Queen Of Revenge And Glory (Victoria and Jackson) novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Victoria’s words cooled a good portion of Simon’s anger.

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He knew she must’ve suffered out there. If she’d grown up in the Binder family, none of that would’ve happened.

After a long pause, his voice flattened. “It was Angelica’s mother who switched you two. Angelica was just a baby back then. She was innocent.”

Victoria dug at her ear, looking bored. “How original. You people always say the same thing.”

She tilted her head slightly, her tone lazy but sharp. “If her mom hadn’t done it on purpose, then sure, she’d be innocent. But her mom went out of her way to switch us for her sake, and you still call her innocent, huh?”

She let out a soft laugh. “By that logic, there are a lot of innocent people in this world. The kids of human traffickers are innocent, too. After all, their parents only steal other people’s children to make money and give them a better life.

“Oh, and the night before I came back to the Binder family, your so–called innocent sister hired someone to try and rape

me.”

“No way!” Simon snapped.

Victoria let out a low, mocking laugh. “Go check it yourself.”

Simon went silent. His grip slowly loosened. “You’re humiliating me on purpose. You want me to feel what you went through, don’t you?”

“Yeah.” Victoria smiled brightly, almost sweetly. “Words aren’t enough. People like you, who love pretending to be generous, need to experience it yourselves.”

Her smile was dazzling. But all Simon could see in it was cruelty.

“Keep it together,” she added lightly. “This is just the beginning. When your whole family loses everything and has nothing left, won’t you fall apart even more?”

With that, Victoria turned and walked toward the Binder family garage, her steps unhurried.

Simon stood there, watching her back. Strangely, there was no anger or contempt in his eyes, only something complicated and hard to name.

But no matter what, he refused to believe Angelica would hire someone to rape Victoria.

Back in her room, Angelica was getting ready to head to Brightstar Entertainment.

By chance, she glanced out the window and froze. She saw Simon following behind Victoria.

Surprise flickered across her face. Simon wasn’t going to the office. He had gone to find Victoria instead.

Angelica slowly walked over to the window and gripped the sill tightly with both hands.

A thought crept into her mind. ‘What if Simon has been won over? What if he’s starting to take Victoria’s side?”

A chill ran through her. Everything she had in the Binder family rested on her value to Darell, her place as Julia’s pride and showpiece, and the unconditional support of Simon and Curtis.

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If she lost Simon, her place in the family would become even more unstable.

She couldn’t let that happen. She had to make her move at tonight’s welcome party.

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At the pavilion, Victoria spoke first as she walked up to Jackson, who had already been waiting. “Jack, I brought Simon. You can ask him yourself if he said you’re only being nice to me because you want something from me.”

Simon lagged behind because of his injured leg. By the time he got closer, he heard Victoria’s words and stopped.

He looked up at Jackson. The moment their eyes met, a flicker of unease rose in his chest.

But then he reminded himself–Jackson wasn’t what he used to be. His legs were crippled, even worse than Simon’s. Whether he could still become the Thornton family heir was uncertain. There was no need to be afraid.

That was what he told himself. But when their gazes locked, Simon still lost.

Jackson’s calm eyes hid something dangerous, like a deep pit from which one could never climb out once fallen in.

“Is that so?” Jackson smiled faintly. “Simon, is that what you think?”

The Binder family had always been beneath the Thornton family in Benwig City. Simon had rarely had the chance to interact with the once–dominant heir, let alone face him like this.

Standing before Jackson now, he felt a suffocating pressure that made his chest tighten.

He swallowed. His voice came out weaker than he intended. “Yes.”

Jackson let out a soft chuckle. “And why do you think that?”

Simon stiffened, then forced himself to speak. “Because compared to Angelica, she’s nowhere near as good.”

The smile on Jackson’s face faded. “Have you ever actually tried to understand her before saying something like that?”

His voice turned colder. “Simon, you were supposed to be the Binder family’s future heir. Are you really this short–sighted?”

Simon had no answer. He glanced at Victoria, who was leaning lazily against a pavilion pillar, watching as if it were all a show.

“What’s there to understand?” Simon asked. “She grew up in a mountain village and received a limited education. I checked. She dropped out of middle school. How could she possibly be better than Angelica?”

Jackson’s gaze deepened. “Outsiders looking down on her is one thing. But you’re her brother. What right do you have to despise her?”

Simon fell silent again.

Jackson let out a cold laugh. “Your whole family should start preparing to regret this. She’s far better than you think.

“Even after being switched by Angelica’s vicious mother, even without the resources Angelica had, she still survived everything out there and came out stronger. That alone makes her remarkable.”

Victoria, who had been watching casually, now looked at Jackson with real curiosity.

She didn’t understand. They hadn’t known each other long. They hadn’t even spent much time together. But he was so sure

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that she was better than Angelica.

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Jackson continued, his tone calm but firm, “I admire her. I like her. That’s why I’m willing to treat her well. It’s not because I want something from her.”

He looked straight at Simon. “I asked you to come here to make this clear in front of her. I don’t want my feelings to be misunderstood. And if I hear you say something like that again, I won’t be this patient.”

Simon lowered his head instinctively. “I understand.”

Jackson waved a hand dismissively. “You can go now. I want some private time with my fiancée.”

Simon froze for a second, unsure what to say. Victoria laughed softly.

Simon turned to her, disbelief written all over his face. “Are you really going to make me walk back?”

Victoria shrugged. “What else? You’ve only lost one leg. It’s not like you can’t walk.”

Simon fell silent. He realized she wasn’t joking. In the end, he could only lean on his cane, turn around, and limp away step by step.

Once Simon was far enough, Victoria pulled her gaze back and looked at Jackson. “Jack, what you said earlier really made me curious Why don’t you think as they do? That I’m not as good as Angelica?”

Jackson smiled, calm and easy. “Vickie, do you think I got where I am in the Thornton family by luck?”

He paused, then continued, “The first day I went to Mullinran Village to find you, I noticed something. Those herbs hanging on your wall had shown up at auctions in Benwig City. Each one sold for at least three million dollars.

You had them hanging there like they were nothing. That alone told me you weren’t short on money. And when you met me, you weren’t nervous or trying to please me. You were calm, confident, and bold.

That kind of presence doesn’t come overnight. It only comes from someone who’s been successful for a long time and knows exactly what they’re worth.”

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