Chapter 240
“Let’s talk when I get back.”
After ending the call with Gwyneth, McNeil let himself dwell in a brief moment of heaviness before slipping back into his usual cool detachment.
Victoria arrived at the café where she and Marcus had agreed to meet. She’d half expected to see Max there, but to her surprise, Marcus was alone.
She hesitated for a moment, caught off guard.
“Max has a school event today, so he couldn’t make it,” Marcus explained, noticing her surprise.
Victoria set the gift she’d brought on the table in front of him. “That’s a shame. I’d hoped to surprise him for his birthday, but since he’s not here, I’ll have to rely on you to pass this along.”
Marcus glanced at the neatly wrapped box. “You really didn’t have to.”
From the inner pocket of his jacket, he pulled out a small, elegant box- something that looked unmistakably valuable.
“What’s this?” Victoria asked.
“Open it. See if you like it,” Marcus replied, a faint smile playing on his lips. “You’re giving this to me?” Victoria said, surprised.
She opened the box, and inside lay an exquisite diamond necklace.
Victoria knew jewelry-she was an expert. This piece was a custom design by Allian, released in an extremely limited run. Even among high society’s elite, no one could get their hands on one. Yet here it was, right before her, courtesy of Marcus.
She was so sure because she’d designed it. Victoria was the founder and chief designer of Allian. It was a passion project, something she poured her heart into during rare moments of leisure, but never her main pursuit. As a result, her creations were vanishingly rare.
The necklace had been released in her late mother’s honor, and most of the few available pieces had gone to her mother’s closest friends—a quiet expression of gratitude toward the women who had supported her mother and the Turner family through the years.
Thinking of her mother brought a sharp pain to Victoria’s chest. Her stomach twisted, her heart aching.
Some things in life are simply unfair. When someone is gifted, or achieves what others cannot, it’s easy to believe they’re among the rare few favored by fate-a multi-talented prodigy, blessed beyond reason.
But Victoria had never believed in perfection. She’d been granted talent, yes, but never the happiness of a simple, loving family.
She was intelligent and wise, but hopelessly entangled in the complexities of love. Fate never allows for perfection.
If she could live her life over again, she’d forgo every gift and talent, just to be ordinary-someone who could rest her head in her mother’s lap, who could have a warm and happy little family.
They say when one door closes, another opens. But for her, fate had thrown open the gates to genius and welded shut the door to happiness.
And there was nothing she could do about it.
“It’s beautiful,” Victoria said politely, accepting the necklace with practiced grace. “Let me help you put it on,” Marcus offered.
He’d fully expected her to refuse. The fact that she not only liked it but accepted it so matter-of-factly left him momentarily startled.
“Alright,” Victoria agreed, gathering her hair and lifting it off her neck, revealing her slender, graceful nape.
Marcus stepped behind her and fastened the necklace with gentle hands.
The understated, elegant Victoria seemed almost luminous with the necklace on, as if it’d been made for her. Marcus found himself staring, momentarily lost.
He’d met beautiful women before, but never anyone quite like Victoria-so poised, so ethereal.
“It really suits you,” he said, finally taking his seat, though he still looked at her with a bemused expression.
Victoria met his gaze calmly. “Is something wrong?”
She noticed his lingering stare and instinctively reached up, her fingers brushing the cool pendant, stirring a tide of memories about her mother.
Marcus shook his head, smiling wryly. “I just thought someone like you wouldn’t accept a gift like this.”
He knew the necklace was priceless-well over three million dollars on the rare occasion it could be bought at all. He’d pulled every string, paid nearly triple the price, and practically begged until someone finally agreed to let it go.
The truth was, Violet-McNeil’s girlfriend—had always admired Allian’s designs. She’d never ask McNeil to buy one, not wanting to risk a misunderstanding, so she’d quietly asked Marcus to see if he could find a way to get one for her. Marcus had managed to get it, but when the necklace was finally his, he couldn’t bear to part with it. In his mind, there was only one person truly worthy of it, so he’d kept it hidden for weeks, never telling Violet.
Now, at last, he’d found the right moment and the right person to give it to.
Victoria looked at him intently. “If I’d refused, would you have given it to someone else?”
Marcus hadn’t expected that question. Truthfully, if Victoria had said no, he probably wouldn’t have given it to Violet either-but he might have sold it to her for a fair price. Violet was McNeil’s girlfriend; gifting her the necklace would have been inappropriate, and he didn’t want to anyway.
He hesitated, then lied. “No. I would have waited until you were ready to accept
it.”
He hoped Victoria wouldn’t see through him.
She was only the second woman in his life to truly move him. The first had been Violet-long, long ago.
Victoria nodded. “Thank you for the gift. I really do like it. I don’t have anything to give you in return right now, but if there’s something you want, tell me, and I’ll bring it next time.”
Her frankness made Marcus laugh, his eyes dark and warm as he looked at her. “Miss Fannie, have you never been in love before?”
Victoria blinked, caught off guard. Never been in love? What was that supposed to mean?