001 : Victor's Fall In A Night

A grand birthday party was held in a large building. Today the eldest daughter of a famous jewelry businessman's family was having a birthday. Maria Siesta was 25 years old, and everyone rejoiced for her.

"Maria, happy birthday. I hope you receive this small gift." Maria's friend arrived, carrying a gift box filled with famous jewelry worldwide.

Maria accepted the gift with a big smile. "Oh my gosh, isn't this Carter Jewelry? It's so pretty, Kate!"

Maria tried on the diamond necklace, and she looked even more radiant. Maria looked like a goddess with her brown hair in a simple bun and her body clad in a red velvet dress that revealed her beautiful body.

But among the sparkling lights that highlighted the goddess perfectly, a man appeared whose presence had already stolen the cynical glances of every pair of eyes.

"Maria, my dear ...." When his small voice said Maria's name, all smiles instantly disappeared. Even Maria fell silent with a flat face.

The man was Victor Leighton, the youngest son of the prominent businessman Antonio Leighton. His father was a successful businessman and an expert in trying out different fields of business, his offspring was called the most perfect of the century because out of 9 children, there was not one who did not become a successful person.

Except for the 10th child, the youngest, Victor.

"Victor, what are you doing here?" asked Maria, as she hadn't sent Victor an invitation so there was no reason for him to come.

Victor smiled and took Maria's hand. "How could I forget my beloved's birthday? I have prepared a special gift for you."

Maria smiled in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yes." Victor handed her a small gift box. Even though she knew she would be disappointed, Maria opened it and found a silver bracelet with a few small diamonds hanging from it.

"Wow, that's a pretty bracelet... and simple," said Naomi, Maria's friend. "What brand is this jewelry from? I've seen a lot of jewelry, and this looks new to me." Maria held back her smile and looked at Victor.

"I'm quite impressed that you could buy a diamond bracelet for Maria this year, Victor. Where did you get the money?" asked Vivian, the Leighton family's first sister and third child.

"That's right. You're just an ordinary employee in a not-so-famous office, right?" Vania, the fifth child, chimed in.

"It's good that a company will accept you, right? So, who's the kind-hearted boss who lent you the money to buy that jeweled bracelet?" asked Vasco, the fourth child.

Victor smiled even though he felt hurt. It was evident that his siblings had come to mock him, but he was used to it since it wasn't the first or the tenth time.

"I invested in my friend."

People were stunned to hear that.

"My friend just opened a jewelry business. He sourced the best materials, including the gems. I believe in the quality of his jewelry because I have seen his progress. I saved up my salary for this important investment, for your sake, Maria."

"So this is from an unknown brand? Or don't even have a name in the market yet?" asked Maria dubiously.

"Not yet. But I'm sure that his jewelry can compete with-"

"Compete? Are you kidding?" Maria cut Victor off. "How long do you think it took that famous brand to become so famous now? Do you trust your friend? Bullshit!"

Maria threw away the bracelet and the box, leaving Victor shocked.

"Maria...?"

"I can't take it, Victor. I can no longer accept the trivial gifts you give me every year!"

"But this one is real jewelry, Maria. I grant you what you want!"

"I don't wear unbranded jewelry! You should be aware that jewelry like this is prone to fraud! What if the ones your friend made are fake?"

"Maria-"

"And also, Victor, I can't take it anymore. In the five years we've been engaged, you've always come up with the most inferior gifts. Is that the kind of man I want to be my husband?" Victor didn't expect her to say such a thing in front of so many people, so it was obvious that her words had attracted attention. "I may be wrong, for I chose you only because you are a little more handsome than your other brothers. But I won't feel full just by looking at your face! You can't even be a successful person like your other brothers! I don't want to be like that anymore! I want us to part ways!"

Maria seemed to have had enough; she snapped at Victor until her breath caught.

"Maria, what are you saying?" asked Victor, afraid that Maria really wanted to break up. "Don't say things like that, Maria. I love you."

"Love is not enough to marry a woman like me, Victor! You should have known better and rejected our engagement, and you should have realized that your skills are far below your brother's!"

"I promise to try harder and become a successful man, Maria. Just remember I'm still a Leighton!"

Victor tried to grasp Maria's hand, but she brushed him off.

"You keep making promises from five years ago, and nothing has changed, Victor, you're still poor, and you're still a failure in the illustrious Leighton family!"

"Maria-"

"Hey, Victor, stop it. How far are you going to push her?" Just as Victor was about to reach Maria, his shoulder was caught by someone with a heavy, soft voice. Turning his head, he saw his older brother smiling a shady and terrible smile.

It was Verlaine Leighton. The first child of the Leighton family and heir to the Leighton business empire. Antonio Leighton highly praised him for his intelligence and business prowess.

It was no wonder people refer to Verlaine as a copy of Antonio; they are both very similar in their intelligence, charisma, and piercing gaze that always intimidates Victor.

"Women are not something that will melt with force; you have to approach them gently, like this."

Victor was dumbfounded; he saw Verlaine and Maria slowly embrace each other and kiss in front of his eyes. Victor had never even kissed Maria on the cheek, but how could Maria kiss another man? And with such a gentle gesture, it seemed like it wasn't the first time.

"Maria, what are you doing?" asked Victor, his eyes trembling.

Maria looked at Victor coldly and said, "I already said that I want to break up with you, right? Is it still not clear?"

"But, Maria, I haven't said yes!"

"And you want to force me? Do you want to force me to marry a man I don't love? I love Verlaine, Victor, you should understand my feelings."

Maria was on the verge of tears, of course she was faking it just to gain sympathy and corner Victor. Victor now saw people starting to look at him sarcastically.

"Victor, do you still want to force Maria to marry you?" Verlaine asked, "You are cruel, Victor, even though Maria told me she loves me. You should understand her, and you should also realize your position. Do you want a woman as beautiful as Maria to live a miserable life just because she married a failure like you?"

"Verlaine...!" Victor held back his anger, but people began to sneer, and they agreed with what Verlaine said.

The victim here was actually Victor, but he was seen as the villain!

"Take your jeweled bracelet home for business, Victor!" said Vasco. "You can come back to Maria when you're successful."

"That will probably be at our child's blessing," Verlaine said, stroking Maria's slim belly, deliberately showing something inside that made Victor feel even worse.

Apparently, they had played with fire before confidently showing it to Victor like this.

Heartbroken, Victor picked up his silver bracelet and left. His feelings shattered as if he couldn't get up again, he walked desperately towards the gate, and his cell phone rang.

He didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment, but it was the hospital calling.

"Hello, this is Victor Leighton."

"..."

"What? My mom? Alright, I'll be there right away!"

***

Victor rushed to a room where his mother was being treated. He saw many medical teams already there and doing help to Victor's mother, Rose Leighton. Victor was very anxious because he knew his mother was not in good condition after the accident she had two weeks ago, and seeing the doctor's panicked face made Victor even more anxious.

A nurse came out in a hurry. Victor grabbed her and asked, "What happened to my mom? Why are you suddenly saying she's in critical condition?"

"Mrs. Rose has symptoms of a brain hemorrhage, and we are doing first aid. We will be doing the next surgery soon. You can go to the administration to process the patient's surgery license."

The nurse left, and Victor, of course, went to the administration as instructed.

"I would like to apply for a surgery license for a traffic accident patient named Rose Leighton," Victor said at the administration desk, and the staff immediately responded to his request. But the female staff frowned.

"Excuse me, sir, did you settle the bill for Mrs. Rose Leighton earlier?"

Victor paused, knowing what the answer would be.

"From my data, the patient has not paid the hospital bill for one week of treatment and post-accident surgery fees. Can you pay the bill before we process the next treatment?"

Victor held back his anger. "Do I have to pay now? My mother's life is in danger!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but this is hospital policy. Please settle the bill for $40,000, and we promise to take care of her as soon as possible."

"I can't believe this!" Victor hit the administration desk in annoyance. He was afraid something would happen to his mother, but there was no way he could get that kind of money quickly. Victor was distraught, ruffling his silver-blonde hair in desperation.

But he remembered one hope, someone who might be able to help him even if it was unlikely.

He was his father.

Victor went to where his father was. He must have still been at Maria's birthday party since he and Maria's father were coworkers. Victor didn't care about people looking back at him like he had no shame. He just kept walking until he found his father chilling out on the second-floor balcony.

" Father!"

Antonio turned around while shaking his wine glass. With a cold-eyed stare, he looked at Victor like a stranger.

"Look who's here. The useless son of the Leighton family."

Never mind. Victor was used to being called like that.

" Father, you must know what happened to my mother, right?" Victor asked.

Antonio acted like he didn't remember. "Your mother, what was her name... oh yeah, her name was like the name of that flower, huh? Jasmine?"

Victor clenched his fists, annoyed that his father was pretending to forget Victor's mother, who was obviously Antonio's third wife.

"'Father, I need your help. Mother is in critical condition, and she needs to undergo further surgery."

"So? You just need to get the license, right?"

"I need the money to pay off last week's bills! That way, Mom can have the next surgery."

Antonio was silent, not looking angry or agreeing to help Victor.

The dark-haired man approached Victor and poured his wine over Victor's head. People were shocked when they saw the scene from inside the party hall, while Antonio didn't care even though he knew he was humiliating his own son.

"You're as shameless as your mother," Antonio said, "your mother even tried her best to overthrow my position, and you want me to help her? Wouldn't it make more sense for me to let someone like her disappear than to help her?"

"But Father, she is your wife! How can you say this?!"

"I never thought of her as my wife. We got married on business only, and that was after her parents begged me to kneel in front of me. She's just a sycophantic businessman's daughter, and I don't like her at all."

Victor was upset. More than his annoyance at being humiliated like this, he was annoyed at Antonio's utter lack of feeling.

"If you never thought of her as a wife, then why did you impregnate her?" asked Victor in a trembling and weak voice. He was on the verge of tears but wanted to vent his frustration.

Antonio responded lightly. "That's right. Why did I get her pregnant? I should never have touched her in the first place. That way, she wouldn't have to give birth to a useless child like you." Victor felt himself burning with anger.

Antonio walked away, but Victor interrupted him by begging.

"I beg you, Father."

Antonio stopped and looked back. Victor was already on his knee in front of his father.

"Please, help my mother. I promise I will repay you someday. I will work hard for you, but please, save her."

Antonio just kept silent and seemed like he enjoyed the scene before him. He smiled a little and said.

"No."

"Father, you can't do this to my Mom!"

"I said that I never looked at her as my wife. I don't care at all."

"Father, how could you do this ...?"

"Is there anything that I can not do?"

Antonio turned around and left Victor after saying. "Let me know when the funeral date is. It's the least I can do to repay her body that night."

Victor felt despair while the music began to sound louder and louder from the party hall.

They seemed to deliberately turn down the sound to watch poor Victor, then turn up the music and go back to partying as if Victor's troubles were nothing. How could there be human beings like them? How can humans have no humanity at all? And as for Antonio Leighton, he was definitely not human. He was a devil!

'Initiating system activation.

Entering the unlimited system.'

"Huh?"

Victor raised his head as he heard a voice. He looked around, searching for the sound of a game machine starting a new round.

"Is that sound real?" asked Victor in a doubtful tone, as no one was around and no one was playing the game. Victor must be hallucinating because he was so stressed. He was thinking of ways to pay his mother's hospital bills while he also had to pay off the debts that ensnared his mother. He had also just been dumped by his fiancée in favor of Verlaine, his older brother.

It seemed like bad luck didn't stop coming to Victor, and even when he wanted to relax for a moment like this, he had to be interrupted by another call from the hospital.

"Hello, this is Victor Leighton."

"Good evening, Mr. Victor Leighton. We would like to inform you about the condition of Mrs. Rose Leighton."

Victor became tense, and he hurried to go back to the hospital, but his footsteps stopped when the hospital said.

"At 10:05 p.m. today, Mrs. Rose Leighton passed away."

Victor was stunned with disbelief, unable to move his feet, leaving the people watching dumbfounded.

"Please come to the hospital immediately to take care of the administration and discharge of the body. Our deepest condolences."

Victor could no longer stand. He fell to his knees for all to see. He was too late to save his mother because he had no money, and no one would even sympathize with him.

People saw him crying, but they only saw Victor as a madman. Victor was disappointed and angry, and he wanted to destroy everything. But his common sense made him restrain himself. He looked at Antonio and his children, who stood up straight and looked at Victor condescendingly. Their small smiles were enough to illustrate how happy they were to see Victor down like this.

"I swear I will avenge you all."