Tricked in a Marriage with the Ruthless CEO

Chapter 3: Mother, What's Going On?

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.