She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother

Chapter 584: The Other Victoria

When she finally pulled back, she didn’t retreat. She rested her forehead against his, her breath warm against his skin, her dark eyes glittering with a luminous intensity he had never seen in her before. A faint, radiant flush dusted her cheekbones.

"You have no idea," Victoria whispered, her voice slightly raw, trembling with a mixture of wonder and disbelief. "You truly can’t imagine how happy you’ve made me... or how completely weightless I feel right now."

She let out a soft, breathless laugh, her thumbs gently stroking his temples.

"All those years... I watched other women from the back of tinted, bulletproof sedans. I saw college girls laughing on street corners, couples sitting on wooden park benches sharing a single drink, people arguing over trivial, ordinary things. And I hated that I envied them."

A soft, wry smile touched her lips, her eyes softening as she spoke from a place she had never dared reveal to anyone.

"If you ask me what I want to do... the list is embarrassingly long, Alex. I want to do everything I was never allowed to do. I want to walk through a crowded evening street market, bump shoulders with strangers, and haggle over some ridiculous handmade trinket. I want to walk into a noisy cinema in the middle of a weekend rush, sit in normal seats, and eat overly buttered popcorn straight from a paper bucket without someone sweeping the row for wiretaps."

Her smile widened, vibrant and almost youthful, shedding years off her expression.

"I want to go to a public zoo or a city park, lean against a wooden railing, watch the crowds, and share roasted street snacks off a wooden skewer. I want to hold your hand out in the open, under the sun, without wondering whose camera is pointed at our backs, or how many millions of dollars will shift because Madame Blackwood was seen smiling in the street."

She looked straight into his dark eyes, her fingers sliding down to rest against his chest, right over his heartbeat.

"I just want to be an ordinary woman today. And I want to spend it with you."

Alex looked at the radiant warmth in her eyes, feeling the fierce, steady beat of her pulse beneath his fingers. The unrepentant smirk on his lips softened into something gentle and genuine. He caught one of her hands, bringing her knuckles to his lips to press a firm, lingering kiss against them.

"An ordinary woman," Alex murmured, his thumb stroking the back of her hand. "Consider it done. We’ll hit the stalls, we’ll buy the greasy popcorn, and we’ll walk through every street you ever looked at through tinted glass."

He shifted the car back into gear, his eyes gleaming with playful intent as he turned the steering wheel toward the main avenue.

"Hold on, Victoria. Let’s go give this city something it’s never seen before."

* * *

The car glided down from the quiet heights of the estate and merged smoothly into the afternoon traffic flowing toward the city center. Tall glass towers rose against the pale blue sky, their reflective surfaces catching the bright sun as streets grew busier with delivery vans, cyclists, and weekend shoppers.

Alex steered into an ordinary multi-level public parking garage near the bustling waterfront district. He slid the car into a vacant bay between a family minivan and a dusty hatchback, killed the engine, and stepped out.

Victoria met him on the pavement, smoothing down the front of her clothes. The heavy silence of the estate was replaced by the vibrant heartbeat of the city—muffled street chatter, the distant chime of crosswalks, and the aroma of fresh pretzels drifting from a nearby bakery cart.

For a few seconds, she simply stood there with her head slightly lifted, drinking in the noise.

Alex reached down and laced his fingers through hers, giving her hand a gentle, grounding squeeze. Together, they walked out of the garage and stepped directly into the lively pedestrian flow along the boulevard.

People brushed past them without looking twice. Delivery couriers darted by on electric scooters, and groups of friends laughed loudly outside outdoor cafes.

Victoria walked close to Alex, her grip firm and warm, a quiet sense of wonder softening every line of her expression.

As they reached a pedestrian crossing, a cheerful double chime rang out along the center of the avenue. Gliding slowly along embedded rails was an open-windowed heritage streetcar, painted in deep forest green and polished brass.

It was one of the popular downtown circulators where locals and tourists hopped on together to ride through the shopping and theater districts.

Victoria stopped in her tracks, watching the vintage car coast to a gentle stop at the platform.

"Have you ever been on one of those?" she asked, looking up at Alex with a faint, eager spark in her dark eyes.

Alex smiled down at her, amused by the sheer curiosity in her voice. "A shared streetcar? Plenty of times. Want to take a ride?"

"Yes," Victoria answered without hesitation. "I want to see what it feels like."

Alex led her up the brass-trimmed steps as the conductor collected a pair of small bills. Inside, the passenger car was bathed in natural afternoon light, lined with varnished wooden benches facing one another.

Near the center sat a young couple in casual hoodies and sneakers, sharing a pair of wired earbuds. Looking up and seeing Alex and Victoria step down the narrow aisle, the young man blinked, nudging his girlfriend. The two quickly shifted toward the window, offering the rest of the bench with polite smiles.

Even with the veil softening Victoria’s features into those of a simple, pretty stranger, the way the two carried themselves commanded attention.

Alex was tall, broad-shouldered, and completely at ease, while Victoria possessed an innate grace that fabric could never fully disguise. Sitting on a communal wooden bench, they looked striking enough to belong on a film set rather than a public transit line.

Alex didn’t care about the curious glances in the slightest. He sat down comfortably, gently pulling Victoria beside him so her shoulder rested against his arm.

With a low groan of steel and a soft clatter of wheels, the streetcar jolted into motion, rolling leisurely down the sunny boulevard. Fresh air swept through the open windows, fluttering a few loose strands of Victoria’s dark hair across her cheek.

The girl across from them couldn’t hold back her curiosity for long. She pulled one earbud out, leaning forward with an open, friendly smile.

"Sorry to stare," the girl said, her tone bright and casual. "You two just look really great together. Where are you guys heading?"

Victoria blinked, momentarily taken aback by how effortlessly a total stranger could strike up a conversation without seeking leverage. Then, an unprompted warmth bloomed behind her ribs.

For years, anyone approaching Madame Blackwood had ulterior motives, hidden agendas, or formal protocol. Now, it was just another human being offering genuine warmth.

?"Oh, hello!" Victoria said, the greeting spilling out with eager warmth. "I’m... Claudia. And this is my boyfriend, Alex."

?The pseudonym rolled off her tongue with effortless delight.

Wrapping both hands around Alex’s arm, she anchored herself against his side, leaning her weight lightly into his shoulder.

?"We’re on a date," she added, her voice dropping into a softer register brimming with quiet, unmistakable pride. "We don’t really have a destination yet. We’re just enjoying the afternoon."

The young woman beamed, elbowing her boyfriend lightly in the ribs. "See, babe? That’s romantic. You should take notes."

Her boyfriend rolled his eyes playfully, though a grin broke out across his face.

Alex let out an easy chuckle, shifting his gaze toward the couple. "What about you two? Heading somewhere special, or just skipping the traffic?"

"I’m Victoria, by the way," the girl offered with an easy smile. "And this is Liam."

Victoria felt her breath catch for half a second. Her fingers tightened instinctively around Alex’s sleeve.

Victoria.

Of all the millions of names in the world, the girl sitting opposite her had to share the one she had just deliberately abandoned for the afternoon.

Beside her, Alex stiffened, then slowly turned his head to look at her. His eyebrows rose just a fraction, the corner of his mouth twitching in sheer, suppressed amusement.

When Victoria met his gaze, her eyes were wide with genuine shock, before a sudden, wicked glimmer of mischief sparkled between them. It took every ounce of her discipline not to burst out laughing on the spot.

Liam, oblivious to the silent comedy playing out across from him, gave an apologetic shrug.

"We’re actually running a little late for the three o’clock show at the Grandview Theater," he answered, gesturing toward the street ahead. "They’re screening that new romantic comedy, the one everyone’s been talking about. She made me promise weeks ago that we’d see it opening weekend."

"Because it has a happy ending, unlike your taste in action movies," the girl shot back with a teasing laugh.

Alex gave Victoria’s fingers a sly, conspiratorial squeeze where they rested on his arm.

"A good romantic comedy is hard to beat," he said smoothly, his voice laced with unspoken delight as he held his partner’s gaze for a second too long. "Don’t you agree, Claudia?"

Victoria shot him a look that promised playful retribution later, though the corner of her lips traitorously curved upward.

"I couldn’t agree more," she said, leaning into the role with effortless charm. Then, tilting her head toward him, her gaze took on a daring, spontaneous spark that Madame Blackwood would never have permitted herself in public. "In fact... didn’t you mention earlier that you wanted to catch a movie today, darling?"

Alex raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying every second of this unscripted version of her. "Did I? I must have forgotten. But if my girlfriend wants to see a romantic comedy, who am I to refuse?"