As the whispers spread through the party, the guests exchanged curious glances, trying to make sense of the unfolding drama.
“Who is that boy? Does anyone know?” a young woman murmured, her voice barely audible amidst the chatter.
“I don’t know much, but I’ve heard a little about him.” Another guest chimed in, her voice filled with curiosity. “Victor came from some foreign country. He just started his company here in Wolly City. It’s not a big company, but somehow, he managed to get close to big shots like Miss Olivia Kane. They’ve had a few meetings, from what I’ve heard.”
“Interesting,” the first woman replied, her tone laced with intrigue. “He must have some serious connections to be so bold.”
The guests continued to gossip, their eyes flicking toward the tense scene unfolding in the center of the party. For them, what had begun as a mere birthday celebration had transformed into something far more entertaining and far more dangerous.
—-
Avey’s body froze. Victor’s words echoed in her mind, stoking a fire that had been burning low since her return to the past. Her heart pounded, her emotions bubbling to the surface. Without turning her head, her voice came out cold, almost deadly.
“What did you just say?” she asked, her voice icy and sharp, making the room fall into an uncomfortable silence.
Both Olivia and Melody looked at Avey, surprised by the sudden shift in her demeanor. She had been desperate just moments ago, but now, there was something far more dangerous lurking beneath the surface anger.
Victor frowned, clearly taken aback by her reaction. “What’s going on?” he thought, confused. “Why is she acting like this? Didn’t she hate that Lucian boy?”
Trying to salvage the situation, he raised his hands in mock surrender, feigning innocence. “Hey, hey, calm down. Did I say something wrong?” His voice was condescending, barely masking his growing irritation. “I was just asking if that Lucian boy is still pestering you, right?”
Victor’s patience was thinning. He wasn’t someone who took humiliation well. He had built too much to be disrespected, and he certainly wouldn’t take it from someone like Avey. His voice carried an underlying threat now, though he tried to maintain his composure in front of the crowd.
“I only have some connections here, and I thought I could help you.” His smile faltered as he felt the weight of Avey’s stare, his own frustration mounting. “This girl has no idea who she’s messing with.”
But what Victor didn’t realize was that this wasn’t the same Avey he had manipulated in the past. She had seen through his schemes, and now, she wasn’t afraid to confront him.
Avey’s eyes narrowed further, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Her anger was palpable, burning in her chest. “Pestering?” she echoed, her voice shaking with rage. “You have the audacity to speak about Lucian like that? To degrade him?”
Victor’s frown deepened. “Wait, why is she getting so defensive over that guy?” he thought. “Did I miscalculate something?” His mind raced, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong.
Victor had prepared meticulously for his move into Wolly City. He had done his research on everyone especially the powerful figures like the Kanes. He knew the fractured relationship between Lucian and his family. As far as his research had shown, Lucian was weak, unimportant, and of no consequence. He had no power or influence, even within his own family.
“So why should I worry about him?” Victor had thought. “He’s nothing compared to me.”
What Victor didn’t count on was the shift in Olivia’s perspective. In the past life, she had turned a blind eye to her son, indifferent to his pain. But now, everything had changed.
“Victor,” Olivia’s voice cut through the tension like a blade, startling everyone. The cold fury in her tone sent a chill through the room. “Did you just say you would teach my son a lesson?”
Victor’s confidence wavered as he turned to face Olivia, whose sharp gaze burned into him. “I must have misread the situation,” he thought, suddenly unsure. “Why is she looking at me like that?”
Olivia’s eyes blazed with guilt and anger, emotions she had bottled up for years. “How low has my standing fallen,” she thought bitterly. “How far have I let things go, for someone to dare to disrespect my son like this right in front of me?” Her chest tightened with the weight of her past mistakes. “I failed him, but never again. I was blind before, but now I see clearly.
I will never let anyone insult my son again.”
The guilt that had plagued Olivia since her return to the past surged to the surface. Her heart clenched with the realization that she had allowed this allowed others to treat Lucian as insignificant, allowed him to be humiliated. “It’s because of me that people like Victor think they can speak about him like this,” she thought. “Because I failed as his mother.”
Victor flinched as Olivia’s glare intensified. The smug confidence he had shown earlier was quickly evaporating. “Wait,” he stammered, trying to salvage the situation. “I didn’t mean”
“You didn’t mean what?” Olivia interrupted, her voice rising with anger. “You didn’t mean to say that my son is someone you can teach a lesson to? That my son is insignificant?” Her voice was trembling now, not from fear, but from barely controlled fury. “How dare you speak about him that way?” freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Victor took a step back, the power dynamic of the conversation shifting dramatically. Olivia, once indifferent to Lucian, now stood fiercely protective of him. It wasn’t the reaction Victor had anticipated.
The guests, sensing the tension, exchanged nervous glances. “This isn’t just a family dispute,” they whispered. “This is something bigger.”
Victor, desperate to regain control, tried to calm things down. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I wasn’t trying to offend anyone.” His voice wavered, betraying his unease. “I just thought I could help.”
But Olivia wasn’t interested in his excuses. She had already seen through him, and the guilt she felt for ever having been associated with him was eating her alive. “You thought you could help?” she repeated, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Help who?
Victor’s face paled. He could feel the room turning against him, the once-welcoming atmosphere of the party becoming hostile. He had played his cards too confidently, assuming he could manipulate the situation like he always had. But now, it was slipping out of his control.
Avey stepped forward, her voice cutting through the tension once more. “You have no right to speak about Lucian. And I swear, if you go near him, I will make sure you regret it.” Her voice was cold, calculated, and final. There was no room for negotiation.
Victor’s hands trembled slightly, though he tried to hide it. “What the hell is happening?” he thought, panic setting in. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
The room had grown deathly silent, all eyes on the unfolding drama. Victor, once so smug and self-assured, now stood on the edge of disaster. And the women he had underestimated the women he had thought were easy to manipulate now stood united against him.
For the first time, Victor realized he had made a fatal mistake.
Victor’s mind raced. What the hell went wrong? he thought, his usually sharp instincts failing him. Everything he had researched, planned, and calculated told him that both Olivia and Avey disliked Lucian. He believed they would welcome any insult toward Lucian as a chance to distance themselves further from him.
But as the tension in the room thickened, Victor could sense that his plan had not just backfired it had exploded in his face.
“Miss Olivia, Miss Avey, I truly apologize if my words came off wrong.” Victor tried to maintain his smooth facade, but his eyes flickered with anxiety. He prided himself on being a master manipulator, but this wasn’t going the way he had anticipated. He had never expected these women especially Olivia to turn against him so swiftly.
Olivia’s face tightened, her anger simmering just beneath the surface. “Helping us again?” Her voice dripped with barely contained fury. “You just disrespected my son in front of all these guests. Let’s forget for a moment about what may or may not be going on between Avey and Lucian. Did you really think I would stand here and say nothing while you humiliated my son like that?”
For a split second, Avey felt a pang of sadness hearing Olivia defend Lucian so fiercely. Despite her own complicated feelings, she realized that she, too, would never have allowed anyone to step on Lucian like this especially not publicly. Her chest tightened, guilt swelling as she recalled the cruel things she herself had done to him in her previous life. Why did I ever act that way toward him?
she wondered, the shame almost unbearable.
Victor, however, was already shifting gears. His mind worked as quickly as his mouth. He could sense Olivia’s rising anger but knew that the powerful Kane family wasn’t something he could afford to alienate, at least not yet. “Miss Olivia,” he said, his voice softening, “please don’t be upset with me. We’ve had a fruitful business relationship. I truly meant no disrespect.
If my words were offensive, I sincerely apologize.”
Victor’s pride screamed at him to not bow to these women, but he wasn’t foolish enough to burn bridges this early in his plans. The Kane family still had value, and he knew he needed them especially for his hidden revenge. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make amends,” he added, forcing a smile. “I’ve always respected you deeply.”
Despite the false sincerity in his tone, there was a glint in his eyes cold, calculating, and filled with anger he barely managed to suppress. One day, I’ll repay this humiliation, he thought darkly. These bitches won’t get away with it. But for now… I need to play this smart.
Olivia’s anger continued to boil, but something about Victor’s last words made her feel sick inside. He had mentioned punishing Lucian, implying that she had condoned or even encouraged such behavior. And the truth was, she had. In her past life, Olivia had cruelly reprimanded Lucian whenever he embarrassed the family.
She had allowed herself to be manipulated into punishing her own son, treating him like an outsider in his own home.
Her hands trembled slightly as she clenched them into fists. “I.I…” Olivia stammered, her voice faltering. The guilt hit her like a tidal wave, drowning out her fury for a brief moment. “He’s right, she thought bitterly. “I let it happen. I let Lucian be treated like this…
by everyone, including myself. And now I’m standing here, acting like I care.”
For a second, Olivia felt humiliated not by Victor, but by herself. What kind of mother am I? she thought. How did it get this bad? How did I let my son fall so far, only to defend him now, as if I’m some loving mother? The shame was overwhelming, but beneath it all was a spark of determination.
This will end today. No one disrespects my son not anymore.
Avey, on the other hand, was less conflicted. Her heart burned with anger pure and intense. Victor’s slimy demeanor, his patronizing tone, and his manipulative actions had ruined Lucian’s life in the past, pushing her to hurt the one person who had loved her more than anyone else. “You,” she thought, her rage growing. “You’re one of the reasons I lost him. One of the reasons I broke him.”
No longer willing to hide her feelings, Avey stepped forward, her eyes blazing with fury. “Victor,” she said, her voice low and dangerous, “you’ve crossed a line today. You think you can just come here, insult Lucian, and get away with it? Let me make this clear you will regret this.”
Victor’s face darkened. The guests, who had been watching the scene with growing interest, exchanged nervous glances. The tension in the air was palpable. No one dared to speak, but the shock was clear on their faces.
Melody, standing silently beside her daughter, felt both pride and concern. “This isn’t like Avey,” she thought, frowning slightly. “Something has changed. She’s never been this forceful, this… protective.” Still, she would support her daughter no matter what. If Avey had declared war on Victor, then so be it.
Olivia, meanwhile, watched Avey with a mixture of surprise and admiration. “So, she does care for Lucian, she thought, her anger toward Victor momentarily overshadowed by the realization. Maybe she always did, but didn’t know how to show it.”
Victor, now cornered and humiliated in front of the city’s elite, clenched his fists at his sides. His lips curled into a forced smile, but his eyes were hard and filled with contempt. “You’re making a mistake, Miss Avey,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “I suggest you think carefully before you make enemies you can’t handle.”
Avey’s eyes narrowed. “I can handle you,” she said coldly. “And if you’re thinking of threatening me or Lucian, you’ll find out just how powerful my family really is. Now get out.”
Victor’s smile dropped completely. His pride had been shattered in front of the entire party, and he knew he couldn’t recover from this. “Fine,” he said through gritted teeth, his voice barely controlled. “But this isn’t over.”
He turned sharply on his heel and walked out of the party, his rage barely contained. Inside, he was seething. “One day,” he vowed silently, “one day I’ll make all of you pay for this.”
As he left, the tension in the room remained thick. The guests were buzzing with whispers, unsure of what had just happened but knowing they had witnessed something significant. Meanwhile, Avey stood tall, her heart still pounding with adrenaline.
But as the reality of the situation settled in, she couldn’t help but feel a knot of fear in her chest. “I’ve made the right choice, she told herself. I won’t let anyone hurt Lucian again not Victor, not anyone and specially not myself.”
wasted my fucking time avey cursed in her heart
—-
thanks for your support guys
almost 2,400 words chapter
from tommorow on i am going to fasten the story