The Courtman Victor Clark

"Grandma!" Rita exclaimed in excitement from across the hall, her fiancé by her side, Rogan from the Whiteperk family. "Happy birthday, Grandma!" Rita grinned as she presented her nicely packed seventy thousand dollars handbag as a gift to Lady Herbert. It was Lady Herbert's sixtieth birthday party, and the venue was the extravagant milestone hotel at center of Midgard city. The hall exuded opulence, with its grand sparkling crystal chandeliers, and luxurious furnishings that spoke of wealth and refinement. Expensive gifts flowed continuously to Lady Herbert from her three children and five grandchildren. Many of the guests present surpassed even the Herbert family in the social hierarchy. "And where's Emily?" Lady Herbert asked Rita, Emily's cousin eagerly, as she had been waiting for Emily to be here already. Her expression as she asked Rita was as if 'Emily' was the most important guest she was expecting. Meanwhile, Emily has not been treated well by Lady Herbert after refusing to divorce her good-for-nothing husband, Victor Clark. However, for some unknown reason, Emily received an unexpected invitation from her grandmother to be present. Emily, who had been sent packing from the Herbert family mansion to live in the boys' quarters with her poor husband, was surprised to receive a lavish gift—a classic green gown worth eighty thousand dollars and an original one-of-a-kind black leather shoe costing hundred thousand dollars to wear to the event. Soon, the beautiful and charming Emily walked into the hall with Victor Clark by her side, drawing the attention of all the prestigious guests with her sparkling classic gown. Victor's attire on the other hand was not as classic as he couldn't afford luxurious clothes. Meet Victor, a young man who lost touch with his family and grew up in an orphanage until the age of twelve. Abandoned when the orphanage went bankrupt, he was left to navigate life on his own, despite his young age. Lord Herbert, Emily's grandfather, for some unknown reason takes Victor under his wing, treating Victor as a son. While most of the Herbert family despises Victor, Lord Herbert's favorite Granddaughter, Emily, grows fond of him. Their bond deepens when they marry shortly before Lord Herbert falls into a coma due to an illness. Although Emily's marriage to Victor was initially influenced by her grandfather, Lord Herbert, but with his illness now leaving no hope of recovery, pressure mounts for her to divorce Victor and marry into a socially esteemed and wealthy family. Lady Herbert made sure that Victor Clark dressed in rags as long as he was married to Emily. Although Victor used to be a fine man who also wore luxurious attires like everyone else in the family, but after Lord Herbert fell into a coma, he lost everything, including his 2017 Rolls-Royce Ghost car gifted to him by Lord Herbert on his wedding day. Emily's refusal to abandon Victor costs her dearly within the Herbert family. Her grandmother, Lady Herbert, who harbors an intense dislike for Victor, ensures Emily feels the consequences of her decision every passing day. Well, today was an exception. "Isn't that Lord Herbert's granddaughter whom he married off to a nobody?" Voices erupted from the crowd. "She's still as elegant and beautiful as ever," whispered the young bachelors among themselves. Emily was practically a celebrity in the whole of Midgard city. Everyone had heard of her beauty and her being the favorite granddaughter of Lord Herbert. The reason Lord Herbert made Emily his favorite was because her beauty had attracted many family heirs, leading them to associate their businesses with the Herbert organizations. This was how the Herbert family made it that high in the past. No one expected Lord Herbert to marry Emily off to a good-for-nothing husband who had no social standing in the economy. The Herbert family was one of the few second-class families in Midgard city, until Emily's marriage to Victor and Lord Herbert being in coma. The Herbert family suffered a great loss as seventy percent of their shareholders severed ties with them. Their position in the social hierarchy was reduced to the lowest level, making them a fourth-class family. Some influencial families no longer consider them people of power. "I think that's the useless husband!" One of the ladies in the house pointed at Victor with a disgusted gaze. "He's indeed poverty-stricken, but he's handsome, I guess," another laughed with a covered mouth, trying to catch Victor's eyes even though he was broke. "What kind of beautiful lady won't divorce a destitute man?" Another badmouthed. Victor and Emily could read the room and could tell that half of the minds there were cursing them. However, they were used to such a lifestyle over the past two and a half years of marriage. "Happy birthday, Grandma," Emily voiced out, reaching Lady Herbert. Lady Herbert completely ignored Emily's wishes and instead stared at Victor with a look that spoke volumes without words. She hadn't expected the useless husband to be here. "Happy birthday, Grandma," Victor finally voiced out, though he knew he would regret it sooner or later. Lady Herbert's displeased gaze shifted to Emily as she spoke, "I thought I included a note with the gifts stating that your good-for-nothing husband wasn't welcome here?" She ended the hateful comment with a scornful gaze at Victor, causing him to look down in shame. "I'm not sorry, Grandma. He's my husband, and will always be by my side," Emily said firmly. "I apologize, Grandma. I didn't realize I wasn't invited to your party," Victor apologized, searching for his wife's eyes. He wasn't aware Emily had found an additional note inside the gift box she received from lady Herbert, but she chose not to tell him to spare his feelings. "Apology my foot!" Lady Herbert raised her tone slightly, careful not to draw too much attention from the crowd. "Well, if you're sorry, you can make up for it by leaving now, Victor nobody," Rita added with a spiteful tone. "I bet he didn't even bring a gift with him, Grandma," John joined the conversation from behind. He was Rita's elder brother and the promising heir to the Herbert family organization. "It's not all about gifts, but wishes as well," Victor responded, addressing John's comment. "Then I guess you wish me dead already," Lady Herbert remarked sharply. "Grandma?!" Emily muttered. Meanwhile Victor on the other hand wished that could be the case. Seconds later, Sam from the Bloomberg family walked by after spotting Emily beside Lady Herbert. "Hello, Lady Herbert," Sam greeted, waving and flashing a wide smile that landed on Emily's face. "May I present my gift to you, Lady Herbert?" He added, snapping his fingers as a signal for one of his guards to bring forth the present. Soon, one of his guards handed Lady Herbert a key fob belonging to a newly released Bugatti Centodieci car, worth eight million dollars. "That's my little token to you, Lady Herbert," Sam concluded. As soon as Lady Herbert received the key fob, she stood up from her seat and gave Sam a joyful hug. "You call this a little token? When it's the most expensive gift I've received tonight?" Lady Herbert remarked. "Unlike some liability who can't even wish me well, let alone present me a gift," she added, referring to Victor Clark. "Who does he think he is? It's not like he's married into the Herbert family, and yet he presents such an extravagant gift," Rogan, Rita's fiancé, muttered to himself, casting a disapproving glance at Sam. Sam has always had an eye on Emily since their university days, and he always will, despite her married life. He was clearly trying to win Lady Herbert over, as usual, while attempting to impress Emily and make her husband jealous. "Oh! And meet Emily. I'm sure you guys have a lot of catching up to do," Lady Herbert casually stated. Her reason for inviting Emily was now clear. She wanted to set up Emily and Sam at the party, but unfortunately, Victor was also present. "Hey, Emily!" Sam greeted. "Long time no see, love," he added, attempting to flirt with Emily despite Victor's presence. Victor couldn't stand seeing Sam flirt with his wife in front of all the guests. He wished he could punch him in the face and go scot-free, but knowing there was nothing an insolvent son-in-law like him could do, Victor just ignored everything. "Victor, I hope you don't mind if I discuss some business-related issues with Emily?" Sam asked, as if Victor's opinion mattered to him. Before Victor could say anything, Lady Herbert spoke up. "Of course he doesn't mind. After all, those business-related issues are what put food on his table. His wife makes the money, after all." The few people around them burst into laughter. Victor, on the other hand, couldn't take it any longer, so he needed to leave before he might say or do anything crazy. "Babe, I'll be outside waiting," Victor said to Emily as he walked away from them. "He even had the guts to call her babe, as if he can take care of my granddaughter, being a truck driver," Lady Herbert remarked, making the others resume their mocking chuckles. Victor might have pretended to be okay with all these humiliations over the years, but the truth was that he wasn't. He just wished things could turn out the other way round, even if just for a day. Then he would definitely give the Herberts a taste of their own medicine, or even worse. Upon reaching outside, Victor decided to walk around the premises to pass the time. However, he soon spotted a group of unknown men vandalizing his truck. 'The hotel was too expensive to have not noticed such acts taking place,' Victor assumed before rushing towards his truck. "Hey! Hey! Stay away from my truck!" Victor barked at the three able-bodied men. He could only see their backs, but he could tell that they were huge. As they turned to face Victor, he almost ran off in fear. The men were wearing scary masks, concealing their identities. Despite feeling weak and frightened, Victor couldn't allow them to vandalize the truck beyond repair. Who knew how much damage they had already caused? Victor knew that if he didn't return the truck to his ruthless boss in one piece, he wouldn't just lose his job—he might even end up in jail. His boss, Mister Wilson, equally humiliates him and calls him names, just like the Herberts do. Who knows what will become of his fate now. Victor tried to call for help, but as he was about to scream, two other men appeared from behind, one grabbing him while the other covered his mouth. Before he knew what was happening, he was bundled into the back of his own truck. Seconds later, the van started moving. "What is going on?" Victor questioned himself. "Am I being kidn*pped?"