Tomorrow was Victoria Hargrove’s eighteenth birthday.
Victoria was the only daughter of a seriously wealthy family, the kind people casually called old money.
Because of family-planning policy back then, plus the fact that both her parents were insanely busy, she had grown up as the one and only child in the house.
Her father, Edmund Hargrove, was the president of a publicly listed company. Her mother, Serena Hargrove, was a diplomat.
The two of them were deeply in love, and no matter how packed their schedules got, they always made time for their daughter.
As for Gerry Hargrove, Georgene Hargrove, and Victoria’s maternal grandparents, Mr. Whitfield and Mrs. Whitfield, they had practically rearranged their whole lives after she was born, stepping away from work just to stay by the side of the family’s one little princess.
That evening, the moment Edmund got home, he dropped onto the sofa with a grin he couldn’t hide and called out, "Vicky, Dad already wrapped up the company stuff ahead of time. It’s your birthday, so I booked the tickets too. I’m taking the whole family on a trip."
Victoria’s eyes lit up on the spot. She rushed over, grabbed his arm, and leaned against him like she was still a kid. "Dad, where are we going? Come on, tell me."
Edmund looked at her bright little face and smiled even wider. "Didn’t you always want to see the fashion shows in Paris? We’ll start there. After that, wherever you want to go, we go. Your mom and I both cleared our schedules. This time, the whole family’s going to have some real fun."
Victoria was instantly hyped. "Really? That’s amazing! Thank you, Dad. You’re seriously the best. I want to go to Paris first, then the Aegean Sea, and after that I still want to—"
Before the father and daughter could finish talking, Serena came home from work.
The second Victoria saw her, she ran over at once, threw her arms around her mother, and asked with obvious excitement, "Mom, did you get your leave approved? Dad said we’re all going out together."
Serena hugged her back, her smile soft and warm. "I did. I even added my annual leave to it. This time, Mom’s going to properly spend time with her precious girl."
Early the next morning, the whole family was already up and moving.
Everyone was busy, all focused on getting Victoria dressed up beautifully.
After all, today was her eighteenth birthday.
The entire house was bustling.
Right then, the doorbell rang.
Fabienne Whitmore, the housekeeper, went to open the villa door. Outside stood several of the country’s top makeup artists, framed by the entrance of the elegant, beautifully designed home.
They had come for one reason only: to do the makeup for President Hargrove’s daughter on the day of her eighteenth birthday.
Fabienne opened the door and looked at the group with a polite smile. "Please, come with me."
She led the makeup artists upstairs to the dressing room on the second floor, then said, "Please wait here a moment. Our young lady will be here very soon."
The lead makeup artist gave Fabienne Whitmore a polite nod. "Thank you."
Fabienne Whitmore stepped out of the makeup room and went to find Serena Hargrove. "Ma'am, the makeup artists are here."
Serena answered at once, "Got it, Auntie Zhang. You go ahead and get busy. I’ll wake Vicky."
She walked to Victoria Hargrove’s door and knocked lightly. "Vicky, time to get up. The makeup artists have arrived."
Victoria was still half asleep. Through the haze of her dream, she heard her mother’s voice and gave a soft, drowsy reply. "Okay, I know..."
She sat up on the bed, blinked a few times to clear her head, then changed into the dress her mother had prepared for her in advance.
When Victoria arrived at the makeup room, the artists were already waiting. She sat down on the stool and said with a small smile, "Thanks for coming, everyone. Sorry for the trouble."
The lead artist quickly waved it off. "Not at all, Miss Hargrove. This is our job. The styling will take a while, so you can have breakfast first. We’ll start with your hair."
"Alright."
Victoria called the living room phone. Fabienne Whitmore picked up right away.
"Auntie Zhang, could you bring me a sandwich and a glass of milk to the makeup room? Thank you."
"Of course, Miss."
Several stylists moved around her, beginning to pin and arrange her hair with practiced hands. Fabienne Whitmore was fast as always and brought breakfast over in no time.
After Victoria finished eating, the makeup artist carefully did her makeup, layer by layer, until the whole look came together.
She was already beautiful to begin with. Her parents were both striking, and she seemed to have inherited all their best features, like fate had been extra generous with her.
The makeup artist matched her look perfectly to the dress. The soft colors, the delicate details, everything fit so well it was almost unreal. Even the young assistant beside her froze for a second, completely stunned.
"Miss Hargrove, you’re seriously gorgeous," the apprentice blurted out, eyes wide. "You look like a fairy. I’ve been with my teacher for five years, and honestly, I’ve never seen anyone this beautiful."
Victoria gave a sweet little smile. "Thank you."
When Serena Hargrove saw her daughter fully made up, her eyes lit up with joy. She walked over, took Victoria’s hand, and said warmly, "My precious girl has really grown up. You’re a graceful young lady now."
Victoria went with her mother into the living room. The moment the family saw her, they all gathered around at once, smiling from ear to ear as they held her hands.
"Our granddaughter is so beautiful..."
"Our little princess looks absolutely stunning..."
Edmund Hargrove glanced at his watch and said, "It’s about time. Let’s head to the hotel."
The whole family walked out the door. The driver was already waiting outside. When they arrived at the luxury hotel Edmund had booked in advance, a staff member respectfully led them all the way to the lounge.
The Hargrove family took Victoria’s birthday seriously, like seriously seriously. They had invited a huge crowd—relatives, close family friends, Edmund’s business partners, Serena Hargrove’s colleagues and friends... basically everyone important was there.
Gerry Hargrove and Georgene Hargrove were getting on in years, and after the trip over they were a little tired. Gerry looked at Victoria and said gently, "Vicky, stay here with Grandpa and Grandma, and your Mr. Whitfield and Mrs. Whitfield too. Rest with us in the lounge for a bit. Your mom and dad need to go out front and greet the guests."
"Okay, Dad," Victoria answered obediently.
When it was almost time, Serena came over and personally brought the elders to their seats.
The host stood on stage, smiling brightly as he spoke into the microphone. "Distinguished guests, dear friends, ladies and gentlemen... please join me in welcoming Mr. Hargrove and Miss Hargrove to the stage."
Edmund took Victoria with him as they walked up together. He picked up the microphone, his face full of pride. "Thank you all, family and friends, for coming to my daughter’s birthday banquet..."
His voice was warm and cheerful as he introduced Victoria in front of everyone. After he finished, he handed the microphone to her.
Victoria took it with calm confidence, not nervous at all. She introduced herself graciously and said, "First, I want to thank my Grandpa and Grandma, and my Mr. Whitfield and Mrs. Whitfield, for always being by my side. I also want to thank my mom and dad for loving me, protecting me, and taking such good care of me. And thank you to all the grandparents, uncles, aunts, older brothers, older sisters, younger brothers, and younger sisters here today for coming to my birthday banquet..."
The applause and praise from below came one wave after another.
"Mr. Hargrove is seriously blessed. Miss Hargrove is a genius."
"Miss Hargrove has the looks and the brains. No joke."
"She’s amazing. This kid is next level."
...
Victoria had always been that legendary "other people’s child." She was not even eighteen yet, and she had already graduated from university. Once the holiday was over, she would be going abroad for further study.
Before long, friends and relatives gathered around Edmund and Serena, all asking with real curiosity, "Mr. Hargrove, Mrs. Hargrove, how did you raise such an outstanding daughter?"
And just like that, in a room filled with laughter, blessings, and nonstop admiration, Victoria Hargrove’s eighteenth birthday banquet came to a perfect close.
