"Why, you..."

In a fit of rage, the room became a chaotic scene as plates, mugs, and various other items were hurled and shattered into countless fragments. The intoxicated man unleashed his fury upon the young boy, shouting and acting violently.

"You f*cking b*start, what the f*ck do you think you're doing?"

"Victor, please listen to your father." The woman pleaded and cried as he tried to stop the man from hurting the boy. Her hair was a mess and her face was covered in tears. Her tears were like raindrops, almost making a puddle on the ground.

Overwhelmed with frustration, Victor cried out and yelled, unable to contain his emotions any longer. "Mother, I've told you countless times, I don't have any money."

Disregarding the woman's pleas, the man forcefully pushed her aside and seized the boy by the collar, delivering a brutal punch. "You piece of sh*t, do you think I'm messing around? Don't you dare lie to me?" Despite his drunken state, he struck Victor with such force that the boy appeared like a slab of meat being mercilessly butchered.

Victor crumpled to the ground while the man poised his fist in the air. Witnessing blood trickling from Victor's mouth, the woman panicked and intervened, forcefully pulling the man away.

"Stop it! You'll end up killing him," she pleaded. Despite her frailty, she summoned the strength to separate the man from his son.

"I don't give a sh*t for a b*stard son like him," the man unintentionally blurted out, unaware of his words. Even in his drunken state, he was cognizant of what he had said and briefly considered retracting it. However, consumed by anger, he continued to assault the boy without hesitation.

"Don't you dare say that. He is your son," the woman urgently reminded, attempting to diffuse the tense situation.

Enraged by the woman's persistence, the man became furious. "Shut up, B*tch..."

The man stormed out of the room, paying no attention to the woman he had pushed aside. Filled with anger, he didn't bother to look back, convinced that he had done enough.

Victor swiftly checked on his mother, extending a helping hand to lift her up. "Mother, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she forced a smile, relieved that her son was unharmed. Yet, deep inside, she bitterly regretted her inability to protect him once again, witnessing his wounds.

Victor gazed at his mother, who appeared unscathed, but his mind was haunted by the man's earlier words. Curiosity tugged at him as he questioned, "Mother, what did he mean by that?"

A pallor overcame the woman's expression as she averted her eyes from her son. "Your father is drunk and angry. Don't listen to what he said earlier. He is your father and you are his son."

Annoyed by his mother's evasiveness, Victor asked, his voice tinged with anger, "Mother, please tell me, are you even my mother?"

The woman was taken aback by what she heard, and her emotional response overwhelmed her, leading her to unexpectedly slap him across the face. The realization of her own actions startled her, and she immediately sought to comfort the boy and provide him with an explanation.

"Victor, I'm sorry," she expressed sincerely. "You are my son and I've raised you and loved you all these past 21 years. Please, never ask me that again."

Victor found himself taken aback by the fact that his mother had raised her hand against him. It became evident to him that his words had deeply hurt her, causing him to experience a strong sense of guilt. In an attempt to console his mother and take responsibility for his actions, he sincerely apologized, saying, "I'm sorry."

She sigh, gently patting his head, and proceeded to clean up the mess. "I'll take care of this. You should get ready for school," she advised him.

Victor remained speechless, still processing the situation, and nodded silently as he made his way back to his room, deep in thought.

Once in his room, he swiftly tidied himself up. As he opened the top drawer, he noticed the ointment Amelia had given him on a previous occasion. Curiosity sparked within him as he retrieved it and applied it to his wounds.

The ointment worked like magic, healing his wounds within a day or two. Victor couldn't help but wonder where Amelia had obtained such a miraculous ointment. He was convinced that it must have been quite expensive.

After quickly changing his clothes, Victor rushed to school, realizing that he was already running late. As he made his way there, he noticed a white Maybach parked in front of the university gate. The sight of such an extravagant car intrigued the students who were standing near the entrance, causing them to gather and speculate about who might be inside.

Before long, the area was filled with screams of excitement. A truly elegant lady emerged, adorned in luxurious attire and radiating like a sparkling diamond. The students couldn't contain their admiration and began calling out to her.

"It's Sophia, my beloved goddess!"

"Goddess, please look this way!"

"Sophia, please be mine!"

'Oh, it's Sophia Bai. Of course she'd own such a luxurious car.'

He watched as people gleefully reveled in her presence and eagerly followed her as she walked towards the school.

She was adored by everyone without a doubt. She had captured the hearts of almost all the boys at the university, and even some girls either loved or envied her. Not only was she incredibly beautiful, but she also happened to be the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the city, making her a prominent heiress.

If Amelia was renowned as the intellectual Goddess Athena, then Sophia was known as the stunning Goddess Aphrodite, possessing beauty and charm that made everyone fall for her.

While everyone continued to shower the girl with adoration and compliments, Victor departed, hurrying to his class, bracing himself for yet another dreadful day.

As he was about to enter the classroom, he halted upon hearing a familiar voice calling out to him.

"Victor."

Turning around, Victor noticed the girl waving her hands in the air as she approached him.

Amelia could only smile upon witnessing the scene before her. She refrained from uttering a word, aware that speaking would only disturb the man further. She kept her thoughts to herself.

His wound has not even healed yet, and now he has got fresh wounds again. Victor, how did you survive all this pain?

Instead of expressing concern for his well-being, she asked, "Have you completed the task I assigned you last time?"

"No worries, I've completed everything and encoded it for you. I'll transfer it to you during class," he replied as they entered the room together.

Amelia smiled, contented, aware that despite his circumstances, he always complied with her requests. "Thanks Victor, you really helped me compare to the council."

On their way to their seats, Victor noticed the cold stares he received from everyone around him. Their murmurs reached his ears, but he chose to ignore them. Meanwhile, Amelia showed no interest in their judgment and continued walking towards their seats. Victor, too, disregarded their remarks, going about his life as if he were invisible.

"Why the heck does Amelia continue to hang out with him?"

"It's just because the Goddess feels sorry for him. He always comes to school beaten up."

"Such trash to even attend our school."

After the class came to an end, it was already lunchtime, and Victor began to wander around the campus, searching for a quiet spot to have his meal. Usually, he would eat with Amelia in the school council room, but she had been summoned by the teachers for a meeting regarding upcoming events, along with the other council members.

Lost in his thoughts, Victor walked down the hallway without paying attention and accidentally collided with someone.

"I'm sorry," he immediately said, concerned that he had encountered another bully.

Victor was taken aback when he looked up and saw the girl standing before him.

"Sophia?"

The girl's smile was as radiant as the sun, overpowering the weakness in one's heart. "It's alright. Are you okay?"

Victor hastily picked up his food, realizing who was in front of him. "I'm fine, sorry..."

"No worries. Here..." The girl handed him the sandwich he had dropped on the floor.

"She is indeed a goddess." He thought as he smiled back, seeing the girl helping him out and replied. "Thank you."

Noticing the boy's solitary state, the girl's curiosity piqued, and she inquired, "Don't you usually spend time with Amelia?" 

He promptly nodded in response, saying, "She's currently occupied with a council meeting..."

"I see..." Her face betrayed an intense curiosity about what made him deserving of Amelia's companionship, despite the persistent bullying he endured.

As they had already engaged in conversation, Victor summoned his courage and asked, "And how about you?" 

Sophia

Sophia, was about answer when she was interrupted by numerous people calling her name. Soon, a crowd gathered around them, and they all joined the group.

"Sophia, what are you doing here?"

"Weren't we supposed to have lunch together?"

They all bombarded the girl with questions ignoring the person she was with.

"I accidentally bumped into Victor, and..." 

Before she could even finish her sentence, one of the guys aggressively grabbed Victor by the collar.

"What did you do?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't do anything, I…"

Sophia swiftly intervened, grasping the individual who was on the verge of assaulting Victor, and pacified him. "Calm down, he didn't do anything to me. It was all an accident"

"Victor, I apologize. We should leave," Sophia said to Victor, taking responsibility for the situation. She gathered her friends, ensuring there would be no further misunderstandings.

Victor observed as the group of friends departed, his hand clenching tightly in envy of their lives. Wealth and fame held no importance to him; all he yearned for was to be in the company of the girl who had shown him such kindness.