CHAPTER 80: THEY’RE HERE TO SEE YOU.

He slammed his fist into the palm of his other hand, seething with rage. "It seems they all have a death wish!"

"That’s not even the real problem right now," Lucian muttered, exhaling as he placed both hands on his waist. "We could just call home so that another car can be brought to us....but that’s a bad idea, I guess. Or maybe we should all just book a taxi."

"True," Theo agreed with a weary sigh. "It’s definitely a bad idea to call home and have someone bring another car to a street like this. But if we take a taxi instead, we can just lie that the car we brought out this morning developed a fault. That would even save us from Mom and Dad’s wrath."

He glanced at Lucian before continuing, "During the days they’ll think the car is being repaired, those thugs will be dealt with. And if they’ve sold the car parts already... we’ll retrieve them. The ones who bought it will be punished too."

"Exactly!" Lucian said with a nod, then pulled out his phone and began dialing. "I’ll make the call to book us a ride."

With that, he stepped away slightly to take the call.

Theo turned to Victoria, his eyes softening. "Are you okay, Victoria?"

"I’m fine, brothers," Victoria replied, her voice low with remorse. "I caused this, and I’m really sorry about it. If I hadn’t asked you to help me bring Jamaila home....if I had just left with you for our own safety...none of this would have happened."

Her head remained bowed as her voice cracked faintly with feigned sorrow. "I’m so sorry for causing all this trouble."

"No, it’s fine, Victoria," Theo said gently, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "This was meant to happen today, one way or the other."

"Exactly. What happened today was bound to happen eventually," Callum chimed in, letting out a heavy sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "It’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t defend your friend in front of her parents. That might’ve made things worse for her."

His eyes darkened with concern. "They don’t seem to want her mixing with any rich kids. All you can do now is console her once we’re home."

"I will," Victoria promised quietly. "I didn’t know the three Alphas....Darius, Zephyr, and Auren are the ones who handpick each scholarship student. I doubt the scholarship students even know this. I could tell by the shocked look on Jamaila’s face earlier like she was just finding out."

"You’re right," Theo said with a thoughtful nod. "Her parents might have known, though. Maybe they’re close to the Alpha who granted her the scholarship. But either way, it doesn’t matter now. Just pretend like you don’t know."

His voice grew serious, and Victoria quickly nodded in agreement.

Just then, Lucian returned from where he had stepped aside, phone in hand.

"A black car should be here any minute," he announced with a smile. True to his words, the vehicle pulled up almost immediately.

Lucian walked up to their own car where the injured chauffeur had been standing. He spoke with the him who gave a polite nod in response and they both approached the new car.

"We’ll stop by at the pharmacy," Lucian assured the personal chauffeur then turned to the chauffeur of the taxi. "He needs treatment."

"Thank you, young master," the chauffeur replied respectfully with a slight bow.

Theo stepped forward and assisted the injured man gently into the car. Victoria, Callum, and Lucian climbed in next, leaving the wrecked remains of their original vehicle under the watchful eye of security. Theo had already contacted some guards he controls, who would be arriving shortly to secure the area.

The taxi first stopped at the pharmacy to drop off the chauffeur as promised. Once he was safely handed over to the attending staff, the vehicle continued on its journey, driving the Ashford children back to the mansion.

When the car finally pulled up in front of the grand estate, Victoria and her brothers stepped out, exhaustion and tension clinging to their shoulders. They made their way to the main entrance and into the mansion, each preparing themselves for the storm of fury they expected from their parents.

But as they entered the living room, they were met with a scene far from what they had anticipated.

Their parents were seated calmly on the luxurious settee...not angry, not yelling but composed, almost serene.

That alone was enough to unsettle them, but something else caught their attention, freezing them in place and sending waves of shock and disbelief crashing through them.

Darius was seated comfortably beside Anna, whose face lit up with uncontainable joy the moment her eyes landed on Victoria.

The entire living room was filled with an overwhelming number of gift boxes, all wrapped in different colors and adorned with extravagant ribbons. There was barely enough space left to place a foot without stepping on a present.

Victoria and her brothers quickly regained their composure and offered a respectful greeting.

"Good evening, Father. Good evening, Mother," they chorused in unison, bowing slightly.

"We’ll talk later about this lateness," Mr. Ashford said, his voice calm but laced with subtle warning. A warm smile curved his lips, yet it prompted Victoria and her brothers to swallow hard.

"Oh my goodness, you’re finally back, girl!" Anna exclaimed excitedly as she sprang up from her seat. She rushed over to Victoria and immediately pulled her into a tight embrace. "We’ve been waiting for you all day!"

"Greetings Miss Anna. What are you doing here?" Victoria asked, raising an eyebrow, confusion etched across her features.

"They’re here to see you, darling," Mrs. Ashford answered warmly as she rose from her seat and walked over to the two girls. "Miss Anna and Alpha Darius have been here all day. They even refused to leave until they saw you. And these gifts on the floor? They’re all for you."

"I’m sorry, but it’s my sister who actually wanted to see Victoria, not me," Darius interjected almost instantly, rubbing the back of his neck as he swallowed hard. "I only came along because I didn’t want her to come alone."

"Just shut up there, you brat!" Anna scolded sharply, shooting him a glare. She released Victoria from the hug and gently touched her cheek. "Don’t mind that brother of mine. He’s always been a dickhead since childhood. Just ignore him."

Victoria blinked, then gave a small nod in response, still trying to process it all.

"The gifts are for Victoria?" Theo was the first of the brothers to speak, his arms crossed firmly over his chest. "What exactly are we celebrating here, please?"

"We’re not celebrating anything, actually," Anna replied, flashing a sincere smile. "First of all, these gifts are to appreciate Victoria for being such a sweet and lovely girl. Secondly... they’re also a way of saying sorry. To apologize to her."

"Apologize?" Victoria asked, brows furrowing deeper in confusion. "Apologize for what?"

"For locking you up in the dungeon with your bodyguard," Anna said with a sorrowful expression. "Even though you did absolutely nothing wrong. I’m truly sorry for that, sweetheart."

"Oh, that’s not necessary then," Callum cut in coldly, rolling his eyes in clear irritation. "You can take all the gifts back. My sister doesn’t need them."

"What?" Darius snapped, rising to his feet abruptly. "Do you think I’d even step foot here if not for my sister dragging me along? I don’t give a damn about that dungeon mess. The truth remains that Victoria’s bodyguard still kissed my sister, and she’s the one who deserves an apology not Victoria!"

"Darius!" Victoria yelled, her voice sharp with fury. "Just shut the hell up!"

"You know what? Just get out of our mansion, Alpha Darius," Lucian chimed in with a smile that barely concealed his simmering anger. "Since neither side is apparently supposed to apologize, then there’s no point in any of this visit."

"Please, just ignore that senseless brother of mine," Anna jumped in quickly before any of Victoria’s brothers could add to the rising tension. "I’m the one apologizing to Victoria."

"It’s fine, Miss Anna. I’m not offended," Victoria finally replied, forcing a warm smile to her lips as she swallowed hard.

"Oh, good, darling." Anna exhaled in relief and wrapped her in another brief hug. "Why don’t you come over to my mansion sometime when you’re free? We could go shopping, have fun....maybe some nice outings together?"

"Sure! I’ll definitely do that," Victoria responded, her voice brightened by the gesture, her smile soft but genuine.

Well... there’s nothing wrong with getting closer to Anna, she thought.

Mrs. Ashford clapped her hands gently together. "Well, it’s quite late now. How about you both spend the night here with us, Miss Anna and Alpha Darius?"

The room fell into stunned silence for a second before chaos erupted.

"What?!!" Callum, Theo, Lucian, and Darius all shouted in unison, their eyes wide open in disbelief and horror.