The clink of cutlery against porcelain was the only sound that filled the long dining table, stretching far longer than anything Victoria had ever sat at in her life. It felt less like breakfast and more like an examination hall where she had no idea what the questions were, only that she could fail at any moment if she moved the wrong way.
Martin sat next to her, composed as ever, his attention resting on the newspaper in front of him as though nothing in the world could disturb him. Meanwhile, she focused on her plate, carefully picking at her food, trying not to make a sound, trying not to exist too loudly.
After a while, he paused, folding the newspaper with care before lifting his gaze to her.
"You will be allowed to send one letter to your family every two months," he said calmly, as if he were discussing something as ordinary as the weather. "That would be six letters in a year. Correct?"
Victoria's hand froze mid-air, her fork hovering above her plate. She hadn't expected that. Not that kind of… allowance.
She looked up at him, eyes widening slightly before she nodded quickly. "Yes… yes."
"Have you come up with a believable explanation for your disappearance?" he continued, his tone even. "Because obviously you cannot tell them the truth."
Her lips parted as she tried to gather her thoughts. "I was going to say I got a job… one that required me to leave immediately, and that the person who employed me was also the same person who helpe—"
"No."
The single word cut through her sentence cleanly.
She stopped, biting her lower lip as she nodded faintly. "I… figured I wasn't allowed to say anything that involved last night."
"You are correct."
She exhaled softly, thinking again, forcing her mind to work despite the lingering exhaustion from everything that had happened. "Then… I'll just tell them I left town for safety reasons. That I found work somewhere else and I'll be staying there for a while."
Martin watched her for a moment, then gave a slight nod. "That will suffice."
A small breath escaped her, almost like relief, before another thought struck her. She hesitated, then asked, "What about the allowance you said you'd give them? They'll ask where it's coming from?"
"I have already arranged that," he replied. "A sponsorship letter has been drafted through one of my company's outreach programs. Your family will be listed as beneficiaries of a private welfare initiative. It will not be traced with suspicion."
She blinked, trying to process how easily he said things that felt impossible. "So… I just tell them… they got lucky?"
"You may tell them you applied on their behalf," he said. "People believe in luck when it favors them."
That… made uncomfortable sense.
"Okay," she murmured. "Thank you."
Silence returned, heavier this time. She went back to eating, though she barely tasted anything.
After a while, once the meal had come to an end, Martin dabbed his lips with a napkin before looking at her again.
"We have a family dinner this evening."
"Huh?!" Her head snapped up. "Already?"
"Of course."
Her stomach tightened.
He snapped his fingers lightly, and one of the guards stepped forward, handing him a file. Without much ceremony, Martin extended it toward her.
She recognized it immediately.
The same folder.
The same one she had signed.
Her fingers hesitated before taking it, her eyes scanning the surface as if it might suddenly change. It didn't. It only confirmed what she already knew but still hadn't fully accepted.
"This has been processed, filed, and registered," Martin said. "As of this morning, you are legally Victoria Solberg."
The name didn't feel like hers.
It sat on her shoulders like a coat that didn't fit.
She swallowed, nodding slowly. "Thank you… sir."
He waved it off as if it meant nothing.
Standing up, he adjusted his sleeves slightly. "That will be all for now. Your personal maids will prepare you. You will be taken to the spa."
Her brows knit slightly. "S- Spa?"
"I would appreciate it if you stopped repeating my last words."
She dropped her gaze.
Martin then inhaled softly, "I do not intend to present my wife to my family looking…" He paused, his gaze flicking over her briefly. "Unrefined."
Her fingers instinctively brushed against her hair.
He continued, already losing interest in the conversation. "They have been given instructions. But if you have preferences, inform them."
And just like that, he walked away.
Victoria remained seated for a moment, staring at the space he had just left behind, her mind slowly catching up.
Spa.
She was going to a spa.
• • •
The car ride ended before Victoria could fully prepare herself for whatever she was about to see.
When the guard opened the door and she stepped out, she stopped almost instantly.
The building in front of her was… a lot.
Thd glass stretched from the ground up, reflecting the sky so clearly it almost looked unreal, and the entrance alone was wider than the street she grew up on. People moved in and out with quiet confidence, dressed like they belonged to a different world entirely, their posture, their clothes, even the way they walked carrying a kind of ease she had never known.
For a moment, she just stood there, her eyes moving slowly, trying to take it all in without looking too obvious, and failing completely.
This place is bigger than a mall…
Her lips parted slightly as she tilted her head up, staring at the height of it. It was all so glamorous…
Behind her, her three maids exchanged looks.
"How primitive can she be?" one whispered.
"Has she never been to a spa before?" another muttered.
"Let her be," the third said lightly. "Maybe she thinks it's a palace."
Victoria didn't catch every word, but she caught enough.
Still, she swallowed it down and stepped forward anyway.
Because standing outside staring like a lost tourist wasn't helping her dignity. If she had any.
They walked.
A bit still mesmerised and overwhelmed, Victoria continued further into the walking area of the spa.
One of the maids then called out, her voice suddenly polished again, "Ma'am, you'll need to wait. It's not yet time for your appointment."
Victoria turned quickly. "Oh… sorry, I didn't know."
"Of course she didn't," the second whispered under her breath.
She pretended not to hear it.
They guided her to a waiting area near the entrance, motioning for her to sit. The chair felt too soft, and expensive, like even sitting on it required qualification she didn't have.
"Please wait here," one of them said.
Victoria nodded quietly. "Okay."
And just like that, they left.
Without even a proper explanation nor even a glance back.
She watched them disappear deeper into the building, the space so large she couldn't even tell where they had gone, and for a second she considered standing up to follow them, but then stopped herself.
Don't embarrass yourself, she cautioned herself.
So she stayed put.
Sitting there alone, people passed by constantly from the entrance, and this time, she could feel it clearly.
The looks.
And they weren't subtly.
Her fingers slowly moved to her lap, rubbing against the fabric of her jeans as awareness settled over her like something heavy.
She looked down at herself.
Plain clothes.
A simple top on jeans.
Her hair… still not properly done.
Her skin… not glowing, nor polished; alone with the pigmentation blemish.
Victoria gulped.
She wasn't dirty.
She wasn't ugly.
But here… her normal looked out of place.
Everyone else looked… finished.
Skins like glass, appearance and stand so poised, one would expect a red carpet on the floor.
Like they had been carefully arranged before stepping outside.
She shifted slightly in her seat, her leg moving restlessly as she became more aware of how exposed she felt.
A woman walked past, her heels clicking softly against the floor, her perfume trailing behind her like something expensive, and Victoria instinctively shrank just a little.
She hated that she did that.
Her fingers curled slightly, then relaxed again as she forced herself to sit straight.
She felt less than them. And it made her chest tightened.
A group of women passed, their voices low but not low enough.
"Is she waiting for someone?" one asked.
"Maybe she got the wrong place," another replied.
A soft laugh followed. "Don't be silly, she is most definitely an attendee or PA."
Victoria kept her eyes down, pretending she didn't hear anything, even though every word landed exactly where it was meant to.
Her foot tapped lightly against the ground as she tried to distract herself, her gaze wandering around the place again.
It was beautiful.
Ridiculously beautiful.
And that somehow made it worse.
Because she wanted to enjoy it — She really did.
But sitting there like this, feeling like everyone could see right through her, it became harder to appreciate anything.
She glanced around again, searching for the maids.
Nothing.
Of course.
She let out a small breath, leaning back slightly into the chair, her fingers tightening briefly against her jeans before relaxing again.
For now… all she could do was sit there and wait.
And try not to feel like she didn't belong in a place that already seemed to agree with her.