Chapter 3
Helena beckoned Victoria into her room to discuss something. She missed her daughter so much, she had lost so much weight and it broke Vicky's heart. Her mother resembled only a shadow of her former self. Helena looked joyful and at peace with her daughter alive and well, but Vicky felt devastated as her mother seemed like a walking corpse. Mom, please come live with me. You can't keep living here like this, I know Mara and dad are not treating you well" said Victoria.
"You have two adorable grandkids now, will you help me look after them, while I go to work?" she added. Helena didn't even let her finish speaking before she happily agreed to look after her grandchildren, disregarding her curiosity about who the twins' father might be. She knew her daughter was a good person and figured there was likely an explanation for all the bad things Mara had been saying about her. She decided to give her time to tell her everything.
Christian and his aide, Colin, came when it was time for dinner. They brought dowries and various gifts for Mara's parents. He still aimed for the marriage to appear genuine, despite it being a sham. Mara had invited her friends and relatives just to show off. A number of them disliked her family yet stuck around just to ingratiate themselves because she was marrying into the country's most affluent family. The moment Victoria and her mother reached the bottom of the stairs, they found the group already seated. Christian locked eyes with Victoria first and promptly rose from his seat. " Mr Underwood, I didn't know you had two daughters?" he asked Greg. Mr Underwood smirked and said " oh, you mean Victoria? She's not my biological daughter; she's the daughter my wife brought into our marriage.
Christian was both confused and amused. A smile appeared on his face when he looked at Victoria. Overcome with anger, Mara divulged everything. "This sore loser has no relation to us. She is like one of our maids," she stated. The mystery of her child's father, left unidentified, piqued his interest right away. He felt an urge to learn more about Victoria.
The people in the room had no idea that Victoria and Christian actually knew each other. Although Victoria didn't thoroughly observe his face the morning following their one-night stand, she recognized him instantly. She couldn't stop thinking about this man. Christian felt intrigued, while Victoria found him repulsive. Whatever Mara touched, be it things or people, counted as trash in her eyes. After four years of dwelling on that night, all her emotions vanished the moment she met him and realized that her 'ideal man' was actually her stepsister's fiancé. She felt both disgusted and heartbroken. She wanted to leave that place immediately.
She hugged her mother, whispered goodbye in her ear, but her mother sensed something was wrong because she was trembling. She wished to stop her but didn't want to draw attention to her daughter, so she simply said goodbye and remained silent. Greg didn't even bother to look at Victoria. Mara basked in happiness, convinced that Victoria harbored jealousy.
Victoria sprinted to the roadside and waited desperately for a cab, but none came; she felt cold and miserable. Her eyes hurt from her crying. She tried to stop crying, but with each attempt, more tears fell. What she didn't know was that after she left, Christian abruptly canceled the wedding. He gave no explanation, simply apologizing to the family and saying something urgent required his attention. He asked Mara and her family to keep the presents. The Underwood family became a joke, and even Mara's so-called high-class friends could not contain their laughter. Mara was beside herself. Humiliation washed over her, but she couldn't shout or reprimand Christian because fear held her back. How could she not fear him when even her parents and everyone in the room were scared of him? But since she thought he approached her because of his grandfather she decided right then that she will use the old man to make Christian marry her. She could captivate any man she wanted with her beauty and charm.
At the roadside, Victoria heard a deep voice remark, 'I don't know if I should be happy or mad. 'I ought to be the one crying,' he insisted. When their eyes met, Christian looked down at her with an enigmatic face. Is he angry? She could not decipher the meaning behind his expression. Christian had countless questions for Victoria, but he didn't know where to begin. 'Will you marry me?' was the first thing he said. Victoria shot him a glance and laughed, not because it was funny but due to his audacity. Despite being engaged to marry her stepsister, he came forward with a proposal for her instead. Did he regard her as merely a plaything? The cheek! So this man wanted her to be his mistress? What did he take her for? She wondered.
Although Christian was mad at this girl, he couldn't bring himself to shout at her, because he also couldn't contain his happiness. " please go back to your darling Mara, and stop playing games with me, you have no shame for a man who is about to get married. ?How dare you ask me to be your mistress? Victoria snapped in anger. Christian was amused by this little lady. For such a small person, she definitely has a big temper.
'Anything or anyone touched by Mara is nothing but dirt to me, just so you know,' she added. And if she sent you to toy with my feeling, you both will be very disappointed " she mocked. Despite her anger, Victoria's heart swelled with joy as she finally laid eyes on the man who had haunted her dreams and thoughts for four long years. She had never encountered such a handsome man, he looked exactly like a model from an Elle magazine. "It's baffling. Why pick someone as vile as Mara?" she mulled over in frustration.
Christian noticed the woman’s anger and couldn't grasp why she was displeased as she had been the one to abandon him. I've searched for you for four years without any success. "For the record, I'm the one who should feel angry," he snapped. " Was I not good enough? What made you leave the hotel silently and vanish without a trace? Was I that horrible? He didn’t stop bombarding her with questions.
During that instant, Victoria didn't know if she wanted to laugh or cry. Even when she tried, the memories of that man stayed with her because that night was the most significant of her life. She tried to stop her heart from longing for this man, but it wouldn't listen. When she inquired why he opted to be with Mara of all people, he burst into laughter, as though it was the funniest thing ever told. Feeling furious, she resolved to drop the matter entirely. She rose to her feet and left him standing there. But he was not going to let her go again, afraid she was going disappear from his life again. He chased after her and grabbed her, hugging her tightly. No one spoke; only the sound of their heartbeats filled the silence. It seemed as though they were communicating with each other. Victoria knew she needed to move on from him, but at this moment, she couldn’t and didn't want to let go. She experienced an overwhelming sense of safety and belonging. This man felt like a sanctuary to her; how could she let him go? She longed to inhale his cologne, knowing this might be the last time they were near each other. His scent was incredibly soothing.