“Grandpa, I need to return to the company, I cannot let everything be left to Lorenzo,” Lucas said after looking at his watch and seeing that it was already two o’clock in the afternoon.
“Alright, grandson, take care, come back next time,” Grandfather Greg said politely.
Victoria courteously bid farewell before leaving the villa.
“Let’s go,” Lucas said to his driver who was talking to the horseman.
Lucas and Victoria got into the car. As the car drove off, Lucas imagined that Victoria would look even more beautiful if she wore a different designer dress. “Go to LDL Mall,” Lucas instructed the driver.
“Drop me off at the villa first, I need to help with the villa chores,” Victoria said.
Lucas shook his head, “Leave them to the servants for now, come with me to the mall, we’ll buy you another dress, remember what you told Grandfather? You need to look presentable because I am your husband,” Lucas said with a smile.
‘Such a handsome smile he has,’ Victoria thought to herself, stifling a gasp after seeing Lucas smile.
Lucas noticed that she was smiling, so he quickly changed his demeanor, “What I mean is, this is for my benefit, not yours,” he said, unsure of how to describe his face.
“Oh, I see,” Victoria said, nodding hesitantly before quietly sitting down.
Upon arriving at LDL Mall and getting out of the car, people were surprised and curious, some trying to guess who was with the Tyrant Boss.
“Look, the boss is here, the woman with him is so beautiful.”
“Who could that woman be? The Tyrant Boss seems kind to her.”
“Could she be the Tyrant Boss’s wife?”
These were some of the things heard from people as they gathered to see Lucas and Victoria get out of the car.
Once inside the mall, the conversations ceased, and they were greeted politely.
This mall was part of the Luca Group and one of Lucas’s assets. They went to a boutique for designer dresses. Just as they were entering, Lucas’s phone rang and it was a call from Lorenzo. “Just choose what you like, I’ll answer Lorenzo’s call,”
Victoria nodded before entering the store and looking for clothes. Inside, she was politely attended to by a sales lady and directed to the limited edition clothing.
Victoria looked at the price and was surprised. She hesitated to touch it, turned to look for cheaper clothes, when suddenly someone called her name. “Victoria?” a voice of a woman said.
Victoria turned around and remembered who the woman was, “Cecilia?!” Victoria said in surprise, not knowing what this woman wanted from her since they had only met once.
Cecilia was one of Bella’s friends and one of those who planned to drug Victoria. They planned to film Victoria while she was having fun with three men, but it didn’t happen as they didn’t see Victoria and she disappeared like a bubble.
Cecilia arrogantly approached Victoria, “So this is Casella’s adoptee, what are you doing in this high-end shop?” she asked as she sized up Victoria.
“I’m here to shop for clothes,” Victoria calmly said. Based on Cecilia’s demeanor, she knew this woman had no good intentions.
Cecilia laughed, “Oh, you’re buying clothes from a designer shop? Where are you getting the money from?” she mocked.
“What does it matter to you where I get the money to buy?” Victoria calmly retorted.
Victoria was seen to be tougher than when they first met, she grinned, “Oh, I see that you have a beautiful dress, did it come from the old man you slept with that night and promised to give you what you want?” she insulted.
Victoria ignored her and continued to choose her clothes, “I like this,” she said as she picked up a Chanel dress. The sales lady nodded and was about to accompany Victoria to the fitting room when Cecilia spoke up.
“Miss, are you new here? How can a poor girl like you afford a Chanel dress, having grown up with chickens?” Cecilia smiled.
The sales lady wanted to say that Victoria’s companion was the chairman of the Luca Group, but Victoria stopped her from speaking.
Victoria smiled, “Are you going to buy clothes or just keep bothering me?” she said gently.
Cecilia grinned, “I’ll watch how you pay for the dress you’re going to buy,” she said arrogantly before crossing her arms.
“Good, in that case, don’t bark like a dog, just watch,” Victoria calmly said before continuing to choose clothes.
The sales lady chuckled upon hearing Victoria’s lines.
“What are you laughing at?!” Cecilia said irritably before stomping her heel and blocking Victoria’s path, preventing her from moving forward.
“What do you need now?” Victoria asked calmly, seeming impatient.
“Victoria! You don’t have to pretend here. We both know that you’re just a ward of Casella with no money of your own, why pretend to be rich?” Cecilia said irritably.
Victoria grew impatient and ignored her, about to walk forward, but Cecilia grabbed her and pushed her to the ground.
“Are you not going to acknowledge me?” Cecilia said arrogantly.
Victoria stood up, “What do you want?” she asked, impatiently.
“I want you to kneel and lick my heels,” Cecilia said coldly before lifting her foot.
Victoria clenched her fist before pushing Cecilia aside, walking away and ignoring her. Cecilia was taken aback by Victoria’s sudden move and stumbled, falling to the ground, “Oh My Gosh!” she cried out in pain.
Victoria didn’t pay her any attention and continued looking for more clothes, telling the sales lady that she would try them on later after selecting more.
At this moment, the store manager approached, seeing Cecilia sitting on the floor, so he rushed over, “Ms. Cecilia, are you okay?” She said, helping Cecilia stand up.
Cecilia angrily shouted, “Manager! Why are you letting beggars into this store?” she exclaimed, pointing at Victoria who was casually picking out more clothes.
The manager looked at Victoria, despite her elegant attire, she thought she was just pretending to show off to her friends on the internet.
“Hey lady, can you afford the clothes you’ve chosen?” the manager asked coldly, then turned to the sales lady assisting Victoria, “You’re fired, don’t you know how to recognize a real big shot?” Then he looked at Cecilia and pointed, “This is Ms. Cecilia, one of our VIP customers, you should be serving her, not that pretentious one.”
The sales lady wanted to explain that Victoria was with the mall owner, but Victoria stopped her again, “Is this how you treat customers?” Victoria asked gently.
The manager grinned, “Customer? Who? You? Ms. Cecilia called you a beggar,” she sneered.
“Just because she said that, you’re treating me like this?” Victoria asked.
The manager laughed, “If she says you’re a beggar, it means you’re a beggar!”
Cecilia arrogantly walked in front of Victoria, “What? Victoria, still pretending? The manager is here now, unless you kneel, you won’t leave here alive,” she said arrogantly.
Victoria was getting annoyed with Cecilia’s continuous teasing, she straightened her hand and measured the distance between her and Cecilia.
“You, I’m ignoring you and you don’t want to stop bothering me,” she said coldly as she swung her hand to prepare for a strong slap.
Cecilia grinned, “What are you going to do? Slap me? Go ahead, slap me,” she said before presenting her cheek and waiting for Victoria’s slap, not believing that Victoria would actually dare to slap her.
The manager also grinned, not believing that a poor person would have the audacity to slap a wealthy person like Cecilia. She just stood there, waiting for the outcome.
At that moment, Victoria recalled what a servant had taught her and enacted it, ‘she said, slightly twist the body, put one foot forward, take a deep breath, grab your will and go’
Slap!