Victoria's Thoughts

"Which is why I planned on establishing my own company, to show that I'm capable of running a successful business, in hopes that you'll consider me as your successor."

Hearing Victoria's words, Lucas felt like he has a clearer image of just what kind of person this daughter of his is. Recalling some more of Montague's memories, there were indeed times when Victoria used to tell her father that she got a perfect in her quiz, that she won a violin competition, and that she's the top of her class, etc.

Of course, knowing how the original was, he never gave her the time of the day no matter how hard she tried or what she accomplished.

'I would have simply enjoyed the privileged lifestyle and grown up without a care for my parents. But I suppose everyone matures in their own way. Rather than enjoying the wealth in her hands, She sought acknowledgment and validation from her father.' he thought to himself.

Considering that he needed to keep her close to be able to run the company, he wondered if he could utilize this part of her character to his advantage.

Just to test it out, Lucas decided to strategically break character and replied, "There was never a need for you to prove yourself. You are my rightful heir, and you always have been. I have worked tirelessly throughout my life, and I won't let my hard-earned wealth slip into the hands of anyone else."

However, he also realized that saying such words after neglecting her her whole life would sound a little bit fake, so he added with a tinge of coldness, "Even if you had been completely incompetent, I had plans in place to surround you with a capable team of subordinates who could independently manage the company, with you merely acting as the CEO."

Victoria's eyes widened in disbelief at Lucas's words. For a moment there, she doubted whether the man in front of her was actually her father but once she heard him continue, she realized that it was still him.

However, in his words, she managed to find a strange sense of comfort. Though his message may have been awkwardly worded or perhaps he struggled to express it directly, she sensed something concealed in her father's words.

'He does care for us after all,' she concluded.

By declaring her as his rightful heir and emphasizing his determination to preserve the family wealth, Lucas indirectly conveyed a desire to safeguard Victoria's future and ensure her success.

Victoria found it pathetic that she found herself inwardly rejoicing over such a small realization, because in the end, she's just grasping at straws here. However, she would be lying if she said she didn't feel a little warm in her heart at the moment.

All these years, perhaps her father's apparent disregard for her achievements, awards, and honors wasn't because he didn't care. It was simply because they held no significance to him. Regardless of her genius or lack thereof, he would still take every necessary step to ensure a prosperous life for her.

'Wait—am I deluding myself? Am I really allowing myself to excuse several years worth of parental neglect based on a mere sentence?' With that thought, Victoria swiftly regained her composure, ensuring that her stoic facade remained intact, hiding the inner turmoil she had momentarily experienced.

"Then have I proven myself to not be incompetent?" Victoria coolly asked.

When all that Lucas saw was Victoria's stoic face, without even a ripple of emotion formed in her face, he wondered if he had perhaps guessed wrongly. "Yes, you've certainly exceeded my expectations," he replied.

"But if you truly want to be the head of Beaumont Pharmaceuticals and not just a mere figurehead, then you'd have to command the respect of the subordinates that will be under you, many of which are extremely skilled and have several times your experience and accolades," added Lucas.

Lucas wondered if this was luck, maybe fate, because everything just seemed to be lining up for him. Given the current circumstances, he already has the perfect excuse to give Victoria the experience that she needs.

"In this regard, you cannot afford to spend more than a decade managing a small company like I did. If you're willing, I will entrust you with the Arkhantia branch of our company and give you the opportunity to lead it. If you can make something out of this small branch company within 3-5 years, then I'll feel safe handing over the company to you."

This was the perfect opportunity to prove herself. Back in the main company, if he tried handing over such a large project to his daughter, who has zero experience, then the nepotism allegations would be off the charts and it's possible that people might lose faith on the working culture that the original Montague had painstakingly cultivated.

However, in Eldoria, where most of the workers were new hires and unfamiliar with Victoria, it wouldn't raise as many nepotism concerns to appoint her as the head of operations.

'I could simply say that she's from the main branch and she's here to oversee the expansion of the Eldoria branch' Lucas came up with a plausible excuse on his head to get Victoria to do all the work for him.

However, Victoria found herself focusing on a completely different part of what Lucas had said, "3-5 years—Do you plan on stepping down as CEO, father?" she asked, her curiosity piqued by the peculiar time frame he had mentioned.

Lucas met her gaze with a knowing smile. "Yes. There is nothing more undignified than clinging to power for too long, depriving fresh talent from taking the reins and propelling the company to even greater heights."

However, it's really just an excuse to be able to step down from such a stressful position, which he's clearly unqualified for.

'I can still keep my majority shares after I step down, making sure I still earn money even when I'm retired' he thought to himself. 'But until then, I'll have to keep up with this CEO farce. It's because of this position of mine that I was invited by so many factions in the first place. If they found out that I'm just a retired old man the moment I join them, they might just kick me out immediately.'

However, Victoria frowned once she heard Lucas's words. "Father, isn't it way too early for you to be considering retirement?" She couldn't help but ask. He had not even hit his 50s yet.

She couldn't help but observe his appearance – a far cry from that of a withered old man. His hair still adorned his head, his skin appeared healthy with minimal wrinkles, and the touch of gray in his hair added to his air of refinement and sophistication.

As improper as it was for a daughter to comment on her father's appearance but she had to admit, her father is still decently charming and good-looking. In fact, she realized that his aesthetic appeal might even attract younger women who had matured earlier and were drawn to more mature partners.

"I might not be that old but I know when I should step down. I found myself resting on my laurels too much lately." Lucas answered, faking an aura of thoughtfulness and wisdom. He felt pleased with himself being able to say such an idiom within a sentence

"I no longer possess the same drive and determination that I used to have. That fire within me that pushed me to get things done," he added.

Lucas leaned back on his chair, just like every fathers do when they're telling a story from their youth. "You already know that your mother and I weren't rich when we were younger, right? Sure, I came from a family of doctors but we weren't earning all that much. I started a clinic at 18, but had to close it down not even two years later. Your mother was even worse off than me—a poor seamstress from a broken household."

Then with a wistful sigh, Lucas was able to nail that look of a man lovingly reminiscing about his dead wife. Just like every other father before him, he has to exaggerate every detail when telling his backstory to his daughter.

"Back then, my motivation was 'I'll take my loved ones out of this impoverished hell'. It's what kept me going for a decade even though my business was barely able to stay afloat. Then on year 12, I was finally able to start turning things around. I chased after every opportunity like a man on a mission. I was sharp and ruthless." he explained.

"But now, 24 years into this entire thing, I've already achieved what I set out to do. There's no need for me to push any further. Even if I were to somehow stop earning money now, you and Charlotte would have enough to live out the rest of your days comfortably."

Victoria was listening in from the side, shock dyeing her expression as it is the first time she saw her father talk this much about his past and more importantly, his feelings. She felt like she had a clearer image of her father now than ever before.

"This move to Eldoria is my final— Ah, why am I even telling you all this. I don't know what's gotten into me." Then, just as quickly as it started, so did it abruptly end.

"W-wait, I wanted to liste–" Victoria could hear the metaphorical lid on her father's bottle of emotions being sealed tight again, perhaps even more securely than before.

"Nah, just leave. That's enough on-the-job training for you today. Take our carriage and ride back home. I'll arrange for another carriage to drive me back later this evening, I still have some work to do" The cold and distance tone had returned to Lucas's voice as he was pushing for his daughter to leave his office immediately.

Victoria wanted to talk to her father more, but she had no choice but to obey. She took the carriage that they came in with and drove it back to Clockwork Heights.

* * *

Later that same day—5 PM, Beaumont Manor.

Inside her room, Victoria was seated by an open window. She held a cigarette between her fingers as she blew a puff of smoke out of her system. It was a habit she had developed during her time at Goldridge University, one that she knew her father would disapprove of.

As it turns out, trying to maintain near-perfect grades, an active social life, and various extracurricular activities, like competitions and her own independent research, was indeed too stressful for her and she needed a way to relieve some tension.

On her bed, is her sister Charlotte, lazily lying down on her stomach. Strands of her brown hair ran stuck to her face as she casually flipped pages through the book she's reading.

"Let me guess he ignored you again?" Charlotte asked, silently sighing as she saw her older sister smoking by the window. "At least you're not drinking this time."

"Not that you mention it," Victoria was just about to have an idea before Charlotte quickly cut her off, "Tell me what happened earlier."

"Well, I guess he talked this time," Victoria said with a laugh. "He said that he's planning to step down as CEO."

"Wait, what?! Where did that come from?" even to the nonchalant Charlotte, that came out as a big surprise. She envisioned that her father would continue working until the day he died, so she couldn't contain her surprise.

"Well, it's not happening immediately. He mentioned it would be in about 3 to 5 years from now," Victoria clarified, easing Charlotte's concern. "So, what else happened?"

"Turns out, he wasn't planning to marry me off to someone," Victoria stated, taking another drag of her cigarette.

When Victoria had initially considered the possibility of her father handing over the company to one of his subordinates, one of the scenarios she had imagined involved being married off to his chosen successor, keeping the business within the family.

"That's a relief at least," commented Charlotte.

Victoria then proceeded to tell Charlotte of everything that had occurred between her and their father lately. All the things they talked about, the situation surrounding Eldoria, the family business, she decided to confide everything to this younger sister of hers.

"You're saying that, even if you didn't do anything your entire life, you would've still been the future CEO regardless?" Charlotte said, enlightened. "So basically, you just wasted all those years of your life trying to earn for his approval, when the outcome was already determined from the start?"

"I mean… it's not exactly 'wasted'. Like," Victoria was stumped for a moment before being defensive. "I... I had my own goals and aspirations. Not to mention, I really just liked winning and being the best in everything I do."

Charlotte looked at her sister intently, understanding the situation. "I get it. But knowing that the path was set, regardless of your efforts, must have been disheartening. It's like chasing after something that was always within your grasp."

'Disheartened? Am I feeling disheartened right now?' Victoria's head shot up at hearing those words. She gave her emotions an objective look as she tried to understand just what she's feeling at the moment.

'I got what I wanted. Dad recognized my abilities and I was tasked with the important job of leading the business's expansion in this city.'

"It's just that… it feels lackluster, compared to how I always envisioned it would happen in my mind" Victoria sighed. She'd thought about it countless times, the moment their father realizes that his daughters grew up on their own and have become talented, bright young women even without him.

Victoria was planning to start her own company by herself, make it big, and show to her father that she was better than whichever of his subordinates he chose to be his successor. She wanted to prove her worth and superiority, and do so in the business world and not just some academic competition.

But that plan went completely out the window during her conversation with her father earlier.

Meanwhile, Charlotte was looking at her older sister with a weird face, she couldn't understand what exactly was the problem here. "If you're having trouble because he suddenly wants you take over the company, can't you just say no?" she suggested, a touch of defiance in her voice.

"That bastard said that he wouldn't force you if you had other plans for your life. Start that damn company you've been tirelessly planning and crush his fledgling enterprise here in Eldoria. Show him what you're truly capable of." Charlotte's eyes gleamed with unwavering support for her sister's ambition.

"No–" Victoria rebutted, her voice barely above a whisper. "That will hurt him. He… he might not show it openly but I think that he… he still cares for us deep down. Crushing his company here is like betrayal and would undermine all the effort he's put into it," Her sentence trailed off as she spoke.

She recalled how her father looked when recalling his story earlier and how he'd made all these plans to ensure that she and her sister would have a wonderful life.

"What?" Charlotte was stupefied by her sister's words. She looked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're folding now? Now?! Back at the airship, you were telling me all these plans you had at being independent and how you were going to crush his business venture in this city, but you're hesitating now? Didn't you say you wanted to see him in knees, once he realizes that he was wrong for neglecting your efforts all these years?"

At her sister's words, Victoria bit her lips, her face red in embarrassment. She did say that. She wanted him to realize that he was wrong and say sorry for neglecting them all these years. She wanted to see that look of regret in his face when he realizes that he should've treated them better, the remorse in his eyes when he finally recognized the value of their existence.

"You don't remember how he didn't even bother to show up in your graduation? Or in any of your birthdays? Your recitals? And what about when you spent all that time and effort saving up to buy him a gift, only to find that he never even opened it? Or how he didn't visit you in the hospital when you had a mental breakdown and was literally starving yourself to death?"

Victoria winced at the painful reminders, but remained quietly seated in her seat, biting her lips as she averted her eyes out the window. Not saying anything.

"Naahh," Charlotte looked at her silent older sister with disappointment. "You're actually just gonna bend over and take it? Just because you found out he was reserving that little CEO title for you? Is that what you want? Him to pat you on the head, sit you on his lap, and call you 'Good Girl' or something?"

Victoria's eyes widened at her sister's words and hurled whatever it is that was on her hands at the moment towards her younger sister—in this case, a cigarette. But it didn't travel far, falling disappointingly to the ground only a few feet away.

"You're lucky I don't have a wine bottle with me right now," said Victoria standing up, heaving with anger. Her piercing pale blue eyes bore into Charlotte's, "Get out! Talk to me like that when you can handle writing your own papers without my help."

Tension hung heavy in the room as Charlotte hesitated, torn between anger and concern for her sister. After a few silent moments, she nodded, her expression softened with remorse. "Fine, no need to be so worked up about it." she said quietly, turning to leave the room.

Victoria watched her sister's retreating figure, before seating back down with a sigh.