Chapter 4

"Grandpa has already given the heads-up to the Four Great Families. They've prepared gifts for you—just go pick them up."

Victor leaned against the car window, watching the New York street scene outside, and said slowly, "No need. I prepared something myself."

"What did you prepare?"

"An envelope."

Three seconds of silence on the other end, followed by a helpless sigh.

"Victor, you're going to your fiancée's house, not to collect debts."

"I know."

Victor hung up, shoved his phone in his pocket, and closed his eyes.

The Martinez Villa was located in the northern suburbs of New York, covering over thirty acres.

On the twelve-foot-high wrought iron gate, a massive Martinez family crest was inlaid with gold.

Victor studied the gate and mentally gave it the verdict: all glitter on the outside, garbage on the inside.

Just based on this nouveau riche style, the Martinez family's good days wouldn't last long.

Two security guards saw Victor approaching and brazenly looked him up and down from head to toe.

It was an extremely rude and provocative way of sizing someone up.

After all, Victor's outfit of an old jacket and jeans really didn't look like someone who belonged at a wealthy estate.

One guard spoke with disdain, "What do you want?"

"I'm here to see Amelia Martinez."

Victor replied in a flat tone.

The guard froze for a second, then turned to his colleague and laughed mockingly, "Did you hear that? He says he's here to see Miss Martinez."

The other man didn't hide the ridicule in his eyes either.

"See Miss Martinez? Kid, take a look at where you are—this is the Martinez family, one of the top families in all of New York! Looking at your shabby appearance, you dare to come here? I think you're a delivery guy who got the wrong address."

Victor didn't argue. He never wasted words on people who didn't matter.

"Alright, stop being an eyesore here. Get lost!"

The guard waved impatiently, shooing him away like a fly.

"My name is Victor Ashford."

Victor's voice remained level.

The guard frowned, clearly losing his last bit of patience.

"I don't care what your name is. Stop being annoying and get the hell out of here!"

As he cursed, he reached out to shove Victor's shoulder.

But before his hand could touch him, he suddenly flew backward and crashed heavily into the iron gate.

Victor slowly lowered his leg, looking coldly at the guard wailing on the ground.

"Watch your mouths. Is this how the Martinez family teaches its servants to treat guests?"

The commotion outside quickly alerted people inside, and the gate was pulled open from within.

Out walked Amelia's mother, Hazel Martinez.

She wore a well-tailored blue dress and held the leashes of two fierce-looking wolfhounds.

Hazel walked up to Victor and looked him up and down.

"So you're that shameless waste Victor who insisted on coming here?"

"I'm Victor, not a waste."

Hazel laughed coldly and deliberately let go of the leashes, but the expected scene of vicious dogs attacking didn't happen.

The two originally fierce wolfhounds didn't advance. Instead, they tucked their tails and let out frightened whimpers.

They cowered backward, and one even went weak in the legs and collapsed on the ground.

Hazel looked at this scene in disbelief, her expression changing.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing."

Victor's tone was very calm.

Hazel took a deep breath and resumed her high-and-mighty attitude.

"No matter what tricks you know, how could someone from the bottom like you be worthy of our Martinez family's daughter?"

Victor met her gaze and replied flatly, "If it weren't for the rules my grandfather set down, I wouldn't have set foot in your Martinez family at all."

These words, showing no face whatsoever, made Hazel's expression instantly darken to the extreme.

"Victor, do you know how to write the word 'death'?"

Victor nodded noncommittally, "You can teach me."

Hazel laughed in anger and waved her hand sharply, "Someone come! Cripple this arrogant bastard and throw him out!"

More than a dozen burly bodyguards responded and rushed at Victor from all directions.

Victor snorted coldly, his figure moving like a ghost through the crowd.

Accompanied by a series of dull impacts and screams, in just a few seconds, the dozen bodyguards were lying scattered on the ground.

Victor brushed off nonexistent dust from his clothes and returned his gaze to Hazel.

"Mrs. Martinez, can we talk properly now?"

Looking at the subordinates wailing all over the ground, the contempt in Hazel's eyes was finally replaced by wariness.

Though arrogant, she wasn't stupid.

This Victor in front of her was definitely not an ordinary person.

Hazel suppressed her anger and spoke stiffly, "Since you're here, did you really come empty-handed?"

"I brought something."

Hazel frowned, her gaze sweeping over Victor's thin jacket.

"What did you bring?"

Victor unhurriedly pulled out the envelope from his chest and handed it over.

"Just this."

Hazel glanced at the flat envelope, feeling greatly insulted.

"Are you making fun of the Martinez family!"

"I know you have some skills, but the Martinez family isn't something a brute like you can provoke!"

Victor didn't get angry at her threat, just lifted his chin slightly.

"Why don't you look at what's inside the envelope first."

Hazel snorted coldly, grabbed the envelope, and made to tear it to shreds.

But as soon as she applied force, she felt her wrist clamped by two fingers.

The force was surprisingly strong, making her hands feel like they were welded to an anvil, unable to move.

"I suggest you look first before deciding whether to tear it."

Victor released his hand, his tone carrying undeniable authority.

Hazel bit her lip and roughly tore open the envelope.

Inside wasn't the expected check or property deed, just a seemingly ordinary coin.

Hazel completely lost her patience.

She felt like a fool being played by this poor kid.

"You bring a coin here, and you really think the Martinez family's door is so easy to enter!"

She threw the coin on the ground and raised her high heel to stomp on it hard.

Just then, an aged but vigorous voice came from inside the villa.

"Hazel, stop."

Hazel's movement paused. She turned to look at the newcomer, the anger on her face subsiding somewhat.

"Dad, it's not that I'm being unreasonable, but he's going too far. He actually brought a broken coin to..."

"I told you to stop."

The old man walking out with a cane interrupted Hazel's words with displeasure.

His sharp gaze swept over the bodyguards wailing on the ground before finally settling on Victor.

He was the current head of the Martinez family, Aiden.

Aiden looked Victor up and down, a trace of imperceptible contempt flashing in his eyes, but maintaining an elder's dignity on the surface.

"You must be Victor from the Ashford family. Since you're here, come inside first."

Victor calmly met Aiden's gaze and nodded slightly.

Compared to the arrogant Hazel, this Aiden at least knew how to hide his feelings somewhat.

"Thank you, Mr. Martinez. I came unannounced today—please forgive any offense."

Aiden pulled at the corner of his mouth and made a welcoming gesture.

"The servants don't know manners—sorry you had to see that. Please, come in."