Guests started to arrive at 5:00 pm. The banquet began at 6:00 pm sharp.Victoria changed into the outfit and shoes Louis picked for her. After styling her hair and doing her makeup, she waited at the venue in advance.In ancient times, her beauty would have caused wars.Even though Victoria usually wore all black and went without makeup, she was already prettier than most.Now that she was all dressed up, her beauty stunned everyone, regardless of whether or not they knew her.Men were especially mesmerized by her.Victoria went to the Hall of Hope first. The guests there were this year's graduates and their parents.Many parents instructed their daughters to look up to Victoria as a role model. Some hinted at Victoria, both openly and subtly, to assist their children.The most ridiculous ones concerned themselves with her marriage. Quite a number of them took the opportunity to introduce their sons or relatives to her.Victoria remained in the ballroom for less than half an

"Zach! W-What happened to you? What did Vicky do to you?" Colette exclaimed.Zachary was worried Benjamin would find out what happened. Enduring the pain, he growled, "Are you trying to make me the laughingstock of everyone here? Shut up!"He was right. Colette wanted to make a fuss. She wanted those from Youngville to know how rude and violent Victoria was.As for Zachary, she could not care less about him after the way he treated her."Why are you up here? Do you know how humiliated I am because of you?" Zachary hissed.At the cocktail party, several guests poked fun at him about his relationship with Colette.Zachary was so angry that he wanted to hit them. However, he held himself back because he dared not do so. That was why he excused himself and went to the restroom.To make things worse, he received Victoria's blatant rejection.At that point, he was like a bear with a sore head.So, he vented his anger by lashing out at Colette who chanced upon him now. "My friends fr

Victoria did not say anything. She did not know what to say.Benjamin continued, "I have no experience in this, so I was careless this time. From here on out, I'll get your clothes and shoes ready whenever you have a function to attend. You can only wear what I prepare."He was overbearing and gave her no room for negotiation.Victoria bit her lip and kept quiet. Benjamin noticed that. He used the back of his finger to nudge her teeth away. "It's going to bleed if you continue biting. What is it? Are you unhappy because I'm too bossy?"With a low voice, he assured solemnly, "You can pick my clothes, too. Choose whatever you want. I'll wear it."Victoria could not help but think of peculiar costumes that might be an eyesore.She imagined him wearing one and almost burst out laughing. She tried her best to hold in her laughter.But then, she softened when she saw the concerned look on Benjamin's face. "Are you worried that someone may steal me from you if I have too many admirers?

Sulking, Victoria turned to leave.Just as she grasped the doorknob, Benjamin grabbed her hand. "Let go!" she cried."No!" He was worried she would leave for good if he let her go just like that.Not knowing why, he was also irritated and peeved—especially when Victoria asked him to date somebody else.She said it without showing any reluctance, and that added to his frustration.But when he recalled what she said about it being her first kiss, his anger simmered.Miffed, Victoria hit him with her elbow.He did not dodge, so she hit him squarely in the chest, and he started coughing."I won't be fooled by you." She bit her lips but defiantly refused to turn around and check on him."Victoria," Benjamin called out, feeling helpless.It was her first time hearing his cold voice sound so soft. In fact, she thought he sounded like he was acting cute and eager to please."That won't work on me." Although that was what she said, she seemed less angry."I … It was my first time ki

Victoria and Benjamin sat in a corner. In her hands was a cup of warm milk Benjamin got for her. "Are you hungry? I'll get you something to eat. What would you like to eat?" asked Benjamin. "Anything is fine. I'm not picky."Everyone kept seeing Benjamin walking around the ballroom. He would get something for Victoria in one moment and get something else for her in the next moment. It was as if he were serving a queen.The women who saw this became green with envy. Victoria very much enjoyed being cared for by Benjamin. She ignored their hostile gazes. Her meal was entirely unaffected.Benjamin gazed at her as she ate. He pointed at the black forest cake she was eating. "Is it tasty?""It's alright. It's my preferred level of sweetness. Would you like a taste, Benjamin?"He eyed the dark chocolate stuck in the corner of her mouth. He smiled as he agreed.Using his finger, he swiped the chocolate from the corner of her lips. Then, he put said finger into his mouth and sucked