Chapter 12

Vivienne's POV Cont

I stepped into the private room slowly, forcing my movements to remain steady even though my chest felt tight with every breath.

The atmosphere inside was lively. Laughter and conversation filled the air, yet none of it reached me.

My gaze moved across the long table, scanning each face until it finally settled on one person.

Alexander.

The moment our eyes met, everything else seemed to fade.

His expression remained calm and unreadable, yet there was something deeper in his gaze, something that felt almost intrusive, as if he could see through every layer I tried to hide behind.

For a brief second, I felt exposed.

I forced a faint smile and spoke casually, as though nothing was wrong. I explained that I had run into Victor in the hallway and decided to come in to greet everyone. My voice sounded composed, but standing there felt strangely uncomfortable, as if I had stepped into a place where I did not belong.

I glanced around the table again before turning back to him. I asked lightly if he had come with friends.

His response was short and indifferent, and the conversation ended before it could even begin.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Maximus stepped in smoothly, asking what I had been busy with recently. I answered truthfully, mentioning the V and R brand endorsement.

For a moment, I hesitated.

I knew exactly who was involved in that project.

Maximus noticed it immediately and shifted the topic with ease, gesturing toward Isabella with a teasing remark that the brand ambassador was already present.

I walked closer to the table and picked up an empty glass, filling it with water instead of wine. I explained calmly that I still had work to attend to later, so I would not be drinking.

Raising the glass, I greeted everyone politely. I apologized for interrupting their gathering and said I would invite them to dinner another time.

When I addressed Alexander as Second Brother, my tone remained even, but a quiet distance settled beneath the words.

After taking a small sip, I placed the glass down and prepared to leave immediately.

I did not want to stay another second in that suffocating room.

“Leaving already?”

Victor’s voice stopped me.

He smiled as though this was nothing more than harmless teasing, but his words carried weight. He reminded me that my sister in law was sitting right there and asked if I was not going to toast her.

My shoulders stiffened.

Maximus tried to redirect the conversation again, but the others joined in, their teasing voices growing louder, pressing in from all sides.

They told me I should toast her since we would be working together.

Each word felt like a stone pressing against my chest.

I lowered my gaze slightly, my lips pressed together as I struggled to find a response.

The idea of raising a glass to Isabella felt unbearable.

Victor’s smirk deepened as he added that Isabella was the future Mrs Ashford, personally chosen by Alexander.

The meaning behind his words was clear.

Every pair of eyes in the room turned toward me, waiting. Watching.

Isabella spoke gently, telling Victor not to make things difficult for me, but her tone only tightened the invisible pressure surrounding me.

Victor turned toward Alexander and asked him to say something.

The room fell quiet.

I looked at him.

My hand clenched slowly at my side as our gazes met once more. The tension between us felt sharp and suffocating.

Without a word, he leaned forward and poured wine into a glass before placing it in front of me.

“Give me face,” he said calmly. “Toast your sister in law.”

For a moment, I could not breathe.

The words echoed in my mind, cutting deeper than anything else that had been said.

I was his wife.

And yet, he asked me to raise a glass to another woman as if she were the one who belonged beside him.

My body felt cold, as though something inside me had frozen completely.

He adjusted his tie and looked at me again, his voice still calm, almost indifferent, as he asked whether I refused to acknowledge her.

The people around the table continued talking, their voices blending together as they urged me to do something so simple.

Just a toast.

Nothing more.

I stepped forward.

My movements felt distant, like they no longer belonged to me. I picked up the glass, my fingers steady despite the storm inside me.

Without saying a single word, I raised it toward Isabella and drank the wine in one motion.

The liquid burned as it went down, spreading heat through my chest, but I did not react.

I placed the empty glass back on the table.

Then I turned and walked away.

Behind me, laughter broke out.

Voices followed.

They called me arrogant. Disrespectful. Ungrateful.

Some questioned how long Alexander would continue to tolerate me.

My steps slowed for a brief second.

But I did not turn back.

Alexander's POV

After she left, the atmosphere in the room shifted in a way I could not ignore.

The laughter continued, but something about it felt wrong.

I listened quietly as the conversation turned toward her.

At first, it was light. Casual remarks.

Then it changed.

The words grew sharper. More careless.

One of the men spoke up, suggesting that since Vivienne was not married yet, I should arrange a husband for her so she would learn to behave properly.

He spoke as if it were a joke, but the meaning behind it was clear.

I swirled the wine in my glass slowly, watching the liquid move without really seeing it.

“What kind of lesson do you think she needs?” I asked calmly.

He mistook my tone for agreement and continued speaking with confidence.

That was when something inside me snapped.

I stood up without warning and drove my foot into his knee.

He collapsed instantly, his expression twisting in shock and pain.

The entire room fell silent.

I looked down at him, my expression calm, my voice even.

“Vivienne is still part of the Ashford family,” I said. “Watch your words.”

There was no need to raise my voice.

The warning was clear enough.

He apologized immediately, his earlier confidence gone.

I lost all interest in staying any longer.

Without another word, I picked up my coat and left.

Vivienne's POV

I returned to my private room and closed the door behind me.

My expression remained calm, but inside, everything felt shattered.

For a few minutes, I stood there without moving, trying to gather myself before going back to the table where Julian and Ariana were waiting.

The rest of the evening passed quickly, almost without meaning.

Julian paid the bill, and we walked toward the garage together. Ariana said goodbye and drove off first.

I thanked Julian and prepared to leave, but he reminded me to visit his place for dinner in a few days.

I agreed politely.

Somewhere behind us, Ariana was watching with wide eyes, clearly forming her own conclusions, but I did not notice.

My thoughts were still trapped in that room.

In that moment.

On that single sentence that refused to leave my mind.

I drove back to the villa alone.

The road felt longer than usual, the silence heavier.

When I stepped into the living room, I stopped.

Alexander was sitting on the sofa, still dressed in his suit.

His body leaned back, one arm resting over his eyes as if he had been there for a long time.

At the sound of my footsteps, he lowered his arm slowly.

His gaze met mine.

It was intense. Unreadable.

The air between us turned heavy.

Neither of us spoke.

But something in that silence felt like the beginning of another storm.