A Hated Love

Chapter 1 Be Responsible for Your Actions

"Christian... You have to believe me when I say that I didn't do it on purpose." Victoria Coleman's face was paler than a ghost as she kneeled down in an estate. Without the lights on, she could barely see the man's expression but only the glimmer of light from the cigarette between his fingers until it faded away in the darkness.

Feeling as if she was waiting for her death, the lady grew more and more anxious. While she kept her head down, she stared at her fingers in a trance and noticed the blood stains that had dried off on them, stunned by the fact that they had become the evidence to be used against her.

Not knowing how long had passed, the man stood up and approached her in an intimidating manner. "Victoria, you should know that we all have to be responsible for our actions. Bella's legs may be fine for now, but she'll never be able to dance again. What about you, though? You get to move around like a machine that is up and running, taking everything for granted. How is that fair?" The man spoke in a sinister voice, making her heart beat like a jackhammer. Meanwhile, Victoria caught a glimpse of the man's hand reaching for the golf club in the illuminating moonlight. "I told you before—I'd marry you as long as you remain a good girl, but why? Why did you mess with Bella?" As soon as the man finished his words, he swung the golf club and smashed her shin. "Ah!" As the man hit Victoria's shin with all his strength, the lady was greatly overwhelmed by the pain. "Christian... I didn't do it..." Due to the pain on her shin, she slid back a little, only to realize her injured leg was limiting her movements.

In the meantime, Christian Thatcher threw the bent golf club aside as he glared at Victoria, who was now breathing weakly. "This is the price you're paying for what you did to Bella's leg. However, you should consider yourself lucky that you're going to live, but even so, I want you to remember that this is not the end."

While Victoria curled up and shook like a leaf, her vision slowly became blurry. Before she lost her consciousness, she vaguely saw the man reaching for his phone. "Tell the Coleman Family about Victoria's attempted murder. Ask them whether they want to keep her or the Coleman Group."

Two years later, a skinny lady walked out of the penitentiary's gate on the east side of Bloomsway. It was the town's first day of snow, but she couldn't walk fast due to the leg injury that seemed to bother her. As the snowflakes kept falling from the sky, the lady ignored her scars and looked up, facing the sky while revealing her good looks.

Since it was winter, there were only a number of buses that passed by that area. Therefore, she was forced to wait amidst the cold winter as she rubbed her shoulders with a frown on her face, and she gritted her teeth non-stop.

At that moment, she recalled the spring she had been sent to prison, feeling surprised that it was already winter now that she was released. The next moment, she looked back at the penitentiary where she had spent two years living, standing at the bus stop while staring at the words written above the gate. "Treasure your second chance."

As she read those few words, Victoria couldn't help but snigger and laugh at herself. Do people like me really get a second chance after leaving the penitentiary? The lady was caught up in her train of thought until she was interrupted by a bus that came her way amidst the snow. She then rubbed her leg to relieve the pain and got onto the bus.

Having nothing more than an outdated cell phone and a few bucks with her, she inserted the coins into the farebox and went ahead to take a seat at the back. After all, the bus was the only ride that traveled from the penitentiary to the city. However, Victoria was the only passenger throughout the ride that night as she leaned on the window and kept her eyes on the scenery outside the bus, seeming as though she couldn’t have enough of it. I can’t believe the city has changed so much in two years.

Suddenly, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop, creating an inertia that caused Victoria’s head to bump onto the window. Feeling the pain, she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on as she rubbed her head, but before she could find out what was going on, she felt a strong force pulling her away from her seat.

Chapter 2 Long Time No See, Mr Thatcher

The driver dragged Victoria out of the bus while complaining. At the same time, his face blanched when he realized he had just hit a Bentley. "Damn! I knew I would get jinxed for ferrying these scums out of prison every day. Look what it's gotten me into!" The man then shoved Victoria in a rough manner, pushing her into the pile of snow on the ground.

In the face of all the contemptuous gazes fixed upon her, Victoria could only keep her head down in embarrassment with a pale look on her face until she caught a glimpse of a pair of shiny leather boots that appeared right in front of her.

Stunned, she looked up and noticed a silhouette with a decent-looking black suit before her eyes stopped on the face that had haunted her in her nightmares over the past two years.

Victoria's mother, Denise Laurent, consulted a prophet in the same year in which her daughter was born and was told that Victoria would live comfortably and well in the first twenty years of her life. However, Denise was later told that Victoria's fate was foreseen to take a turn for the worse after that.

In hindsight, Victoria was stunned, unable to believe that the prophecy turned out to be true since nothing happened during the first two decades of her life.

Meanwhile, Christian seemed tougher than he appeared to be two years ago, but the contempt he had for Victoria remained the same. After staring at the man for a few moments, the lady snapped out of her trance and realized that she was being embarrassed. Therefore, she kept her head down and tried to get up from the ground, but when she tried to move, she was pinned down on the ground by the man's black umbrella. "It's only been two years since we last met, but where are your manners? Shouldn't you greet someone you know when you meet them?"

As Christian continued to pin her on the ground, Victoria's knee felt a strong tingling pain as though thousands of needles were piercing through her skin. If that wasn't bad enough, the cold weather only worsened her condition as her forehead was covered in cold sweat. The next second, Victoria gritted her teeth and said shakily, "L-Long time no see, Mr. Thatcher."

On the other hand, Christian looked down and fixed his gaze on the lady like a king looking at his servant. He wasn't able to see who was outside the car until he stepped out of his vehicle, finally remembering it was the day that Victoria was released from prison. I must say that Victoria has really changed a lot. After all, she no longer had smooth long hair but instead a short bob down to her ears. Meanwhile, she looked older due to her yellowish skin that was covered with scars and wounds. At the thought of that, he couldn't believe that the lady before him used to be the Coleman Family's princess. "Well, it seems that you have really changed." In the meantime, Victoria looked up and saw the man lighting up a cigarette, whereupon smoke began to billow into the air, making him seem as if he was a monster that would emerge from behind the mist. Soon, Victoria looked away and asked, "If there is nothing else important, can I go, Mr. Thatcher?"

"Can you go?" Christian echoed her words and lifted her chin with the umbrella, speaking in a chilly voice. "You should know that two years of imprisonment isn’t enough for you to atone for your sins, Victoria.”
Victoria felt chills running down her spine when she heard that, not because of the winter, but because of her fear. After all, she still shuddered at the thought of the nightmarish experiences she went through back in the penitentiary.
When she was sentenced to jail, everyone else in the Coleman Family chose to sacrifice her to save themselves. As time went by, none of them bothered to visit her at all. Nevertheless, Victoria knew that it was all Christian’s idea because she was just like a pig to be slaughtered to him, vulnerable and defenseless.
She was so cold that she began to clench her fists tightly, but the lady mustered her courage and looked up. “I know it was my fault back then, but I was punished subsequently. Can’t you just pretend that you didn’t see me and let me go instead, Mr. Thatcher?” Christian raised his eyebrows and raised his lips upward, looking as if he just heard a joke. “Bella’s leg will never recover because of you, Victoria. For that, do you seriously think the punishment you’ve received so far is enough?”
Upon hearing the man’s words, Victoria was stunned to realize that Christian was still coming after her for Bella. Deep down, she was bitterly dismayed that Christian was too blinded by his own emotions to see the permanent damage he had inflicted on her with the golf club back then since he only cared about Bella.
Thanks to you, my debts have technically been cleared because I’m no different from a handicap now. Despite thinking that way, she didn’t dare to speak her mind and bargain with a man like Christian, for she knew it would get them nowhere.
“What else do you want from me, Mr. Thatcher?”
As it began to snow heavier and heavier, the man’s voice sounded like the demon himself. “The law may have punished you for your sins, Victoria, but I haven’t.”

Chapter 3 Beggars Can’t Be Choosers

Christian shifted his gaze to his assistant, Robin Hood, and beckoned the latter over. “Sir?”
“Get her cleaned up and take her to Delta Club.”
Victoria’s face blanched when she heard the man’s reply, for she knew that Delta Club was a place where the rich and powerful people indulged themselves in debauchery.
At the thought of that, she was disappointed, believing that Christian wanted to humiliate her by showing everyone there the contrast between her current status as a despicable criminal and her former reputation as one of their VIP guests there two years ago.
As chills ran all over her body, she asked in a low and hateful voice, “Is this really necessary, Christian?”
Meanwhile, Christian responded with sarcastic laughter even though he didn’t expect her to question him. “It’s been two years since we last met, Victoria, but I can’t believe you haven’t learned your lesson. Beggars can’t be choosers. Don’t you get it?”
When she heard the man’s sarcastic remarks, Victoria looked down, biting her lips in silence. No one else knew what that meant better than she did. After all, she had been humbled in the penitentiary, having learned how to abandon her pride there in the past two years.

At the same time, Christian seemingly grew frustrated and tired of seeing Victoria’s pathetic appearance, whereupon he made his way toward the car. “Tell Charlotte to take good care of this lady. Don’t let me down.”
Soon, the black Bentley disappeared in the snow. In the meantime, Robin hesitated for a second before he walked up to Victoria and helped her up. “Thank you.” Feeling touched, Victoria suddenly thought of something she wanted to ask. “How is Bella?”
Robin paused and ambiguously responded with a rhetorical question. “Well, she was forced to give up dancing. What do you think?” Victoria smiled bitterly, finally understanding why Christian wouldn’t stop giving her a hard time. As long as Bella isn’t happy, Christian will continue to make me suffer.

...

Ever since Robin took Victoria to Delta Club, Christian never showed up again over the next few weeks. It was as if their casual encounter that day was just a dream, yet she found herself literally standing in the lobby of Delta Club.
“Welcome to Delta Club.” She eventually thumped her numb left leg when there were no more visiting customers, having lost count of the times she had bowed to them.
On the other hand, Victoria’s colleague, Gabrielle Clark, stood beside her with a sympathetic look on her face. “What’s wrong with Miss Charlotte? Why does everyone get to rest after their shifts except you? The way I see it, she is doing this to you on purpose to make your life difficult. She is probably jealous of your good looks.”
“It’s alright. I’m fine.” Victoria shook her head emotionlessly.

"Why? If I were in your place, I would have quitted a long time ago." Gabrielle didn't understand why Charlotte wanted to pick at Victoria, whom she thought should be likable instead due to her good looks and approachable character.
Why is Miss Charlotte so mean to her? Not only does she force Victoria to continue working after her shift, she also makes her clean up the mess that those drunkards leave behind when they vomit. What has she done to deserve that?
Already confused, she became even more puzzled when she realized Victoria decided to endure everything without a word of objection.

"I won't quit this job because I'm broke, but now that I'm working here, I don't have to worry about going hungry or finding myself a roof over my head." Victoria stopped massaging her leg and looked up with a brittle smile. "I can't find any other jobs either."
Failing to see Victoria's situation from her perspective, Gabrielle decided it was better for her to keep quiet. In the meantime, Victoria had no choice but to swallow her pride and put up with all the adversities even though the people around her treated her with disdain and contempt.

After all, she mustn't create more trouble for her family, having dragged them into a huge mess for what happened two years ago. The next minute, two limited-edition luxury cars pulled up not far away from the club. Then, three men and two ladies stepped out of the vehicles, making their way toward the club's entrance while chatting and laughing.
Thus, Victoria quickly took her hand off her leg and stood straight with a professional smile on her face, bowing to them when they got closer. "Welcome to Delta Club..."

Needless to say, neither of those rich people bothered to even look at the hostess as they laughed and entered the elevator. Suddenly, the lady walking behind them stopped in her tracks and sized Victoria up with a frown on her face, doubtfully calling out to her. "Victoria?" she asked.