Queen Of Revenge And Glory (Victoria and Jackson) novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2 A Welcome Gift

After Jackson left his phone number with Victoria, he left the village with his assistant, Ollie Rowse.

Victoria watched him go, her eyes growing thoughtful.

She took out her phone and dialed a number. “Mara, I need you to look into everyone in the Binder family in Benwig City right away. Focus on their daughter. I want everything you can find, and I want it by tonight.”

“Yes, boss,” Mara replied.

After hanging up, Victoria’s gaze turned even sharper.

Ford had once told her about that freezing winter night twenty years ago. He had been on his way to settle down in a small southern town when he heard a baby crying from inside a trash bin.

He got out of the car to check and found a baby girl, not even a month old, her skin red from the cold.

If she hadn’t been crying so loudly, and if he hadn’t happened to pass that deserted road, she would have died quietly in that trash bin.

That baby was Victoria. Ford gave her that name, hoping she would grow up strong and tough no matter what life threw at her.

Even on his deathbed, Ford never stopped looking for her biological parents.

And all this time, Victoria had believed they must have abandoned her because they had no other choice.

But now, it seemed that wasn’t true. Her biological parents didn’t want her and had no intention of taking her back.

If it weren’t for the adopted daughter they had raised for twenty years, Victoria might have gone her whole life without parents.

Just then, someone called out from outside, “Victoria, who was that man in the nice car looking for you?”

It was Stephan, a middle-aged man from next door. He spent most of his time up in the mountains hunting herbs.

Victoria put her phone away and walked out, smiling at him. “To be honest with you, that was my fiancé.”

Stephan looked surprised. “Your fiancé? You have good taste. He’s a handsome man. Why didn’t you ask him to stay for dinner?”

“He had things to take care of in the city. He couldn’t stay today,” Victoria said.

“Next time he comes, make sure he stays for a meal. Everything we eat here is grown by us. Let him try it. It’s much better and healthier than city food,” Stephan said.

“I will,” Victoria said with a smile.

Stephan grabbed his tools and headed up into the mountains. Only after he left did Victoria go back inside to keep sorting the herbs she had picked.

*****

After leaving Mullinran Village, Ollie, who was driving, glanced at Jackson’s calm face in the rearview mirror and asked carefully, “Mr. Thornton, are you really going to marry her?

“You saw it yourself. Her own parents don’t even want her. She makes a living selling herbs and doing some basic medical work.

“You just went through something serious, and this is when you need support the most. Marrying her won’t help you secure your position in the Thornton family.”

Jackson shifted his gaze away from the fields outside the window and gently rubbed the petals of a purple flower he had picked from Victoria’s doorstep.

He asked, “Ollie, do you remember six months ago, when my grandfather was seriously ill and needed a very rare herb to survive?”

Ollie wasn’t sure why he changed the subject, but he nodded. “Of course. That herb showed up at the biggest auction house in Benwig City. You spent 30 million dollars to get it.”

“Didn’t you notice? That same rare herb was hanging casually on the wall of her simple, run-down house,” Jackson said.

That one bundle alone would be worth a fortune at any auction in Benwig City.

“What?” Ollie was stunned. From the moment they walked into Victoria’s house, he had only noticed how shabby it looked and missed everything else.

Now it finally clicked. “Do you mean her background might not be as simple as it seems?”

Jackson lifted the purple flower to his nose and took a light breath. “I can’t say for sure what her background is yet. But one thing is clear. Her medical skills are far from simple.”

Ollie understood right away. If that was true, then there was real hope for Jackson’s legs.

Still, he couldn’t help asking, “If all you want is to fix your legs, you could just pay her a large amount of money. There’s no need to marry her.”

Jackson blinked and slowly turned the flower between his fingers. A faint smile appeared on his lips. “What if I said I fell for her at first sight? Would you believe me?”

Ollie paused and looked at him again through the rearview mirror. He seemed calm. He wasn’t exactly joking, but he wasn’t completely serious, either.

But Jackson rarely joked, so Ollie couldn’t tell how much of it was real. In the end, he chose to believe him. “I believe you.”

“Good. In my eyes, she is already my fiancée. From now on, you need to treat her with respect,” Jackson said.

“Understood.” Ollie nodded.

Jackson wasn’t joking. When it came to love, he had never believed in feelings that grew over time.

To him, if there was no spark at first sight, then staying together would only lead to a relationship based on weighing pros and cons, not the kind of love that made his heart race.

That was why, when his grandfather arranged his engagement to Angelica, he had agreed for practical reasons alone.

But when he saw Victoria, everything changed. It felt like the world spun around him, and everything else faded away. In his eyes, she was the only color left.

He couldn’t explain why it had to be her. Maybe it was that moment when their eyes met, when the light in hers pulled him in like a whirlpool.

Jackson picked up a book from the car and carefully placed the small purple flower between its pages. Then he closed the book and shut his eyes.

*****

At eight that evening, Victoria had just finished bringing in the herbs she had been drying on the roof when her phone rang.

She set the herbs aside, brushed the dust off her hands, and picked up the call.

Mara’s cool voice came through. “Boss, I found what you asked for. The Binder family has only one daughter. She was born to the second son, Darell, and his wife, Julia. Her name is Angelica. She’s the same age as you.

“She’s very spoiled at home. Two months ago, Darell arranged a great marriage for her. She’s engaged to Jackson, the eldest son of the Thornton family, the most powerful family in Benwig City.

“Jackson had already been chosen by his grandfather, Gerry, as the next heir. But last month, he had an accident. Someone broke both his legs, and the announcement was put on hold.”

“What is Angelica like?” Victoria asked.

“She has a very good reputation. She’s beautiful and talented. A lot of rich young men in Benwig City admire her. That’s probably why she gained Gerry’s approval for the marriage,” Mara said.

Victoria let out a cold laugh to herself. She didn’t believe for a second that Angelica’s perfect life came without tricks.

“Got it. Now find out if Angelica is really Darell and Julia’s biological daughter,” Victoria said.

“You’re focusing on the Binder family, especially Angelica. What are you planning to do?” Mara asked.

“I’m going back to take my place,” Victoria said. A faint spark lit up in her deep eyes.

She found the idea of being the Binder family’s real daughter interesting.

Victoria had many identities. The one she used the most was a village herbalist and healer.

In her daily life, she spent time with her retired scientist friends in the village, growing new herbs and developing new medicines.

Over the years, she had cultivated twenty kinds of rare medicinal plants. Because they were so hard to produce, they sold for extremely high prices.

Any one of them, if sold at auction in Benwig City, could earn more than most people made in a lifetime.

On top of that, she was skilled in traditional medical techniques. When she treated regular villagers, she charged normal fees. But when rich families or powerful figures came to her, her starting fee was three million dollars.

Of course, she guaranteed results. If she couldn’t cure them, she wouldn’t take a single dollar.

This identity alone had already made her very rich. Money no longer meant much to her.

So when her ex-boyfriend, Gavin, said she wasn’t good enough for him, she found it almost funny.

If she wanted, she could build her own place in Benwig City without relying on anyone.

Over the years, all her different identities had started to feel dull. It was time to try something new.

And she had to admit, Jackson impressed her. Out of all the people she had treated, none had faced sudden injury like he did, so calm and steady.

His willpower was strong. He was someone who would go far.

He was handsome and capable. It would be a waste for him to stay crippled. So she would fix his legs.

Mara quickly understood, her voice turning serious. “Understood, boss. I’ll get on it right away.”

*****

Late that night, Victoria was fast asleep when she heard wood cracking outside. Her eyes opened at once, sharp and alert, and she turned toward the sound.

Anyone showing up at this hour without warning was not from the village.

She had spread powders around her home to keep wild animals away, so no beasts would come near.

That left only one answer. Someone had broken in.

Victoria got up quietly and, using the moonlight, moved to hide behind the door.

Soon, her old wooden door was kicked open, and a shadow rushed inside.

She hadn’t expected him to be so bold, barging in instead of sneaking around. She flicked a silver needle straight at him.

The man let out a low groan and dropped to the ground.

Victoria turned on the light, filling the room with brightness.

She kicked him aside and finally saw his face clearly. He looked like a hardened criminal.

She grabbed a rope, walked over, and tied up his hands and feet.

Once he was secured, she took out a needle and stuck it into his neck. Within seconds, he woke up.

Victoria sat on the bed, crossing her legs as she played with another needle. “If you don’t want to suffer, you’d better tell me the truth. Who sent you?”

The man quickly sized up the situation. “People who hire killers stay anonymous. Who would be stupid enough to give their name? But they said that if I raped you, they would get me out of the country safely.”

Victoria’s eyes turned cold and sharp. If he needed to run overseas, that meant he was already a wanted criminal.

The man hurried to beg, “I’ve told you everything I know. Let me go. I won’t take this job anymore.”

Victoria nodded. “Fine.”

She walked over, pulled out the needle, and untied the ropes. “You can leave.”

The man rubbed his wrists. “Thanks—”

Before he could finish, his face suddenly changed. He lifted his leg and tried to kick Victoria in the knee.

But the moment his foot rose, a sharp pain shot through him. Then his whole body went numb. He couldn’t move.

He looked down in terror. A small black snake had bitten his ankle. “How is there a poisonous snake here—”

Before he could finish, blood burst from his throat. His body fell stiffly to the ground. After a few jerks, he went still.

Victoria let out a cold laugh. “Trying to kill me in my place? You asked for it. Good job, Blackie. Go rest.”

The little black snake slipped into a dark corner and quickly disappeared.

Victoria picked up a hoe, stuffed the body into a large basket, and lifted it onto her back with ease.

She carried it outside and buried it near her vegetable garden. It would make good fertilizer for her herbs.

After that, she let out a long breath, brushed off her hands, and looked up at the nearly full moon.

She had just learned who she really was, and someone had already sent a man to ruin her.

It seemed that someone had prepared a “welcome gift” for her in advance.