In office number 66 of Lennox Companies, a handsome thirty-one-year-old man reviewed his documents with the gravity of a cold, calculating king.

Draco Lennox sat there going over everything as always — meticulous and perfectionist to the core.

His assistant Milan walked in looking pale and rattled. He hadn't seen this coming.

Draco looked up at him, waiting for him to speak, though his assistant seemed to have gone mute.

"Talk," he said flatly.

"Sir, it's... it's Miss Victoria Levin. The younger sister of... your ex-girlfriend," Milan managed, doing his best not to stutter.

Victoria was the younger sister of Draco's former fiancee, Virginia Levin. Five years ago, Draco and Virginia had been in love for several years, but on the day of their wedding, Virginia ran off with her personal trainer from the gym, leaving him standing at the altar. In retaliation, the powerful man had driven the Levin family to ruin — especially since Virginia's parents had known about her plans and said nothing. Victoria, however, had been living abroad with her maternal grandmother during that time, studying there ever since she turned twelve. Her relationship with her mother Carolina had been terrible. She refused to be a doll on display like her older sister, who was twelve years her senior. Victoria had always been fiercely independent, with her own ideas about who she was, and being an obedient, submissive woman was simply not in her nature. Though she was shy and gentle by temperament, she was also stubborn and headstrong — and that had sparked an all-out war at home. It got so bad that her father Mirko decided to send Victoria to live with his mother-in-law. His wife had resorted to hitting their rebellious daughter to try to break her, and it couldn't go on like that.

Draco had seen little Victoria a few times. When he first started dating her sister, Victoria was exactly eleven years old. By the time the wedding was supposed to happen, she was fifteen, but they barely crossed paths that day. Victoria was whisked out of the country immediately by her father. He knew what was coming — and it did. They went bankrupt and moved abroad to try to survive. Despite Carolina's objections, Mirko refused to go to his mother-in-law's house. He didn't want to drag Susana, his wife's mother, into the mess, and it was also for Victoria's sake. She was doing well there — she had everything she needed, even if not in abundance. At least she had stability.

Now Draco was more than puzzled by the visit. His brows furrowed in confusion, and he assumed she must want money or some kind of compensation for what had happened. And yet, something in him made him accept the situation.

"Let her in," he said, his voice deep, almost guttural, startling his assistant.

"Yes, sir. Right away," Milan replied, a little frightened about what might happen to the poor young woman.

Draco went back to his papers until he heard a soft but warm voice.

"Hi, brother-in-law. It's good to see you after all this time," she said, making every hair on Draco's body stand on end. He was about to snap at her for calling him that when he looked up — and what he saw struck him speechless.

Standing in the middle of his office was a beautiful young woman with hair as dark as night, stunning eyes somewhere between gold and green that shone against her snow-white skin.

Who is this damn doll? Draco thought, unable to process what he was seeing. This was Virginia's little sister?

"Draco, I'm Victoria. Virginia's sister. I know you don't want anything to do with my family after what happened, but I need a favor. I'd just like you to hear me out, please," she said, polite and composed, though she looked a little uncomfortable with the situation.

"Well, well. Just call me Draco — I'm not your brother-in-law anymore, and I never will be again. Now tell me, what's going on?" the man said with irritation, though his eyes couldn't stop taking in the beauty standing before him. There was nothing left of the scrawny, loud, mischievous little girl he'd known years ago.

"W-well, I've been studying here for two years, but I'm only on a scholarship, and I've been having problems with some students and professors. You know how it helps to have a patron — someone backing you so they don't get rid of you. Well, I need your help with that. I was wondering if you could talk to the dean and tell him you're my sponsor. I have good grades, but there's a student who does everything she can to make me lose my scholarship. She's even gotten one of my professors to lower my exam scores. I've complained, but no one helps me. In short, I'm the campus charity case," Victoria said, looking at him anxiously.

Draco, meanwhile, was surprised. It wasn't money she wanted. She was simply asking him to help with her university problem.

Draco shifted uneasily. Something told him this was going to get complicated. He wanted to refuse, but before he could stop himself, the question slipped out.

"Tell me, why would I help you?" he said, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.

Vicky — as her friends called her — blinked several times. She hadn't actually thought about that before coming to find him.

"No... I hadn't thought about it. It would be a charitable act for a scholarship student. I'm first in my class, I study hard, I'm extremely dedicated, and I truly need this help. I only have one year left to graduate. I'll work for you at half salary for a year — please. I can't afford that university without my scholarship. If they take it away, I won't be able to finish my degree," she said, looking at him with sadness. She knew this man despised her family, but having left that city as a young girl, she didn't know anyone more powerful in that place than Draco Lennox.

Draco fixed her with a piercing stare that only made her more nervous. Something told him this was a bad idea.

"Do you have a boyfriend, Victoria?" the man asked, picking up his papers again.

"Huh? No, I don't. I don't have time for that. Besides, I work part-time at a coffee shop to pay my rent — I can't waste time on things like that," she said in almost a whisper, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She had been left alone with her grandmother, and although they weren't poor, they couldn't afford tuition at good universities. So Victoria had pushed herself relentlessly to earn the best scholarships and secure a good future.

The man's eyes gleamed with something inexplicable. She didn't notice — he was still looking down at his papers.

"Fine. I'll speak with the dean. Come back tomorrow at this same time and let me know how things stand. My assistant will save my number in your phone and send me yours. You may go now," he said in a dry, disinterested tone.

Vicky left the office feeling bewildered. She didn't understand any of it, but if he helped her, she'd be grateful beyond words. Even though he hadn't seemed the least bit interested in doing so, at least she had tried.

Once she was gone, Draco called Milan. He had an assignment for him.

"First, get me every piece of information you can find on her. And once you bring me everything, I want you to tell the dean of Leroy University that I'd like a meeting with him. Let's see what's really going on."

At the university, Milenka Hannah was a girl from a wealthy family with plenty of money. She was Vicky's sworn enemy. From the moment she'd spotted her at the university, she had hated her — Vicky's simple clothes and lack of money put her in a foul mood. But what she hated most was that Luis Melis, the most handsome guy on campus, was hopelessly in love with Victoria, who hadn't given him the time of day. She treated him like a friend, nothing more. But in Milenka's eyes, the scholarship girl was a flirt who was just looking for a rich man to elevate her status, playing hard to get to see who would offer the most.

In the dean's office, she and a faculty member were lodging complaints against Victoria Levin.

"Dean, that girl's grades have dropped. She's getting poor marks and doesn't deserve such an important scholarship," the man said, looking smugly at the dean, who could only scratch his head.

"Dean, those of us from good families who pay our tuition are the ones funding those scholarships. That girl is a fraud. There are even rumors she cheats — that she gets the exams in advance through immoral means," Milenka said, her voice dripping with pure hatred.

The middle-aged man sighed. If things kept going this way, he would have to strip the girl of her scholarship. Even though she was an excellent student, she caused him too many headaches.

"Fine. I'll look into it. Tomorrow at the board meeting, we'll revoke Victoria Levin's scholarship," the man said in frustration.

After they left, the dean just shook his head. He had known that girl's grandmother for years. He had even been glad to have Victoria studying there, especially on her own merit. But it seemed powerful people wanted to destroy her — not just because of her intelligence, but because of her beauty.

A few hours later, Milan walked into his boss's office. He had to deliver his report on the young woman Victoria. He found it strange that Draco would take any interest in this matter, especially given that family.

"Sir, here's what I found on Miss Victoria. It's all quite clear," Milan said, watching his boss look up from his papers and take the folder.

Sure enough, Victoria's grades had dropped in one subject. She had requested a review of her exams from the faculty board, but they had denied it. What caught Draco's attention most was the name Milenka Hannah. She was the daughter of nouveau riche parents. Her father had hounded him some time ago with business proposals and an arranged marriage that would have benefited only Mr. Hannah financially. Draco had told him to go to hell.

Two other families also opposed Victoria and her scholarship. One of them was the family of star athlete Luis Melis. The young man was interested in her, and his relatives found that unacceptable — Victoria was far beneath their beloved heir.

"Well, interesting," he said, then moved on to the report about her job and living situation. Victoria worked for a miserable wage and rented a cramped little room across from the university. Six months ago, she'd lost her university dormitory over an internal accusation. The pressure had been brutal — she'd been accused of bringing men to her dorm room and exchanging sex for money. Photos surfaced of men entering and leaving her dormitory room. But the defense report showed she hadn't even been in the country at the time; she'd gone abroad to visit her grandmother. Still, no one stood up for her except the rector, and the only way she could keep her scholarship was to move out.

An unmistakable flash of anger crossed Draco's eyes. The man was genuinely furious about the situation.

"Milan, tell the rector to come see me. I need to have a serious conversation with him," Draco said, turning back to his laptop and typing at a furious pace. He had a mountain of work. He'd deal with Victoria Levin later.

"Yes, sir. He's confirmed for one hour from now," Milan said, watching his boss without understanding what was happening. He just hoped that girl wouldn't end up paying for other people's mistakes. As someone skilled at reading people's intentions, he could see that girl was pure sunshine — any sweeter and she'd sprout angel wings.

As he typed, it caught Draco's attention that Victoria was about to turn twenty and only had one year of university left. He'd heard from Virginia that her little sister was extremely intelligent and had skipped grades in school thanks to her prodigious mind. But now that he thought about it, there had always been a hint of envy whenever Virginia spoke about little Victoria.

While he worked, his mind torn between his job and Victoria — who was twelve years younger than him — his phone rang insistently. When he saw the number, his eyes turned cold as ice.

"Mother, what's going on?" he answered with boredom, leaving the person on the other end of the line speechless.

"Draco, don't talk to me like that. You were supposed to be here at the house half an hour ago. Janet has been waiting for you for ages. You said you'd come," said Mabel, his mother, who was on a mission to find her son a wife. Ever since that incident, her son hadn't been seen with a single woman. She hated Virginia for it — hated her so much she could have killed her and her entire family.

"I never said I'd go. You said you wanted me to come. I never said yes," he replied calmly. Draco was a man of few words, and his reserved, cold demeanor had only worsened after that incident. It wasn't that he'd been in love with Virginia — her leaving had actually been a relief. What he couldn't stand was the scandal and the public humiliation.

"Draco, stop thinking about that damn woman. You need to come. We've spoken with the Belmontes about an arrangement between families. You're already thirty-one years old. I want grandchildren," Mabel said angrily, while Draco put her on speaker and kept typing on his computer.

The woman heard the clacking of keys with no response and wanted to skin him alive, until she finally heard him speak.

"I'm not interested. I don't have time. I need to work, Mother. We'll talk later," Draco said, hanging up while his mother nearly hurled her phone at the floor. That son of hers was so stubborn. First he'd wanted to marry that young woman who, although she came from a good family, Mabel always believed was beneath their status — and now it turned out he didn't want any of her chosen candidates either.

Meanwhile, Vicky returned to the university and was intercepted by her friend — a young economics student who wasn't particularly outstanding academically, but whose family worked hard to afford the tuition.

"Vicky, did you manage to get someone to back you? That witch Milenka has been meeting with the rector. I think this time she's trying to get you expelled for good. No matter how many times you tell her you have nothing going on with Luis, she keeps accusing you of being a gold digger. I hate her so much..." Emily said — her dearest friend.

Vicky smiled bitterly. She could only hope Draco would help her. If that didn't happen, she was done for.

"Emily, don't worry. Come on, let's get to class. I don't want to stay longer than I have to — we need to get to work," Victoria said with a sigh. She had rent to pay, or she'd have nowhere to live. Emily had taken her in for a while, but seeing how hard Emily's parents worked, she couldn't be a burden on them forever.

After classes, Emily rushed to work. Their boss was a fat, greasy man who had been constantly harassing the young women, and the situation had gone from bad to worse.

That night, Victoria and Emily were leaving the place, just waiting for their pay. They received their biweekly wages, and for Victoria, that money was her rent. Her landlady was a kind woman, but no fool — she'd wait for her, but she also pressured her.

The fat man called Victoria into his office. When he saw her, a perverted grin spread across his ugly face, while Victoria stared back at him without flinching.

"Vicky, gorgeous. I hear you're having trouble at the university. You should come to me for help. I could pay for your tuition, you know. I could give you a beautiful apartment, a car to get to your classes. You'd just have to be a little less proud. I'll treat you right — once you get a taste of me, you won't want to leave my bed," he said, trying to move closer to her.

"I came for my pay. I need to go — it's getting late. And if you come any closer, I should let you know I'm recording everything, and it's streaming live to my friend's phone. So don't you dare touch me," Victoria said, staring him down with ice in her eyes. She was terrified, but she couldn't let it show.

The man clenched his fists in anger, pulled out an envelope, and threw it in Victoria's face. He was furious. Victoria rushed out of there, shaken but relieved to have her wages in hand — until Emily ran up to her with a look of panic, eyes scanning her from head to toe.

"Vicky, you never connected with me! I was scared to death — I was terrified that disgusting pig would do something to you," Emily said, pale with fear.

Victoria raised her eyebrows, then furrowed them. She remembered hastily starting the livestream link before going in, but when she checked her phone, it had been streaming to none other than Draco Lennox — who had heard everything.

"Shit!" Victoria shouted, cutting the stream immediately. A slip of the finger had turned her face red as a tomato.