"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 their agreement. The man had been making it for some time as if knowing that this was the decision Victoria would make. He opened the folder and showed it to Victoria.
"I have arranged all the articles and rules in the agreement so that it is balanced between the two of us. My only requirement is that there must be no love in this relationship," he explained and continued, "Read it first and tell me if there is anything you would like to propose as a condition."
Victoria took the paper and read the agreement. It was pretty detailed, and there were no points against her—except that they had to act out publicly to make the relationship look real. Victoria hesitated to say her objection.
"Mr. Hurlington, I think article number 2 is unnecessary?"
"If you want to get back at that bastard, you have to show that you can find a man who is more than him. Then, it's necessary to make him regret it. I also want this relationship to be seen as something other than just a contract. It will tarnish my good name and cause bad rumors."
Victoria knew that very well but was unsure she could do it. Realizing her hesitation, Maverick opened his voice to convince Victoria or provoke her as he had at the party last night. "Are you afraid you'll break the conditions if you do the charade?"
Victoria gasped, but that was not why she hesitated. She was so sure and confident in her feelings that she would never open up to any man again, especially a cold and arrogant man like Maverick Hurlington. Besides, the wounds left by Alden were more than enough to make Victoria not want to start a relationship again.
"Of course not," Victoria said in a slightly annoyed tone. She took a pen and affixed her signature.
Then, it was Maverick's turn to sign the letter. After finishing, he slightly grinned, indicating satisfaction with this agreement. He extended his hand to Victoria and said, "Let's work well together for the future.”
"With my pleasure, Mr. Hurlington." Victoria steadily returned the handshake.
"Call me Maverick, and start getting used to us talking casually to each other. We won't be able to start the plan if you still have that engagement. What are you going to do?" Maverick released their handshake first, throwing out a question to hear Victoria's opinion.
Victoria remained silent for a while and then said, "I don't intend to prolong the relationship, but it would be better if we didn't expose our wedding plans too hastily. I will reveal their affair first. That way, I can use it as an excuse to break off the engagement. I won't let myself be seen as the perpetrator while I am the victim."
Maverick agreed with Victoria. It was an excellent first step, without him even bothering to say it first. Instead of breaking off the relationship suddenly, especially without an apparent reason, it would be more beneficial for Victoria. It was also the first step to destroying Alden Benedict through his public image.
"And how would you make their secret public?" he asked again.
"I would make them confess their infidelity," Victoria said her plan very confidently as if it would work. She was sure she would manifest what she said because it had to happen.
"That's a good first step to destroying their image." Maverick nodded, just about to continue, when someone suddenly walked in and interrupted their conversation.
"Brother!" Karina was no less surprised than Victoria, who made eye contact with her. "Sister?”
"I've often said you should knock before entering my room!" Maverick exclaimed. The man was annoyed by his sister's arrival.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know Sister Victoria was here."
Karina apologized, but her tone did not sound remorseful. Instead, she was still staring at Victoria with a clear question mark. Of course, it was because Victoria and her brother’s relationship was not very close before this. It didn't even seem like they knew each other to be sitting and chatting in a private room.
Victoria realized it and tried hard to find an excuse before Karina said anything to Emberly. She finally opened her mouth to explain, "I came here to get my stuff that your brother found yesterday. I'm sorry if I took up his time to meet with you."
"No, Sis, I'm here because he promised to drive me to campus." Maverick frowned and looked sharply at Karina. "When did I say that promise?"
Karina chuckled at being caught lying. "My car is in the repair shop, and we're in the same direction anyway."
"Then what are you here for instead of going to your campus?" Maverick was getting annoyed and looked like he would insist on rejecting Karina.
"Taxis are quite expensive to get to campus, so I came here. Victoria also goes to the campus, so drop us off while you go to work. It's a good time."
"Y-yes, I was going to the campus, but..."
"Did you hear? Hurry up and drop us off before it's too late." Karina cut her off before Victoria could finish her sentence and returned to talking.
Although annoyed and displeased, Maverick complied with his sister's wishes. He looked cold and arrogant on the outside but was different from his family. They seemed to dislike each other, but instead, they seemed close. Moreover, Karina was Maverick Hurlington's sister. There was no way she didn't have enough money to pay for a taxi.
In the end, despite the confusion, Victoria went with them, even though her schedule was already late. She and Maverick still hadn't finished their conversation because of Karina. No one opened their voices throughout the journey, and Victoria was very used to this silence.
After a few minutes, they arrived at the same parking lot Victoria had left last time. Maverick's car sped away from the campus area once after she and Karina got out. Victoria was grateful that Maverick didn't have to show his face. However, her company with Karina would lead to another rumor. She was about to leave immediately when her voice made Victoria undo her intention.
"Sister, I have a question to ask you." Victoria turned around again and asked calmly, "What is it?"
"Is that all you have to do with my brother?"
Maverick stood in his office, lost in thought as he gazed out the large window that offered a view of the city and its skyscrapers. His body had arrived at the office a few minutes earlier, but his mind was still elsewhere. More precisely, it was on someone who had been occupying his thoughts for some time now—Victoria. At first, he thought it was just a fleeting feeling because they lived together and often met, and it would fade over time after they parted ways. He never imagined that he could fall for her. This time, he couldn’t deny that Victoria could replace his ex-girlfriend and first love. However, there was one thing that bothered him to this day. Despite all his efforts, Victoria seemed unmoved and even tended to avoid him. It was impossible for her not to notice his obvious feelings. Unless she was deliberately avoiding him. And the only reason that came to mind was that Victoria didn't like him.“Impossible.” When that thought crossed his mind, Maverick chuckled and shoo
Maverick stared intently at the sleeping face before him. He watched every feature—the eyes, eyebrows, nose, and lips- which once again sparked an irrational desire, much like how he had always acted when it came to her. He wanted to kiss her, hold her, and possess her, but aware of his condition, that desire was easier to control. Suddenly, the closed eyes moved as if signaling the woman was about to wake up. Before the eyes opened, Maverick naturally closed his eyes again, refusing to be caught watching his wife sleep. So all he could hear was her breath before she finally yawned. He then felt her hand touching his forehead. “Hmm… I think he doesn’t have a fever. Thank goodness.” Her voice murmured, but it was still audible in the quiet room. Maverick guessed that she must have checked his body temperature by comparing it to hers. He wanted to smile, so his eyes opened, and he immediately looked at his wife. “Good morning.” “You’re awake? How do you feel? Is your body more comfor
"I didn't ask her to come home right away and keep me company," Maverick murmured after Victoria ended the call. He continued, "I just want her to worry about me more, like she did this morning." "Excuse me, isn't that better, Sir?" Jaxton interjected, diverting his attention. Maverick looked at his secretary, who had already instructed him to call Victoria and inform her of his condition. He had only hoped that Victoria would be more concerned about his condition and care for him. However, the outcome exceeded his expectations. She wanted to accompany him from now on, which meant more time together. “Aren’t you going to go home soon?” Jaxton asked, snapping him out of his reverie. “Yes, that’s right. I have to go home.” Maverick stood up from his chair and took his car keys. But before leaving, he turned to his secretary and threw the car keys at him. “Take me home.”“Pardon?” Jaxton frowned. “You’re the one who told her to persuade me to go home. So, you have to take me. I'm a
At the office, Alden, who was in the middle of his work, heard his phone ringing continuously. Whether it was a message or a call, he already knew who the intruder was without even looking at it. Lately, he deliberately avoided Emberly because he felt she was wasting his time. Even though the woman was pregnant with his child, Alden thought trying to build a connection with the Agriche family wouldn't work. So, he changed his strategy to approach Victoria, whom he thought would be difficult. Unexpectedly, she welcomed him. However, for some reason, she had become so hard to get close to lately. The sound of his phone ringing again for the umpteenth time finally annoyed Alden. He picked it up and answered bluntly, “Emberly, don’t you realize what time it is? I’m working!” “Hello, Sir Benedict?” The man's voice replied on the other end of the line, causing Alden to stare at his phone screen.The voice spoke again, “I’m sorry if I disturbed you.” “No, I thought you were that woman. W
“Good morning, Tori.” “Good morn-” Victoria stopped and gasped when she saw Maverick’s face, which didn’t look very well this morning. “Verick, what’s wrong with your face? Didn’t you sleep?” There were faint dark circles under his eyes. His eyes looked tired and unfocused. His skin was paler than usual. His nose was red, as if congested. And she noticed his voice sounded hoarse. She looked at her husband with concern, wondering how hard he had worked the night before to end up in such a state. “I thought you were sleeping in your room but working instead. Didn’t you notice your condition?” Victoria approached him and touched his skin, which was quite cold. "I sleep with you, but I guess that's a bad idea." Maverick's answer made Victoria furrow. "What?" "Nothing," he said briefly as he looked away, avoiding her gaze. Victoria wanted to ask more questions, but seeing his condition made her feel bad for him. Instead, she scolded him for making breakfast in his condition. "Why are
"Hello, Father? Why are you calling me so late at night?" Victoria wondered, surprised to receive an unusual call from her father at this hour. "Have you had dinner yet?" Petter asked, which only made Victoria's eyebrows furrow even more. "Yes, I have." She replied and asked back, "Is there any work-related matter you want to discuss with me?" “Tori, are you my secretary? Even my secretary doesn’t ask questions as directly as you do.” Petter sounded annoyed, as if he wasn’t happy. Victoria grimaced slightly, muttering, ‘You’re treating me like a subordinate who has to obey, not like a daughter.’ She didn’t say it outright. She changed the question to what was on her mind, “So, are you just curious about how I’m doing?” Petter didn’t respond for a while, so Victoria looked at her phone screen, thinking the call had been disconnected. But it hadn’t. She guessed her father had stepped away or was doing something else. She replied, “I’m fine.” "Yesterday, Maverick and I went to Ange