Chapter 2: The Perfect Scapegoat

The first thing Vivienne heard after the handcuffs closed around her wrists was Celeste crying

Not real crying

Celeste Laurent never cried without an audience

"Oh, Vivienne," her stepmother sobbed one manicured hand pressed to her chest, "how could this happen?"

The cameras loved her

Loved the trembling mouth the red-rimmed eyes that had appeared too quickly

The elegant black gown that made her look like she'd already dressed for tragedy.

She stood between two officers beneath the gold chandelier and watched as Celeste performed grief before the crime had even been explained

Across the ballroom a chorus of whispers buzzed behind champagne glasses

Embezzlement

The chairman's daughter

Poor Lucien

Poor Adrien

No one said poor Vevienne

The investigator, Renard, reached out a hand. "The folder, please."

Vivienne didn't move.

Her wrists ached beneath the metal cuffs in her hands the black folder pressing painfully into her palm.

"This is proof," Vivienne said, her voice distant to her own ears. "Someone put my name on those accounts."

Renard's gaze stayed steady. "We'll review all available evidence."

"You came here with an arrest team before you'd even reviewed it."

A flicker passed over the woman's face.

That's all Vivienne needed to see.

They expected her.

They knew exactly where she would find her the exact moment she would open and what she'd have in her hands, and the exact time those cameras would be present.

Lucien finally left the stage

His face pealed off perfectly grief, dignified in its restraint. A father disappointed in the daughter he'd never hoped to inherit the throne, but too honorable to lie about it

Vivienne hated him for the looks

"Investigator," Lucien said quietly, "my daughter has been under such pressure. If there is any way to handle this discreetly-"

"No," Vivienne said.

Lucien's eyes snapped to hers

The ballroom went still

"You don't get to do that," she said. "You don't get to stand there and pretend it's a favor

"Vivienne, you are frightened," he said gently,

"This isn't the time

"This is exactly the time."

Adrien stepped toward her.

"Please," he murmured, "stop."

Vivienne looked at him.

His tie was still straight. His hair still precisely styled. His palms clean.

She wondered how long it took him to practice looking heartbroken.

"You knew," she said

His face twisted.

"Not everything

The words landed heavier than an admission

Vivienne's breath caught. "What does that mean?"

Adrien cast a glance toward Lucien

Just once

But it was enough

Lucien's voice turned to ice. "This isn't the time or the place to make accusations."

"No," Vivienne said again. "You're right. This is a place for celebration. It's for you

Her eyes burned but she refused to cry

Not in front of them.

Not where Celeste stood nearby with a delicate hand pressed over her mouth.

"You made me stand on that stage," Vivienne said. "You put the papers in my hands. You wanted everyone to see me refuse

Lucien said nothing.

Renard stepped forward. "Ms. Laurent, I need you to-"

"No," Vivienne said, clutching the folder

She held it up as high as the cuffs allowed. "Look there is a transfer of voting authority to Moreau Strategic Assets. Adrien Moreau's company. There are financial declarations here with my name attached to them. If you check the signatures you'll see-"

"Vivienne." Adrien's voice cracked

That was the first time he sounded afraid all night

She turned toward him

His eyes pleaded her forgiveness

Not for his lies, but for the silence they'd forced him to keep for as long as it had

"Tell them," Vivienne said, her voice demanding. " Tell them I neverapproved those transfers."

Adrien said nothing.

The wound was so fresh that Vivienne almost collapsed around it

Two years.

Two years of whispered promises in empty studios. Two years of him telling her she was brilliant when Celeste threw her sketches out of disdain. Two years of thinking he loved the girl beneath the bloodline of Laurent.

Had every tender word been part of the script

Had every kiss been meant to keep her close enough to use her?

"Adrien," she said, quieter now, "please.

He swallowed and looked away

The investigator took the folder from her hands. "Your attorney can look over these documents."

Vivienne laughed once, the sound not quite her own.

"My attorney

"Yes

"My father's attorneys handle everything for this family

Lucien sighed like she was embarrassing him

"I will have independent counsel arranged for you

"Independent?' Vivienne echoed

'Like the independent company taking my shares

Celeste finally stepped forward. "Enough, sweetheart

This is all very difficult for us

Vivienne stared at her.

Celeste's diamonds glittered at her throat, one of them belonged to her mother. Vivienne remembered watching Lucien slide the necklace over Celetse's neck at a Gala years ago, just months after the funeral.

At the time, she didn't object

Now, she saw everything.

"You stole my work," Vivienne said

Celeste blinked

"What?"

"The spring collection. The drawings in the west studio. The ones you said were unfinished

Several guests shifted closer pretending not to listen

Celeste's cheeks paled for a second before she found her composure

"Vivienne, sweetheart, you're upset.

"I designed them

"You helped with early concepts

"I designed them

Celeste's lips quivered

"You need rest."

Vivienne felt her temper flare but it simmered down quickly, as always

That was their solution when she protested to do anything wrong

She was unstable

When she noticed what happened, she was unstable.

When she refused, she needed rest.

A uniformed officer tapped her on the elbow. "Ma'am

Vivienne jerked away.

The movement was small but somehow it made the cameras flash faster

Lucien leaned in close enough for only her to hear.

"Do not make this any worse

His voice was smooth

Terrifyingly calm

She met his eyes. "What could be worse than this?"

For the first time something cracked through his mask

Lucien. The man lost all expression. "You could lose everything

Then he stepped back, and the grieving father was back

Vivienne was led through the ballroom

People moved aside as if the guilt had a scent.

She saw board members who had watched her grow up. Designers who privately complimented her sketches then gushed over Celeste's finished pieces in public. Investors who smiled and nodded at her mom's portrait every year during the foundation gala.

No one stopped the officers.

No one said this was wrong.

At the entrance, Vivienne glanced back one last time to see Adrien standing beside Lucien.

Not beside her.

The doors shut behind her and a gust of cold evening air greeted her.

Outside, the crowd was even more rowdy.

Reporters gathered at the steps of Laurent Atelier shouting questions over one another. Their cameras flashed so bright in Vivienne's direction that she could barely make out the signs

"Ms. Laurent! Did you steal from the foundation

"Were you using the charity funds to finance your private label

“Did your fiancé know?”is it true your father tried to protect you

Vivienne stopped.

The officers pulled at her arms, but she dug her heels against the stone.

Private label

Her stomach turned

She'd never officially announced her work. She'd only shown a few designs to Adrien, and it was all private. The anonymous sketches and the little collection she'd been slowly building she'd never associated with her name

Until today

"Who told you that?" she asked.

The nearest reporter blinked.

"Ms. Laurent?"

"Who told you I had a private label

The reporter looked past her

Vivienne followed his gaze to see Adrien

He emerged from the building, his eyes drawn to the cameras before settling on Vivienne.

"I loved her," he said, loud enough for the whole crowd to hear

"I still do, but I can't defend something I don't understand

Vivienne stopped breathing

The reporters erupted in sound

Questions flew like knives

Adrien looked down, his face torn in grief

"It hurts to say this," he said, his voice shaking. "but Vivienne has been struggling for a long time. I thought I could help her. I thought love would be enough"

A soft moan of sympathy echoed throughout the crowd

Some whispered poor man

Something was breaking inside Vivienne, quietly but firmly.

He wasn't just betraying her, but rewriting her

Changing the sad, unbalanced woman who's stolen work and ruined the man who loved her, into a tragic character she'd never asked to play.

They all wanted to see it.

Renard led her toward the black vehicle waiting outside.

Vivienne climbed in, giving him no other word.

The door shut behind her and for a moment, it was just the silence of her own breathing.

Then the car began moving and Vivienne stared through the tinted glass as the building passed by, its perfect appearance unchanged but knowing now what the whole world saw it for.

She was in charge of a stage, and everyone she loved had been handed a script except her.

Her phone, which the officers had overlooked in the chaos, vibrated in the hidden pocket of her gown

Vivienne's breath caught.

She should not have answered it

She knew that

But when she saw the name on the screen, her blood ran cold

Unknown Number

A message awaited her.

She opened it and her eyes widened.

Do not trust your father's lawyers.

Another message appeared before she could respond.

Do not trust Adrien.

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

Then the final message appeared.

And whatever you do, Vivienne.... do not sign anything in custody. They are not trying to arrest you.

The car turned sharply onto a dark, empty street.

Vivienne looked out the window to see that there were no police cars in pursuit. No cameras, no city lights or even a single cloud in the sky. Only the driver's shadowed form behind the glass partition

Then the man in the front seat turned to face her and Vivienne's heart pounded.

He wasn't wearing a uniform.

And he had a syringe in his hand.