of pearls and steel

victoria martin + 25 + paralegal + vittori affiliate

[victcriamartin]

&&. VICTORIA MARTIN // MOODBOARD 01

[victcriamartin]

meme monday

meme && inbox

[victcriamartin]

@lunavargas​

“Yes, maman, I’m just getting to the gallery now... How am I supposed to know what he’s looking for? Doesn’t you guys have a dealer who usually takes care of this?” Was this what being an adult was, now having to run the most random errands for your parents when they were completely capable of it themselves? And why her mother had sent her instead of Lottie, who had at least studied a bit of art, was beyond her. “... Alright fine, I’ll see what I can do. À tout à l'heure, maman.” 

Tossing her phone in her bag as she hung up, she looked around before meeting the eyes of another woman. “If you heard any of that, I hope you know I was referring to an art dealer,” she laughed, trying to play off the annoyance she felt at her mother. “Do you work here? I’m afraid I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

[victcriamartin]

@ballazos​ (kane)

“Horace, shoosh! You can’t bark at everyone that passes by,” Victoria admonished, placing her pen down to pet the dog reassuringly. This cafe in particular reminded her of her semester in Paris during her undergrad. People sitting outside, jabbering along in French, dogs nestled at their feet. Ever since she had returned home from that time, she came this this cafe when she needed to be away from the office, but could not fathom the idea of trying to work from her apartment. It made her nostalgic for a simpler time, when she could actually have been the Victoria she had wanted to be. Where no one knew the name Gerard Martin.

Hearing the dog yap again, she suppressed a groan as she shot the dog another look. “S'il te plaît, arrête!” Looking up again to find what he had been yapping at, her eyes widened slightly as her eyes met a familiar face. One she had been introduced to in a far different location than the cafe. “Well, isn’t this a strange turn of events.”

[isaacxharris]

@victcriamartin​

Isaac had almost lost against himself, slightly hitting his cue stick on the ground in frustration. There was not much else to do at the bar for him, he didn’t feel like drinking at all, he could already do that at his brewery. Spotting Victoria, he smiled, “Hey, do you wanna get in on this? Playing I mean,” He pointed to the pool table, not wanting her to misundersstand. “I’m sure you’re a lot better than I am.” 

[victcriamartin]

It was strange how out of place and comfortable at the same time Victoria felt in the bar. It was almost a juxtaposition of who she was and who she wanted to be. Deep in her thoughts, she had not realized that her gaze had become fixed on the pool table. “Oh,” she said softly, finally looking at the man speaking to her, a sheepish smily crossing her lips. “I actually have never played before. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

[victcriamartin]

masonhcll​:

Her words urged a short chuckle out of him, “You sure do.” Perhaps that was one of the things that unsettled him about these types of events. People he saw on a day to day basis in an unusual setting. “Makes sense. You’re just the life of the party, Vic.” His words had a teasing edge to it, though it sure was a nice breath of fresh air to talk to someone that wasn’t as heavily involved in the business. As she mentioned his own presence at the party, his lips stretched out into somewhat of a smile. “Yeah, sipping red wine at some party hosted by someone I barely know isn’t really my thing. But, you know — business.”

“Well I hardly believe that, but I will take the compliment,” she laughed, grateful not to have to force a laugh for once that evening. Ironic, the people she had actually enjoyed speaking with were the people she had sworn she would never like. Incredible how much things could change in one year. “Would you believe me if I said the same goes for me? I may have been prepped for these things, but they’re the bane of my existence.” Her mother would be proud of her, at least. “I’ve have business and family. Well, I guess that could really all be considered business, really.”

[victcriamartin]

victoria martin --> instagram feed

[victcriamartin]

ameliakincaid‌:

Amelia had always believed incapable of nurture towards another being. For so long, her sole focus had been on herself and her own needs. Despite having no recollection of when and how it had begun, she’d slowly let the lithe blonde in. It shifted to the point where she would protect her at any cause, almost as an older sibling would. Especially against older men who wished her harm. 

“Men, Vic, are never harmless. They’re vile.” A grimace flashed across her face at the mere things that man could have imagined whilst walking towards Vic. A sudden surge of anger came forth, but she did her best to swallow it. “I’d appreciate that. Maybe someone around your age or who can’t be your father.”

Deep down, Victoria knew she was right. Hell, Amelia was right the majority of the time. Not that she cared to admit to being wrong. Perhaps it was the fact that she felt that she finally had some control over her own life - done with school and Charlotte now able to take care of herself - that she finally felt a rebellious streak coming through her. 

“Truer words have never been spoken,” she said with a dry laugh, toasting her glass to older woman, “Though, you have to admit, they can be fun to toy with. Just have to choose the right ones.” Vic put on an over-exaggerated out as she took a sip of her wine. “But the one’s my age are boring. Or have an ego for no apparent reason. Like they could have earned it already.”

[victcriamartin]

"what's your dirtiest fantasy?"

drunken confessions - 

“Now that’s not something a lady should discuss in such company.”

“Call it cliche, but I want to be fucked on my desk. Midday, not some after hours bullshit. Preferably someone older, gender really doesn’t matter. Just as long as they know what they’re doing with me. Bonus points if my father isn’t overly fond of them.”

[victcriamartin]

MEME MONDAY 01

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[victcriamartin]

leorusso‌:

The sound of Victoria’s voice brought a welcome relief to Leo’s ears and not just because there were times he found it almost therapeutic to listen to. Like, that was nice and everything, but it was more than just that. Victoria was… well out of all the people he’d brushed shoulders with while working for the Vittori, Victoria was someone whose shoulder offered a place to lean against too. Not that he was planning on dumping tonight’s misfortunes on her or anything. At least not unless she somehow saw through him and picked it out of him anyway. Which… yeah, was something she did often.

“Good, because I’m broke anyway…” Usually his eyes would have stayed on the blonde, not seeing any reason to look away when she offered up such a good place to rest them, but tonight he just couldn’t. His eyes instead found the bottom of his glass, as he held it up and announced more to himself than the woman next to him, that it was empty again… “…hey, Vic. You ever want to start over all again… you know same life, same family and everything, but just at the beginning with full knowledge of all the wrong steps you’ve ever taken and just go from there? What do you think you’d be if you did that? I’m thinking… Olympian for myself. What do you think? Would I pull of the whole Ralph Lauren cardigan thing?”

A brow rose sharply at his words as she signaled to the bartender. “So we’re doing deep, reflective thoughts today, are we? Yeah, I can think of a few times. Though most of the missteps that lead to my here and now were out of my control, so I don’t know that good that would do.” A slight bitterness laced her tone as she glanced at the bar, grabbing her glass as it was placed down. It was true that she blamed most of her troubles growing up on her parents’ absence, but there were definitely a few things she only had herself to blame. Like saying yes to all of this in the first place. “I can see you pulling off the cardigan though. The question remains, though, what sport would that involve?”

[victcriamartin]

ambrosenina‌:

“That definitely had something to do with it.” If there was one thing that Nina had learned by being observant in a crowd was that all one had to do was mention the word free and people would come running. Even though it looked as though most of the people in this crowd had more than enough money to pay for all of this themselves. “I’ve been great!” she responded in a voice more chipper than her own. Nina had not, in fact, been great, but she felt like she was on her way. “I took some time off, went away for a bit. All of…this…” she gestured around them with her free and and rolled her eyes slightly, “can get to be a little much.”

“Anywhere I should know about? I’m dying to get out of Montreal - it’s been ages since I was able to get a proper vacation.” Between her real job and her work on the side, Victoria had been tied almost consistently to the province. She could not help but envy the people around her, most of whom could pick up at the drop of a hat and be somewhere incredible. “I don’t even know the half of all of this, and I get that. It feels like a different world sometimes.” Despite living in it for 15 years. 

[victcriamartin]

sybelle-martell‌:

Sybelle laughed at the woman’s words and then shrugged, opening the package of cookies and eating one herself. “Well, next time we get invited to this kind of party, first, we make sure there’s going to be free candy, and then we get a bigger bag to put it,” she said. “I’m still trying to figure it out why I was invited? I mean, I just write books and my bank account is nothing compared to theirs.”

Her aunts and mom taught her not to refuse gifts like these so it only took some convincing and they reminding her that there was going to be free candy for Sybelle to finally agree to go to this party. “Have you taste the wine? Is the reason why so many people are here, but you know me. I rather stick with soda.”

“My mother would have a fit if I brought a bag big enough. And although I’m not a child anymore, that’s just something I’d rather not have to deal with.” The thought was almost comical, yet made her want to down another glass of wine. “Well someone thinks your presence was needed. I’d take that as a compliment.” 

“Yes, that’s one of the only things that brought me out tonight. That and my father insisting on me becoming the public face of the firm. Something about youth and extravagance going well together,” she replied with an accompanying eye roll. 

[victcriamartin]

julianpistris‌:

“Aww, poor girl has to go enjoy a party and drink someone else’s booze… you know there’s people that are dying right now, right?” The words were colored with sarcasm, Julian finishing his drink. He didn’t care for parties like these- they were always far too tame, not willing to push past society’s boundaries of acceptable. “Oh for christ’s sake-” He muttered, eyes rolling at the nickname. Julian was fine. Jules worked for those that knew him. But Juli- did he look like some middle school girl? Letting the comment go, he briefly looked her over. “You know you really don’t have to answer to your father like that. There’s a whole world here for your taking, one where you’re not under daddy’s thumb.” Maybe she didn’t see it yet, but Julian knew she had potential. Besides, a new era was upon them… and it felt like the right time to topple the old kings and move forward.  “All you got to do… is want it.” 

“And there’s nothing I can do about that, is there? But I can, however, stand here and complain. Should I wish to,” she responded with a wink. Callous as it sounded, she had built her persona in front of these people, meaning she could not seem to let things like that phase her. Her smirked widened, happy to see that the nickname had done it intended purpose. It was not wise to intentionally piss off a Vittori, but there was something about Julian that made it just that much more fun. “Hmm... are you done yet?” she mused, rolling her eyes slightly as she sipped her wine. It was not that the thought or desire had not occurred to her, but she was a realist. A young, sheltered woman had to make careful moves if she wanted to enter a snake pit. “We both know it’s going to take more than a year of association to move beyond where I am now. That is, if I wanted to.”

[victcriamartin]

 @ballazos

Why did rich people insist on having huge homes? It was a question she had asked her father at a young age, when they had moved into their new home and she could hardly find her way around. And every party at a new persons house almost guaranteed that she was going to get lost at some point. After a few moments, shouts broke out that allowed her to find her way back to the crowd, and to the scene that had suddenly broken out. And she could swear she saw an all too familiar face in the middle of the brawl. Damn you, Pistris. What the hell were they thinking?

“What the hell is going on?”

[sanjay-kumar-deactivated2020062]

who? anyone (open)

where? brennan’s pub  

what? anything at this point

Poker wasn’t a game of chance. Sure it might have looked a lot like one to a mere outside looking in. An outside who didn’t know what a flop, a river, a fourth, a tilt, a cooler, and a boat all were, but it wasn’t. Poker was a game of skill. Skill that Leo Russo, had foolishly convinced himself for years he had whenever he was inside some back alleyway dungeon playing away money he did not have. And it wasn’t that Leo, wasn’t a smart guy. He knew the math. He knew the game. It was just that all flew out the window when someone who doesn’t know the game shows up and throws the book out the goddamn window. 

One hundred grand… he took a sip… one hundred grand… it still didn’t taste any better. He groaned, resting his chin on the bar in front of him and pressing his fingers into his temples, one hundred goddamn grand. It bit into his tongue and made it almost impossible to feel the burn lingering in it from his sip of scotch before. How on earth was he meant to cover that loss? Were the Vittori going to take more than just his nights away now? He wasn’t sure his haircut would suit the whole ‘crushed-arm’ look he probably had coming his way. He groaned again, not noticing the body that had moved to sit in the stool beside his own until he’d looked up and raised a brow their way, “do you know if this is going to be an open bar kind of thing tonight… if so, I’ll buy you a drink…”

[victcriamartin]

When Victoria had first been pulled in, she had been determined to keep everyone at arm’s length. Even further than those who knew her regular life. There are not the kind of people you call friends, Victoria. Her mother’s words ran through her mind - still unsure if they were maternal, or a simple warning not to be stupid. But knowing people for a year, working with them more than just one time, the connections had inevitably began to form. Reluctantly, she had begun to like some of the men she told her father were despicable. Certain people - a very select few - she might even be on the verge of calling her friends. 

And one of them, she always knew where to find when she needed a drink and to let off steam. As she entered, and her eyes found the man in question, she could not help but quirk an eyebrow in amusement. Sliding into the stool beside the figure, she set her bag on the bar and gestured for her usual before turning to him. She let out a laugh as she heard him finally speak. “Since when have I ever let you buy me a drink, darling? You know I’m usually the generous one between the two of us.”

[victcriamartin]

sdclxre‌:

The blonde that turned to her had looked somewhat familiar - no name sprang to mind, but Savannah had long since understood that there were far too many people of little consequence that would cross her radar. Forgotten beneath the heady weight of those it was necessary for her to remember - on sight and in mind. The glass that was previously held to her lips lowered and crystalline hues relegated the woman for a heartbeat longer, “Do I give off the impression that I might need help?” It wasn’t quite as icy as one might deduce, the minimalist curve of her lips enough that she could hope to offer a little less bite to said words. “You looked familiar, I was only trying to place how.”

“Apologies, just a knee jerk reaction.” As Victoria took a better look at the woman, recognition clicked with her. And she was probably one of the people she should have avoided after a few glasses of wine. As long as she kept the conversation civil, she would not risk embarrassing herself. Or the firm. “You probably know my father more than me. Girard Martin?” She hated dropping her father’s name like that - like just his name meant so much to strangers. However, knowing her father’s clientele, she was sure the blonde would have at least heard the name. “Now tell me that didn’t sound conceited.”