"Hey, by the way, isn't this where I proposed to you?" Maverick released their embrace and stared at the surroundings.Victoria blinked her eyes a few times while looking at Maverick with furrowed brows in confusion. She tried to dig into her memory to recall what her husband had said. However, no matter how much Victoria tried, she never felt that she was proposed to by the man other than having a conversation before they got married. Right after the plan to expose Alden and Emberly's affair succeeded."If you're talking about the day our first plan succeeded, I don't think it was a proposal," Victoria said with a chuckle.She stepped into the gazebo first, followed by her husband. He matched her slow pace until they sat on the same chair where they had chatted before they got married a few months ago. Time had unknowingly passed quite a while since the day they got married."You never proposed to me, but we'll talk about the same thing again in this place. So, is there a plan to expo
"Come on, Tori," said Maverick, who had unknowingly opened the car door for Victoria, who was still silent.Her eyes took in the surroundings of the place where they were now. Victoria followed where Maverick took her and waited obediently like a puppy when her husband left her to buy two entrance tickets."Well, now, let's go in." Maverick showed the tickets and again took her by the hand to enter the building.From the outside, the building was bright blue. When the two entered the building, the blue color became natural due to the reflection of the large glass filled with seawater. Maverick was right. Victoria loved this place. She stared in amazement at this place she was visiting for the first time. It was a large aquarium and a museum displaying various sea creatures."Do you like it?" asked Maverick, quietly watching his wife.Victoria turned to him and nodded with a smile. "Thank you for bringing me here.""Thankfully, my intention to entertain you did not fail," he said.His
"For someone coming to a place like this for the first time, I think they will like it. Just like me. The aquarium is wonderful and interesting, James," Victoria commented while talking about her opinion.Victoria didn't mean to curry favor or anything. She just liked the aesthetics and the efficient and sophisticated system. After all, neither James nor Nadine would think so since they knew how much richer the Agriche and Hurlington families were compared to them."Thank you, Victoria. I heard that the name of the hotel you lead is also experiencing a lot of progress and development." Victoria smiled a little at the news already reaching their fellow businessmen."I added some buildings without changing the concept. It was my mother's hotel, and my father didn't want any changes.""That's a great achievement in such a short time that an A-lister like Angel would hold a party at your hotel. I heard a while ago that the hotel was going bankrupt." Nadine chimed in, only to be responded
"Happy 22nd birthday, Emberly. Your dress tonight is so gorgeous. It makes you look like a fairytale princess."Victoria's gaze fell on her happy stepsister. She talked with her friends, who gave her gifts, took selfies, and congratulated her with their prayers. It wasn't long before Alden, Victoria’s fiancé, who seemed to have just arrived, joined them instead of meeting her first. Victoria stood nearby, watching them both interact with a glass of lemonade. "Happy birthday, my little sister-in-law," Alden said as he presented the rectangular gift he carried. Emberly, who had turned her attention to him, was surprised and smiled even wider when they locked eyes. Without hesitation, she hugged Victoria's fiancé and kissed his cheek. "I'm glad you came, Alden! I thought you wouldn't come."Alden's response showed no sign that he was uncomfortable with Emberly's behavior. Instead, he put his arm around her, brushed the top of her hair, and kissed her back.Victoria didn't see it once o
"This is your special gift, babe," Alden said, kissing Emberly’s forehead.Their bodies were so perfectly pressed together that each other's breathing could be felt. Their messy clothes gave away what had happened earlier, and it was not a normal conversation or interaction between sister and brothers-in-law—coupled with what Victoria had heard.Victoria was not too stupid to not know what was going on between them. Even so, her trust and love for Alden kept her in denial."What a liar! You kissed Victoria before too!" Emberly exclaimed as she smacked Alden lightly on the chest.The man laughed as if Emberly's jealousy-laden words were a joke. "You wouldn't believe my charade of loving your stepsister, would you?"Alden's confession pierced Victoria's deepest heart. It slowly made a wound that caused pain. Tears naturally produced and began to rush out of her eyelids. She covered her mouth to prevent any audible sobs. She could not move from here. Her legs were too weak to leave or go
"Good morning, Alden." Emberly opened the door and greeted Alden's arrival as she did intentionally every time the man came to pick up Victoria."Hi, morning, Emberly."Whenever Emberly did so, Victoria would feel upset and jealous. But this time, she stared indifferently at the two people walking to the dining table. She was no longer competitive or jealous of Emberly's attention-seeking behavior towards Alden.After last night's party, everything went back to normal except for Victoria, who couldn't go about her day as usual. She, who has learned the rotten secret of her fiancé, can’t behave normally anymore. While she was experiencing the pain of betrayal, the two perpetrators of this betrayal were chatting warmly in front of her as if they had no guilt.If it were Emberly, Victoria would have gotten used to her innocent yet cunning face. But Alden, whom she had known for five years, never thought he would betray her. She believed Alden was different from her friends, who would leav
"Mr. Hurlington told you to wait for him inside, Miss." A middle-aged woman dressed in full formal attire, who she guessed was the butler of this luxurious mansion, guided and informed Victoria.Victoria smiled and nodded as she expressed her gratitude. "Thank you very much."After the butler left, Victoria opened that sizeable wooden door. She entered and sat on the sofa in the room, which looked like her father's workroom at home. For a long time, Victoria waited in the room where she was bored. Until the wooden door finally opened again. This time, a man dressed in a full suit walked in."Good morning, Mr. Hurlington." Victoria naturally stood up and greeted the room's owner for her politeness. Maverick walked towards his desk after only a brief nod in response to Victoria's greeting. The man stood behind his desk, filling a shelf with matching dark blue folders. He picked up one of the folders and joined Victoria on the sofa. It seemed that the folder Maverick was carrying was th
"Didn't I tell you earlier?" asked Victoria, trying to remain calm. This young woman didn't let herself off the hook at all. After all, whatever she said later, Emberly would still find out she met Maverick. And that meant Alden would find out, too. A smile suddenly formed on her lips. "I'm slightly surprised and curious about what business you two could be sitting around talking about. Even my brother invited you to his mansion. I thought your life was so filled with your fiancé that you didn't make friends with anyone else." Victoria was silent when Karina seemed to have some misconceptions about her. She did not want to befriend the people around her because she had been used too often, coupled with Alden's existence, which she thought was enough, before knowing the truth about the man. However, Victoria felt no need to explain everything. More than that, Victoria did not understand Karina. "Anyway, I'm glad you visited Brother Verick's mansion so that I could meet you."