Chapter 183: Glam Me Up (2)
The ladies didn’t waste a second after brunch. With the help of Vicky’s hired team, they dove straight into their pampering session—body scrubs, foot spas, and treatments that made the bungalow feel more like a luxury spa than a cozy home.
Both Ella and Georgia were wide-eyed the moment they stepped inside Vicky’s bathroom.
"From the outside, no one would ever suspect you’ve got a bathroom like this hiding in here," Ella marveled as she leaned back, her feet soaking in the warm water.
Vicky smirked, brushing off her own shoulders proudly. "This house was originally a two-bedroom with a nursery. I knocked one bedroom down and turned it into my bathroom and walk-in closet. The nursery became the new guest room. Not like anyone stays here anyway... except our mom. My real mom."
Georgia’s head tilted. "Nick already told me last night the story of the two of you," she said softly, like she was holding something delicate with her words.
"Hey!" Ella leaned forward, mock-pouting. "Don’t leave me out. What are you two talking about?"
Vicky burst into laughter before sharing the story—the same one Nick had entrusted Georgia with.
Ella gasped. "And you can still laugh about it?!" Her eyes were wide with disbelief. "You’re... incredible, Vicky. Really. I admire you."
Vicky let out a breath, her expression softening. "Look, I didn’t tell you this to make Violet look like a villain. She’s been kind to me. But I’ll never forget how much she despised Nick... and hated my mother. Honestly? I can’t even blame her. If I were in her shoes, I might have done worse."
Her voice lowered, but her honesty carried weight.
"She accepted me and Nick, though. Especially me. She wanted me as her daughter. After Liam, she had complications—she couldn’t have more kids. She fell into depression... and then I appeared, just a newborn. She poured everything into me. She really did treat me as if I was her own." Vicky’s lips curved in a sad smile before she shook her head.
"But Violet..." she continued, "she’s manipulative. I try to understand her, because... sometimes, I pity her. Imagine living your entire life with a man who never once loved you. Not as a woman, not as a partner—just an obligation he had to endure. That must’ve broken her. That’s the life she’s been living for decades."
Her words lingered in the air, heavy yet tender.
"So I try to be nice to her. Because deep down, I don’t think Violet was born a bad person. Life just... made her one."
"I see... she hates me too..." Georgia muttered, a trace of sadness in her tone.
"Nick already told me what she tried to pull on you," Vicky replied firmly. "But don’t worry—I won’t let her corner you later. Just stick by my side. Tonight, my mission is to parade you and Ella around, introduce you both to potential clients... until Nick and Liam finally swoop in to steal you from me." She winked, her playful tone making the other two laugh.
"Do you think she’ll hate me too?" Ella asked, chewing her lip nervously. "I mean, I’m dating her son... and she might see me as a threat since I’m not from some prominent family."
Vicky tilted her head, considering it. "That, I can’t say for sure. But I do know this, our father is very curious about you. And in this family, his word is the law. Whatever Violet says, he’ll still have the final say."
Ella let out a sigh of relief, though her nerves still lingered.
Georgia, wanting to lighten the mood, turned her attention to Vicky with a teasing grin. "And how about you, Vicky? Do you have someone special in your life? With your beauty, brains, and personality, I bet men are lining up at your door."
Vicky burst into laughter, rolling her eyes. "Oh, please. If there were men lining up, I would’ve kicked them all off the porch by now. Running my business is already a full-time relationship."
The three women chuckled, their laughter echoing through the bathroom, the earlier heaviness replaced by warmth and giddiness.
"But..." Vicky’s voice softened, her usual playful spark dimming into something more vulnerable. "There is someone I like. But he doesn’t want me. Things between us are... complicated. I understand why he won’t fight for me, but still—" she let out a small, shaky laugh, "I can’t stop my heart. I tried to move on, tried to date other men.
Dad and Violet keep arranging blind dates for me, and every time I sit across from some perfectly handsome, capable man... all I can think about is him."
Her eyes glimmered with a bittersweet smile. "It’s not that those men aren’t good enough—most of them are far more than decent. But this stubborn heart of mine only beats for him. If it keeps up like this, I’ll probably grow old single, still waiting for a man who will never look at me the way I look at him."
Georgia’s brows knitted, sympathy tugging at her. "Nick told me your family once planned to marry you off to another powerful family. Do you think they’ll ever make you go through with that?"
Vicky sighed, leaning back against the plush chair as her foot spa bubbled. "Yeah... that was the original plan. But Violet opposed it—maybe because she went through an arranged marriage herself and doesn’t want me shackled the same way.
She still introduces me to men she deems suitable though, but she never forces me. If I turn one down, she simply finds another candidate and hopes I’ll fall for the next one. But..." her lips curved into a wistful smile, "none of them could ever be him."
Ella and Georgia shared a glance, their eyes sparkling with both curiosity and affection as they listened.
"But you know..." Vicky leaned forward, lowering her voice as if sharing a dangerous secret, before flashing a mischievous grin.
"I do want a child of my own someday. And our father kept on mentioning that he didn’t even care about our marriages anymore. At this point, he just wants a grandchild. So who knows?"
She threw her hands up dramatically, earning everyone’s attention. "Maybe one of these days I’ll get fed up with his nagging, have a few too many drinks, and just drag the man I actually like straight into my bedroom. Boom—instant baby, whether he agrees or not!"
The room burst into laughter. Ella nearly choked on her water, Georgia clutched her stomach, and even the women working on their foot spas joined in, giggling so hard their hands shook.
Vicky winked at them all, basking in the ripple of joy she had stirred. For a moment, the tension of looming family expectations and the pressure of the evening ahead melted into pure warmth, but deep down, Vicky truly wanted that guy to step up and finally claim her and not worry about anything else anymore.
*******
Thank you for the Golden Ticket!
Bernice_Norman