The Perfect Wife's Perfect Revenge

Chapter 489 Such a little girl-wouldn't she be led astray by that crowd of big-shot men? But seeing how happy Victoria looked, she decided to keep her opinions to herself.

After all, Gwyneth was Victoria's child, and how she wanted to raise her was her own business. As the aunt, she figured it was better to just enjoy the show from the sidelines.

"Mama, I'm ready! Can we go now?" Gwyneth had slipped into a darling white dress, looking every bit the charming little lady.

Victoria, after giving birth, had filled out in all the right ways. Her clothes were a bit loose, but they did little to hide her enviable figure.

When Victoria entered the restaurant where Marcus was waiting, it was as if every pair of eyes-from the manager and servers to all the patrons-turned to watch her stride through the door.

"Uncle, that's Aunt Victoria!" Max spotted her first. Marcus followed his nephew's gaze and saw, not far away, Victoria holding hands with a little girl dressed like a storybook princess. The two of them together were almost ethereal, a picture so beautiful it was impossible to look away.

Marcus tried to keep his composure, but the moment his eyes landed on Victoria's face, every emotional defense he'd built crumbled.

This-this was what he imagined his future wife would look like.

Even with three children, she hadn't lost an ounce of the allure and status she had in Marcus's heart.

He sometimes wondered at himself. He'd once been smitten with Violet too, but that had never burned as fiercely as what he felt for Victoria.

With Violet, when he learned she and McNeil were starting something, he simply bowed out. Within three days, his feelings were history.

But with Victoria, it was different. He knew she was his friend's wife, knew she had three children, yet he couldn't shake the wild, reckless urge to sweep her away for himself.

"It's been a while," Marcus said, producing a gift for Gwyneth. He added a little explanation, perhaps afraid of sparking any rumors that might keep Victoria from ever joining him for dinner again.

"This is from Max. He picked it out himself, knowing how much you love these. We searched all over before finally finding this race car." It was just a racing car model-easy to connect to another incident in the past, but Marcus pretended to forget, and Victoria was smart enough not to bring up that sensitive topic. These days, she kept her distance from any man, never crossing the line past polite acquaintanceship.

After giving Gwyneth her gift, Marcus turned to Victoria, offering her a package as well. He explained, "There's no hidden meaning-just a little something to welcyou back. It's nothing extravagant, just a small token." Inside was a pair of jade earrings. "Nothing extravagant" was relative; they were worth tens of thousands. Of course, they didn't compare to the custom jewelry Marcus had gifted her before, pieces she'd designed herself. Victoria felt awkward refusing, so she simply accepted graciously.

For someone like Marcus-a wealthy heir and now the company's CEO this was the equivalent of an ordinary person giving a trinket from a street vendor. But as he'd chosen the earrings, he'd felt a strange hesitation: too cheap, and he'd be embarrassed to give them; too expensive, and she might not accept. In the end, he compromised, his ears burning as he set the box before her.

If she'd offer even the slightest sign of affection or interest, Marcus would've handed over his whole company on the spot.

Not that he thought she'd be impressed.

Victoria owned half of The Langford Group and a significant stake in Golden Era Enterprises; Marcus's entire fortune might amount to a tenth of hers.

There's nothing more daunting for a man than a woman who out-earns him-he'd never be able to put a price on what he could offer.

Victoria didn't seem to mind. She smiled politely, her gaze lingering on the jade. "It's beautiful," she said with genuine admiration.

Marcus finally relaxed when he saw she didn't reject his gesture.

al.ne "Max, I have so many instructors now-they're teachinghow to drive race cars. Do you want to learn too?" Gwyneth whispered conspiratorially to Max, though her "secret" was loud enough forthe whole table to hear. Marcus shot a glance at Victoria. "So, racing is your other hobby?" Victoria answered calmly, "It's been a while. These days, my main job is raising kids." She didn't shy away from the topic-it wasn't much of a secret anymore.

The glory days of her youth were behind her, that was all.

Marcus looked at her gently. “That's probably for the best. It's exhausting being a corporate powerhouse. It doesn't suit you." If Curtis hadn't competed with him for the car, Marcus would never have guessed that the soft-spoken girl was actually a business powerhouse-and a formidable one at that, nearly leaving McNeib stripped of everything.

The woman he'd imagined and the woman before him seemed worlds seemed worlds apart. The more he learned, the more fascinated he became, though she clearly had no interest in him. Victoria tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her voice light. "It's not about what suits you.

Sometimes life backs you into a corner and you don't even recognize yourself anymore." She'd never realized that life after leaving the man she'd loved could be so free- so easy, so joyful, like now.

Unprecedented ease and happiness.

"Daddy-" Gwyneth's voice cut through the air, her eyes suddenly fixed on someone behind Victoria.

The room seemed to freeze. Instinctively, Victoria turned and saw McNeil standing right behind her.

He wore a black dress shirt, his classic suit jacket draped over his arm. Tall and impossibly handsome, he looked as if he'd just stepped out of a magazine. Both Marcus and Victoria stiffened.

"I've got a client meeting here. What a coincidence," McNeil said, walking over to their table. Without waiting NO for an invitation, he pulled out the empty chair beside Victoria and sat down.