All Chapters of After 7 Years of Going Dutch, I Returned Home as a Mafia Heiress: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

By the time I pushed open the door to our apartment, I was completely drenched by the storm.Arthur was sitting on the living room sofa, his laptop resting on his lap.He didn't even look at me."Look at the state of you. I told you to check the weather this morning."I stood in the entryway. Water dripped from the ends of my hair, pooling into a dark stain on the marble floor.When I didn't move, Arthur closed his laptop, walked over to hand me a towel, and then offered me a cup of hot tea.I didn't take it."The evaluation system," I said, my voice flat. "You gave me a C, and you gave Jessica the highest grade.""Why did you give her the highest and me the lowest?"Arthur sat back down on the sofa, interlacing his fingers behind his head."To avoid suspicion. For the sake of fairness."I was completely bewildered."You've been promoted too fast these past few years. For a while now, there have been rumors in upper management suspecting that I was pulling strings for you behind the sc

But the next day, the moment I sat down, the office erupted in gossip."How could the reserve price be exactly the same? The competitor's numbers were accurate down to the single digit...""The Vincross Street deal... that's millions down the drain..."Something had gone wrong with the top-secret real estate bid Jessica had taken over.The core reserve price had been leaked to a rival consortium last night, causing the company a direct loss of millions of dollars."Who touched my computer?!"Jessica stood at the door of Arthur's office, already crying prettily."Vivian, you were the only one who handled this data yesterday! The IT department just said that the IP address of the computer that made the final edits to the reserve price was from your workstation!"I walked over and glanced at it."I never touched it.""My wrist was hurting yesterday, so you clearly compiled this for me!" Large tears rolled down Jessica's face. "Vivian, I know you're upset about the promotion... but how cou

At a high-end French restaurant in Kingsburg, the candlelight flickered softly.Arthur absentmindedly glanced at his phone, then tossed it back onto the table.Sitting across from him, Jessica was holding a glass of red wine, her smile delicate and radiant."Arthur, I recalculated the reserve price for the acquisition. We can squeeze another fifteen percent out of the profit margin.""Hmm."He gave a perfunctory response, his gaze drifting past the floor-to-ceiling windows to the bustling nightscape below.An unexpected emptiness opened up in his chest.He suddenly remembered the afternoon he had pulled Jessica out of the office area. He had looked back.Vivian's eyes, usually so full of warmth, had held nothing but a chilling emptiness.Until that moment, he never imagined Vivian could look at him like he was a stranger.Did she hate him?"Arthur?" Jessica called his name again."Yeah. Go on.""I'm finished.""Alright. Let's leave it at that then."He grabbed his napkin and haphazardl

At a commercial negotiation for a North District real estate development, the delegation from the opposing company walked into the conference room.The door pushed open. The moment our eyes met, I saw Arthur, dressed in a sharp suit.He was much thinner than he was three years ago. The lines of his jaw were sharper, harder, and his deep-set eyes held a darkness I hadn't seen before.The moment he saw me, his steps faltered, and his breath hitched.Then he walked around the long table, approached me, and held out his hand. "Long time no see, Vivian."I barely gave him a glance. He was still wearing the same plain silver band on his ring finger.I reached out, lightly brushed my fingertips against his palm, and pulled away in less than a second."Mr. Whitmore." I settled back into the chair at the head of the table and tapped the proposal."Let's not waste time. You can start with your proposal.""Let's begin."For the entire two-hour meeting, he sat across the long table.I could feel h

We sat across from each other in a private room at a high-end Italian restaurant owned by my family. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, dusk was settling in.I chose this place because every waiter here would politely escort anyone out the moment I raised an eyebrow.When I arrived, Arthur was already sitting in the room.An open bottle of Barolo, two empty glasses."Vivian, I know very well that the stupid decision I made three years ago was entirely wrong.""I admit all of it.""I want to use everything I have to make it right."I picked up the glass of water in front of me, took a sip, and set it down."Whatever you want, I'll give it to you.""Shares, real estate, equity in any company I own... as long as you say the word, I'll give it all to you."I looked straight into his eyes. "Arthur, if I wanted what you have, I wouldn't need you to give it to me. I'd take it. Do you still see yourself as the man on high, here to grade my performance?""Even now, you don't get it. You neve