Don’t starve yourself," I advised.

"I know, I know. So, what’s going on with you and Damien?" Grace asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"N-nothing..." Just mentioning Damien’s name made me stutter.

"Nothing? Then why is your face suddenly red? Something’s definitely happening between you two. Are you hiding something from me?" she pressed.

"Really, there’s nothing!" Yet merely thinking about Damien brought back memories of his kiss, his hot breath, and that distinctive woody scent that was uniquely his—all flooding my mind.

I quickly changed the subject. "Ethan turned out to be terrible. What if Damien is even worse? Anyway, let’s eat!"

Grace nodded in agreement.

As we continued eating, an unwelcome figure suddenly rushed toward our table. "Victoria!" The voice was filled with rage and resentment, and she smashed the plate in front of me.

It was none other than Sophia Smith.

"What is wrong with you?" I stared at Sophia, who was acting like a lunatic, immediately destroying things upon arrival.

"It’s all your fault!" Sophia shouted. "I was finally recognized by the professor and joined the project team, but you got me thrown in jail! Now I’ve been kicked out of the project. This is all your doing!"

Her eyes were bloodshot, like a fire-breathing dragon.

I found her accusation absurd. "What does your professor kicking you out have to do with me? You went to jail because you broke the law. If you hadn’t done that, who could have sent you there?"

My reasoning was sound, but Sophia wasn’t listening. "It’s all your fault! Scarlett was trying to set you up. Why didn’t you go after her instead of targeting me? Why did I have to spend days in that police station?"

Her logic was so twisted, I couldn’t help but laugh. "Scarlett used you—a fool—to get to me. Why aren’t you confronting her instead? Ethan and Scarlett never cared about you. Even if you committed murder for her, she wouldn’t save you. Look at Scarlett—she didn’t spend a single day in jail, did she?"