In the villa, having just finished dining with the Lucas and his grandfather, along with Victoria, Lucas could clearly see a significant change in Victoria’s table manners since the night he watched her.
Even her posture had shifted, exuding an air of sophistication that permeated the surroundings. Her demeanor had become more refined, no one would believe if told that she had once lived as lowly as a slave.
Lucas’s grandfather also noticed Victoria’s drastic transformation after spending several days apart. The once shy and downtrodden girl now stood tall, exuding a regal air.
“My granddaughter, you have undergone a significant change since we last met a few days ago. Tell me, is Lucas causing you to suddenly change?” the old man said with a smile before glancing at the quiet Lucas beside them.
Victoria smiled back, “Grandpa Greg, I just thought that I needed to be a strong woman, especially since my husband is a prominent figure. I just don’t want to be a disappointment to him, so I sought guidance from the household servants,” explained Victoria before glancing at Lucas.
Greg smiled, pleased. In truth, Lucas had confided in him about Victoria’s true struggles and her status as an illegitimate child of the Casella family, but that did not matter to the old man. He knew Victoria had a good heart, and Victoria also knew that her grandfather was aware of her past, so there was nothing to hide.
“My granddaughter, you have faced challenges in the past. Now that you are part of this family, no one will dare mistreat you,” reassured Grandfather Greg.
Victoria smiled before nodding, “Thank you, Grandpa. Rest assured, I will need to hone my skills to become a fair lady.”
Lucas, sitting quietly beside Victoria, was lost in thought. Eighteen years ago, a woman had saved him from human traffickers when he was just ten years old. The woman had pulled him to safety at the side of an old cinema, allowing him to escape the pursuit of evil men.
Lucas only remembered the woman’s name as Victoria, with a pendant engraved with her name. He had promised to marry her if they met again in the future, but despite visiting the old cinema every year, he never saw her again.
Suddenly, Grandfather Greg remembered something. “By the way, do you remember who your real parents are?” he asked.
Victoria shook her head, “I don’t remember who my parents are; all I know is that my name is Victoria because-”
Ding dong!
Victoria was about to show her pendant when the doorbell rang. Lucas stood up to open the villa’s door.
‘Brother Luca, where are you? I just wanted to thank you for saving me when I was a child. I also want you to know that I am married now, and I can no longer marry you,’ Victoria thought as she held the pendant inside her dress.
When Lucas opened the door, he recognized the person standing before him and felt a sense of disgust as a deadly aura emanated from him. “What do you want?” he asked coldly.
Bella, who was daydreaming, suddenly shivered upon feeling the cold voice of the man in front of her. She couldn’t speak. “Ah, hello, I am Perla Casella, Victoria’s mother. I just wanted to ask if she’s here,” Perla inquired with a smile.
“Why are you looking for my wife? Didn’t you already throw her away?” Lucas said coldly.
Perla thought to herself, ‘I never imagined that Victoria’s husband would be this wealthy. No, this status shouldn’t belong to Victoria; it should be Bella’s.’
Perla smiled awkwardly and said, “I just wanted to say that we made a mistake. Victoria shouldn’t be your wife, but Bella should be.”
Bella confidently stepped forward towards Lucas before arrogantly extending her hand. “Hi, I’m Bella, the only daughter of the Casellas,” she said before winking at Lucas.
Lucas recalled the video where Bella was being played by three men and felt disgusted. “What do you mean it should be Ms. Bella?” he asked coldly, ignoring Bella.
Perla smiled triumphantly, knowing that Lucas was getting angry. “That low-class girl came here to snatch Bella’s fiance. In other words, Victoria should not be your wife because she’s just a foster child of the family,” she explained.
“I know Victoria is just a foster child, and I know she didn’t come here of her own accord. I know you sent her here because you thought we were poor, living in a rundown hut in the middle of nowhere, with my grandfather. Isn’t that right?” Lucas said coldly.
“You know? But Victoria should not be your wife because she is not the legitimate child of the Casellas,” Perla insisted.
“What’s wrong with Victoria? It doesn’t matter where she came from; I am wealthy enough to take care of her,” Lucas stated.
Perla was speechless, but Bella’s pride could not bear the fact that Victoria seemed better than her. “Don’t you know? Victoria once got drugged and slept with a random man at a hotel,” she said with a smile.
Lucas looked coldly at Bella and remarked, “I was the man she was with that night. Luckily, it was me, her future husband, who was with her. Are you brave enough to face me after spending a night with three men?” Lucas taunted.
Bella was silent in embarrassment and didn’t know what to say. At that moment, Grandpa Greg noticed Lucas taking too long at the door. He stood up from his seat before heading to the door. Victoria followed behind and assisted the elderly man.
When they reached the door, Victoria froze, “Mom, what are you doing here?” Her surprised question came after seeing Perla.
Upon hearing the familiar voice, the two looked up and were shocked. Bella felt a sense of belittlement after seeing Victoria, unable to believe that the woman who used to sleep with the chickens would look like this the moment she left the Casella villa.
Victoria was wearing a shiny red dress that exuded elegance, her beautiful body and figure giving off an intimidating air to the women who saw her. Her posture was completely different from the Victoria they knew; a gentle breeze seemed to follow her, complemented by her radiant face.
Bella couldn’t deny that she paled in comparison to Victoria’s beauty, from Victoria’s lips and eyes alone, she was incomparable, especially with Victoria’s matured physique and large chest.
“Victoria, is that you?!” the mother and daughter exclaimed in disbelief after seeing Victoria’s drastic transformation.
Grandfather Greg looked at the two people at the door and recognized them. “Let them in, Lucas,” he kindly said before returning to the living room to sit on the couch to his right, where Victoria was seated.
Lucas nodded and opened the door, allowing the unwanted visitors to enter. “Come in,” he said coolly.
The two nodded before hesitantly stepping into the villa. They noticed that the old man’s villa was more beautiful and spacious than theirs. The mother and child sat in front of Grandfather Greg and Victoria.
Lucas closed the door and sat next to Victoria.
“Let’s get straight to the point, why are you looking for my wife?” he asked coolly.
Perla didn’t immediately respond, but thought for a moment. It seemed to her that she had seen Lucas before. “Why do you look familiar?” Perla asked with a hint of doubt.
“You have seen me before, I am the chairman of Luca Group,” Lucas calmly stated with his arms crossed.
The two were surprised. “Are you really him?! The chairman of leading company in Rome, the young business prodigy, known as the Tyrant Boss because of his fierce and cold demeanor!” Perla exclaimed in shock.
‘What luck you have, Victoria! This position should be mine! I should be the lady of the Luca Group!’ Bella thought, feeling anxious, envious, and angry, wanting to eliminate Victoria just to take her position as the chairman’s wife.
“What do you want with my wife?! Are you planning to drug her again?!” Lucas calmly but assertively said, sending shivers down the spines of the mother and child.
The two women swallowed hard, not knowing what to say. “Nothing, nothing, I just wanted to visit my daughter,” Perla said shakily, and Bella nodded like a dog.
“Earlier, your intentions were different, but it’s alright. I will slowly make you pay for what you did to my wife in the past,” Lucas declared coldly.
The two waved, denying, fearful, and chilled by Lucas’ threat. ‘He is terrifying, like a Mafia boss,’ Perla thought.
“We have no other plans, and now that I see that my daughter is doing well, we’re leaving now,” Perla said before she and her daughter hastily stood up and hurriedly left the villa as if they were running away from death.
Upon leaving the villa, Bella could not accept what she saw, the brilliance of Victoria. Bella’s problem was not resolved either, frustrated, she took out her cellphone and made a call. After the call, she smiled coldly, “Victoria, I will not allow your life to run smoothly,” she whispered.