A Love Beyond Fortune

Chapter two

Victoria grew up in a world most people only see in movies. The Montgomerys lived in a massive estate in Connecticut, with twelve bedrooms, a pool, tennis courts, and staff who catered to their every need. Victoria had her own wing of the house by the time she was ten. She had a nanny, a tutor, a driver, and more clothes than she could ever wear. Her birthdays were extravagant events with hundreds of guests, live bands, and gifts that filled entire rooms.

But with all that privilege came something else. Victoria learned early that people treated her differently. They smiled too wide, agreed too quickly, never said no to her. Her father was always working, always on the phone, always flying somewhere important. Her mother tried to be present, but Caroline had her own responsibilities, charity boards and museum events and social obligations that came with being a Montgomery. Victoria spent most of her childhood with nannies and tutors who were paid to take care of her, not to love her.

By the time she was sixteen, Victoria had become exactly what you'd expect. She was beautiful, with her mother's delicate features and her father's sharp eyes. She dressed in designer clothes, carried bags that cost more than most people's cars, and treated everyone around her like they were there to serve her. She snapped at the staff, rolled her eyes at her teachers, and talked down to anyone she considered beneath her. Her parents didn't notice, or maybe they did and didn't know how to fix it. Thomas thought discipline meant giving her everything she wanted so she'd never feel the poverty he'd felt. Caroline thought love meant never saying no.

Victoria's friends were just like her, other rich kids who spent their weekends at country clubs and their summers in Europe. They competed over everything, whose family had more money, whose vacation was more exotic, whose boyfriend was more handsome. Victoria always won. She made sure of it. She'd learned from her father that winning was all that mattered.

When she turned eighteen, her parents threw her a birthday party at their estate that cost more than most weddings. There were ice sculptures, a famous DJ, fireworks at midnight. Victoria wore a custom dress that had taken three months to make. Everyone told her she looked like a princess. She smiled and accepted their compliments, but inside she felt nothing. She'd had parties like this before. She'd had everything before. Nothing surprised her anymore. Nothing excited her.

That summer, her father hired a new driver. The previous one had retired after fifteen years with the family. Thomas interviewed several candidates and settled on a young man named Daniel Pierce. Daniel was twenty six, polite, well spoken, and desperate for work. He'd grown up in a working class family in Boston, put himself through community college, and had been working odd jobs to support his younger sister after their parents died in a car accident. Thomas liked that Daniel was a hard worker. He reminded Thomas of himself when he was younger.