Betrayed by family rescued by a billionaire CEO

Victoria Morgan had just turned twenty four, she lived in a grand mansion with her stepmother and her step sister. She had always known Verah to be her real sister and Luciana as her real mother. The home had been lovingly built for them by her late father who had passed away in a tragic accident years ago. He had fallen from a cliff while on a family trip and his death had left a scar in Vicky’s heart, but it also left her with one priceless gift: his unwavering love and the memory of his wise words. 'Education is the key to success my dear. Be the best by working hard and achieving your daily targets. Never trust all people, not everyone is your friend.' Her father would always remind her. Those words became her anchor and whenever she went out, she always felt his presence close to her. Despite the luxury around her, life at home wasn’t easy. Her step mother and sister treated her with coldness and hatred as if she were trash. Luciana never hid her preference for Verah, Vicky’s younger sister, making her feel like an outsider in her own home. She never understood why they disliked her so much. More often, she would cry silently in her room, wishing her father would be around to protect her. As much as she was mistreated, not everything in her world was dark. Her childhood friends Francis whom everyone referred to as Franco and Sherry were her light. They had always been there for her, from scrapped knees and bedtime stories, to long hugs and shared secrets. In their arms she felt safe, seen and truly loved which made their bond grow stronger. Then came her twenty-fourth birthday. To her surprise, her mother and sister prepared a lavish birthday party for her in one of the city’s most luxurious hotels without her knowledge. “Victoria dear, I remembered how your late father used to pamper you whenever you turned a year older. Your sister Verah and I have prepared a big party in town to make your twenty-fourth birthday unforgettable. Don’t plan to be late, we are on our way there and for sure all your friends have been invited including your fiance.” After Luciana's call, Vicky connected dots so fast and knew that her mother was up to no good, whenever she addressed her by her full name. She never wanted to spoil the mood and let them down so she whispered to herself. “Maybe, just maybe, they’re trying to bridge the gap and mend their old wounds.” But coming to think of it, she was pissed off. However hard she tried to ignore the nagging feeling and focus on enjoying her day, she couldn’t. The decorations were stunning, the guests were glamorous and everything around sparkled with elegance. Even if she felt like a princess in the new blue silver gown they purchased for her, she still felt like the crown on her head was a little heavy. She scanned through the crowd searching for the familiar faces of her boyfriend and her two best friends. The party was in full swing but Richard, Sherry and Franco had not arrived yet. Something in her felt incomplete. She slipped her hand into her purse, pulled out her phone and hurriedly dialled Sherry’s number. “We are on our way Vicky,” Immediately she received her call, Sherry answered warmly without hesitation. "Don’t worry, we will never let you down dear. Relax and enjoy the rare opportunity from your selfish mother.” Before Vicky could say anything else, Sherry hung up. Vicky smiled softly as she felt her heart warmed by her friend’s reassurance and she returned to her seat. “Vicky dear, what’s the matter? You look so worried, is there anything disturbing you? I can help.” Pretending to be worried about her, Luciana asked as she encouraged her to forget everything and enjoy the party. Vicky nodded in resignation and reassured her that everything was okay. Deep down she had a heavy feeling that something wasn’t right. Her fiance, was nowhere to be seen when she needed him the most. His silence screamed louder than words and each failed call she tried to make, only deepened her fear. Desperation pushed her to confront Verah, hoping that she will give her a valid explanation about him since she was the one responsible for planning all the invitations. Verah looked her in the eye and assured her. “Richard promised to come. You worry too much sis, just give him a little more time. Who knows maybe his phone went off.” But as she talked, Vicky saw some mischief in her eyes. Soon, it was time to cut the cake as glasses clinked everywhere in celebration. Guests raised their drinks in a joyful toast, and the DJ shifted music into something more upbeat as Vicky was cheered on to open the dance floor. There was laughter and claps everywhere but as she danced, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something fishy was going on. Luciana and Verah were all over the party pretending to be concerned about her guests, but in the real sense they were looking for ways of sneaking a drug into her drink. Meanwhile, the crippled billionaire they had received thousands of dollars from, waited for her patiently in the car outside the restaurant without Vicky’s knowledge. The two moved from table to table pretending to be concerned as they mingled with guests. They appeared to be the perfect hostesses to the guests. But beneath their pleasant smiles, they had a sinister plan they wanted to orchestrate. Earlier that week, they had accepted thousands of dollars from an arrogant crippled billionaire Mr Logan Lee who desired Vicky for his own pleasures. He had always wanted her but his proposals were met with stern rejection. He saw this as his lucky day to have the woman, he had always wanted. He was waiting impatiently in his luxurious car outside the restaurant, expecting her delivery. Vicky’s sly and manipulative sister, played her role perfectly well. She handed her a glass of wine, sweetly insisting it was specially presented to her. “A gift from an admirer,” she whispered with a wink pretending it was a romantic gesture from someone at the party. Vicky smiled and took a few sips before Verah encouraged her to drink everything as her admirer was watching. She wasn't aware of what awaited her, she couldn't imagine her sister doing something like that to her. The drug worked so fast on her, and within a few minutes her vision blurred and her body grew heavy. She leaned back in her chair, struggling to stay awake but she couldn't. Verah stepped in quickly, pretending that Vicky was simply overwhelmed by the excitement. “Poor thing,” she told concerned onlookers. "Don't mind her, she just had a lot of drinks and needs some fresh air which I will take care of.” Her mother kept on distracting guests as Verah slipped her arm around Vicky and helped her up. Vicky could barely walk so she made her lean against her shoulders and led her out quietly and swiftly through the back door of the restaurant, where a dark car waited as planned. Outside the restaurant and away from the dark car, a man in a suit stood by the door. He wasn’t the crippled billionaire but a passer-by. Without hesitation, Verah handed her over to the man in a hurry without noticing the mistake she had made, and went back to the restaurant quickly to avoid suspicion. The party continued without anyone suspecting that the guest of honor had vanished.