CHAPTER 7 VICTORIA’S HIDDEN GAME
CHAPTER 7
VICTORIA’S HIDDEN GAME
For weeks, Victoria Reed had enjoyed the view from the top.
She loved the luxury.
The attention.
The feeling of walking into a room and knowing people noticed her.
She loved being beside Marcus Hale.
Or more accurately...
She loved being beside Marcus Hale when the world believed he was powerful.
Because power had always attracted people.
And Victoria was no exception.
When she first met Marcus, she saw exactly what everyone else saw.
A billionaire.
A successful businessman.
A man who could open doors.
A man who could give her the life she dreamed about.
She did not see the lonely entrepreneur Isabella once believed in.
She did not see the man who worked through nights in a small apartment.
She did not see the person Marcus was before fame.
She saw the empire.
The name.
The status.
The lifestyle.
And Marcus noticed.
He liked being admired.
Especially by someone who made him feel powerful.
That was why Victoria was different from Isabella.
Isabella loved Marcus before anyone knew his name.
Victoria loved Marcus after the world knew it.
And Marcus had been too arrogant to understand the difference.
But now everything was changing.
The luxury apartments.
The expensive dinners.
The private events.
The attention.
All of it felt uncertain.
Because Marcus Hale was no longer standing at the top.
He was standing on unstable ground.
And Victoria was beginning to realize something terrifying.
If Marcus lost the empire...
What would she have left?
The first sign appeared when she tried to use her usual privileges.
She arrived at Aurelia Grand Hotel expecting the same treatment as before.
The staff always greeted her.
The best table was always available.
The presidential suite was always prepared.
But that day, everything was different.
The receptionist smiled politely.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Reed."
Victoria noticed immediately.
The smile was professional.
Not respectful.
Not afraid.
"Prepare the presidential suite."
The receptionist hesitated.
"I apologize, but I cannot authorize that."
Victoria frowned.
"What?"
"The suite requires approval."
"Approval from who?"
The receptionist lowered her voice.
"The ownership office."
Victoria's expression changed.
Ownership office.
A phrase she had never heard before.
Because before this...
Marcus had been the only name that mattered.
That evening, she confronted him.
"Marcus."
He looked up from his laptop.
"What?"
"The hotel staff treated me differently today."
He sighed.
"Victoria, not now."
"No."
Her voice became sharper.
"I want to know what is happening."
Marcus closed the laptop.
"The company is going through changes."
"What kind of changes?"
"Temporary changes."
She studied his face.
The confidence was missing.
That worried her.
Because Marcus always pretended everything was under control.
Even when it wasn't.
"Are you going to lose everything?"
The question was direct.
Marcus looked offended.
"Excuse me?"
Victoria immediately softened her voice.
"I didn't mean it like that."
But he knew.
He heard the fear behind the question.
Not fear for him.
Fear for herself.
Later that night, Victoria made a decision.
A decision she never thought she would need to make.
She needed protection.
And if Marcus could no longer provide it...
She needed another option.
The next morning, Victoria contacted someone from her past.
A former business associate named Adrian Cross.
Adrian was not famous.
Not wealthy.
But he was connected.
He understood people.
Especially powerful people.
They met at a private café away from the city.
Adrian looked at her carefully.
"So."
He smiled.
"The billionaire's favorite woman."
Victoria frowned.
"Don't call me that."
"Why?"
"Because it sounds like you think I am losing."
Adrian laughed softly.
"Aren't you?"
Victoria said nothing.
Because she knew he was right.
"I need information."
Adrian leaned back.
"What kind?"
"About the Laurent family."
That made him interested.
"The Laurents?"
Victoria nodded.
"I need to understand their weakness."
Adrian studied her.
"Why?"
"Because they are taking control."
A pause.
"And Marcus needs leverage."
Adrian smiled.
"You mean you need leverage."
Victoria looked away.
She hated how easily he saw through her.
Meanwhile, Isabella began discovering something unexpected.
The problems inside Hale Luxury were not limited to Marcus.
There were deeper issues.
Financial irregularities.
Questionable contracts.
Hidden payments.
And one name appeared repeatedly.
Victoria Reed.
Isabella sat in her office reviewing documents when Evelyn Laurent entered.
"You found something."
Isabella looked up.
"Yes."
Evelyn placed another folder down.
"Then you should see this."
Isabella opened it.
Inside were records.
Victoria's employment history.
Connections.
Financial movements.
Her expression changed.
"How long?"
Evelyn answered:
"Almost two years."
Isabella looked confused.
"Two years?"
"Before the affair became public."
A cold feeling moved through Isabella.
"What are you saying?"
Evelyn pointed to the documents.
"Victoria was not just Marcus's assistant."
"She was collecting information."
The room became silent.
Isabella looked through the papers.
Travel records.
Meeting schedules.
Internal documents accessed without authorization.
At first, she thought Victoria was simply a woman who stole her husband.
Now she wondered if the betrayal was much bigger.
"Do you think Marcus knew?"
Evelyn asked.
Isabella shook her head slowly.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because Marcus only saw what he wanted to see."
That was his weakness.
He believed admiration was love.
He believed loyalty came from fear.
He believed everyone around him respected him.
He never questioned whether they were using him.
That evening, Isabella requested a private meeting with Marcus.
When he arrived, he immediately noticed something was wrong.
"What happened?"
She pushed a folder toward him.
"Open it."
Marcus looked suspicious.
"About what?"
"Victoria."
His expression changed.
"Why are you bringing her into this?"
"Because you need to know."
He opened the folder.
The more he read...
The quieter he became.
"These are fake."
His first reaction.
Isabella expected it.
"Are they?"
Marcus looked up.
"She wouldn't do this."
The answer was immediate.
Not logical.
Emotional.
Isabella noticed.
"You are defending her without knowing the truth."
"Because I know her."
A painful silence followed.
Because those words sounded familiar.
Once, Marcus had said the same thing about himself.
He knew.
He was right.
Everyone else was wrong.
Isabella looked at him.
"That is exactly what you did to me."
Marcus froze.
She continued.
"When people warned you about us."
"When people questioned your decisions."
"You believed what you wanted to believe."
Her voice softened.
"And now you are doing it again."
For the first time, Marcus considered the possibility.
What if Victoria was not the person he thought she was?
What if the woman who destroyed his marriage...
Was also destroying his empire?
Later that night, Marcus confronted Victoria.
She was in his apartment when he arrived.
He placed the folder on the table.
Her face changed.
Only for a second.
But Marcus saw it.
"What is this?"
Victoria looked at the papers.
Then back at him.
"Where did you get these?"
That was not denial.
That was confirmation.
Marcus felt his stomach tighten.
"Victoria."
She remained silent.
"Answer me."
Finally, she sighed.
"You don't understand."
Those words angered him.
"No."
His voice became cold.
"I understand perfectly."
"You used me."
Victoria looked at him.
"Used you?"
She laughed softly.
"Marcus, don't pretend you didn't enjoy it."
The sentence shocked him.
"What?"
"You loved having someone admire you."
"You loved feeling like a powerful man."
A pause.
"I gave you exactly what you wanted."
Marcus stared.
Because the woman in front of him was no longer pretending.
The mask was gone.
"You never loved me."
Victoria smiled sadly.
"Did you love me?"
The question stopped him.
Because suddenly...
He had no answer.
The next morning, the media received another leak.
A document.
A recording.
Information connecting Victoria to internal company secrets.
The headline appeared everywhere:
“MARCUS HALE’S INNER CIRCLE UNDER INVESTIGATION.”
The empire was already damaged.
Now trust was disappearing too.
Marcus stood alone in his office.
His marriage was gone.
His power was disappearing.
And the person he replaced Isabella with...
Was now becoming another threat.
For years, he feared losing his company.
But he never imagined losing everything at once.
His reputation.
His empire.
His judgment.
And the people he thought loved him.
Meanwhile, Isabella looked at the city lights from her office window.
She knew the battle was far from over.
Marcus was falling.
Victoria was exposed.
But something bigger was coming.
Because behind Victoria's actions...
Was someone else.
Someone who had been watching Hale Luxury for a long time.
Someone who wanted the empire for themselves.
And Isabella was about to discover...
May you like
The betrayal that destroyed her marriage was only the beginning.
END OF CHAPTER 7
