She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother

Alex’s gaze followed the line of her trembling finger toward the staircase leading up to the master bedroom, his eyes narrowing slightly.

”She’s... she’s in your room,” Emma stammered, her voice thin and breathy, as though she were terrified the mere vibration of sound would draw down lightning from the ceiling.

”We tried to stop her, Master. We told her you weren’t back yet, that no one is allowed into your private quarters without permission... but...”

”She didn’t even look at us,” Madison choked out, clinging tighter to his coat as her tears finally spilled over. ”She had her luggage brought right through the front doors and walked straight up the stairs. And when Emma tried to step forward... she turned around and said...”

Madison hesitated, shivering violently, as if repeating the words was a blasphemy punishable by death.

?”She said she was going to her bedroom,” Emma whispered, her voice trembling with lingering dread. ”And that you... you’re her man. Master, we’re really sorry... we tried to stop her, but we couldn’t do anything...”

Alex stared at them for a beat. Then, the corner of his lips twitched upward into an amused, effortless smirk.

”Oh. Victoria is already upstairs?”

The casual, completely unbothered tone hit the living room like a physical shockwave.

Both Emma and Madison froze.

The frantic trembling in their bodies abruptly hitched. Their tear-rimmed eyes snapped up to his face, wide, unblinking, and utterly paralyzed by sheer disbelief.

Victoria?

Not Madame Blackwood. Not Lady Victoria. Not even the bare minimum deferential title reserved for a woman carrying the authority of a Sacred Bloodline.

?Just... Victoria.

The sheer nonchalance in his voice completely derailed their panic, leaving their minds spinning in total cognitive collapse.

To women like them, the Blackwood name belonged to untouchable demigods who shifted the tides of the nation from behind closed golden gates. Ordinary people didn’t cross paths with them... they kept their eyes glued to the dirt, bowed their heads, and prayed never to draw their notice.

Yet Alex spoke of her as if she were simply an impatient girlfriend dropping by with an overnight bag.

”M-Master...?” Emma’s lips parted, her bewildered gaze scanning his calm, smiling expression. ”She... she is The Victoria Blackwood! The mother of Sophia...”

Emma choked on her own words, unable to even complete the thought.

Right then, something clicked in Alex’s mind.

He finally understood what had caused their complete, unhinged meltdown.

A low chuckle vibrated in Alex’s throat, before breaking into an open, genuinely amused laugh.

He couldn’t help it. The sheer absurdity of their panic... and the wild conclusions their minds had jumped to... was priceless.

Emma and Madison blinked up at him, their terror momentarily drowned out by sheer bafflement.

”M-Master...?” Madison snuffled, wiping at her tear-streaked cheek with a trembling sleeve. ”Why... why are you laughing?”

Alex shook his head, smiling down at them as he opened his mouth to explain.

Before a single word could leave his lips, the soft, deliberate rhythm of footsteps drifted down from above. The sound was light yet measured, carrying an effortless grace that immediately cut through the quiet villa.

?The three of them looked up simultaneously toward the staircase leading to the master bedroom.

?There, poised at the edge of the first-floor landing, Victoria stood looking down at them.

Any trace of the untouchable, armored ice queen she projected to the outside world had vanished. Fresh from a bath, her dark hair tumbled over her shoulders in loose, damp waves, carrying the faint, intoxicating fragrance of cold orchids.

She wore a floor-length robe of pearl-white silk charmeuse that glided liquid-smooth over her figure, loosely tied at the waist with a golden sash. Beneath the translucent silk lay a matching slip trimmed with delicate black Chantilly lace, walking an effortless line between imperial elegance and intimate allure.

It was the attire of a woman who wasn’t preparing to host a guest, but waiting for her man to come to bed.

The moment her gaze swept over the railing and caught Alex standing in the foyer, the cool detachment on her features melted instantly.

”Alex!”

Victoria didn’t wait. Without a shred of aristocratic hesitation, she hurried down the spiral stairs, the hem of her silk robe fluttering around her bare ankles.

Before Emma or Madison could process the movement, Victoria reached the bottom of the steps, closed the distance, and threw her arms around Alex’s neck.

”You’re finally back,” she murmured softly, burying her face into the curve of his neck for a fleeting breath before pulling back to cup his cheek with a manicured hand.

Then, right in front of the two stunned maids, she leaned up and pressed her lips firmly against his.

It wasn’t a formal greeting or a staged gesture. It was a deep, lingering kiss filled with genuine relief and undisguised hunger... the instinctive welcome of a wife reclaiming her man after a long wait.

Beside them, Emma and Madison completely froze.

Whatever tiny seed of doubt or disbelief they had clung to shattered into absolute dust.

Madame Blackwood. The woman whose very name commanded fear across the city’s upper crust, who belonged to one of the most powerful family on the continent, was clinging to their master’s chest in nightwear, kissing him like an eager newlywed. The scene was so utterly incomprehensible that neither girl even remembered to breathe.

When Victoria finally pulled back, a soft flush dusted her cheeks. Her fingers lingered against his collar, resting comfortably over his chest as if that was where they naturally belonged.

She took a half-step back, her manicured fingers lightly brushing along the silken fold of her pearl-white robe. Looking up at him through thick lashes, an intimate, playful warmth flickered in her dark eyes.

”Do you like it?” she murmured softly, tilting her head as she gestured down at the delicate silk and lace clinging to her silhouette. ”I had this tailored specifically for tonight. I wanted to make sure my man had no complaints the moment he walked through the door.”

Alex wrapped a casual arm around her waist, pulling her back flush against his side. His hand settled over the curve of her hip with practiced, effortless familiarity, his touch firm and possessive.

A low, amused chuckle rumbled in his chest.

”You’re as irresistible as always,” Alex said, his gaze sweeping over her figure with quiet appreciation before returning to her flushed face.

”Every bit worth rushing home for.”

He paused, a slight smirk playing on his lips as his eyes flicked toward Emma and Madison, who were still frozen on the floor, mouths slightly open in complete mental paralysis.

”Though you certainly know how to make an entrance,” Alex added smoothly. ”It seems you gave my maids the fright of their lives while I was out.”

Victoria glanced over her shoulder at the two frozen girls, a faint, exasperated sigh slipping past her lips as she leaned into his side.

”I tried talking to them when I walked in,” Victoria said, her tone a mix of helplessness and faint amusement. ”I told them I was moving in, but the moment I stepped past the door, they turned as pale as corpses and wouldn’t listen to a single word. They looked ready to drop dead on the spot if I took another step toward them.”

”Besides, I had a few clan files to review upstairs,” Victoria added, tilting her chin with that rare, playful pout reserved only for him. ”So I decided to leave the explaining to you.”

Alex gave a faint nod, a soft, understanding chuckle leaving his lips before he turned his attention back to Emma and Madison.

He stepped toward them, extending both hands to rest them gently on their heads. His fingers moved in a slow, calming pat, the steady warmth of his touch washing away the final traces of their panic.

”It’s on me,” Alex said, his tone low, steady, and genuinely apologetic. ”I should have informed you both beforehand that Victoria was moving in tonight. The meeting at the Grand Meridian dragged on, and I never anticipated I would be delayed this late. You were only trying to protect my space. Neither of you did anything wrong.”

Feeling the firm, comforting weight of his hands, Emma and Madison finally exhaled the breath they had been holding for hours. Their shoulders slumped in profound relief, the lingering dread evaporating completely under his reassurance.

Alex smiled down at them before glancing back at Victoria, gesturing between the two girls.

”Victoria, these are Emma and Madison,” Alex introduced smoothly. ”They were my classmates back at the university. Now, they’re managing the estate and overseeing everything here for me.”

Hearing that they were his classmates—people who shared personal history and trusted roots with him, rather than just disposable hired help—Victoria’s expression shifted. The cool aloofness of a clan matriarch melted into the effortless, welcoming grace of the lady of the house.

She took a step forward, the delicate silk of her robe whispering against the floor as she approached the two girls with an open, disarming smile.

”I’m sorry for startling you both earlier,” Victoria said gently, her melodic voice entirely devoid of the suffocating pressure they had felt earlier. ”I should have realized showing up unannounced like that would be a shock.”

She glanced toward the darkened dining hall, then looked back at Emma and Madison with a warm, inviting tilt of her head.

”It’s past nine, and I doubt any of us have eaten properly between the chaos. Come on, let’s go have some dinner together.”