When her husband died, Victoria Darlington was left with his cigar and distillery business to run. During this time, a man who claimed himself as a former friend of her husband entered her life and dragged her into a world of danger. Octavian Carlson is a mafia boss with a plan to overtake the business by seducing Victoria, only to find out later he has fallen for the charming widow. With preying eyes from all sides and his dark background, they struggle to maintain their power and forbidden feelings. How will this complicated relationship unfold? Read more to find out
view more"Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another."
-Ernest Hemingway-
***
“She is still so young, how pitiful.” Victoria heard those words being whispered by the people inside the funeral house.
She might have her vision forward as she walked down the aisle toward the casket to place the last bouquet before they closed it.
Still, she was not stupid. She knew exactly what these people were thinking.
“She must be so happy right now since they have no children. All his money are going to her.” Some whispered.
“I heard he died from respiratory failure. Do you think she has something to do with it? I don’t know. If I married a man like that I would pray he die soon so I could get control of his asset.” Another one said.
“She is still in her thirties isn’t she? The age gap between them is insane. She must have married him for his money.” More whispers were heard.
Victoria could only hold her breath together and pretended not to hear those people. She gently placed the bouquet on his chest while staring at her husband’s face for a few seconds.
She must have appeared heartless to them. She did not even cry as she walked away to return to her seat.
They had no idea. She had cried so much when she found him dead on the bed for the first time two days ago. She had no tears left to cry at the moment.
The priest started the ceremony before they finally buried him. The only person sitting beside her was her best friend, Liana.
The only person who understood her and knew how much she actually loved Wilfred, her husband, before he died.
“Don’t listen to them, Victoria. Those people are just jealous of you. They have no idea what’s going on behind the curtain. Let’s just focus on yourself, okay?” She gently advised.
“Thank you, Liana. I’m fine. I’m used to it.” She forced herself to smile a little even though she did not feel like it. Those mockeries, it wasn’t something new to her. After all, a lot of the things they said were true.
Between her and her former husband, Wilfred Darlington, there was quite the age gap. Twelve years to be exact.
Right before they got married, she was just a young pianist while he was already a successful businessman.
Their relationship was seen as strange by many. He had never been married before and they always thought he would never. Then she suddenly appeared. This unknown woman from an ordinary background. Nobody took it seriously.
They all thought she was just a young gold digger, although she was twenty-eight when she married him and he was forty.
Ever since her marriage, she had stayed out of the limelight and enjoyed a comfortable life under her husband’s wealth.
Everything went well until two days ago. That morning, she woke up and found him dead. They checked him before the funeral and stated he had died from respiratory failure.
He had a long history of smoking, so it made sense. Yet people were still suspicious of her, thinking she had done something to him to seize his asset.
However, she was not paying attention to any of that. The pain inside her heart was far greater than the gossips.
“You know, Liana. Wilfred was the only man who had ever treated me like a princess. You know how both of us grew up. You know the horrible nightmares we had to go through to even have a little bit of comfort in our life." She paused.
"When Wilfred came to my life, I started to know what true happiness feels like. But now he’s gone, Liana. He’s gone forever.”
A drop of tear fell from her eyes and Liana quickly pulled her in for a hug.
“I know, Victoria. I was with you since the beginning. I know.” She cried along with her.
Victoria had no idea, that during this time, she was being watched by a pair of piercing blue eyes who was watching her every move.
Once the funeral was truly over, Victoria thanked everyone who came and planned on heading home herself. However, she was suddenly approached by a gentleman.
“My condolences, Mrs. Darlington.” The man spoke. His voice was deep and a bit husky. Victoria had never met him prior to this. Judging from the way he was dressed alone, she could tell he was a man of importance.
Wilfred had some important friends and business partners. Some, he had introduced to her in the past, but she had never seen this one before.
He was tall, with straight, combed back dark brown hair. His skin was tan but not too tan. He was tall, around 6’0” at least and had broad shoulders.
However, what stood out the most to her was his piercing blue eyes. They were electric and magnetic. His lashes were also quite long. Victoria almost got distracted by them.
“Thank you.” She thanked him, thinking he would just go away after this, but he didn’t. Instead, he introduced himself.
“My name is Octavian, Octavian Carlson. I used to be a good friend of your late husband, Wilfred when he was still alive. I feel his loss as much as you do. Before he passed away, he asked me to take care of you in case something happens to him. That’s why, if you do not mind, I would like to give you my card and number.” He pulled out a piece of card from his pocket and handed it over to her. Victoria simply looked at him as if he was crazy and refused.
“No, thank you. I don’t like receiving help from strangers.” She simply knew that nothing in the world came for free. Besides, no one could testify his statement. Wilfred might have never said anything to him and he was probably using it as an excuse.
Not to mention, he was handsome. If there was anything she had learnt about handsome men, it’s the fact that they are usually problematic.
“Please, at least accept the card.” He insisted. His voice sounded a little bit darker than before. Looked like he was a man who was not used to hearing no.
She stared at him for a few seconds and thought it was better to accept the card and got it all over with. She took it and thanked him before excusing herself.
As she walked away, Octavian stared at her from behind with a poker face. It was difficult to know what exactly he was thinking. Yet his gaze never left her until she was gone.
Once Victoria was out of sight, two men approached him.
“Boss, we have some business to attend.” The bald man spoke. Ian nodded and walked toward his car, on the way to attend his business.
“Victoria Darlington. You seem more interesting than I thought. Who exactly is the wife of Wilfred before she became a Darlington, I wonder?” He asked, feeling amused by his first close encounter with her.
“Seems like we will meet more often in the future.” He whispered.
“What is wrong with that man, who does he think he is?” Victoria murmured as soon as she reached the car. Victoria took a look at the business card. It seemed legit. She thought he was just another businessman who tried to take advantage of the situation.
A lot of people did, especially when they knew what happened. She thought there was no way she would believe what he said. Still, out of politeness, she decided to keep it anyway just in case.
“I pray to God I never have to meet that pushy man ever again!”
"There is always a choice, even if the alternatives don't appear to be equal."-Garth Nix-***After Darius rescued her, they were supposed to go to where Ian was. However, in the middle of running, Darius suddenly grabbed her hand and made her look at him in the eyes. The sudden gesture surprised Victoria.There was something in the man’s eyes. It was a deep longing and a little bit of pain in his eyes.“Darius, what are you doing?” She asked, confused.“We need to hurry back to Ian.” She continued.“Madame, I can’t live like this anymore. I can’t keep watching you get yourself in danger because of that man. You deserve better, Madame.” He finally admitted it directly to her face.“Darius, what do you mean by that? This isn’t the time for jokes. We have to get out of here.” She reminded him calmly.“I am being extremely serious right now. There are still things you don’t know about me, Madame, but if you want to, I can help you disappear. I can help us disappear.” He proposed.“What
"Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it." -Nicholas Sparks-***A month had passed since Victoria was kidnapped. They made a few adjustments after that day starting from the security and Ian had been quite brutal and launched several attacks on his enemies to ensure none of them could hurt Victoria.It had been a rather chaotic month and Victoria didn’t even go out that often except for work because she was worried for her own safety. But one day, she was getting sick and tired of it so she approached Ian with a sulking look. She told him,“I can’t do this anymore. I need to get out. I’ve been suffocating with this kind of life.” Ian who could understand her perfectly agreed.“Okay, I know I’ve been too strict with the security lately but it’s for your own good. However, I also know I can’t keep you all locked up so you know what? Let’s have a vacation.” And that was how she ended up on the private jet on her way to Athens, Greece.He booked a five-star resort in
"I belong to the people I love and they belong to me. They and the love and loyalty I give them, form my identity far more than any word or group ever could." -Veronica Roth- *** Victoria walked out of the building and rushed over to Ian side. When Ian saw her, he was relieved. Darren was baffled because he didn’t expect her to be out of the room so quickly. There was a man he had never met before, it was Darius following behind her with a huge gun on his hand to guard her so no one could shoot her as she approached Ian. Once she was safe in Ian’s arm, it was time for Ian and Victoria to flip the situation. “You have crossed your boundaries, Darren. You dared to kidnap my wife, my woman. You will be paying for it.” Without thinking twice, Ian pulled a gun and shot him. Even though Darren also had a few big men around him, none of them could protect him from Ian, who carried his own army of soldiers with him. It might seem to easy, but time slowed down for Victoria who witnessed
"Unexpected events can set you back or set you up. It's all a matter of perspective." -Mary Anne Radmacher- *** Victoria and Ian was attending a business party held by his associate. It was a grand party with a lot of guests, quite crowded but since the space was vast, it didn’t feel suffocating. Victoria was wearing a beautiful sapphire dress with silver crystal on the top part. It fit her curves perfectly. She was innately more of an introvert but since she was married with Ian, she made the attempt to keep up with him here and there. Since she was also in business, it wasn’t that difficult. But the long time spent with socializing was taking a toll on her. She needed some alone and quiet space from the hustle and bustle of the party. She headed to the bathroom and tried to gather her thought together. She washed her hand on the sink and reapplied her lipstick for the evening. The only thing on her mind was she wanted to go back home because she wasn’t feeling her absolute be
"Taking bold, focused action creates explosive results."-John Di Lemme-***A few months had passed since Victoria got married to Ian and she was slowly getting used to the married life again.A lot of things had happened and she was starting to see the difference and compared her current life with her old ones just as a self-analysis.During her first marriage, she was the youthful princess of the household and this time, she was the queen. It was definitely different, but it didn’t matter since she enjoyed both sides. Ian was a surprisingly gentle husband considering his personality.It was not something she would expect from him. The relationship between the two of them had indeed became a lot closer than before.As Victoria tried to keep an open mind about the relationship and did her best to understand Ian.They were already married anyway, what other choice did she have but to try and make it work?Darius had also been on his best behavior. He helped her a few times during work
"Nothing is more common than mutual dislike where mutual approbation is particularly expected."-Samuel Johnson-***“It’s a pleasure to meet you again. I almost couldn’t believe myself when Ian agreed to have dinner with me. It has been a long time.” Darren greeted them with a huge smile on his face. Victoria politely smiled back at him while Ian pulled her seat so she could sit down and then he sat down in between the two of them.“I appreciate your invitation but I believe we shouldn’t waste each other’s time as much. Tell me, what is the reason for this dinner. Surely you wouldn’t just invite us out on a good whim, would you?” Ian didn’t even bother to hide it. He could be a little impatient indeed.“I just thought maybe we could have a better relationship moving forward. Nothing wrong with rekindling with an old friend, now, is there?” The waiter came before they could make a reply and they made their order first before continuing with the conversation.“Sure, but I am sure that
"Schemes are like fruit, they require a certain ripening."-George R.R. Martin-***“What is this?” Ian asked when Lucas came with an invitation letter in his hand.“It’s from Darren Quinston. The man is inviting both you and Victoria to have dinner with him.” Lucas replied.“What? Why would he do something like this? That man has never reached out to me in the last few months.So why would he suddenly take interest in my business after I am married?” He questioned even though Ian already knew the answer deep down. Darren was definitely scheming something.Even though the two of them already made a treaty to stay out of each other’s business, something was definitely shifting in the time when Ian was busy with Victoria.It was something he couldn’t predict yet but he knew right away he needed to be careful about the way he handled this.One w
"The best romance is inside marriage. The finest love story comes after the wedding, not before."-Irving Stone-***Darius couldn’t sleep that night after the wedding day. His mind kept wandering toward Victoria and he wondered if she was doing the deeds with Ian at the moment in their hotel room.Just thinking about it was enough to drive him mad and he wasn’t even the reactive kind. He always managed to compose himself since it was all that was necessary, but this time, he found it difficult to just remain idle in his room.It was so difficult for him to suppress his feelings. He hated the thought of that man touching her.He couldn’t stand it, he decided to go to the balcony and pulled up a piece of cigarette and lit it up. He didn’t like smoking for the most part but this time he thought he definitely needed it.As he reflected back on what happened, he recalled on how beautiful she looked in her wedding dress. She looked like an angel. Victoria has always been beautiful but she
"All, everything I understand, I understand only because I love."-Leo Tolstoy-***Victoria was getting ready for her wedding day. She didn’t think she would end up getting married again so soon after Wilfred passed away, worse, to a man who wasn’t even an option for her in the first place. Someone she didn’t think she would want to spend the rest of her life with.Even though she had some feelings for him, she wouldn’t say she married Ian for love. However, she was not dreading the marriage as well because she knew all the technical aspect of it had been taken care of through the prenup.He had also agreed that her business would still remain with her so she didn’t have to worry about him trying to take over her business at all.He had hired an entire team of makeup artist, hair dresser and stylist to help her throughout the day, it reminded her of when she was married to Wilfred, only this time the pressure was so much less since the age gap between her and Ian wasn’t that much so
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