The next day~

Eliza was about to leave for work. The kids already went out of the house to a small school in the neighborhood.

"Eliza!" Marcus called her before she got to the door. He walked groggily towards her. "I need money!" He tugged on her sleeve. Eliza smacked his hand.

"No!" She said that and left the house. Marcus sighed, annoyed; he didn't understand why Eliza wouldn't give him the money. At least, if he won a large amount of money from his games, the money would be for everybody. He knew no matter how much he asked, she wouldn't still lend him the money.

So he decided to stop asking and just take the money from her. He went to her room to search for her savings. He searched everywhere, leaving a mess behind in her room. He got to her drawer. He opened each one, searching frantically. He sighed and threw his head back when he couldn't find anything.

He noticed a small opening in the ceiling, and his intuition led him to inspect the opening. He climbed on her dresser, poked his hand into the opening, and felt a pouch of coins.

"Ha!" He said victorious and took the pouch from the opening. "Crazy Eliza, don't worry. I will pay you back!" He got off her dresser and went off to play his games.

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Eliza went to the boutique for her shoe cleaning job. This time, two other women were also joining. It seemed like the two women knew each other as they chatted and gossiped while they worked, not bothering about Eliza's presence. Eliza didn't mind at all; she just focused on cleaning her shoes.

"Did you hear about a secret organization that does black magic for people?" One of the women said, Eliza stopped what she was doing and looked at them.

"Black magic?" Eliza stared at them; she felt a familiar feeling, almost like she was trying to remember something she forgot. The two women gave each other a look, and the woman continued talking.

"The nobles and business people are the ones who patronize those people in secret." Eliza touched her head and closed her eyes.

'Why does this sound familiar? Did I forget something?' She thought helplessly, trying to remember what it seemed she had forgotten.

After a while, Eliza opened her eyes and continued cleaning the shoes. The women looked at her weirdly and continued talking.

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Amelia brushed her hair in the mirror while Emma looked at Amelia sadly. She couldn't tell if her mistress was sad, angry, or both. Amelia had been staring at the mirror for more than five minutes, just brushing her hair.

She just found out from Emma that her fiance and her sister are in a secret relationship behind her back.

'Somehow it seems like I already knew, but why did I forget?' Amelia thought as she recalled the familiar feeling of a fleeting memory while she brushed her hair.

"My lady, please say something." Emma spoke up after a while, then Amelia chuckled before erupting into laughter. Emma was scared and shocked. She moved backwards a bit and shivered.

Amelia abruptly set her brush down on the vanity and turned her attention to Emma. Her words held surprise as she spoke, "I had no idea Madeline liked unfulfilled and arrogant guys" Her smile, though, held a hint of something that sent a shiver down Emma's spine.

"But, miss, he is your fiance. She is trying to steal him from you!" Emma was annoyed with Madeline. "Those two-faced demons!"

"Ugh...!" Amelia rolled her eyes. The thought of her sharing a man with Madeline disgusted her. "Something will be done about it, but first I am hungry! Emma, go arrange a carriage for me."

Emma had a surprised look on her face. Amelia looked at her and raised her eyebrow.

"Didn't you hear me?"

"Sorry, miss, but I am confused. Why are you eating out? You can order the chef to cook for..."

"No!" Amelia exclaimed, "I can't. I don't want to." Amelia was surprised at her voice. She didn't know why, but she just didn't trust the food served by her servants.

Emma noticed how uncomfortable Amelia looked and decided not to ask any more questions. She rushed out of the room to arrange a carriage, like Amelia said.

After a while, Emma rushes back and tells her that the carriage is ready. Amelia left her room with Emma. When she got downstairs, she saw Madeline ordering a servant to remove the dead flowers from a vase.

Madeline spotted her and made a sour face. "Where are you going now?"

"Out!" Amelia stopped and gave a curt answer. Madeline was about to say something when the butler gave Amelia a black envelope with a golden ribbon.

Amelia opened the envelope and read its contents. It was an invitation to a Lu'minara celebration at a hotel.

"Blackwood Hotel?" Amelia read from the letter. The name sounded familiar to Amelia.

"What is that?" Madeline's voice interrupted Amelia's thoughts. Madeline rushed over to her, and Amelia gave her the letter.

"A Lu'minara gala!" Madeline squealed with an excited voice that affected Amelia's ears. She flinched and moved away from Madeline.

"I am going out!" Amelia added nonchalantly and walked past her, with Emma still following her. Her stomach wasn't calming down at all. Amelia quickly entered the carriage. The coachman started moving already when Madeline came out of the mansion and shouted

"Don't be out so late! Brother is coming home today!" Madeline's voice grew smaller as the carriage moved farther away from the mansion.

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Victoria was reading a report in her office when the general manager entered her office.

"What's it!" She looked up at him and adjusted her glasses.

"The investors came into the hotel to schedule an impromptu board meeting." The general manager spoke. Victoria removed her glasses and massaged between her eyebrows.

"Is it because of the fountain?" She asked

"Yes, and the VIP room." The general manager paused. "Master, you shouldn't always fight with them; just do what they want."

"Not on my watch!" Victoria stood and adjusted her jacket. "They do not own the hotel; they have no right to come and dictate how things should be run here."

"It's because of your father; they still hold on to us." The manager said this as Victoria walked past him, ignoring him.

Victoria left her office for the meeting with the hotel's investors.
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The Blackwood Hotel formerly had a total of nine investors before the remaining four dropped out of the investment on a bad note because of Victoria.

Although Victoria's father is nonchalant about the issue, her other family members are irked by Victoria's disrespect to the investors. Another one of the reasons why they believe a lady shouldn't inherit the business

Victoria entered the meeting room with a confident stride, her manager trailing behind her. As she stepped into the room, she could feel the intense gaze of the five investors fixed upon her. Their expressions were a mix of disappointment and disapproval. Victoria greeted them with a polite nod and took her seat at the head of the table.

"We heard that you rejected our idea for a VIP room," one of the investors stated firmly, his voice laced with a hint of frustration.

Victoria maintained her composure, meeting their collective gaze with unwavering confidence. "Yes, that is correct," she replied, her tone calm but assertive. "I was the one who decided that."

The room fell into a brief moment of silence as the investors processed her response. Another one spoke up in anger.

"Who do you think you are?" He started, pointing his crooked finger at her. "Which authority do you have to cancel our idea, huh? After all, you are just a woman; your role is to go along with everything; no complaints!"

Victoria clenched her fist and tried to maintain a poker face. The general manager gulped beside her. Victoria hated it when she was called just a woman.

She felt like she had swallowed something bitter. She looked at the previous investor who spoke and gave a tense smile.

"Why do you say so, sir? You all contacted my manager without informing me and decided to alter my hotel's budget to your benefit, again without informing me. Now you come in numbers, accusing me."

"We knew you would eventually see the changes we made to the budget, so we have every right to accuse you." The investor, with a monocule on her right, spoke. Victoria made a face. She was on the verge of exploding, and her manager noticed the change in her demeanor.

"Even though you are the hotel's investors, that doesn't mean that you get to partake in the hotel's decision-making." Victoria said her words slowly in hopes of getting her point across to the investors, whose faces expressed their dissatisfaction with Victoria.

"Why not? We spend money here; why shouldn't we get what our money is worth?"The investors yelled at her. Victoria sighed and shook her head. When her investors refused to see reason.

'They were so immature and annoying, these idiots, Victoria thought hopelessly.

"I don't know what you think you are doing. But just because your father was unfortunate to have you as his only child to inherit his business doesn't mean you get to act superior to us here!"

Victoria sighed and looked at the clock. It's been fifteen minutes since they started this useless meeting, and she's surprised at how long she's successfully controlled herself from blowing up at these idiots.

"You all receive your share of profits every business year and every month; your families receive complimentary gifts for investing with us; and, not to forget, free services when you lodge at the hotel."

"That's not...!" Victoria gave a menacing glare at the investor who dared to interrupt her while she was still talking.

"I am not done talking!" Victoria said coldly, "And you all will listen to me with no interruptions while I speak!"

The investors shivered from the cold aura Victoria was giving. "The hotel already gives you enough benefits. So far, I have found your attitudes offensive, shameful, and disrespectful. I am not saying you can't have a VIP room, but not at my hotel or even using hotel funds to make such a thing happen; you can't intimidate me into doing whatever you want." Victoria spoke sternly.

"When my father was on board, the only benefit you received was a 50% discount on hotel services. I decided to add more to your benefits as an incentive, but it seems like the investors are overstepping boundaries. The next time, this happens again. I don't care if you pull out all your investments. I will sue each of you in court and withdraw all your investment benefits. The hotel is not broke; it would manage well without any investors. It won't be the end of the world!" Victoria stood from her seat and walked towards the door, adjusting her jacket.

"Also, you boys should man up. It's embarrassing when you come crawling to my hotel to make a huge fuss over nothing and disrupt my work like idiots. Have some common sense, will you?" She smiled at them and left the room.

This was a normal occurrence in Victoria's life; she was constantly disrespected and looked down upon by men. Even as a child, she was always picked on by male children. She naturally grew to dislike them, and her experiences made her resilient and determined to prove that she is not just a woman; they can push through.

As she walked out of the meeting room, her manager caught up with her, his face filled with concern. "You handled that situation remarkably well! You didn't even raise your voice; I expected you to have started cussing and insulting them." He spoke to her, and they walked side by side.

"I know! It's frustrating, but I won't let anyone undermine me or my decisions. Not even a group of toothless dogs who bark and don't bite! This is my hotel. I run it, not them, and if they have a problem with that, they should go suck on a pacifier like the immature brats they are!"

Her manager stopped in shock and watched Victoria's moving figure. He was caught off guard by Victoria's outburst. He never knew what to expect when he worked with her.