Chapter 3

Victoria stood in the garden and looked at the violets she had planted long ago. The flowers looked even more delicate and beautiful than she remembered. In the past she had spent hours admiring them, wasting her time while waiting for a knight in shining armor to come and save her. This time she would not wait for anyone.

“Ah sister, are you looking at the flowers again?” A girl with a gentle smile walked toward her. Her lips were full and curved softly. She had a heart shaped face and bright watery eyes. Her slender body could compete with models. Freckles spread across her nose and cheeks, something she always tried hard to hide. This was her cousin, Giselle.

“The guests will arrive any moment. Mother sent me to remind you that you will be the one opening the door and greeting them first.” she said with a soft smile. In the past Victoria had trusted that smile without question and ignored the commanding tone hidden beneath it.

Victoria’s lips slowly curved into a dark smile. “It has been so long, Giselle.”

“So long?” Giselle frowned and stared at her in confusion.

“We are supposed to play together tomorrow. Did you forget already? Or did the fall make you foolish?” She glanced at the wound on Victoria’s forehead, now hidden under makeup. Last night she had told Victoria to stay quiet and remain in the shadows, yet Victoria had taken all the attention during the tea party. Furious, Giselle had pushed her down the stairs afterward. For a moment guilt had pricked her heart, but her mother quickly told her it was nothing serious and that Victoria probably deserved it. After that she stopped worrying. “Or are you angry about the push? Victoria, you know I would never hurt you. It was just an accident. You should forget about it. Or are you so petty that you want revenge for a mistake?”

A mistake that could have taken her life.

A mistake that had once left her bedridden for weeks. But this time she had woken up the very same day. Not only that, the Harrigans had arrived earlier than before. Something had clearly changed.

But it did not matter what had changed.

Her desire for revenge only grew stronger as she looked at Giselle’s face.

There was not even a trace of guilt on it.

But that did not matter now.

“Of course I would not miss this opportunity.” Victoria narrowed her eyes and smiled sweetly, the smile reaching her clear eyes. “I heard Bernard Harrigan is handsome and very wealthy. If I leave a good impression tonight, he might marry me.” She blushed lightly and played with her hair, making Giselle frown.

“Ha. Keep dreaming.” Giselle spat in anger, but Victoria only widened her eyes in fake surprise.

“Oh dear, you do not know?” she gasped and leaned closer to Giselle. “The Harrigans are your father’s bosses. Did you not know that? That man owns many businesses. If I please him tonight, he might choose me as his wife. Then I will become your father’s boss.”

Her voice remained soft like a flowing stream, but every word stirred a storm inside Giselle’s mind.

“Your family would need my permission to expand your business or spend money. Think about it, Giselle. You would need my approval to spend even a single coin.”

Giselle had once heard her father say the same thing to her mother. The Harrigan family held great power and needed to be treated carefully.

As long as the man left satisfied, her father would finally receive the promotion he wanted.

But she could not believe her parents had chosen Victoria to please him instead of her.

Almost as if she had spoken the thought aloud, Victoria laughed softly and patted her shoulder.

“Do not worry, sister. Since you and your family have treated me so well all these years, I will return the favor. When I become powerful, I will let you work in my company.” She laughed again, as if the future scene was already real in her mind.

And it soon became real in Giselle’s imagination too.

She could picture herself standing in an office while Victoria sat above her as the owner.

The thought was unbearable.

She refused to live under someone they had treated like a servant.

Her eyes turned cold.

“But why would mother ask you to take care of such an important guest?” she asked slowly. Victoria paused for a moment. She had only been testing her luck, yet Giselle had already swallowed the bait.

How foolish.

“Because...” Victoria turned her head and chuckled softly. To Giselle, the laugh sounded mocking. Her fists tightened as she glared at her cousin.

“Because you are still too young. They believe you are not capable yet. But me? They believe my beauty can win the heart of any man.” Victoria tilted her head and smiled. “I am sure they still see you only as their daughter, not even as a woman.”

The words struck Giselle like lightning.

So her mother had not chosen her because she thought she was not good enough.

“Ha!”

She suddenly stepped forward and slapped Victoria hard across the face. Her eyes burned with dominance. In her mind Victoria was nothing more than a servant they had raised. Someone who should bow her head and stay beneath their feet.

“Slap!”

The sound echoed loudly across the room.

“I will be the one welcoming the guests tonight,” Giselle said coldly. “And I will be the one serving them as well. You will keep your mouth shut and your head lowered. Do you understand?”