Chapter 2The Debt You Owe Me

Victoria paused, hesitating before she spoke again. "Joey, can I discuss something with you?"

"It's about Tristan. He got into a dispute with his landlord and was kicked out. He can't find a suitable place to live on such short notice."

"Do you think... he could move into our house for a little while? Just as a temporary transition."

A bitter laugh almost escaped my throat. Was she completely out of her mind?

"Do you honestly think that is appropriate?" I asked coldly.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

A hint of impatience immediately crept into her voice. "Joey, when did you become so petty and calculating? I already told you, he is entirely in the past. My heart belongs only to you."

"His mental state is incredibly fragile right now. He is completely alone. What is the harm in helping him out?"

"You have my word. I will never betray you!"

She sounded so incredibly righteous.

But she had already betrayed me. The moment she decided to give our sanctuary to another man, the betrayal was absolute.

"Victoria," I said slowly, pronouncing every syllable. "Do you see me as a puppet you can manipulate however you please?"

"Do you think that just because I swallowed years of suffering for you, I deserve to be trampled on like this?"

She fell silent.

After a long pause, she rubbed her temples and let out an exhausted sigh. "Joey, stop overthinking everything. I am simply helping a friend. My decision is final. I am going to pick him up."

Without another word, she grabbed her keys and walked out.

Hearing the heavy thud of the front door closing, I closed my eyes, forcibly swallowing the acidic burn rising in my throat.

Getting angry over worthless people was a waste of energy.

Right then, my phone rang. It was Victoria's father, Richard.

"Joey, my boy. Come back to the old estate for a family dinner tomorrow with Victoria."

Richard had always treated me incredibly well. I couldn't bring myself to reject him.

"Of course, Dad."

After hanging up, I stared out the window at the darkening sky. My chest felt hollow and freezing.

The next day, I drove back to the Kensington estate alone.

When the Kensington family went bankrupt, this magnificent ancestral home had been mortgaged and auctioned off.

Later, when Victoria climbed back to power, she desperately wanted to buy back the property that held all her childhood memories. But the new owner utterly refused to sell.

It was me who visited the eccentric retired professor with gifts, week after week. I spent three entire months wearing him down until he finally nodded and agreed to sell it back to us at the original price.

When Richard saw me walk in alone, his brow furrowed deeply. "Where is Victoria? Wrapped up in her nonsense again?"

"An emergency board meeting came up. She will be here a bit later," I lied, covering for her out of habit.

Richard patted my shoulder heavily and led me to the leather sofa. He let out a long sigh. "Joey, stop covering for her. I have heard all about what she has been doing lately."

My heart skipped a beat.

"Is she tangling herself up with that Tristan boy again?"

Richard's gaze sharpened into daggers. "I warned her years ago. That man is rotten to the core. I told her to stay as far away from him as possible!"

I lowered my head and said nothing.

Richard rubbed my back, his voice thick with validation and profound regret. "You are a good kid, and you have been wronged. Rest assured, the Kensington family acknowledges you and only you as our son-in-law. If she dares to do anything to betray you, I will be the first one to make her pay!"

A sliver of warmth entered my cold heart. I forced a smile. "I am fine, Dad."

Just then, Victoria walked through the door.

When she saw me, her face instantly darkened. She was clearly annoyed that I had arrived before her.

"Dad, did you call Joey here just so he could complain to you?" Her very first words were dripping with hostility.

Richard grabbed his porcelain teacup, looking entirely ready to smash it against the wall, but he held back. "You ungrateful brat, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? Do you really think Joey is that kind of person? If he had uttered a single bad word about you to me, I wouldn't have even let you through the front gates today!"

"Then what is this?" Victoria snapped impatiently. "If he didn't run his mouth, how do you know about Tristan?"

"Do I need him to tell me?" Richard sneered coldly. "You brought that man straight into headquarters and made him your personal assistant. You practically broadcasted your filthy little affair to the entire corporate board. Do you think I am blind?"

A bitter smile crept onto my face.