Chapter 33 Victoria’s POV
Chapter 33 Victoria’s POV
I saw them before I even realized I was looking.
Sebastian was standing near his desk, calm, relaxed, not the cold man everyone feared. And Lily was there. Too close. Too comfortable. She was speaking, and he was listening. Really listening. His eyes were soft, focused on her, as if nothing else in the world mattered at that moment.
My chest tightened.
That look on his face was not meant for her.
It was meant for me.
I stood frozen, my nails digging into my palms as memories flooded my mind. All the times I tried to speak to him and he brushed me aside. All the times I stood near him and he barely noticed. Yet here she was, standing in his space, breathing his air, touching something in him I never could.
And the worst part was not just Sebastian.
It was the people watching.
I saw the servants whispering. I saw the way they smiled at Lily when she passed. I heard the murmurs. How she calmed him down. How brave she was. How Sebastian’s mother thanked her personally. How Katherine gave her gifts.
Gifts.
My heart burned.
I had known Sebastian for years, yet his mother had never looked at me the way she looked at Lily. Never smiled at me like that. Never thanked me.
Lily had done in weeks what I could not do in years.
That was when I knew something was wrong.
I turned away before they could see me and walked straight to my room, my steps heavy with anger. My mind went back to the shawarma woman. The woman who had promised me everything.
She had looked me in the eyes and said she would help Sebastian fall in love with me. She took my money without hesitation. She spoke with confidence, with assurance, with certainty.
And I believed her.
But Sebastian did not change.
He did not fall in love with me.
Instead, he softened for Lily.
That was when my jealousy turned into fury.
I left the house immediately and headed straight to the shawarma shop. The smell of oil and smoke hit me as I approached. She was there, just as before, wiping her hands calmly as if nothing in the world could shake her.
“You lied to me,” I said the moment I stepped in.
She looked up slowly, not surprised. “I did not.”
“You promised me,” I snapped. “You said you would help him fall in love with me.”
She sighed. “I told you I would try. I never said I could change what is not meant to be.”
That word again.
Meant.
I laughed bitterly. “Do you know how stupid that sounds?”
She met my gaze. “Some things are not forced. Some hearts are already aligned.”
My anger exploded.
“There is nothing like meant to be,” I shouted. “We choose. People choose who they love. God does not choose for us. He only approves what we decide. Do not insult me with destiny and fate.”
She remained calm, and that calmness made it worse.
“If it did not work,” I continued, my voice shaking, “then you scammed me. Because while I was waiting, Lily walked in and took everything.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “The girl who calmed him down.”
That sentence stabbed me.
“Yes,” I snapped. “Her. The one everyone is praising. The one his mother gave gifts to. The one servants bow their heads to now. She did what I could not do.”
The shawarma woman shook her head. “You cannot fight alignment.”
“You are not meant to be with him , Victoria”
I lost control.
I pushed the counter, sending trays and food crashing to the floor. Bottles rolled. Plates shattered. People outside gasped.
“You will refund me,” I said coldly. “Double. Every single amount times two.”
Her hands trembled. “Victoria, please.”
“And if you ever tell anyone about me,” I continued, stepping closer, lowering my voice, “you will regret it. I promise you.”
Fear filled her eyes.
“I will refund you,” she whispered.
I turned and walked out, my heart pounding, my anger no longer wild but focused.
This was no longer about love.
This was about power.
Back at the house, I found Celine waiting for me. She took one look at my face and knew something was wrong.
“What happened,” she asked softly.
“She is everywhere,” I said bitterly. “Lily. Sebastian looks at her like she belongs to him.”
Celine frowned. “You are upset.”
“I am furious,” I corrected. “People praise her. His mother gifts her. She calmed him down when I could not.”
Celine moved closer and held my hands. “Listen to me. This does not end here.”
I looked at her sharply.
“If he will not be yours,” she said calmly, “then he will never be Lily’s.”
My heart skipped.
“He is yours, Victoria,” Celine continued. “And he will be. We will find a way to crush her.”
Something dark settled in my chest.
For the first time since I saw Lily smiling beside Sebastian, I smiled too.
Because this war had just begun.