Back then, she didn't explain anything and just resolutely canceled the wedding. The Marquez family and Lawson family had been connected for a long time, but what Victoria did apparently harmed the relationship. Her father, Desmond Marquez, was so furious that he didn't speak with her for a year. He even was more disappointed when she gave birth to this child.
As her stepmother, Grace Marquez, and her half-sister, Kaylin, kept talking bad things about Victoria around her father, their relationship became even worse. What Grace and Kaylin said made Desmond believe that Victoria didn't live a decent life.
During the five years she was away, time had finally calmed Desmond down. Recently, Victoria would occasionally send him photos of herself and Franklin.
Three days ago, Desmond fell ill, so he gave Victoria a call and told her to bring Franklin home as well.
After living abroad for five years, Victoria had moved on from what happened five years ago. Now, what she only cared about in her life was Franklin. As for the past, it was already in the past.
The taxi drove them to the Marquez's from the airport.
Standing at the entrance of the Marquez's luxurious mansion, Victoria took a deep breath. She lost her family the moment her mother passed away.
Grace brought Kaylin to this house in an imposing manner. The news that her father had an illegitimate child was revealed three months after Desmond got married to Victoria's mother.
She used to blame her father and struggled a lot, but now that her mother had passed away, she decided to let it all go.
As the daughter, she could do nothing to interfere with her father's marriage.
However, in this family, she gradually became an outsider.
"Mommy... What are you thinking about?" A childish voice sounded by her side. Victoria was drawn back from her thoughts. She then stepped down to tidy up Franklin's hood and said with a smile, "Remember to be polite, OK?"
"Sure!" Franklin's lips curved into a smile.
His two large eyes, like sparkling stars, were so beautiful that people couldn't move their eyes away from them. Since Victoria gave birth to Franklin, she decided to let go of her grudge against that bastard. Franklin grew more and more handsome, but his facial features didn't resemble hers.
She surely knew what that meant.
However, no matter who the father was, she knew that Franklin was her kid. As for that bastard, she didn't wanna see him for the rest of her life.
Victoria stood up and rang the bell. Not long later, the servant opened the door and said in surprise, "Ms. Victoria Marquez, you're finally back. This must be your son! He's so pretty."
"Is Dad home?"
"Yes, he is. Mrs. Marquez and Ms. Kaylin Marquez, are also here." The smile on the servant's face looked unnatural.
Victoria didn't care about Grace or Kaylin. She was here only to visit Desmond and show him Franklin.
When Victoria led the little guy in, Desmond Marquez was making tea on the sofa in the hall. As he looked up and saw Victoria and Franklin, he put down his teacup and stood up in a hurry.
"Dad, I'm back," Victoria immediately greeted her father. She had to put their conflicts aside because they were still family.
"I'm happy that you're back." Desmond looked at her eldest daughter, who was becoming more and more beautiful. His gaze partly rested on the little boy beside her.
In the photos, he already knew what his grandson looked like, but he was still excited when he saw such a cute and handsome boy in reality.
"You must be Franklin, right?"
"Hello, Grandpa." Franklin bowed and addressed his grandfather politely.
"Come here and let me have a good look." Desmond felt warmed.
The little guy immediately jumped into Desmond's arms. Desmond gave him a hug and began to carefully look up and down at him. He then complacently raised his eyebrows.
"He has my eyebrows."
Victoria wanted to roll her eyes at Desmond. She looked at Desmond's eyebrows and then looked at Franklin's. They didn't resemble at all. However, she couldn't help but smile.She was delighted because Desmond loved Franklin.In front of the handrail on the second floor, Grace and Kaylin were looking at the scene. Both of them flashed resentment and regret in their eyes. Grace snorted unhappily as she saw the loving scene between Desmond and Franklin."You have already come back! I thought you were going to arrive in the afternoon!" Grace pretended to welcome Victoria's arrival as she walked downstairs."Grace." Victoria greeted Grace, nothing more than out of politeness. When her eyes fell on Kaylin, her face turned even more indifferent."He's so cute." Grace had to act like a hostess in front of her husband. When she sat down and reached out for Franklin, Victoria immediately felt tensed up. She was afraid that Grace would hurt Franklin in the dark.Anyway, she knew very well how w
Victoria thought that she would no longer feel heartache for Austin, but she was wrong. At that moment, she felt that it was difficult to breathe as if her heart were clenched by a hand.She still cared about him because Austin had been in her heart for so long, and she had loved him so deeply. She still had feelings for him even after five years."You should know about the Lawsons' current position and wealth. That's the height you can only look up to, and I'll become Austin's wife. People will envy me." Kaylin smiled even more complacently.Grace pretended to be annoyed as she looked at Kaylin."Why are you telling her this? Right now, the Lawson family has no relationship with her any longer. They still have a grudge against her for running away from the wedding!"Victoria looked at the two hypocritical women as they bragged about their relationship with the Lawson family. The Lawson family was indeed one of the richest families in the country. Even the Marquez family wouldn't be a
"Godmother, what do you mean?" Franklin was puzzled.Victoria glared at Betty and warned, "You're not allowed to misguide my son. It means that you are handsome and good-looking. That's why Betty thinks that there will definitely be a large group of girls around like you in the future.""I don't want them! I only want Mommy."Betty giggled and asked, "What about me? You don't want me anymore?"Franklin quickly put his arms around her neck."I want you, too!"Betty was satisfied."That's my boy!"When Victoria was cooking in the kitchen, Betty crossed her arms and was about to speak to Victoria in private.Franklin was holding a remote control of the TV, looking for his favorite channel, but suddenly he stopped and heard a host's standard news voice saying, "We are waiting for you with special skills. As long as you are no younger than four years old and have a skill, you can come to the competition. We will be waiting here for your talented child to shine on the stage. We are also loo
Victoria smiled and touched his little head."Of course, I agree with it! This is a good opportunity for you to be emboldened in the stage. Besides, I believe you'll definitely be able to do it.""Yes, I won't let you down. I'll definitely take the first prize so that you'll be proud." Franklin grinned, his large watery black eyes flickering with mischief.He hadn't thought that it would be done so easily.Victoria thought that it was good that Franklin was willing to participate in the competition. It could not only show his ability but also let him be more confident and energetic. He could also become more courageous. After dinner, Victoria borrowed a car from Betty and brought Franklin to register at the Children's Channel station. Betty wanted to go, but given her job, she had to wait at home for news.Victoria signed up for Franklin. Franklin was a competitor for playing the piano, so he had to pass a few piano contests first. His small hands were still plump. However, when they
Franklin naturally entered the final, and there were only eight contestants left. Half of them would fail in the finals. The songs chosen by Franklin always attracted the audience, and they exclaimed in admiration. In the end, he stood on the last final's stage.On that day, Victoria was also quite nervous. However, she only calmly told Franklin to try his best. The first prize didn't matter that much. What did was to stay calm and face the challenge. After these matches, he had already become more and more famous and many people predicted that he would get the first prize.Betty set her job aside for Franklin's big moments. She followed Franklin every day, going to watch all his contests.In the last final, Victoria had invited Desmond over, who was proud to see how outstanding his grandson was. In the past, her daughter had a talent for playing piano. After he had sent her daughter to study the piano, she had become more like an artist.During these years, Victoria earned her salary
"Is that the best you can do? Why are you enchanted by such a little guy?" A very handsome boy stared at a young girl in pajamas."I love him so much. He's my little idol. What matters most is that he looks just like you! Look at you two! Oh, no! No, no. You're not as handsome as him! "The girl belittled her brother."How could it be?" The boy was unconvinced. He was extremely confident in his appearance."Alas, it's about to start. Sit down and watch the last final with me." The girl pushed her brother onto the sofa and took out the snacks she had prepared."You are always eating these snacks. No wonder you got fat.""You're the fat one! I have a standard figure." the young girl retorted unhappily.No one could shame her body!"You're fifteen years old now, but you're less than 5 feet. Don't you feel ashamed? I'm five foot eleven." The boy was being mean."I'm still growing, maybe a bit slowly. The genes in our family determine that my height will definitely reach at least five foot
Finally, Franklin appeared on stage. He walked to the center calmly and politely bent down towards thousands of spectators. His face was magnified to the entire screen so that everyone could see him.The audience took in a deep breath. What an excellent child!What kind of person could give birth to such a child?Desmond's eyes were filled with tears as he watched Franklin's performance. He truly felt proud. It had been long since he had such a feeling.Grace and Kaylin looked at each other, resentment surging within them. This was a child born out of wedlock, but how could he be so talented? Even if Victoria worked in the piano industry, she still couldn't have been able to teach such a young child to play the piano that well!Moreover! Kaylin looked at the child's face.'He doesn't look like Victoria at all. Can his father also be very handsome?' Kaylin was jealous. But at the same time, she also sneered coldly. 'How can it be?''Maybe he only looks good now. Once he grows up, he'll
When the host was to announce who would be the champion, the four children on stage were already quite excited. They embraced each other, and then the host had Franklin stay behind because he was the champion.At this time, Betty immediately ran over to send flowers to Franklin. Although she walked away quickly, the media still caught sight of her. This little child was indeed not simple as they imaged, even the one who sent flowers to him was an A-list actress.The little guy quickly kissed his godmother's face and then held the host's hand, walking to the center of the stage.The host squatted down and looked at him at the equal level with great respect. He smiled and asked, "Franklin, do you have any feelings you want to share with everyone now?""Sir, can I borrow your microphone?" Franklin asked politely."Of course, but I will let someone give you a microphone. You can say whatever you want on stage.""Ok!"On the nearby stage, Victoria and Betty looked at each other. They never
"Test him? Why?" Victoria did not understand.Roderick also understood that she was a small fry in the business world. He patted her shoulder and said, "I'll tell you about it when we get into the car."After getting into Roderick's car, with the windows tightly closed, Roderick turned to Victoria, who was still waiting for his reply."I suspect that the testament in Yves's hands, you do not get fifty percent of the Marquez Group's shares!" Roderick said directly.Victoria couldn't help but gasp, "Why?""I think that when your father was alive, he did not have any last will, but instead the testament was made after his death. And it was the last will that Grace and Yves formed together. If I'm not wrong, you can't even get any share of the Marquez Group!" Roderick had to give her some preventive measures to prepare her heart.Victoria's face immediately turned pale. If the testament were made by her father after his death, wouldn't the Marquez Group have fallen into Grace's hands? Cou
The morning light was exceptionally bright, as if it was a huge golden crack that split the sky, tearing through the gray sky bit by bit, illuminating the land.Victoria opened her eyes. A ray of sunlight had just pierced into her eyes, causing her to quickly close her eyes, and for the past few days, she had been crying too much, causing her eyes to be dry and sensitive. At this time, a large palm covered her eyelashes in an extremely considerate manner, preventing the sunlight from shining into her eyes again.On Roderick's warm palm, he could feel her long eyelashes blink, and lightly brush the skin on his palm as if it were made of feathers. This made the corner of his sexy mouth hooked up.He pulled up a thin layer of curtains, blocking out the sun and leaving the room in a warm room.Victoria gently blinked her eyes, and after two more blinks, her eyes became clear and bright, as though they were twinkling in stars. Roderick really loved her eyes, when she cried, it made people'
Bryson looked at her and sneered, "It's only now that you know to guard against me, don't you think it's too late?"Betty stared at him, and before long, her pretty face turned pale, "You can't do this, bastard!""Why? Don't you like a bastard?" Bryson continued to refute."You ... To me, I would never like a bastard. I like a gentleman." Betty retorted in an even worse tone.Bryson squinted, in the dark carriage, his eyes were still as sharp as ever, "So, you have a man you like?"Theobald's face appeared in Betty's mind, she thought, "I don't like him, I just admire him! Because he really fits her bill."When she raised her eyebrows she immediately blurted out, "Yes!"Bryson's face looked especially tense and unsightly under the dim blue light. He never thought that this woman would actually have a man he liked."Who is he?""There's no need to tell you!" Betty smirked.Bryson suddenly stepped on the brakes, causing Betty's body to fiercely lean forward. She immediately turned her h
Roderick station is in mourning hall who get attention greatly, have a few come to the business circles personage, come over at once and he dozen a greeting.There were a few business people who came to greet him as a form of courtesy to the CEO of the Arnold Group. Roderick bowed in return, and he stood there, just to accompany Victoria.Austin and his father had arrived at the very last moment, and Austin felt sorry for her.She had Roderick, who never left her side, accompanying her father.Grace sobbed uncontrollably under the condolences of some business partners several times. This caused Victoria to feel extremely disgusted, as her father did not need her to cry like this.After releasing a string of firecrackers in the afternoon, Kaylin took Desmond's portrait and carried his ashes to a black carriage to be buried. Victoria had not been by Desmond's side for many years already, so she did not even know where the tomb he bought was.Roderick sat on the car with Bryson.When the
In the evening, Roderick and Victoria returned together. Roderick did not tell Victoria about the lawyer because she had borne enough pain now.That night, Victoria did not let Betty come over again to take care of her because Betty was also tired last night.That night, after Roderick finished showering, he came to her room wearing a set of casual pajamas. At this time, Victoria did not refuse to accompany him at all.Lightly caressed her brows and eyes a few times, wanting to help her calm down. He also lightly patted her shoulders to coax her to enter an even deeper sleep.Early in the morning, when Betty was still sleeping, a phone call woke her up. She picked it up to see that it was again Lola, and her head was spinning. She really wasn't in the mood to go."Hello, Sister Lola, didn't I say I wanted you to help me put it off?""There's no need to push it now. You can rest for a few more days. The official announcement just now said that this episode would be delayed for another
"Then why did he go to the hospital that day? Did he faint in his office?""No, when we went to the hospital that day, it was your father who decided to go. He probably wanted to know how bad his condition was as well! That afternoon, he signed too many documents, sat for too long, and he was a little dizzy when he stood up. Only then did he get a little worried, and said that he was going to the hospital for an examination.""In other words, before my father went to the hospital, his condition was still considered stable!" Victoria asked carefully."No! There have been signs of a rebound in the company's performance recently. Mr. Marquez was even relieved and didn't get any work stimulation. I have always been by his side.""Then there's nothing wrong with his medicine, right?""The medicine is fine, every time I pour it for him, it's always those pills the doctor gave him.""It's those pills that Doctor Clare prescribed.""And then? Did you see my father faint that afternoon?""No!
Inside the master bedroom, Roderick was also not asleep. He sat in front of the French window, and looked up at the stars in the night sky. His handsome face had been shrouded in a layer of mysterious shadow.He agreed with Victoria that Desmond must have been doing his best to say something before he died. As he pointed his hand to Grace, it was sure that Grace was related to Desmond's death.If he wanted to resolve the knot in Victoria's heart, he must investigate this matter clearly as soon as possible and give Desmond justice.He called Carson. Although it was early in the morning, Carson quickly picked it up. "Hello, Mr. Arnold, did something happen?""Tomorrow morning, contact the law firm of the Marquez Group for me. Tell them that I want to cooperate with them." Roderick ordered.Carson did not waste much time, he directly answered, "Okay! I'll ask the person in charge to come and see you tomorrow morning."After hanging up the phone, the corner of Roderick's mouth curled up i
An hour later, Roderick went upstairs and gently knocked on Victoria's room. The sadness on Victoria's face was still very obvious, but it seemed that her emotions had stabilized. Betty looked at her with eyes filled with sadness and grievance."Come down!" Roderick said to them."Alright, we'll be right down." Betty replied.Victoria's eyes were red and swollen from crying, she only raised them slightly, not looking at Roderick as Roderick gently closed the door.Betty got up and went into the bathroom, bringing a warm towel out. She gently lifted Victoria's face, and used a towel to wipe the tears off her face. Victoria closed her eyes, her eyes were red and swollen, her face was pale, and she looked extremely haggard."Victoria, we can secretly investigate your father's death, but now, you have to think about your own body! Franklin needs you." Betty explained to her.Victoria and Betty had chatted for an hour, she had vented her sorrow. She hated Grace, and she felt unworthy for h
Along the way back to Roderick's villa, Victoria continued to be silent, and it was unknown what she was thinking. When they arrived, the first thing Roderick wanted to do was to contact his good friend Bryson, and then ask him to contact Betty, so that she could console and comfort Victoria.As a close friend, she definitely knew how to let Victoria vent the grief in her heart.Roderick stood outside the courtyard and called Bryson."Hey! Roderick, you've returned back?" Bryson asked directly.He would have known that Roderick was abroad, but it was not because Roderick disclosed it to him, but because he got it from his brother Lennon. Because his brother was concerned about his female student, Cassie."Yes! We returned home. Today Victoria's father passed away, and do you have Betty's number? Take her over to comfort Victoria. She's very sad right now." Roderick's voice was somewhat heavy and hoarse.Bryson's tone became more serious, "I have her number, I'll contact her right now