[Caden]“Mr. Lawrence! Mr. Lawrence! Mr. Lawrence!” one of the reporters calls as I get off the platform.“Are you sure about this decision of yours? Is there a chance you might regret this in the future?” asks another, shoving a mic into my face.“Mr. Lawrence! Is this something you have been planning for a while? Or is this something you decided overnight?”“Mr. Lawrence!”“Mr. Lawrence!”The guards help me navigate through the sea of reporters who have millions of questions after my announcement. But I’ll get to them after I see Vivienne and Axel first. I hope she saw the stream. I hope she’ll see it as my token of sincerity.When I finally make it out of the building and into my car, I turn on my phone. The moment the screen comes to life, my phone starts going off like crazy. There are calls, text messages, voice messages, and even emails that start to pop up as if there is no tomorrow.There are at least a dozen missed calls from Harvey Richardson alone, and a few dozen from Ros
[Vivienne]I try to look down at the knife, but she’s holding it too close to my throat.“Don’t push me,” Astrid snarls, glaring at my brother. “Or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”“You do realize there’s no return from this, right?” Harvey warns, cautious but very confident in his delivery. “No matter what choice you make today, you can’t get out of here without consequences.”Instead of being scared, Astrid starts laughing. “You think I didn’t think this through?” she scoffs, and the knife against my throat brushes slightly against my skin. “I knew this would happen. After what happened last time, there was no way she would be without security.” Then she leans down to whisper into my ear. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll spare you for taking what’s mine. Trust me, Vivienne, if I go down today, I’ll take you down with me.”“Let’s not be hasty,” Harvey offers, his hands up as if trying to placate the woman behind me. “If you let her go, I’ll make sure no harm comes to you.”“Aw
[Vivienne]“She’s losing blood too fast.” I try to get rid of the ropes tying me to the chair, but no matter how much I pull, they don’t budge. “Don’t be an idiot, Astrid. Call for an ambulance. Right now.”Instead of showing any remorse, Astrid gets back on her feet and wipes the blood off my top. “And why would I do that? I planned this whole thing out. The only thing getting out of here unharmed is her soul.”“You—” Even though it doesn’t surprise me that this woman would do something as crazy as kill someone, I didn’t expect her to go against Agnes. If Caden learned of this, he wouldn’t let her live; that’s for sure. “You think that’s going to bring Caden closer to you? You’re even stupider than I thought if that’s your plan.”She laughs, unblinking. “Killing Agnes is not the first part of my plan, Vivienne.” She then leans down, whispering into my ear, “The second part is to pin this on you.”“You’re out of your mind.”“And whose fault is that?” she screams, pulling back and yank
[Caden]“The press conference is about to start. Please get ready,” Betty Adams, my assistant, reminds me, and I nod.Nervousness crams through my veins, but at the same time, I realize I have never felt so decisive before. What I’m about to do today is something that needs to be done. If not, I would never be able to prove my sincerity to Vivienne. During our three years of marriage, Vivienne suffered a lot and sacrificed even more, while I was out there, doing my business and neglecting the one person I should have cherished to the moon and back.“Caden,” I hear Dad’s voice from behind.I turn around to find him standing at the door. He smiles, reflecting the same anxiety that I feel inside. “Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t have to. You can—”“I need to, Dad. To bring my family back, I must walk this path.”“But why do you have to go to such an extreme? Vivienne can’t be that unreasonable. I’m sure if you two sit and talk—”“Vivienne knows nothing about this. This is all
[Vivienne]When we reach the city’s biggest mall and enter one of the garment stores, we are instantly swarmed by attendants. Apparently, someone informed them of our arrival—especially of the Richardson heiress—and they can’t wait to please me.By someone, I mean Rosita, of course. Thanks to my brother, she owns this whole damn mall.“OMG, look at this. I love this white dress. What do you think?” Rosita shrieks, her eyes literally glittering. When it comes to fashion, there’s no one as good as Rosita. Her fashion sense is far better than mine. Maybe that’s why she’s my very own personal fashion advisor.“If you say it’s good, then I’m sure it is.”Rosita rolls her eyes. “Don’t patronize me. Try this out, then we’ll see.”She drags me into a changing room, and I obediently do as I’m told.When I step out, Rosita looks beyond stunned. She gasps. “Vivienne… you look absolutely divine.”I glance at the mirror across from me, and for a moment, I don’t even recognize myself. The dress cli
[Caden]She tries to pull her hands away, but I can’t bear to part with her.After what she said, I feel like she’s ready to give up on me. And the thought…the thought alone makes something in my chest ache. Something as intense as desperation rises in my throat, and I feel like throwing my arms around her and not letting her go.I hold on to her tighter, hopeful that if I touch her long enough she will change her mind. “Just hear me out once.”“I know you mean well, but I need some more time.” She pulls away, her gaze sad yet determined.Time. Of course I can give her that. I can give her all the time in the world. But why do I feel uneasy just thinking about her leaving right now? I feel like if she left now, I’d never see her again.“Take me with you. I’ll help you shop. I’ll carry your bags. I’ll hold the door open for you. I’ll… do whatever you want me to do.”She looks at me as if she can’t believe her ears, and maybe her eyes, too. “Are you…” She shakes her head, fingers runnin