CHAPTER 126: MOTHER DEAREST

Vicky’s POV

"Oh my God—stop! Please, both of you stop or I swear I’ll die from laughing!" I gasped as I dropped to the floor, clutching my stomach. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I could barely breathe from the sheer absurdity of it all.

I mean, picture this: a six-foot-three man—my oh-so-mighty brother—getting beaten by his own mother in his luxurious penthouse. It was comedy gold, and I was front-row audience.

"What is it, Nicholas?! Is it true? Why is your sister laughing like that?" Mom demanded, her voice sharp, but that only made me laugh harder.

Nick glared at me, his voice dripping with annoyance. "Can you stop laughing, Vicky?! What the hell is wrong with you?"

I could barely form words between my laughter. "Because... because Mom has been waiting for this day forever. Now she finally has an excuse to marry you off immediately."

"Well, what do you expect?" Mom jumped right in, her tone stern but her eyes gleaming. "You’re already old. It’s time you settled down."

Oh, sweet heavens, the look on my brother’s face was priceless. If only Liam and Oliver were here—they’d be rolling on the floor with me, maybe even filming it for blackmail later.

"I am not that old, Mom!" Nick shot back, frustration radiating off him. "I’ll get married when the time is right. Can you stop worrying about me for once?"

By then, my laughter had mostly died down, though I was still hiccupping little chuckles as I listened.

"Not old?" Mom scoffed. "Nicholas, you’re thirty-three. What are you waiting for—the apocalypse? Call your girlfriend here right now! I want to meet her. We should start planning your wedding immediately."

That was it—I burst out laughing all over again, rolling on the floor like some lunatic.

Nick groaned. "Mom, calm down! You’ll scare her off if you start ranting about marriage already. My God, we just started dating two days ago. Can’t you just be happy I’m finally home?"

This time, I had to admit, he was right. Even though Georgia once agreed to marry him before, things were different now. This time their hearts were aligned, their timing right. It wasn’t about rushing toward the altar—it was about savoring the slow burn. And honestly? That was far more dangerous than anything rushed... because it was real.

Mom let out a long, dramatic sigh and sank into the sofa, her arms folded tight across her chest. "Fine! But I still want to meet her. Can you blame me? All these years, you never introduced a single woman to us. At one point, your father and I thought you were gay—because you were always surrounded by your guy friends..."

Oh, mother dearest... if only you knew how much of a shameless playboy your golden boy really was. You’d be chasing him around the room with a slipper by now.

"I will introduce her to you soon," Nick finally said, smoothing his shirt like he hadn’t just been manhandled by Mom. His voice was steadier now, as if he thought he’d tamed the storm. "But I need to handle some things first. Once that’s done, I’ll arrange a dinner with you and Dad so you can meet her."

For a moment, I actually thought he’d pulled it off—calming her down, redirecting her fire.

Or so I thought...

"Vicky."

My name cracked through the air like a whip. Oh, hell. Now I was in the hot seat.

"Have you met this woman?" Mom’s eyes narrowed like a commander about to grill her soldier. "How is she? Is she good for Nicholas?"

I forced a sweet smile, already plotting my escape route. "I like her. She’s pretty, smart, and caring. But maybe you should ask Nick and not me." Dodging bullets, level expert.

"Your brother would just lie to me." Mom’s gaze flicked right back to Nick, unrelenting. "So, where did you meet her?"

And there it was. The kill shot.

My pulse jumped. Oh no. Oh, hell no. This wasn’t just a trap—it was a minefield. Because if Mom found out the truth right now, Nick would be dead.

I almost forgot... Georgia wasn’t just some woman. She was the very reason my stubborn brother jumped into the damn sea and lost his license. And she just happened to be David’s sister—the same David responsible for our family’s years of pain.

Panic sparked in my chest. I needed to save Nick before he dug his own grave.

So I moved—fast. I slipped behind Mom, pretending to fuss with the cabinet behind her, and flashed Nick a sharp, frantic signal with my hands. Don’t you dare tell her. Not today. Not like this.

"You’ll know soon..." Nick said, and I exhaled in relief. Thank God he got the message. Then, like a spoiled child, he crossed his arms and actually pouted at our mother.

"I think I’m getting jealous. You’re more interested in her than me. You haven’t even welcomed me back home properly. I even made something for you—I was too excited to show it, but you just jumped right at me instead."

I blinked at him. Was he serious right now? That six-foot-three block of arrogance was pouting. I couldn’t decide if I should smack him or laugh. Maybe both.

Mom rolled her eyes so hard I thought they’d get stuck. "The only thing I want from you right now is for you to get married and have babies! Not just you—Vicky! This goes for you too!"

And there it was. My turn again. Dragged right into the firing line. I knew it. I always knew it. Every time this topic came up, my name was written in bold, underlined, italic letters.

"You’re already twenty-eight and practically married to your work," Mom snapped, pointing at me like she was laying down the law. "Neither of you are getting younger! Keep this up and I swear I’ll start putting you both on blind dates myself!"

Oh, sweet Lord in heaven. Here we go again. I think I might join my mother in urging Nick to get married so she would be happy and focus on her future grandchild from Nick and Georgia.