Chapter 6

Victoria raised an eyebrow slightly.

She could see the wariness in Alexander's eyes. He clearly wasn't used to owing anyone a favor, or maybe he suspected she had ulterior motives?

Victoria had initially wanted to refuse, but the sharp pain in her abdomen made her change her mind.

"Thanks," she said calmly, deliberately ignoring the flash of surprise in Alexander's eyes.

Under the hallway lights, Alexander discreetly observed the woman who called herself Victoria.

She didn't know Bianca wasn't his daughter? Everyone in Emerald City's high society knew Bianca was the child entrusted to him by his mentor on his deathbed.

Unless she was pretending.

Alexander's gaze turned cold.

Over the years, many women had tried to get close to him through Bianca, using all sorts of tricks.

If Victoria was one of them, her acting was impeccable. From the way she looked at Bianca, Alexander couldn't detect a hint of pretense.

"Right this way," Alexander said, stepping aside and glancing at Victoria's slightly pale lips.

Inside the Maybach, the leather seats emitted a faint fragrance.

Bianca was settled in the back seat's safety chair, with Victoria sitting next to her.

The car was silent.

Bianca seemed to sense the subtle tension among the adults. She tugged on Victoria's sleeve, "Victoria, can I contact you in the future?"

Victoria softened at Bianca's hopeful gaze.

She genuinely liked this smart and lively child. The pure excitement Bianca showed when talking about weapons reminded her of her younger self.

"Of course," Victoria said softly, her tone gentler than she realized.

Through the rearview mirror, Alexander saw Bianca's rare, happy smile and then looked at Victoria. He began to doubt if the woman he had spent a night with was really Victoria. Maybe he had mistaken her identity.

"We're here," Alexander announced, stopping the car in front of the Gonzalez Villa, his gaze complex as he looked at the building.

This was Hayden's residence, and they were business rivals. He had never heard of Hayden having a daughter named Victoria.

Victoria swiftly opened the car door, smiling at Bianca. "Goodbye, Bianca."

"Goodbye, Victoria! Don't forget our promise!" Bianca called out, leaning against the car window.

Victoria nodded, giving Alexander a curt nod before walking towards the Gonzalez Villa without looking back.

Alexander watched her straight back, his gaze deepening.

As the Maybach slowly drove away, Alexander dialed his assistant. "Check Hayden's family members, especially a girl named Victoria. I want all the details."

Victoria entered the Gonzalez Villa, heading straight to the third floor. She opened the door at the end of the hallway, which used to be Veda's room but was now hers.

A black cat, Angel, peeked out from behind the curtains, its golden eyes gleaming in the dim light.

It gracefully leaped onto Victoria's shoulder, nuzzling her cheek affectionately.

"Did you miss me?" Victoria scratched the cat's chin and took a small device from her bag.

Angel seemed to understand what she was about to do and obediently jumped onto the windowsill to watch.

For the next half hour, Victoria skillfully installed miniature surveillance cameras in various corners of the room: inside the lampshade, in the wardrobe, behind the curtain hooks, and even in the air vent.

Her fingers moved deftly, creating a comprehensive surveillance network.

"All done," Victoria said, clapping her hands and opening the monitoring app on her phone. Six different angles appeared on the screen. "Now, no one can enter my room without you knowing, right, Angel?"

The black cat elegantly flicked its tail and jumped back into her arms.

Victoria sat on the bed, holding Angel, and took a packet of cat treats from the drawer.

Angel's ears perked up, and it placed its front paws on her wrist.

"Greedy," Victoria chuckled, her gaze softening.

Only at times like this did the cold aura around her slightly dissipate.

As the sky outside darkened, Victoria checked her watch. It was 6:45, dinner time.

She put Angel down, straightened her collar, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was calm, showing no emotion.

When she went downstairs, a few people were already seated in the dining room.

Hayden sat at the head of the table, his expression grim. Next to him was his third wife, Ava, who was whispering something with a perfectly made-up face. Foster daughter Veda sat to Ava's right, looking pitiful in a white dress. Ava's biological daughter, Scarlett Gonzalez, sat beside Veda, her sixteen-year-old face full of disdain.

"Finally decided to come down?" Hayden said coldly. "Making the whole family wait for you to eat, quite the attitude."

Victoria walked straight to an empty seat and sat down without any intention of apologizing. "I was organizing my room."

Hayden slammed his wine glass down, the base clinking sharply against the marble table.

"Victoria, you're out of line!" Hayden's temple veins bulged. "I arranged a room for you. Why are you occupying Veda's?"

Victoria calmly cut her steak, the knife scraping against the porcelain plate with a grating sound.

She looked up at Veda, who was biting her lip, her eyes red as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Victoria put down her knife, her voice icy. "A foster daughter with no blood relation to me, how dare she call herself my sister?"

Hayden's face turned ashen, his fingers gripping the napkin tightly.

Ava quickly patted Hayden's back, her red-painted nails glaring under the light.

"Dad, don't be angry," Veda's voice trembled, tears welling up in her eyes. "Victoria just got home and isn't used to it. If she likes my room, I'll give it to her."

Victoria suddenly laughed, the silver fork clattering onto her plate.

"Veda, have you had enough of this act?" She stared into Veda's flickering eyes and said, "You gave me a moldy storage room, worse than the servants' quarters. What are you pretending to be generous for now?"

Hayden's expression faltered, and he looked at Veda suspiciously. Veda's face turned pale, her slender fingers twisting together.

"Victoria, you misunderstood." Veda's voice was tearful.

"Enough!" Scarlett suddenly stood up, pointing at Victoria. "How dare you slander Veda? Stirring up trouble as soon as you come back!"

Victoria leisurely wiped her mouth, her gaze shifting to her half-sister. "Scarlett, with a mouth that dirty, be careful Dad doesn't find you a twenty-year-old secretary stepmother one day."

She glanced pointedly at Ava and said, "After all, your mother got her position that way, didn't she?"

Ava's face turned white, her red-painted nails gripping the napkin tightly.

Hayden abruptly stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.

"Victoria! You're too presumptuous!" Hayden roared, his temple veins bulging. "I was planning to let you intern at the company, but now I have to reconsider!"