Chapter 63: Picturesque
Later that day...
Guests at the Clark family home began arriving one after another. There weren’t many aside from family members and a few pack affiliates, all dressed in smart casual attire. Nothing too extravagant... if not for the fact that every single piece they wore was luxury—branded clothes, bags, shoes, and watches.
"Aunt Marie."
A middle-aged woman with slightly curly hair turned at the call, along with the other women around her who were about the same age.
"Oh, Victor!" Aunt Marie smiled, her expression softening as she met Victor and Katarina halfway. "Oh, you young man."
She embraced him warmly, and he chuckled as he returned the hug. Then Aunt Marie turned to Katarina and offered her a bright smile.
"Beautiful Katarina, you look stunning as always," she said.
"Aunt Marie, I’m more curious how you look younger every time we meet," Katarina quipped, earning a cheerful laugh from the older woman.
"Oh, you!" Aunt Marie waved her off, holding one of Katarina’s hands in both of hers. "Is he giving you a headache? Tell me. I’ll give him an earful."
"Aunt Marie, why would I do that?" Victor teased, draping an arm around his wife’s shoulder and pulling her closer. "I have the best wife I could ever hope for. She’s..."
He trailed off, staring at Katarina’s side profile for a moment. "...she’s beautiful, intelligent, and kind-hearted. She supports me in everything. She’s everything I prayed for."
"Hahaha!" Aunt Marie laughed, releasing Katarina’s hand. She turned to the ladies behind her, who were chuckling and blushing at Victor’s remarks. "Can you believe these two?"
When she looked back at Victor, she waved happily. "I know, I know. I don’t doubt it. Anyway, come. Dinner is about to start. Let’s go."
With that, Aunt Marie gathered the ladies and signaled the other guests to move toward the dining hall. As everyone began heading inside, Victor maintained his smile before turning to his wife.
Katarina’s smile was faint, and it disappeared entirely when their eyes met. Victor slowly released her, then offered his hand.
"Let’s go," he said evenly. "Do you really want this gathering to end with people talking about us?"
She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes before taking his hand.
No matter how distant their hearts had grown, they still walked hand in hand with smiles on their faces. Katarina valued her image just as much as Victor valued his. To others, they were the perfect couple.
And it had to remain that way... for now.
For the Clark Consortium. And for everyone watching and rooting for them.
*****
The dining hall was spacious, with round tables arranged throughout. At the center stood a long main table reserved for the core family. At the far end was a large portrait of the late Old Mr. Clark.
The Clarks had risen from nothing and were now considered among the lower elite—thanks entirely to the man in that portrait. He had lifted the entire family out of poverty and given them a life far better than the one he’d had.
However, the late Old Mr. Clark had never been one to spoil the men in his family.
That was why Victor had started with nothing. His father had fallen short of the old man’s expectations. Everything changed when Victor began making a name for himself, eventually impressing his grandfather more than anyone else and earning his full support.
Now, as if nothing unpleasant had ever happened, the Clarks pretended they were one big happy family.
Katarina snorted inwardly at the hypocrisy. She knew the real story, and she despised them for it. They were all smiling at her now, but she knew they were itching to learn what had happened during the launch and whether they were in the clear.
"Oh, right!" Aunt Marie clasped her hands together and turned to Victor. "Have you invited Cassian? I told him to come, but that boy sometimes nods even when he isn’t listening."
Victor smiled and nodded. "I spoke to him not long ago. He’s coming. I don’t think he’d miss Grandpa’s birthday." He paused, glancing at the portrait, something quiet flickering in his eyes. "After all, he was Grandpa’s favorite. He missed last year because of a tour, but not this time."
"Oh..." Aunt Marie sighed in relief. "Will he be bringing the Luna?"
The moment the question left her lips, every pair of eyes turned toward Victor.
He leaned back slightly, glancing around at the expectant faces.
"Uh... about that," he cleared his throat. "I’m not entirely sure."
Aunt Marie frowned. "Is the Luna still upset? We’ve been sending her gifts to appease her. We’re worried it might affect things badly."
"We don’t want to offend the Royal Pack," another older man added. "Poor Cassian is very sincere toward the Luna. We don’t want to be the reason she doesn’t favor him."
Katarina mentally scoffed. They weren’t truly worried about Cassian’s feelings. They wanted him to become Alpha King. She had once wanted that too... until she learned who the Royal Pack’s one and only princess truly was.
Her attention shifted when she noticed Victor’s reaction. Though he was smiling, his fist rested on his lap, trembling.
"I’m certain the Luna won’t be so shortsighted—" he began.
Before he could finish, a server rushed in and hurried toward Aunt Marie.
Everyone frowned as the server leaned in and whispered into her ear. Shock slowly spread across her face.
"They’re here?" she gasped, placing both hands on the table as she stood abruptly. She turned to the others with a radiant smile. "Everyone, Cassian and the Luna have arrived! I’ll go greet them—"
Before she could finish, the doors flew open, and the room froze.
Slowly, heads turned in unison.
There, standing in the doorway, was the ever-charming Cassian. Beside him stood Lynsandra, wearing a cute ruffled white dress and a delicate hair clip Cassian had gifted her.
Victor slowly rose from his seat, eyes locked in one direction.
"Lizzie," he whispered under his breath.
Katarina, on the other hand, clenched her jaw, fingers tightening around the fabric of her skirt.
What... is she doing here?
