Melinda grabbed the marriage certificate and scanned it quickly, and the moment she realized the groom's name was not Colin, her chest finally loosened with relief.
Leaning in beside her, Archie squinted at the document and frowned. "William Lewis? Who is that man supposed to be?"
"Your son-in-law, obviously," Vivian replied.
Melinda sneered, her disbelief plain in her voice, "Vivian, do not tell me you went as far as forging a marriage certificate just to dodge Mr. Kirby."
"You shameless woman! You think a fake document is enough to fool me?" Rage exploded across Archie's face as he slammed his hand down. "Do you honestly believe this gets you out of marrying Mr. Kirby? Let me make this clear. Even if I have to bind your hands myself, I will still send you straight into his bed tonight!"
"Whether it is real or not can be confirmed with a single call," Vivian said calmly. She pulled out her phone and dialed the City Hall, placing the call on speaker.
"Chinbert City Hall. How may I assist you?" a woman's professional voice answered.
"My name is Vivian Fowler. I need to verify whether a marriage was officially registered today under my name," Vivian replied.
After a short pause, the staff member returned to the line. "Yes, ma'am. Our records show that a marriage was registered this morning at 9:30 with Mr. William Lewis."
A heavy hush settled over the room, pressing in on everyone at once.
Melinda's confident smile stiffened, while the fury on Archie's face drained into stunned disbelief.
"So it is real. Vivian is actually married?" Melinda said, her voice shaking as she clutched Archie's arm without thinking. "How are we supposed to deal with Mr. Kirby now? We already accepted his money."
Before Archie could form a response, the sharp ringing of his phone shattered the silence.
Devin's name lit up the screen.
"That is Mr. Kirby!" Archie yelled, his face going pale as panic crept in. "What do I do? Should I pick it up or pretend I did not see it?"
Melinda's gaze flickered, and she leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Do not lose your nerve. Mr. Kirby has no idea Vivian is married. Just send her over. Once things go far enough, she will have no choice but to end this new marriage."
"Have you lost your mind?" Archie retorted in a harsh whisper. "You want to hand a married woman to Mr. Kirby? If he finds out the truth, we will never be let off the hook."
A calculating smile crept across Melinda's face. "That part is simple. We just make sure she stays quiet."
Doubt flickered across Archie's expression as he studied her. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"
"I can do more than silence her," Melinda said, her voice sharp with confidence. "I can make her throw away every shred of dignity and beg Mr. Kirby to take her." She discreetly pressed a small bottle filled with pink liquid into Archie's hand. "This cost me a fortune. It will cloud her mind completely. Answer Mr. Kirby's call and then find a way to make her drink it."
"You are a genius, my love!" Delight spread across Archie's face as he clutched the bottle and picked up the phone.
"Archie Fowler!" Devin shouted through the speaker. "How much longer do you plan on keeping me waiting? My patience is nearly gone!"
"Please do not be upset, Mr. Kirby," Archie said at once, his tone turning overly sweet. "I was arranging a little surprise just for you. I will bring Vivian over immediately."
While Archie and Melinda exchanged hushed whispers, Vivian stood nearby. Even without hearing them, she could tell their intentions were far from innocent.
Just before Archie could end the call, Vivian rushed forward and snatched the phone from his hand. "Mr. Kirby, this is Vivian. I am already married!"
"Give me that phone, you filthy bitch!" Archie charged at her, his eyes burning with fury.
With a quick step to the side, Vivian avoided him and spoke calmly into the receiver. "But if you still want to become part of my family, that door is not completely closed. My younger sister, Thea, isn't married yet. She is much more beautiful than I am."
Having said her piece, Vivian stopped, turned back with a faint smile, and handed the phone back to the breathless Archie.
Grabbing the phone, Archie hurriedly explained, "Mr. Kirby, please ignore Vivian's nonsense. She lies constantly. She does not even have a boyfriend, so how could she possibly be married?"
A brief silence followed on the other end of the line. Then, Devin's voice came through, cold and sharp. "Whether she is lying or not, I will come to your house and see it myself."
The call disconnected immediately.
The flat tone echoed in the room, leaving no room for argument.
Frozen in place, Archie stared at the phone as it nearly slipped from his grasp, fear tightening around his chest.
Without warning, he whirled around, his eyes blazing with rage, and struck Vivian with all his strength.
The impact knocked Vivian off her feet and sent her crashing hard onto the floor.
Pain exploded across her face as her cheek puffed up almost instantly, and the sharp ringing in her ears made her vision swim.
"Justine!" Archie screamed, his voice shaking with fury. "Drag this ungrateful woman to the storage room and lock her inside. Until I say otherwise, she gets nothing. No food. No water. Nothing at all."
"Understood, sir," the maid, Justine Murray, answered quickly. She seized Vivian without restraint and shoved her into the storage room.
"Stay in there and think about what you have done, you little bitch!" Justine hissed.
With a violent slam, the door crashed shut, cutting off the light. Darkness swallowed the room whole.
No windows broke the walls, and the only hint of illumination came from a narrow line of light beneath the door.
Cold, damp air clung to the space, carrying the heavy stench of mold.
In the corner, Vivian drew herself onto a frayed blanket and hugged her knees close.
This room had been her prison more times than she could count while growing up.
The crushing dark and the sense of hopelessness were painfully familiar.
Yet this time, everything felt different. A fragile life was quietly taking shape inside her. William promised he would come for her in three days.
She trusted that promise completely. Even if he did not care about her, he would never abandon their child.
Pain, hunger, exhaustion, and the cold blended together until her body could no longer resist.
Once the strain reached its limit, sleep finally dragged her under.
Time lost its meaning until the crash of shattering objects and Melinda's piercing screams ripped Vivian back to awareness.
"Please stop. Mr. Kirby, I am begging you! If you keep doing this, there will be nothing left of my house!"
The living room had been reduced to chaos.
Six rough-looking men tore through the furniture, smashing and overturning everything in sight without restraint.
Devin lounged in the only armchair left untouched, a cigar hanging from his lips as a thick gold chain rested against his chest. His stomach pushed against his shirt while he watched the destruction with clear enjoyment.
Nearby, Melinda stood shaking, her hair a mess and her face soaked with tears as she pleaded over and over again.
Not far from her, Archie remained frozen in place, his legs trembling so badly that he could barely stand, fear robbing him of his voice.
With a slow pull from his cigar, Devin flashed a grin that showed stained teeth. "I am not stopping at tearing this place apart. I am going to drain you dry as well. This is the consequence of messing with me."
"We would never dare mess with you, Mr. Kirby!" Melinda cried out, her hands shaking as she pointed toward the storage room. "It was Vivian. She secretly married some unknown man behind our backs. We only discovered it today."
Archie nodded frantically, his voice breaking. "Please show mercy, Mr. Kirby. That factory is everything we have. Without it, we are finished."
At that moment, Thea stepped through the door. Taking in the wreckage, she froze in place and looked around in disbelief. "Dad. Mom. What happened here?"
Devin's gaze slid toward her, slow and assessing. She did not have Vivian's striking looks, but there was still something pleasing about her appearance.
Interest flickered across his face almost immediately. Rubbing his chin, he let out a low chuckle. "Alright. I'll let this slide, but there's a catch."
Archie hurried forward, desperation clear in his voice. "Whatever you want. I will do everything I can to make it happen."
"Vivian is already someone else's wife," Devin said calmly. "But you still have another daughter. I will marry her instead. That way, you will still be my father-in-law."
"No!" Melinda shouted at once, panic breaking through her voice. "Thea is still in college. This is out of the question."
"If that is your answer, then say goodbye to that factory tomorrow," Devin warned coldly as he stood and turned to leave.
"Wait. Mr. Kirby, please wait!" Archie hurried after him, sweat soaking through his shirt.
A storm of conflict crossed Archie's face as his eyes landed on Thea, who stood frozen in fear. After wrestling with himself, he ground his teeth together and spoke. "Marriage is not an option. But what if Thea stays with you for a few days instead?"
"Have you lost your mind?" Melinda exclaimed, staring at him in disbelief.
"Be quiet!" Archie shouted back at her.
A sharp, calculating light flickered in Devin's eyes. "Alright. I will not marry her. But since you want her returned later, you should pay for it."
"Pay?" Archie asked, his mind reeling. "Pay what?"
Cutting straight to the point, Devin replied, "You have three days. Hand me back the ten-million-dollar I paid for Vivian. Agree, and I will take Thea now. Refuse, and I'll crush your business first. Then, I will take her anyway."
The words nearly knocked the air out of Archie's lungs. Devin was demanding money while claiming his daughter, and there was no pretense left. It was outright extortion.
Yet, Devin held all the power, and Archie did not dare challenge him.
Rage pounded through Archie's head as his temples throbbed. After a long silence, he forced the word out through clenched teeth. "Fine."