The Gold I Married

Chapter twelve

The silence that followed was suffocating. Anna could feel the weight of the sisters-in-law’s stares, their judgment like a blade at her back.

It didn’t take long for the whispers to start.

“She’s so fragile,” Dani Ben's wife said, loud enough for Anna to hear.

“Fragile? Please. That’s just an act,” Olivia replied. “We all know why she’s here.”

“Gold digger,” Mrs Volkov muttered under her breath, the word dripping with venom.

Anna sat frozen, her hands clenching the napkin in her lap. She tried to block out their voices, but each comment felt like a sharp jab.

“She couldn’t even stand up for Victor,” Ava added. “What kind of mother figure is she supposed to be?”

The room erupted into stifled laughter.

Anna had had enough. Her chair scraped loudly as she stood, the sound cutting through their mocking giggles.

“If you’ll excuse me,” she said, her voice trembling slightly but steady enough to make them fall silent.

She walked out without another word, her footsteps echoing through the quiet hall.

Victor stood by the edge of the garden, phone in hand, pacing slowly as he vented to his best friend.

“I’m telling you, he’ll never see me as anything more than a disappointment,” Victor said, his voice heavy with frustration.

“Forget about him,” his friend replied casually. “You don’t need to impress your grandfather. He’s going to die someday anyway. My grandfather didn’t like me either, and guess what? Now he’s six feet under, and I go visit his grave every Sunday just to annoy him.”

Victor laughed despite himself. “You’re insane. Knowing my grandfather, though, he’ll probably outlive us all. I’d die of shock if he went first.”

“Vick, you’re being dramatic,” his friend said with a chuckle.

“Am I?” Victor asked, glancing back at the house. “This place makes me crazy.”

As he turned, he noticed a figure in the distance, Anna, standing by Alex’s sleek black car. She was furiously kicking the tire, muttering something under her breath. Victor squinted, curious, and slowly walked closer.

Victor raised an eyebrow and smirked, slipping his phone into his pocket.

“Everyone here is absolutely insane,” she said. “They call me a gold digger? What am I supposed to dig? Dirt?”

Victor couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer. Anna spun around, startled, and glared at him.

“What are you laughing at?” she demanded.

“Nothing,” Victor said, stepping closer. “what are you doing out here?”

“Maybe the same thing you’re doing,” she replied sharply. “Trying to get away from that house of horrors.”

“I hate these family dinners,” she added, crossing her arms. “Alex never gives me enough time to plan or prepare for them. He just drags me along like some accessory. Such a beast, just like his mother.”

Victor tilted his head, a faint smirk on his face. “You do realize you’re talking about my father, and my grandmother, right?”

“Oh, shut up, Victor,” Anna groaned, rolling her eyes. “I don’t care right now. I just want to leave. Go somewhere, anywhere. A club sounds good. I’ll come back tomorrow when everyone’s gone.”

Victor’s eyebrows shot up. “That sounds like a brilliant idea, actually.”

Anna turned to the valet, snatching the car keys before he could protest. As she spun back to Victor, he grabbed her arm lightly, trying to stop her.

“Young Madam, wait...”

“Don’t you dare,” she snapped, shaking him off. “Just stand there and don’t get in my way.”

She unlocked the car and flung the driver’s side door open, sliding into the seat. Before shutting the door, she paused and looked at Victor.

“Well, don’t just stand there, get back in to the house!”

Victor hesitated for a moment, then quickly climbed into the passenger seat, shutting the door behind him.

“What are you doing?” Anna asked, glaring at him. “Get out! I’m not going to some place that allows kids.”

“Please, Miss Anna,” Victor said earnestly. “I just want to leave. No one in that house cares about me. I don’t want to go back there and pretend everything’s fine. You know they’re not leaving until morning, right?”

Anna stared at him, her expression softening slightly, but she wasn’t ready to back down. “You’ll spoil my fun. I’m going to a club, and they don’t let kids in.”

Victor grinned, pulling out his wallet. “Who said anything about kids? I’ve got a fake ID. Says I’m eighteen. I look twenty, though, don’t I?”

Anna sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You’re impossible.”

“So… are we going or not?” Victor asked with a cheeky grin.

“Fine,” Anna said, shaking her head. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

With that, she started the engine, the car roaring to life. They pulled out of the driveway, leaving the oppressive mansion and its suffocating family dinner behind.

For the first time that night, Victor felt like he could breathe.