Chapter 1829

No.1

Victoria replied instantly.

[Yes. Isabella used cleverly edited photos to frame me. She convinced everyone! Alexander, my love, you have to help me. You know me better than anyone. Other than what happened five years ago, I’ve never hurt her. I’ve been trying to rebuild our relationship. I always hoped she would come back to you so we could move forward with our plans for the shares and the diamond mine. Why would I ruin everything now?]

Alexander remembered how Victoria invited Isabella to the Guci shoot. How she offered to be her prop. He believed every word she said.

He typed back, trying to soothe her. [Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Grandfather. Then I’ll come find you.]

Victoria was kneeling on the floor in the prayer hall, reading his text. A faint, smug smile touched her lips. Under Alexander’s influence, the old man would soften. Alexander was no ordinary man. She would be out of this miserable place soon. Even with a cushion, her knees ached. Every time someone passed by, she heard their whispers.

“Shh, quiet! Victoria is in there.”

“I can’t believe how cruel and evil she is. It’s shocking.”

“Never judge by appearances.”

Her fists clenched tightly. Useless maids. How dare they mock her? Once she was free, she would teach them respect.

No.2

Unexpectedly, the door creaked open. Thinking it was Alexander coming to rescue her, she turned eagerly… Only to be met with bitter disappointment. It was Isabella.

“What are you doing here, Isabella? Do you find this amusing?”

“And what if I do? You’ve done far worse to me. Am I not allowed to enjoy the show?” Isabella’s voice dripped with icy contempt as she stared down at the kneeling Victoria.

Victoria’s jaw tightened. “You vile creature, Isabella! You planned this all along, didn’t you? Spending three days in prison just to create a scandal and destroy me at the final hour. You tricked me into signing that compensation letter. This was your scheme from the start!” she shrieked.

“Surprisingly, you’re not completely stupid. But you missed one detail. I never had a recording of your conversation with Isadora. I fabricated that to frighten you. And these photos? I’ve had them for much longer than yesterday. Do you know why I held back? Because if I’d revealed them then, you wouldn’t have put on such a convincing performance for the family today. They never would’ve seen your true nature,” Isabella explained, her tone cool and dominating.

Victoria’s face flushed with rage. “You wicked witch! I’ll kill you! I swear I will!” She lunged, fingers clawing toward Isabella’s throat.

Isabella caught her wrists effortlessly, locking eyes with her. “If I’m wicked, what does that make you? If I hadn’t been cautious, I’d be behind bars right now. You tried to ruin me. I’m merely returning the favor. Haven’t you done enough damage over the past five years? Did you really think I’d just stand by and let you walk all over me again?”

“You’re right. I am vicious,” Isabella smirked. “But I’ve done worse. Take a look. Who’s at the door?”

Victoria turned. Alexander stood there, his expression shattered. Her face went white. Her lips trembled. “Al… Alexander, my love.”

No.3

Alexander could scarcely believe what he had just witnessed. The gentle, kind-hearted Victoria he thought he knew was nothing but a facade. Moments earlier, she had convinced him she was the victim of a smear campaign. He had even met with William to plead her case. William had refused to listen, and Alexander had been desperately searching for a way to save her. Now the truth was staring him in the face.

He looked at Victoria, his voice strained with disbelief. “What did you mean about Isabella forcing you to take those photos? You told me you didn’t care about winning the Guci contract. Yet you harmed all those models and framed Isabella over it?”

He couldn’t process it. After their last conversation, he had given her space to recover while he tried to reason with Isabella. If Isabella remained stubborn, he was prepared to expose her secrets…

All this time… Victoria had been scheming behind his back?

Victoria scrambled to her feet and clutched his arm. “Alexander, darling, I was just angry. Isabella provoked me! She was cruel, and I said those things to upset her. You heard how she treated me!”

If Isabella had forced her, that meant the photos were real. She had been lying to him from the very beginning. Victoria’s face lost all color. Her mind raced, scrambling for an excuse, but… What was left to say?

Isabella interpreted Victoria’s silence as guilt. Her voice remained icy and detached. “Mr. Whitmore, there’s no need for such anger. It’s really quite simple. She attempted to have me killed in a fabricated car accident. I obtained the evidence and used it as leverage. In exchange, I demanded she send me a compromising photograph. Judging by her… provocative pose, you must consider yourself a fortunate man.”

“Stop it! Just stop talking!” Victoria shrieked, her composure shattering.

Isabella had no more patience for their impending drama. She had far more important matters to attend to. Her objective had been to reveal Victoria’s true nature to Alexander. Mission accomplished. “Take all the time you need to sort this out. Just try not to make a scene.” A cold smirk played on her lips as she turned on her heel. Before exiting, she delivered a final blow. “Oh, and one more thing. Mother specifically invited me to stay for lunch today. She mentioned owing me an apology.”

No.4

Victoria’s fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. That was her mother! Hers alone! Why did Isabella insist on stealing everything from her? Yet, she dared not utter another word. She had already lost the trust of so many. She could not afford to lose Alexander’s affection as well.

She desperately latched onto Alexander’s arm, her voice a frantic plea. “Alexander, my love, please, you have to listen to me! Everything I did… I did it all for you! Just to be with you! You know how it’s been since Isabella returned to Westchester. She’s been out for my blood from the very beginning! She was the one who swapped my Meteorite Jade Buddha! She told me herself—she wants to take everything from me! This is all revenge for what happened five years ago!”

“I was terrified! That’s why I thought… if I ended it decisively, it would all be over. But I failed. She threatened me with the evidence! She forced me to send that… that picture! She made me do it! She’s the one tormenting me! How could I not despise her?”

“My plan was to ruin her reputation! To make Nathaniel so disgusted he’d cast her aside! Then you could finally have her! I was doing it all so you could secure her shares and assets faster! So we could be together sooner and live happily ever after! You have to believe me! You have to understand!” Her voice was raw, hoarse with desperation as she begged for his belief.

Alexander stared at her, his gaze clouded with doubt and a chilling distance that had never been there before. “I hear your words, Victoria. But why the deception? Why lie to me repeatedly? I have never once been dishonest with you!”

“I… Alexander, my darling, I was so scared. Terrified you would hate me. That you’d be repulsed by me… I only ever wanted to support you from the shadows. To present only the best version of myself to you…” She clung to his arm, shaking it gently, her eyes pleading. “Please, Alexander, don’t hate me. Please, don’t…”

Alexander let out a heavy, weary sigh. He gently patted her shoulder, the gesture lacking its usual warmth. “Victoria, you are clearly distraught. You need to rest. I will… visit another day.” With that, he firmly extracted his arm from her grasp and strode away without a backward glance.

Victoria staggered backward as if struck. A sharp gasp escaped her lips. The reality of his rejection hit her like a physical blow.

Had his love for her truly vanished? Did he despise her now? How? Why?! Everyone’s hatred should be directed at Isabella! Why was she the one being shunned? This was all Isabella’s fault! Every bit of it!

No.5

She would make her pay. She would make Isabella Montgomery pay dearly for this.

Kneeling alone in the vast, silent prayer hall, her mind churned, weaving new threads of malice and vengeance.

Alexander’s mind kept replaying Victoria’s venomous glare long after he stepped out of the prayer room.

Isabella was ruthless, but she never pretended otherwise. She made no effort to conceal her nature from him.

Victoria, however, had perfected the art of playing the innocent victim. Her true self was hidden behind a mask of fragility.

She was pure evil.

He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that she had tried to kill Isabella in a staged accident. She had even harmed other models in the process.

She let her most loyal agent, Isadora, take the full blame.

The thought made his skin crawl. His image of the sweet, gentle Victoria was shattered forever.

No.6

The Montgomery family butler approached him. “Mr. Whitmore,” he said politely. “Would you care to stay for lunch?”

Alexander glanced toward the dining hall. His eyes immediately found Isabella seated beside William.

Her outfit wasn’t particularly flashy today. Yet her powerful, striking presence was impossible to ignore.

For the first time, he looked at her without disgust. He almost found her… compelling.

He adjusted his suit jacket and walked over.

A maid promptly set a place for him. Eleanor noticed him and spoke in a concerned tone. “You’re here, Alexander? I assume you’ve heard what happened?”

Alexander nodded as he took his seat. The family members exchanged uneasy glances.

Alexander was known as the ‘National Husband’ throughout Westchester. He was the most sought-after bachelor in the city… after the Blackwood men, of course.

The Blackwoods were in a league of their own. Their family’s wealth spanned over a century.

No.7

Even if they retired from all business ventures, their assets would still dwarf every other wealthy family in Westchester.

While others scrambled for resources, the Blackwoods never broke a sweat. Everyone wanted to partner with them.

They were the elite among elites. Far beyond the reach of a family like the Montgomerys.

That made Alexander the ideal son-in-law for the Montgomery family. A marriage between them would bring significant benefits to both sides.

Eleanor sighed and tried to smooth things over. “Alexander, please don’t take this to heart. I know Victoria made a mistake, but hasn’t everyone? This is her first serious error since she was a child. I’m sure she’ll learn from it.”

“Yes,” Penelope agreed quickly. “Victoria is a good girl. She’s always been kind and virtuous. Maybe she just had a momentary lapse… I hope you can overlook it.”

Penelope had to side with Eleanor. Her daughter, Sophia, was confined to the estate. Her husband was useless. If Victoria’s engagement to Alexander fell through, their situation would become even more difficult.