Chapter 191
No.1
Victoria watched Eleanor and Ronnie ascend the staircase.
She rose from her seat immediately.
Her footsteps carried her toward the first-floor study.
Richard was inside, organizing a stack of documents.
She entered without knocking. “Richard. We need to talk. I want to give Victoria our twenty-five percent shares.”
They originally held twenty percent. After the wedding incident, they had seized an additional five percent from Victoria.
That left Victoria with a mere five percent.
Richard’s face darkened instantly. “Have you lost your mind? Give her all our shares? I might have agreed before, but consider her recent actions!”
“I know she’s made mistakes,” Eleanor sighed. “But she’s apologized. She’s been punished. Her only desire now is to marry Alexander and find happiness. She’s carrying a child. She won’t act recklessly anymore.”
No.2
She continued, her voice tightening. “Do you know how the Whitmores are treating her? They’re treating this wedding like a joke. She’s still the daughter we raised, despite everything. She’s always supported you with the business. She was the most considerate of our children. Now the Whitmores are bullying her because of her past and her tiny five percent share! If this is how they treat her before the marriage, what happens after?”
Tears streamed down Eleanor’s cheeks. As a woman, she understood the pain of being undervalued. She had endured her own hardships when she married into the Montgomery family. She refused to let her daughter suffer the same fate.
Richard’s expression remained grim. “You’re not entirely wrong. I’ve considered that too… But every time I remember her plotting against those models, how she lied to us with those pitiful acts, it sends a chill down my spine. You were there when she claimed she was happy for Isabella. Look what she did behind her back. She slept with Alexander. She conspired to steal Isabella’s assets. Now I can’t distinguish her truths from her lies.”
Outside the door, Victoria listened, her fists clenched. Were they really going to deny her everything because of past errors?
She had been obedient lately. She had followed all their rules. She had even helped Richard resolve several company crises. Wasn’t that enough to atone for her mistakes?
Were her own parents refusing to help her when she was being mistreated?
Back in the study, Eleanor felt a sharp pang in her heart. After a long silence, she spoke. “She’s pregnant now. I believe, for the baby’s sake, she will mature and learn from her errors. Regardless, I won’t let the Whitmores destroy her!”
“Don’t worry. I am her father. The wedding is in two days. We still have time to discuss this,” Richard said, his tone placating.
Victoria’s face contorted with fury. Discuss? What was there to discuss? They simply didn’t want to give her the shares!
No.3
They were this critical of her without knowing she was adopted. What would they do if they found out?
Knowing Isabella, the truth would eventually surface. Victoria needed those shares now. Her eyes turned dangerously dark.
Richard Montgomery stood organizing files in his study. He rose to pour himself a drink. His cigarette accidentally dropped onto the expensive carpet. It immediately began smoldering.
He tried stamping out the small flame. But it spread rapidly instead. The fire quickly consumed everything flammable around it. Wooden furniture. Bookshelves. Piles of documents. Even the heavy drapes.
“Help!” Richard shouted desperately. “Fire! Somebody help!”
He suddenly remembered an critical contract hidden in the shelves. Three months of relentless negotiations would be destroyed. He had to save it.
Richard charged through the flames toward the shelf. His sleeve caught fire. The heat seared his skin.
“Aargh!”
He cried out in agony and stumbled back. Frantically, he beat at his burning clothing.
No.4
The contract was moments from being incinerated. It would be lost forever.
Suddenly, a slender figure burst into the room.
“Father, get out!” Someone shoved him forcefully into the hallway. The figure dashed past him into the inferno.
It was Victoria!
Victoria actually ran into the burning study!
“Victoria! Come back! Get out!” Richard yelled while extinguishing his sleeve.
She ignored his shouts completely.
Flames engulfed the entire room. Bookshelves groaned and collapsed around her. Burning volumes crashed at her feet.
She pushed forward relentlessly. Her target was the deepest shelf.
No.5
Victoria snatched the contract from its hiding place. She also grabbed the laptop from the desk.
A massive bookshelf cracked loudly overhead. It plummeted directly toward her.
“Victoria!” Richard screamed. He tried rushing back inside.
But it was too late. The heavy shelf slammed down onto Victoria with crushing force.
“Argh!”
She was pinned beneath the burning wreckage.
Maids finally arrived with fire extinguishers. They battled the blaze furiously. Several minutes passed before the last ember died.
Richard and the staff heaved the shelf off her. Victoria’s clothes were charred. Soot blackened her face. Deep cuts marred her arms.
Yet she lay protectively cradling the contract and laptop. Despite her severe injuries, the documents were completely unharmed.
No.6
Richard’s eyes stung with emotion. “Victoria! Why… why would you be so reckless?!”
“My Victoria! Oh, my poor girl!” Eleanor Kensington helped lift Victoria from the debris. She carried her out carefully.
Victoria moaned painfully as consciousness flickered. She lay limp in Eleanor’s arms, dazed and confused. Her voice emerged as a strained whisper. “The contract… Father’s contract…”
Though barely audible, her sole concern was the document.
Eleanor’s heart clenched at the raw worry in her voice. “The contract is safe. You saved it,” she soothed. “Don’t speak now… The doctor is coming.” Victoria relaxed hearing this. Her eyes fluttered shut as darkness took her.
"Victoria...? Victoria?! Doctor! Someone get a doctor!" Eleanor screamed in pure panic.
Medical staff rushed into the room immediately. After a thorough examination, the lead physician announced, "She's extremely fortunate to have received immediate medical attention. Any delay could have resulted in severe burns. She has a minor spinal fracture, but considering the circumstances, it could have been fatal. Her survival is nothing short of miraculous."
Richard and Eleanor both collapsed into nearby chairs, overwhelmed with relief.
Just then, Benjamin's excited call came through. "Father! I'm going to Westhaven! Takashi Yamamoto himself agreed to train me! He said he'll make me the next gaming champion! I'll leave right after my sister's wedding ceremony. I'll return as a champion and make our family proud!"
No.7
Richard's expression darkened instantly. Westhaven? Now of all times?
While he was drowning in corporate responsibilities and family affairs, his son wanted to chase gaming dreams in Westhaven?
"Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?" Richard's voice turned icy. "Do you have any awareness of our current situation? Your sister is holding our company together while you, a grown man, waste your life on games! What could possibly be going through that empty head of yours?"
"What's wrong with pursuing gaming? It's a legitimate career path! Do you think traditional business is the only way to succeed? I'll bring honor to the Kensington name! You'll all regret underestimating me!" Benjamin ended the call abruptly.
The dial tone echoed in the silent room. Richard's face contorted with fury. "Useless! Absolutely worthless!" he roared. "What did I do to deserve such a failure of a son?"
"Unbelievable!" Eleanor seethed, her anger palpable. "He keeps sinking lower every day! Not only is he addicted to those ridiculous games, but now he's abandoning us for Westhaven? We never should have had him! He's nothing like Victoria—not even comparable!"
She paused, watching Victoria's unconscious form on the hospital bed. "Richard, we can't rely on Benjamin anymore, and Isabella isn't our biological daughter. We should transfer our shares to Victoria. She promised to continue managing the company even after marrying Alexander, and we know she's capable. If we transfer the shares now, they'll be considered pre-marriage assets, so they'll remain solely hers rather than becoming marital property."
After a long silence, Richard glanced at the fire-damaged document that had miraculously survived intact. "Very well," he agreed finally.
Victoria lay perfectly still, internally celebrating her triumphant success.