“Ouch, my head hurts,” Victoria said while holding her head, not knowing what happened last night. Aside from the headache, she suddenly felt pain below as well. When she looked around, she saw the man beside her. She was shocked. ‘Damn, I really had sex with a stranger. He took my virginity,’ she thought in embarrassment before quietly dressing up and leaving, without even glancing at the man.
…
When Victoria arrived at the Villa, she could see the unusual smile on her mother’s face. She knew that something was up, so she walked in and waited for her mother to speak.
“Victoria, go and meet your fiance, who comes from humble beginnings. It was an agreement made between your grandfather and the elderly benefactor,” Victoria’s mother said.
Victoria was taken aback; she never imagined such an arrangement, especially with someone from a humble background. Nevertheless, she didn’t dwell on it as ever since she was seven years old, she was not treated well by her family, seen only as a tool to be used when necessary.
Victoria knew that she was only adopted by the family and had no memory after being adopted, so she didn’t know who she was, only the name Victora she knew because it was engraved on her pendant and the man named Luca was the only one she remembered.
‘Brother Luca, where are you?’ she thought, hoping to find the child who helped her before she was adopted by the Casellas.
“Okay, mama, please give me the address,” she politely said.
Her mother handed her a picture showing the look of the place, and at the back was written the address. In the picture, there was a field with no other houses, only a hut standing in the middle of the field. “Go now, your poor fiance is waiting for you,” her mother said before putting on a fake smile.
Victoria nodded before entering the villa to take a bath before leaving. As she came out of the villa, she called a taxi and rode towards the said place.
…
When she comes to the place, the first thing that Victoria thinks of is a hut she will be going to, but as the taxi goes deeper into the vicinity, she is surprised by the sudden change in the surroundings. She never thought that such a beautiful place was hidden in the countryside, not noticeable because from the outside it just looks like an ordinary field.
She was even more surprised after reaching the end of the road, even the taxi driver was amazed to see such wealth hidden in the midst of the fields, a luxurious garden and a very large Villa greeted their eyes. Victoria paid the taxi fare still unable to believe what she was seeing, this was far from what she imagined and what was in the picture in front of her, she even thought she might have gotten to the wrong place.
“Excuse me, may I ask if Mr. De Luca lives here?” She politely asked a gardener who was resting.
“Which Mr. De Luca? The young one or the old one?” asked the gardener.
Because of the question, Victoria realized that she was in the right place she visited, “The old one,” Victoria replied.
“Ah, he is in there,” the gardener said.
“Is the young man in there as well?” Victoria nervously asked, not knowing what her future fiance looks like, along with the realization of his wealth.
“He’s in there too,” the gardener replied.
‘Why did he even ask if young or old, if they’re both in there?’ Victoria thought to herself. “Thank you,” she politely said before walking to the door of the Villa. She took a deep breath and gathered her courage before ringing the doorbell.
Ding-dong!
She felt nervous as she pressed the doorbell, unsure of what to say first or how to react. Despite growing up in an elite family, she never experienced living like a princess due to the servile treatment she received from those who adopted her. Therefore, she felt like she didn’t belong in this kind of environment.
The door opened and she was surprised, causing her guard to lower upon seeing the face of the person who opened the door; her eyes widened, “You!” she exclaimed in disbelief.
Lucas’ eyes grew cold as he saw the person in front of him, ‘tch! I knew this woman was a gold digger and had no good intentions, I think last night was all she planned’, he thought. “Come in, the old man is waiting,” he said coldly.
Victoria suddenly felt saddened by Lucas’s cold demeanor, but she didn’t dwell on it too much as she was used to being mistreated and belittled; she just nodded and entered with her head down.
Lucas closed the door before following, Victoria politely greeted the old man, “Grandfather, good day, I am the eldest daughter of Casella, Victoria Casella is my name.”
Lucas sat down in silence, but it seemed like he remembered something upon hearing the name.
The old man smiled, “Such a beautiful lady, what a wonderful granddaughter-in-law you will be,” the old man said cheerfully, “Sit, sit next to Lucas,” he added.
The old man then looked at Lucas, “Hey, do you have any intention of letting your fiancee sit down?” the old man said sternly to Lucas.
Lucas regained his composure before moving to his seat. When Victoria saw this, she thanked him before sitting next to Lucas. She felt the cold gaze of Lucas as she sat down, unsure of how to respond.
The old man looked at Lucas, “You two talk,” he said in a commanding tone.
Lucas nodded and followed the old man. “Lucas De Luca, 28 years old, with his own house and car, chairman of Luca Group,” he said coolly.
Victoria was surprised to learn that Lucas was the chairman of Luca Group, also known as the Tyrant Boss. She had only thought of him as a wealthy man, but she did not expect such a revelation.
“Victoria Casella, 25 years old, no house, no car, no job, but I have knowledge in jewelry design,” Victoria said, head bowed, unable to meet the cold gaze of the Tyrant Boss.
Lucas was puzzled, “You come from an elite family but you have no house and car?” Lucas asked in wonder.
Victoria bowed her head, unsure of what to answer, and simply bit her lip.
Lucas grinned when he saw this, thinking that the woman in front of him was hiding something or scheming. “It’s okay if you don’t answer,” he said before moving closer to her ear, “don’t worry, you won’t get anything from me, not even a penny,” he whispered in a cold voice that sent shivers down Victoria’s spine.
Victoria nodded and showed a fearful expression. The old man noticed the change in Victoria’s face. “Lucas, what are you doing?” the old man asked.
Despite Victoria’s pitiful expression, Lucas did not feel pity because he thought she was a scheming girl, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. “Nothing, grandfather. I just told her that we are going home to the villa after getting the marriage certificate,” Lucas said with a smile, giving a cold glance to Victoria.
“Yes, grandfather,” Victoria agreed.
The old man knew that Lucas was saying something else, but he could do nothing about it. “Alright then, finish getting the certificate and don’t forget to send it to me,” the old man said before laughing. He was happy but also worried for Victoria.
…
Lucas called his driver and asked to pick him up. His car arrived a few minutes later. They both got into the backseat and headed straight to the civil affairs office to get a marriage certificate. Lucas sent the photo of the certificate to the old man, who was delighted, but he noticed the sadness in Victoria’s eyes when their photo was taken. He sighed and prayed that Victoria would be alright.
When they arrived at the Villa, they were greeted by almost ten servants. Victoria was amazed by the beauty of the villa’s interior, and Lucas noticed her amazement, but he just sneered.
“You don’t need to serve her, she will help with the chores in the villa,” Lucas said to the servants in a cool tone, not introducing Victoria as his wife.