Victoria left the billiards hall, hailed a cab, and sped all the way back to the Youngs' place.
She'd just walked into the living room when she saw her father, Richard Young, her mother, Susie Young, her eldest brother, Joshua Young, her second elder brother, Zackary Young, and Charlotte Young. The whole darn family was there.
When they saw Victoria walk in, Richard slammed his fist on the table in anger.
"You little brat! You finally decided to show up! Finley just called and said you dumped him. Who gave you the right to break up with him?"
"Call him right now, in front of me, and apologize. You hear me?"
Susie grabbed her fuming husband and frowned at Victoria.
"Listen to your dad. Call Finley and apologize. The deal between the Youngs and the Garcias just got sealed. We talked it over. You and Finley are supposed to get hitched. You can't just call it quits like that!"
Victoria's face went cold. "Get hitched?"
Zackary, lounging on the couch with his legs crossed, snorted.
"What, you got a problem? Hah, don't think I don't see it. You dumped Finley 'cause you're still hung up on that marriage deal with the Sheppards and you wanna marry Benjamin Sheppard yourself!"
"I say we should just marry you off ASAP. Get you out of the way so Lottie's marriage ain't in jeopardy!"
Big bro Joshua nodded at that. His voice was calmer but even colder.
"Mom, Dad, Zach got a point. Victoria's the real deal Young heiress. As long as she's around, Charlotte's marriage to Benjamin Sheppard could hit a snag. Better to marry her off pronto."
Zackary looked at Victoria, not even trying to hide the disgust and disapproval in his eyes.
"Victoria, you gotta know when to stop this nonsense. A rich man like Finley Garcia? There are a ton of chicks dying to marry him. You got a golden opportunity here. You should learn to appreciate it!"
A golden opportunity?
Learn to appreciate it?
Hah, that was just plain ridiculous.
Victoria thought they were forcing her to go out with Finley Garcia for the sake of the business deal.
Turned out, they'd always seen her as a stumbling block, in the way of Charlotte's marriage to Benjamin Sheppard. They couldn't wait to marry her off.
Didn't they give a rat's ass about marrying their own flesh - and - blood daughter to a sleazy playboy?
Victoria's lashes trembled like crazy. The sharp pain in her chest was so bad, it felt like she could hardly breathe.
Was it her fault she got switched at birth?
Her adoptive father was a gambler and a wife - beater. When he lost at gambling, he took it out on her, called her a worthless burden, hit her. Her adoptive mother only cared about her biological son. All the good stuff was for him. She never gave a damn about Victoria.
When she got taken back to the Youngs' at 16, she was over the moon. She thought she'd finally found her real family. Her crappy life was about to get better. She'd finally have parents who loved her, just like her classmates'.
Even when Charlotte Young stayed in the family, she treated her like a real sister. She tried to please her parents and brothers. She bent over backwards, just hoping for a little bit of that family love she'd always craved. But what did she get in the end?
Maybe she should've never come back to the Youngs'.
Victoria's heart hurt so bad it was numb. She was at the end of her rope.
That last shred of hope was gone.
Fine.
She was done trying.
She didn't want to beg for her parents' and brothers' love anymore.
She didn't want to stay at the Youngs' another minute.
Just then, Charlotte, who'd been quiet all this time, spoke up in her sweet, soft voice.
"But Mom, Dad, the marriage deal with the Sheppards should be sis's. She's the real Young heiress!"
When Richard heard Charlotte's voice, his eyes filled with love right away.
"Our sweet Lottie, even if you ain't the real one, you'll always be our daughter. You'll be the one to marry into the Sheppard family!"
Susie took Charlotte Young's hand, all smiles.
"My precious girl. You grew up in luxury. You're cultured and refined. Only a lady like you is worthy of marrying the head of the Sheppard family!"
Zackary was all protective. "Lottie, my silly sis. I know you don't like to fight for stuff. But remember, it was Victoria herself who said she didn't want to go through with the marriage deal and wanted you to marry Benjamin Sheppard!"
"Victoria Young!" Zackary turned to Victoria, the softness in his eyes gone in a flash. He barked, "You tell me. Wasn't it you who said you wanted Lottie to take your place in the marriage deal?"
Victoria watched the whole scene with a cold eye. They were only good parents and siblings when it came to Charlotte Young.
She used to be jealous.
Now, it just seemed pathetic.
"Back then, you told me if I said Charlotte could marry into the Sheppard family instead of me, you'd accept me. You'd treat me like family. But what did you do?"
"On my first day back at the Youngs', someone put pineapple juice in my drink. I had a wicked allergic reaction. I almost died. It was you and Joshua who did it!"
Zackary was shocked. Crap, how did Victoria find out?
Joshua frowned and studied Victoria.
He was a few years older; more level - headed than Zackary. He sensed something different about Victoria right away.
Her eyes. The way she looked at the family. She didn't seem desperate for their love and approval like before. She was just cold.
Like she was looking at a bunch of strangers who didn't matter...
Joshua's heart skipped a beat. He had a strange feeling that something was about to slip away, and there was nothing he could do to stop it...
Zackary never took Victoria seriously. After a couple seconds of shock, he sneered.
"So, what if it was me and Joshua? It was just an allergy. What's the big deal? You're such a drama queen. You didn't die, did you?"
"Me and Joshua were just warning you. Even if you're the real Young heiress, now that you're back, you're the older sister. You should let Lottie have her way. Don't fight with her over anything!"
Victoria's eyes flashed cold. The faint sarcasm on her face turned sharp.
"Let Charlotte have her way? So, when Charlotte got sick, you made me drop out of school for a whole year to take care of her. No questions asked."
"When I finally got back to school and did better on the college entrance exam than her, you tore up my acceptance letter! I almost didn't get to go to college!"
Richard's brows furrowed. He smacked the table hard. "So, you've been holding a grudge!"
"Lottie was sick. She didn't do well on the test. She was already down. And you had to go and ace it. Weren't you just trying to make her feel bad? What kind of sister are you?"
"Besides, so what if I tore up your acceptance letter? You're in college now, aren't you? What are you complaining about?"
Even though she'd decided to give up on any hope of family love, Victoria's heart still stung when she heard those words.
See? This was her so - called father and brothers.
When her acceptance letter got torn up, she was so shocked and sad. She wanted to leave the Youngs' then. It was Susie who calmed her down. She said she'd be good to her. She'd never let her get hurt again.
She believed her. She thought, that's my mom. She gave birth to me. She must have a little bit of motherly love for me.
But now, just because they were worried that she'd mess up Charlotte's marriage to Benjamin Sheppard, they wanted to marry her off to a horny playboy.
They didn't even hesitate to throw their own daughter to the wolves!
Susie remembered her old promise. She stiffened a bit and tried to talk her way out.
"Victoria, it's not that mom wants to make you suffer. It's just that you and Benjamin Sheppard ain't right for each other. Charlotte and him are a perfect match. I'm doing this for your own good."
"The Garcias are a good match for our family. Finley's a bit of a player, but once you're married, he'll settle down. You two will be happy."
Happy?
Victoria let out a cold laugh. "If it's so happy, why don't you marry your precious Lottie off to him?"
Richard got all riled up when he heard that. "What kind of attitude is that? I'm telling you, Victoria Young, this is settled! The Garcias are a good family. You'll be living the high life if you marry him. It's not a bad deal!"
Victoria looked at Richard. A sarcastic smile spread across her lips. "If it's such a great deal, you marry Finley Garcia then."
Richard was stunned. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. He was fuming.
"You! You ungrateful brat! What kind of crazy talk is that?"
Not just Richard. Susie, Joshua, Zackary., and Charlotte were all shocked by what Victoria just said.
This Victoria Young.
How could she say something like that to her own father?
Richard was so mad he was seeing red. He raised his hand, ready to slap her.
"Brats like you! I can't believe I have a daughter like you! This is an outrage! You've gone too far!!"
Victoria blocked his hand. Her eyes were clear and cold. She said each word with force.
"It's hilarious. You don't want a daughter like me. Well, I don't want a father and a family like you either!"
"As of today, I'm cutting all ties with the Youngs. We're done. From now on, we go our separate ways. We have nothing to do with each other!"