Williams’s POV
I stood in front of my mirror staring bleakly at my reflection, tying my tie with practiced precision.
I smiled with satisfaction at the perfect way we had planned this.
Lily and I had done multiple meetings with the lawyers available, and that girl was so smart.
She had covered everything- documentation, contracts, precedent cases.
What came next was taking the case against Victor, involving the cops, and bringing him down systematically.
But something was still bothering me.
That bitch Miranda.
She had suddenly made an apology video.
What the hell happened in that short interval?
Lily told me she hadn’t replied to her messages.
Nadia was still going about her day, bursting about how she’d messaged an influencer-such a dumb girl.
She doesn’t know anything about strategy, about real power plays.
But right now, my branch headquarters had gotten invited to a gala happening in a few hours.
I was sent there as a representative.
“Baby, what do you think I should wear to this? This is my first day at work. I should look different from normal days,” Nadia called from the bedroom.
I turned as she showed me a pair of two heels in different colors.
“Hmm. I think the black would be nice. It suits your dress,” I said, turning back to the mirror.
“I was thinking about it too,” she said.
“I wished we could go to the gala together.”
“Well, it’s work too. I heard that it’s the owner of a rich brand that is sponsoring this gala. Attending her gala would increase our stock, and that means more money for us,” I said, adjusting my tie in the mirror.
“Oh wow, really? That is really nice. I have something to tell you also,” she said excitedly.
“What is that?” I asked, not paying much attention to her.
“Miranda replied me.”
I turned immediately, shock written all over my face.
“What do you say?” I asked sharply.
“I said she replied me. Why do you look so shocked? Were you expecting her not to reply to me?” Nadia asked, tilting her head with suspicion.
I held her hand, trying to recover from my surprise.
It was shocking that bitch replied to Nadia and ignored Lily’s messages.
“No, no, I am surprised that she could actually reply to you,” I said carefully.
Nadia released her hands and folded her arms across her chest defensively.
“You are keeping things from me. That lawyer lady, is she trying to snatch you away from me? You told me you were just business partners and that she was helping us. Why does it feel like you are not telling me everything?” she demanded.
I folded my palms together, irritated.
Why were the Lopez’s so nosy?
First Miriam was always asking about my job, asking questions about what I did.
Now her sister was beginning to do the same.
But she was still an asset.
I still needed a Lopez.
I smiled immediately and pulled her close.
“I’m sorry if you feel I am keeping things from you, but I swear on my life, I am not. What would I gain from keeping things from you? You are the woman I love,” I said, kissing her forehead.
She stared at me, clearly not fully believing me.
“Alright then, why did you rush out yesterday?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.
I sighed heavily.
This girl doesn’t know when to stop asking questions that don’t concern her.
I would just have to give her some hints to satisfy her curiosity.
“Alright, I went to file a case against Victor Ashford,” I said.
She raised an eyebrow and removed her hands from me.
“Is that what you could not tell me about?” she asked, her voice filled with something that sounded like understanding.
I smiled and held her hand, bringing it to my lips and kissing it gently.
“I am really sorry, my love. It won’t happen again,” I said softly.
She pouted as she helped me complete my tie, her fingers working expertly with the fabric.
“I will be waiting for a real explanation,” she said firmly.
I nodded my head and held her waist.
She knotted the tie perfectly and helped me slip on my suit jacket, smoothing it down over my shoulders.
“You are so handsome,” she complimented, standing back to admire her work.
Lily and I would have no choice but to involve her in this Miranda plan since she had replied to Nadia first.
We needed to coordinate our approach.
“Surprisingly, she sent an old photo of me and that bitch, asking if I knew her,” Nadia said.
“So what was your reply?” I asked impatiently, eager to know how much ground we had to work with.
She shrugged.
“I have not yet replied to her. I was waiting to inform you about the next steps.”
“Oh thank God,” I said, relief washing over me.
“Now that we got her attention, we need to work together and bring her into understanding of what we want.” I smiled, mischief cooking up in my mind.
We could use Miranda.
We could manipulate her into helping us destroy both Victor and Miriam.
Nadia laughed at the expression on my face.
“Alright, let’s settle this right after everything. We invite Lily in and tell her. But right now, I want you to go to that gala and make some money for us,” she said, leaning closer and grabbing my suit jacket.
“I have some positions I want to perform on you tonight,” she whispered.
I bit my lips and kissed her briefly, tasting her eagerness.
“I won’t be able to wait then,” I said.
She chuckled as she released me.
“Alright, go now. I will be leaving soon.”
I kissed her goodbye as I walked out of the house and into my car.
As soon as I was inside, I was already dialing Lily’s number.
“Change of plans. That bitch replied to Nadia,” I said without preamble.
Victor’s POV
The drive was silent as we gently moved through the traffic.
I kept glancing at Miriam.
She was occupied with the views of the city passing by the window, lost in her own thoughts.
I had been expecting her to ask about Miranda, about why she started that livestream to slander her.
I was worried she might have actually searched up online and believed wrong rumors about me.
“Are you not going to ask about Miranda? That girl that started that livestream?” I asked carefully, keeping my eyes on the road.
She slowly turned to look at me, her face bright and pretty.
It tugged at my heart so much.
She is so perfect.
I returned my eyes to the road and then back to her, waiting for her response.
“It had been resolved. I don’t think there is anything to ask about,” she said firmly.
“I know you have lots of questions to ask,” I pressed gently.
“About how she used to be your ex,” she cut in sharply.
I almost slammed on the brakes in the middle of the road.
How much had she found out?
What had she seen online?
“Miriam, listen. What you saw on the internet is not true. That girl…”
“No, Victor. You do not have to explain anything to me. We do not have to talk about each other’s past,” she said, her voice cutting off my explanation.
I glanced briefly at her.
This wasn’t good.
She was building walls.
But I needed her to trust me.
“No, I need to clear all misunderstandings. That girl was never my girlfriend. She was never my ex. Her mother worked under my mother. Poor and struggling. She was eighteen years old when she started her modeling career, and it never succeeded. But she is not what she calls herself online,” I said, my voice steady and controlled.
I paused and glanced back at her.
She was listening carefully, so I continued.
“My mother’s hospitality brought her mother out of their poor state. They started living fine, living comfortably. Miranda became something else entirely. Before that, I had helped her register her model agency under mine, so it gave her more publicity. She became famous not only because of that. She whored around. She did drugs. She came online and posed as an influencer with a sob story. Due to my involvement with her agency, everyone thought we were dating,” I explained, keeping my voice neutral.
“That girl went as far as posting pictures of us together alone in private spaces online when we were just discussing how her agency could grow. She grew obsessed with the idea of us being together,” I continued.
I stopped the car at a red light and found her staring at me intently.
“You still don’t believe me,” I said.
It wasn’t a question.
“But I saw online that both of you were coming out from a hospital, smiling like you both were actually dating,” she said softly.
“Oh that.
Fucking Christ.
She got into a fight with someone and ended up with injuries.
She couldn’t call her mother, so she ended up calling me.
She said she had an accident.
I went to the hospital to help her.
That hospital photo- she took it, posted it online, and created the narrative herself.
I made a post refuting her claim about me being her boyfriend.
Do you believe me now?” I asked, my anxiety about regaining her trust evident in my voice.
“I do not have anything to do with her anymore. Her agency is run by herself now, not under mine anymore. I think she was still jealous and angry hearing that you were announced as my wife and CEO,” I said, turning back to focus on the road as the light turned green.
She chuckled.
I glanced at her briefly with a smile of relief.
“It’s so childish,” she said, laughing now.
I looked at her, relieved that she seemed to have accepted my explanation.
“She is. I want you to know that I have never dated her. I have never had a girlfriend,” I said.
She looked at me with those brown amber eyes that made my heart race.
“I have loved someone all my life since the moment I set eyes on them,” I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.
I don’t know why I was saying this right now.
Am I being stupid?
No, I should stop, but she helped me by breaking eye contact, folding her hands into her lap.
“You do not have to tell me everything, Mr. Victor. These are personal details,” she said without any room for my continuation.
What was I thinking?
My heart was slamming so hard as I focused on the road.
My phone rang suddenly.
Ariel.
Is she back already?
I picked up the phone immediately.
“Where are you now? We are waiting,” she screeched from the other end.
I could hear background noises of an event in full swing.
“Don’t tell me you actually arrived for Mom’s gala event,” I said.
“Get your ass here quickly. I hope your wife is there with you. I can’t wait to meet her,” Ariel screeched, her excitement palpable.
“Alright, I am hanging up. Will be there in a few minutes,” I said, ending the call.
I turned briefly at Miriam.
Her expression had changed- it had become sullen, withdrawn.
It was so obvious that something I’d said had bothered her.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly.
She turned at me with a smile and nodded, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Is that a friend on the phone? You guys sound so close,” she asked, her voice carefully controlled.
“Yes, Ariel. She is my childhood friend. She is waiting already,” I said.
I observed her face carefully.
I tilted my head, wondering what could cause her sullen expression.
Could it be really about what I said?
Was it about Ariel?
Was she jealous?
I swerved right as I could see the big banner above the entrance.
I chuckled inwardly.
I knew the concept of this banner was totally my mother’s idea.
Everything about this gala screamed Charlotte Ashford’s vision.
“I think we are there already,” I said.
I entered the VIP curb where other cars had been parked.
The place was quite bustling with people invited to the event, but something immediately caught my eyes.
Williams Castellano.
Coming down from his car with that smug expression on his face.
I frowned immediately.
What the hell was this bastard doing in this place?