Yvette stared icily at Colette.Colette looked scared, but deep down, she was happy.She had said so much, and Yvette was finally reacting.Colette could see hope. It fueled her.She took out her phone and opened her photo gallery.Excitedly scrolling through the photos, she did not notice the shattered screen was cutting her hand.Droplets of blood stained the shattered screen of her phone.Colette did not even bother to check her wound. She used the back of her hand to wipe the blood off before passing her phone to Yvette.Initially, Yvette was not at all interested in looking at the photos, but her eyes fixed on the screen once she saw that they were photos of Benjamin.Colette said, "This was taken after 11:00 pm last night—it was almost midnight. When I came out of my classmate's room, I saw Benjamin leaving Victoria's room. Why was Benjamin with Victoria at that hour? Considering Benjamin's problem … surely Victoria had used some despicable means to seduce him!"Yvette
Even though Yvette said it with confidence, she was actually panicking.She had felt threatened and humiliated by the way Benjamin had treated Victoria—especially when Benjamin introduced Victoria as Mrs. Benjamin Harper in front of the scions of Youngville.Otherwise, Colette would not have been able to take advantage of Yvette now.That being said, a capable man like Ethan had also given in to the pressure and got engaged to Sienna.Was there a man who would not put power and authority first?Victoria was just a country bumpkin. She was uneducated and had a poor upbringing. She was even Zachary's fiancée. How could someone with such a tainted background become the matriarch of the Harper family?Upon remembering that, Yvette regained her confidence.She was not alone either.She had the support of the White family. There were also other families from Youngville who thought she would become Mrs. Benjamin Harper.Their common interests had long since tied them together.Even
The cocktail party was held at the hotel Victoria was staying at.Everyone else besides Victoria was staying there as well. Brighton's other student representatives, the expert judges invited by the college, Brighton's management executives, as well as Fortuna's team of representatives were all there.There were also scions from Youngville present.Louis had gotten Yves to book the hotel for the entire week. He did that when they decided to hold both the graduation ceremony and the showcase together.Most of the bigger hotels and entertainment businesses near Danube City Stadium had something to do with Yves. Even the stadium had been built by a construction company under Yves' name. It had won the project bidding.Louis knew something the others did not. The investor behind all Yves' projects was actually Benjamin.Both of them had an unusually close relationship, even financially. Plus, everyone thought Benjamin had a certain problem.Now and then, Yves would appear in enterta
Ginny was confident. She acted as if she were actually doing Victoria a favor by accepting her back into the family.Victoria's good mood was utterly ruined.Her gaze was cold. "So, you came here just to have a mother-daughter reunion with me? What about Colette?""Lettie has always been an obedient girl," Ginny declared. "She's very thoughtful of me and will listen to what I say. She won't have any problems with this."Ginny had originally wanted Victoria to learn from Colette. Victoria could learn to become an understanding daughter and could also help Colette out whenever the latter needed it.But then, Ginny recalled Victoria's temper as well as the conflict between Victoria and Colette, so she held herself back."Blood is thicker than water," Ginny insisted. "You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me. Isn't it normal for a mother and daughter to reunite? With the qualities you have, you can have your pick of wealthy young men from Youngville."But if you continue to go agai
Louis did not hold back at all. He pulled out his phone to make a call.Ginny did not expect him to humiliate her before these people instead of helping her.She was already dissatisfied with him in the first place. Plus, she just had a confrontation with Victoria. At that moment, anger built up within her.Springing up from her seat, she lunged forward to grab Louis' phone.Louis' hands were full with the things he bought for Victoria, and he could not avoid her. However, he did not seem to mind and did not even try to get his phone back."You're not calling anyone!" Glowering, Ginny hurled his phone on the floor to vent her anger.Her chest heaved as she wagged her finger at Louis and berated him. "Louis Langley, who do you think you are? What a jerk! Have you forgotten yourself?"You're just a dog taken in by the Warde family. You're nothing without us. Watch your attitude! I'm a member of the Warde family, and you're an ungrateful bastard!"Once I'm back in Youngville, I'll
Victoria was worried Louis would confront Benjamin. "I'm bold alright, but it depends on the situation. If I drive her out, how are we to proceed with the reception? It has nothing to do with Benjamin. But, wow, Mr. Langley. You've become so stern. I'm scared now."Louis was miffed, but he gave in and smiled. "You're just defending him."He answered Victoria's first question, "You rarely ask for clothes. I had to buy more, of course. Choose the one that catches your eye for today's event. When you're back in Youngville, you'll need the rest. I even bought matching shoes. Where should I put them?""Send them up."Benjamin stayed upstairs. Once the reception ended, Victoria planned to head back to Zion Estate with him.Though, on second thought, it did not seem appropriate.Benjamin was upset yesterday when she merely took her clothes out and said she needed to shower. He accused her of not treating him as a man.If she went to his room just to change …She had better not test hi
Guests started to arrive at 5:00 pm. The banquet began at 6:00 pm sharp.Victoria changed into the outfit and shoes Louis picked for her. After styling her hair and doing her makeup, she waited at the venue in advance.In ancient times, her beauty would have caused wars.Even though Victoria usually wore all black and went without makeup, she was already prettier than most.Now that she was all dressed up, her beauty stunned everyone, regardless of whether or not they knew her.Men were especially mesmerized by her.Victoria went to the Hall of Hope first. The guests there were this year's graduates and their parents.Many parents instructed their daughters to look up to Victoria as a role model. Some hinted at Victoria, both openly and subtly, to assist their children.The most ridiculous ones concerned themselves with her marriage. Quite a number of them took the opportunity to introduce their sons or relatives to her.Victoria remained in the ballroom for less than half an
Carefully and stealthily, Colette tailed Victoria and Louis.Still, they noticed her.A cold glint flashed across Louis' eyes.After giving Victoria a signal, he pulled out his phone and checked it. Then, he said, "I have a very important call. You go ahead."He looked around him before briskly walking into the stairwell.Colette glanced between Victoria and Louis. After a moment of dilemma, she decided to follow Louis.She found a suitable hiding spot and pressed her ears against the wall to eavesdrop.Soon, she heard Louis asking, "You're saying that the late Mr. Warde Senior owned some shares in Harper Corporation, and he left Ginny a part of it before he passed away? Oh, and five percent of Warde Corporation's shares as her wedding gift?"Alright, I got it. Don't let anyone else know about this."What? Ginny not only inherited Warde Corporation's shares, but also Harper Corporation's as well?Was it true? Judging by Louis' reaction, it had to be.Colette's eyes widened.
Victoria saw that Benjamin wasn't looking like he was kidding at all. She placed both of her hands on his chest and turned her head away when he leaned in to kiss her.She then pushed him away hard and changed the topic by saying, "I heard that Solomon was beaten up in his own house last night."Benjamin chuckled lowly and said, "There's no use changing the topic."As he was talking, he arched his neck and pressed his lips near Victoria's ear.Victoria's ears, especially her helix, were extremely sensitive. She subconsciously pulled her hands back and covered her ears with her palms.Benjamin took the chance to wrap his arms around Victoria's waist and pulled her close to him. His face was close to hers.Victoria could feel Benjamin's burning desire as she was pressed down onto his lap. She now knew better than to struggle.This was just shooting herself in the foot!It wasn't that she didn't know what he was like, but she just had to stir him up.Victoria felt uneasy when she
Victoria used her other hand to support her cheek as she blinked.She said, "How could someone who dislikes wasting words and unnecessary chatter nag endlessly over just a small wound?"Benjamin coldly asked, "Are you complaining that I'm long-winded and annoying now?"He looked aggrieved, as if he would be angry if Victoria were to answer "yes".Victoria laughed out loud again and replied, "I'm not!"She used her finger to poke at Benjamin's cheek.She was smiling when she asked, "Are you madly in love with me, Benjamin?"Benjamin looked at Victoria seriously as he crouched by her legs.If it was before this, he would've nodded and replied "of course" without hesitation. But now …Benjamin couldn't be as confident and sure when he recalled Wendy's previous words.Victoria didn't think much of it and took Benjamin's silence as affirmation.She continued, "I'm thinking that you're definitely madly in love with me. That is why you're so heartbroken and reacted abnormally even
"Where are we heading to now, Ben and Mrs. B? Why are the people here so weird? Why are they dressed up as if they're in a period drama?"What is this place? Why are the both of you here?"Yves was back to his lively self as soon as he got into the carriage. He started asking endless questions."You regained your memories now, Ben? I knew you'd never forget about Mrs. B no matter what. Even if you did, you'd definitely remember everything as soon as you saw Mrs. B!"Yves gushed on. It took him a good while to realize that Benjamin's expression had changed. Even the atmosphere in the carriage became strange.He asked, "Did I say something wrong?"Wendy laughed dryly and replied, "He's not as deeply in love with Victoria as you think he is. He didn't remember anything."Yves laughed awkwardly before pursing his lips.He started to butter Victoria up."How did you know Ben is here, Mrs. B? How did you find—"Victoria pursed her lips and glanced at Gwen who was driving in the fro
Yves stared at Anna. She started out mumbling, and her voice grew louder toward the end.He looked confused. "Ben, Mrs. B, what is she talking about?"He was sure she was speaking the same language but couldn't, for the life of him, understand what she meant.Upon listening to Anna, Wendy immediately felt she was too quick to agree to Yves' request because of the money. She wanted to push him aside.However, he was in a sorry state with his limp. His face was visibly thinner than before, and his eyes weren't as bright as they used to be. She found herself sympathizing with him.Victoria pressed her lips together, and her brows creased further.Benjamin turned to Silas. "Go and get Asher!"Anna didn't dial back on her arrogance. "Great idea. I'm looking for him, too."There was a horse race today, yet he locked me up in that cabin! I have a score to settle with him!"Victoria recalled Asher leaving the stables urgently during the day and had a hunch about what happened."If yo
Yves looked up with teary eyes and could vaguely make out Benjamin's sour face.He rubbed his eyes with all his might. Benjamin's face slowly became clear to him as his vision cleared."It's really you, Ben! Oh, Ben!"He was pleasantly surprised, as though he finally had someone to rely on. He teared up in excitement.The next moment, he became aggrieved again. He was just like a three-year-old who was bullied by a stray cat.He cried, "You're here, Ben. Why didn't you ask someone to look for me? You've no idea what I've experienced."I've been locked away in that shabby cabin and almost lost it. I miss you so freaking much!"Benjamin looked less sour now. He took out his handkerchief that he brought along wherever he went.He passed it to Yves, who had tears and snot all over his face. "Clean up. You're a grownup man, you know. Look at you."With one hand taking the handkerchief, Yves clung onto Victoria with the other.Benjamin stared at his hand that was holding onto her.
Asher felt his heart shatter. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I've already gifted it to someone else!"The person in charge felt his heart ache, too. "I wanted to inform you when you arrived, but you told me to talk to you after the race."You've always said that horse has a character and that you like it, no? I never expected you to give it away."Who did you give it to? Could you, perhaps, buy it back from him?"Asher was dispirited. "I can't."He waved it off and continued, "Forget about it. It belongs to someone else now."I'd been obliging to its every wish for all the time it had been here. Still, it never obeyed me."It's intelligent and chooses its own master. I can't tame it. It's no better than an average horse to me."Tell those who witnessed that incident that they shouldn't talk about it to anyone. You may leave."The person in charge glanced at him. Bowing, he acknowledged the instruction he received and left.Asher looked toward Sebastian and sighed dejectedly
Silas and Wendy immediately hurried over in excitement when they heard they were going to split the winnings.Wendy, who wasn't the best in maths, counted gleefully, "We bet one thousand gold coins. As the odds are at one to 246, we'll get … ten thousand, 200 thousand … 244600 gold coins. Am I right?"She surprised herself when she said that out loud. She and Silas exchanged glances and started hopping about in delight.That was a lot of gold coins! They were rich!"Ten percent of 244600 gold coins would amount to roughly 24 thousand gold coins, so 20 percent would make it about 50 thousand. Victoria—"Silas and Wendy were already dizzy. Turning to them, Victoria instructed, "Give us a moment, and take Onyx with you.""You …" Silas looked at her suspiciously. Was she planning to keep all the money to herself?She gave him a warning glare, and he and Wendy obediently led Onyx away.They shouldn't offend their moneybag right now.Victoria looked at Asher. "That's over 240 thousa
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. It was a teenager who was around 15 years old. Not bothering to keep up his image, he sat on the floor and clung to Sebastian's leg.Besides him, many others were standing around Sebastian. They all looked at Sebastian pitifully.Asher loudly asked the one kneeling, "Just look at you, Troy Lancaster! What happened to your enthusiasm?"It's only a meager sum. Do you really have to react this way?"Troy Lancaster? He was the Lancaster family's youngest son, Sebastian's younger maternal cousin.Victoria had a photographic memory. She saw his name when she skimmed through the log book earlier.He had bet 500 silver coins, which wasn't the least of all. It wasn't a hefty sum either, considering who he was.The Lancasters had very conflicting approaches in his upbringing. His mother pampered him, while his father was very strict toward him because he thought he was spoiled.Judging from his reaction, he must've been greedy and impulsivel
Once Roxy left, several women with ill intentions who criticized Victoria earlier became uneasy. They came up with excuses and left one after another.As the drama ended, everyone calmed down. Some were listless, while some were feeling down.There were also a few who approached Victoria, among whom were mainly men. They earnestly introduced themselves.Benjamin scanned the men who surrounded Victoria and somehow felt betrayed. Glowering, he seemed about to fly off the handle.His glare was too harsh, and many retreated after a short exchange with Victoria. She studied those who resolutely remained beside her.Compared to people from the outside world, the clan members had less desire for material possessions.Those who stood their ground didn't feel displeased at losing a hefty sum in the bet. They also withstood the pressure Benjamin's glare exuded.It was fair to say they were the best among the best.They were from decent families and had been receiving proper education sin