Chapter 24 Chapter 24

Chapter 24 Chapter 24
Victoria’s POV

The mirror has always been my closest companion. It never lies, never hides, and never fails to reflect the truth I already know, that I am beautiful, radiant, flawless. Tonight, more than ever, I needed to see myself through its eyes. Tonight was not just a date; it was history in the making. For the first time, Sebastian Kingsley, the man who rarely wasted a glance on women, was taking me out.

I leaned closer, brushing a final stroke of red across my lips. The deep, rich shade curved perfectly, complementing the sharp line of my jaw and the smooth ivory of my skin. My gown–an emerald silk masterpiece that hugged my body like it had been stitched for me alone–shimmered beneath the soft light of my dressing room. I had chosen emerald because it meant power, wealth, envy. It meant ownership.

I tilted my head slightly, studying the way my hair fell over my shoulders in glossy waves. Everything had to be perfect. Because tonight, the world would see me not as Victoria—the admired daughter of influence, the elegant socialite. No. Tonight, they would see me as Victoria Kingsley-in-waiting.

The thought made my heart swell. How many women had begged for Sebastian’s attention? How many had tried and failed to catch his eye? Too many. But me? I had succeeded where others had crumbled. He had finally agreed to something he had never done before: a date night, followed by a convention reserved strictly for couples.

A laugh bubbled past my lips as I pressed a diamond earring into place. “Oh, Sebastian,” I whispered to the mirror, “you can fight it all you want, but you are mine. And after tonight, everyone will know it.”

Still, a flicker of annoyance danced across my chest. Lily. The name itself was bitter. The little maid who had somehow found her way into Sebastian’s household and, for reasons I couldn’t quite understand, into his attention. No, he didn’t smile at her. No, he didn’t openly treat her as special. But I had seen the way his eyes followed her, the way he tolerated her presence more than he did others. And tolerance, from Sebastian, was already too much.

I would never let her forget her place. A servant remains a servant, no matter what temporary favor fortune throws her way.

My door clicked open and Celine waltzed in, her laughter filling the air before her words even did. She was draped in a soft champagne dress, her hair piled high in an intricate style that must have taken her hours. Celine never failed to match my energy—no, she lived to mirror it.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the queen herself,” Celine teased, clapping her hands dramatically. “My darling Victoria, if beauty could kill, the world would already be buried.”

I smirked, spinning lightly so the gown swirled around me. “Save the flattery. I already know how stunning I look. But tell me, Celine–doesn’t this dress scream Sebastian’s?”

Her eyes widened as she nodded eagerly. “It screams everything, love. Power, ownership, seduction. Tonight, he won’t just look at you; he’ll be unable to look away.”

We both laughed, but beneath the laughter was something heavier, something only the two of us shared: the secret.

I lowered my voice, motioning for her to close the door. Once the lock clicked, I turned back to her with a sly grin. “So… tell me again. The charm. You’re certain it’s working?”

Celine’s eyes glistened with mischief as she pulled a small velvet pouch from her purse, dangling it like a prized possession. “Darling, do you doubt me? We followed every instruction to perfection. The herbs, the chants, the offering—it was all flawless. And now? Look at him. The mighty Sebastian Kingsley, who never bowed to anyone, is suddenly softer. Agreeing to a date? Agreeing to a couple’s convention? Do you really think that's a coincidence?”

My chest warmed with pride as a smile curled on my lips. “You’re right. It’s not a coincidence. It’s us. It’s me.”

“It’s you,” Celine echoed, grinning wickedly. “The charm is only amplifying what’s already there. You’re the one he sees now. You’re the one he’s drawn to.”

I laughed, the sound filling the room with a triumphant echo. “Oh, Lily,” I whispered, almost to myself. “Poor little maid. She thinks she’s caught his attention, but really? She was just standing too close when the storm began. And storms don’t favor weeds. They destroy them.”

Celine chuckled darkly, sinking onto my bed and crossing her legs. “And she is nothing but a weed. Honestly, I almost pity her. Almost. Because once Sebastian announces you at this convention, she’ll have no place left. No excuses. No protection.”

I smoothed the silk of my dress, imagining the look on Lily’s face when she realized the truth. “I don’t want her pity. I want her gone. She’ll learn that some thrones are untouchable. And Sebastian’s? It belongs to me.”

For a moment, silence settled between us, but it wasn’t empty. It was thick with our shared satisfaction, our certainty that we had already won.

Celine broke it first, her eyes dancing with curiosity. “Tell me, Victoria, what will you do once you’re officially his? Once you’re Mrs. Kingsley?”

The very sound of the title sent a thrill down my spine. I closed my eyes briefly, savoring it. “I’ll do what I was born to do. Rule. Not just beside him, but through him. Society already knows my name, but with his beside mine? No one will dare challenge me. I’ll have wealth, influence, fear, admiration—all of it. And Lily? She’ll be nothing but a forgotten shadow, a warning to anyone else who dares to dream above their station.”

Celine’s laughter was sharp, delighted. “That’s my Victoria. Ruthless and radiant.”

I walked to the window, staring out at the glowing city below. “You know, sometimes I wonder why fate wastes beauty and determination on girls like her. She doesn’t know what to do with it. She hides it in her maid’s uniform, as though shrinking will save her. But shrinking never saves anyone. It only makes them prey.”

Celine joined me, resting her hand lightly on my arm. “And predators like us? We always win.”

We shared a knowing look, one only women like us could understand.

The evening passed in a blur of final preparations. Servants flitted in and out, carrying jewelry, perfumes, and accessories, though most of them were unnecessary—I had already chosen everything myself. I dismissed them quickly. The fewer witnesses to my triumph, the better.

As I stood once more before the mirror, I whispered, “Tonight, Sebastian. Tonight, the world belongs to us.”

But in the quiet corners of my mind, Lily’s face tried to intrude—her wide, innocent eyes, her trembling hands. I clenched my jaw, forcing the image away. She didn’t matter. Not now. Not ever.

Still, a darker thought lingered, one I couldn’t quite silence. What if Sebastian’s softness wasn’t entirely the charm? What if, for some unexplainable reason, he really had noticed her?

No. I refused to accept it.

If he had, then I would simply erase the thought from his mind. I had ways. Celine had ways. And together, we would make sure Lily learned her place the hard way.

I smiled again, my reflection returning the expression with cruel perfection. “You will never win, Lily,” I whispered, tracing the curve of my lips with a fingertip. “Because this game was over before you even knew you were playing.”

Later, Celine and I sat together, sipping wine as we waited for the driver to arrive. Her voice was animated, filled with laughter, but her words were knives cloaked in silk.

“Do you know what people are saying already?” she asked, leaning closer. “That you’ve tamed him. That Victoria, the untouchable beauty, finally caught the untouchable man. They’ll see you tonight and crown you their queen.”

I smirked, the wine burning sweetly down my throat. “Let them talk. Their words only confirm what I already know. And when the charm is complete, when Sebastian himself can no longer fight his own desire, it won’t just be talk. It will be true.”

Celine clinked her glass against mine. “To tell the truth.”

“To victory,” I corrected softly, my eyes gleaming.

When she left, I found myself alone again, the silence pressing against me like a velvet curtain. I walked back to the mirror, staring into my own eyes as though daring them to betray me.

There was no fear there. Only fire.

“You are Victoria,” I whispered. “And you do not lose.”

My lips curved into a smile so sharp it could cut glass.

“After tonight, Sebastian Kingsley will no longer be just Sebastian. He will be mine. And Lily? She will wish she never crossed paths with me.”