"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."
"Please, forgive me. I thought you changed a lot lately because of another man, honey." Alden touched and rubbed Victoria's hand that was on the table. Victoria was still unmoved, not even glancing at Alden, who begged her to apologize after the reason she said. At first, she was very lazy with this time-consuming date. However, seeing this man pleading in her charade was quite entertaining. "Honey..." Alden coaxed once again gently. "I'm a little offended that you don't trust me, Alden." "I'm really sorry. You were right, and I was wrong. I did that because I was afraid of losing you, honey." How sweet the words coming out of the man's mouth would be if Victoria didn't already know the truth. After knowing how Alden had behaved behind her back all this time, those words were nothing more than vomit coming out of the mouth of an asshole. 'You're just afraid of losing my money, aren't you, jerk?!' Victoria cursed inwardly. This time, Victoria turned her head, turning
"What are you arguing about that your voices can be heard downstairs?!" Rosalee walked in and scolded them both. "Mom, Victoria-" "Emberly, your father just got home. Don't let this fight upset him!" she snapped at Emberly, who was about to complain. "And you, Victoria, you're older. Don't yell back at your sister. Solve your problems with maturity!" Rosalee took turns blaming everything on Victoria. "I just got home too, and want to rest. Please tell your daughter to come out now, and she can continue this drama tomorrow." Victoria replied to Rosalee, blaming Emberly for starting this fight. "You only have to answer to me, Victoria!" retorted Emberly irritably. "Emberly, get out now!" Rosalee, who had no more power to corner Victoria, relented and ordered her daughter out. Since her mother said it, Emberly couldn't argue anymore. However, the glare in those piercing eyes could not lie about her frustration that was still mounting. She exited, followed by Rosalee,
"What nonsense are you talking about, Alden?" asked Emberly, increasingly confused. "No way! It would be more likely if she were also in a relationship with another man. And that would be Maverick Hurlington, I'm sure, because he-" "She only took the earrings that he found. That's why she went there!" Alden cut in. "You believe that ridiculous reason, especially a cold man like Maverick Hurlington?!" snapped Emberly irritably, finding Alden's answer ridiculous. "I believe because it's a piece of jewelry her mother left her, but I wouldn't expect him to take an interest in Victoria." "While he's being set up with you," he muttered. "What?! What do you mean I will be set up with Maverick Hurlington?!" Emberly, who heard it, asked in a high tone. "I heard it from Victoria herself when we were on our date yesterday. She already knew about your and Maverick Hurlington's engagement plan, Emberly. That's why she has changed lately, and she is not jealous of you anymore." Alde
"Verick, are you trying to get us into trouble?!" Victoria ignored her husband's question and turned to scold him for nearly hurting her head. Just like his wife, as if he didn't care about her anger, Maverick ignored her as well and kept demanding answers. "What are your plans for meeting him?!" "What's wrong with you? Just because I met him, what are you angry about?! We're only on contract, in case you forgot!" In a fit of rage, Victoria didn't think about her words and raised her tone of voice while pointing at Maverick. It was then that Maverick fell silent, no longer replying to her argument as if he had woken up. A few seconds of silence filled inside the car. Although they were quiet with each other, the atmosphere was still so intense due to the emotions of their respective egos. The eyes that stared intently at Victoria still hadn't changed. He then got out of the car without saying anything and slammed the door. After Maverick's departure, Victoria sighed deeply. She
"Victoria, who is he?" asked James, who was just watching while holding Maverick."Mr. Benedict." Maverick stared intently at the man in front of him as if he were ready to beat him up at any moment.Before Victoria could speak up to answer, Nadine spoke first. "Wait, wait, isn't he that very famous person? A shameless cheater? He's your ex-fiancé, right, Victoria?"Victoria nodded once in response, which made Nadine turn her attention to Alden. The woman also put her body in front of Victoria, just like Maverick, who was ready to hit him at any time."What business do you have with Victoria? As Verick said, you guys are no longer related to each other!""Babe..." James pulled his fiancée, making her shut up to let Victoria speak and end this situation."I have something to tell you, Victoria." Alden's words suddenly made Maverick look even more furious. He looked like he couldn't control himself and could have hit Alden anytime without Victoria holding him back. "There's no need to t
"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
"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
"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
"How are you feeling, Victoria?" Victoria felt a cold sweat starting to break out on her back. Without answering, she only stared straight at the couple as they entered the car and drove away. She thought the question indicated Maverick's desire to know her true feelings for him. 'Does he already know?' She continued to question in her head in desperate fear. 'Then what will happen afterwards?' "Tori..." His soft voice broke the silence in the car. Maverick turned off the car engine that had been running. He pulled Victoria's face suddenly, making her put on a surprised expression so she couldn't resist. "Verick, I..." Her words only reached her throat. She could not express her feelings right now, which could break their contract. "Look at me and answer the question," he said in a commanding tone as if reluctant to be contradicted. "I don't know, Verick." Slowly, she said it without looking at the pair of eyes before her. A long silence followed again, and out of curiosity, V
After Victoria's departure, Gustav had not yet risen from his seat. He watched his best friend's husband sharply and cautiously as if he were very wary of him. Likewise, Maverick did not let Gustav go for a second, as if they were in a staring contest. No one wanted to give in first. "I warned you not to overreact, Hurlington! You're nothing more than a contract husband written on paper." Gustav attacked him first with his sharp words. "I know what I'm doing, Alessandro. We did it for both of our businesses. Instead of warning me, you should have supported her if you were her friend." Maverick replied indifferently to the warning. "I know your business, and that's more than enough!" he exclaimed. "Are you jealous of me and Victoria?" Maverick asked back while furrowing his eyebrows. "Ha!" Gustav snorted harshly and looked away. He looked back at Maverick with both hands, intent on grabbing his shirt collar. However, he decided against it. "I already think of her as my own
"So, may I dance with you, My lady?" Victoria smiled amusedly but couldn't resist accepting her husband's hand. Maverick pulled her hand until they joined the other couples on the dance floor. He swung around her waist and danced in time with the soft music. "You're gorgeous tonight," Maverick complimented, which inevitably caused a reaction on Victoria's cheeks. Luckily, her cheeks were covered with enough blush color to look natural. "Thank you for telling me, husband," she replied confidently. Victoria was again trying to control her heart rate, which had been going crazy since the dance started, with their bodies pressed together. She also had to keep reminding herself that his every gesture, compliment, and treatment of her was just an act. The feelings that shouldn't be there grew with each passing day due to this charade. No wonder Maverick's treatment seemed so natural, even when it was just the two. Until now, when they were attending Agriche's company birthday
Meanwhile, Lisa and Maverick's conversation also moved to the living room after Victoria left with Karina. Scout came in with a dessert menu for the two of them. "Bring some to Karina's room for both of them," Lisa ordered Scout. "Yes, Ma'am." Once again, it was just Maverick and Lisa sitting with their respective glasses of champagne. Lisa didn't look as excited as when Victoria was with her. Nor did she bother to show her enthusiasm in front of her grandson, who was busy with his phone and presumably at work. "I see your moves this time are quite aggressive, Verick. Especially in your competition against one of the competitors, Benedict. Is it because of your personal feelings regarding Victoria?" Lisa started the conversation, filling the silence between them without distraction. "One of them, yes," Maverick answered quickly and without hesitation, also without looking at Lisa. But that time, his answer distracted Lisa. She looked at her grandson with a twinkle tha