The Perfect Wife's Perfect Revenge

Chapter 144

Ailie was sitting beside Victoria, happily dipping noodles into the bubbling broth and calling over the waiter every few minutes for more fruit. Meanwhile, Victoria was on the phone, but she barely caught a single word of her own conversation.

After chatting with Stein for a bit, Victoria ended the call. Ailie, undeterred, was still preoccupied with her meal.

"I've been looking into a couple of new ventures lately. Should be profitable. I'll draw up a detailed proposal and you can recommend it to Mr. Garcia for me," Ailie said, slurping up another mouthful.

Victoria regarded her friend for a moment. Curtis had used her as his mouthpiece, sure, but she knew full well she'd leveraged Quantum Core Technologies to boost the game's profile. If Violet hadn't played dirty, all three companies-Quantum Core, The Langford Group, and Golden Era Enterprises-could have walked away with tidy profits.

But they'd set off their own self-destruct sequence. She had no reason to feel guilty.

Business was business. If Victoria hadn't been a little cutthroat, McNeil wouldn't have held on to his throne for so long.

Ailie paused to sip her soup, eyeing the pot's broth as she considered mixing it with rice. Hearing Victoria's plan, she blurted out, "After everything Curtis did to you, you're still willing to help him? I thought you'd have quit by now."

Victoria didn't bother lying. "He sold the game and gave me a five-hundred- thousand-dollar cut."

They finished the meal, but Ailie ended up drinking a bit too much. By the time they left the restaurant, she was staggering, and Victoria nearly failed to keep her upright. In the end, they had to call Yasmine to help get her into the car.

The whole ride home, Ailie sat in the back seat, singing at the top of her lungs, as if she'd been the one handed half a million dollars. Watching her friend's giddy, drunken antics, Victoria felt an unexpected warmth in her chest.

until she saw her friend safely

arrived, she was surprised to find Simms' car parked in the driveway. He rarely came home these days, and she

for her in the living room, but Yulia wasn't

jewelry. Take a look-see if you like it," he said, handing her an

it but didn't reach

offers a gift for nothing; he must

there something you

move to accept the box, Simms set it down on the coffee

them and thought of her. Do with them

a small fortune.

it was meant for Mom, then I'll thank you

to Yulia already. Anything he handed her now was only

in return. Instead, he just said, "I'm hosting a dinner tomorrow night. You're my daughter, so I expect you to be

I need someone I can rely on by my side. I don't have to marry her, but I do want her to stay. As your father, I hope you can

having her around, there's nothing I can do to stop you. But I stand by what

away, Simms bit his tongue, forcing down

the first spring storm rolled in. Thunder rumbled overhead and lightning split the sky as Victoria sat curled up on her bed, knees to her chest, staring out the window at the wild weather. The sounds of wind and rain

rattled the house, she would have huddled in McNeil's arms,