The words hit like a slap. Cordelia's smile froze mid-curve, and the smugness on Noelle's face shattered into open panic.
“How could you do this to me, Vivienne?”
“Leslie is the father of the baby I'm carrying! Are you trying to kill me……”
Cordelia's composure cracked：
“Vivienne! How many times do I have to tell you? Noelle and Leslie are already husband and wife in every way that matters. Even if you don't like Mr. Simmons, you can't tear apart your own sister's happiness!”
Crying, pleading, accusations, all tangled together at once. The living room dissolved into chaos.
It was Aldric who finally reached his limit. His face went dark as granite, and his palm cracked against the table：
“Enough!”
He rose from the head of the table and turned to Tristram first, forcing a conciliatory smile：
“Tristram, I'm afraid I've spoiled this girl rotten. She doesn't know when to hold her tongue. Please don't take it to heart.”
“The arrangement stands. The Whitmore family will cover every expense for the wedding, consider it our apology for today's scene.”
“You two go on ahead. I'll deal with this ungrateful daughter of mine.”
Tristram and Leslie left one after the other. Only the four Whitmores remained in the living room.
Aldric was drawing breath to lay into her when Vivienne spoke first：
“Father, hear me out before you start.”
“I'm not refusing Tristram because I want to steal Leslie from Noelle.”
“I just remembered something you mentioned once. Grandpa has an old war buddy whose grandson runs a business empire at the border. People call him “the King of Hell”, and his influence is enormous.”
“You've always wanted me to use the marriage contract Mother left behind, marry into that family, and rebuild ties with her side so you could leverage their resources to take the Whitmore Group to the next level.”
“I've thought it over. You were right. I'll marry him.”
In her previous life, she hadn't wanted her father exploiting her dead mother's connections. The first time he'd raised the idea, she had threatened to take her own life rather than agree.
But this time around, she knew better.
Her own strength was too small. She would use her mother's family to tear the Whitmore empire apart, and give her mother the justice she was owed.
Aldric blinked. Then a sharp gleam lit his eyes, and every trace of anger drained from his body.
“Good, good, good. My brilliant daughter. You've finally come to your senses. I'll send word to the Simmons family this afternoon and cancel the engagement.”
“We'll still hold two weddings as planned. I'll personally make sure your match with that young man is handled flawlessly.”
“This works out perfectly. That shipment I've been sitting on? Once you marry him, customs clearance and export will be a breeze.”
Vivienne looked at the man who, in her last life, had treated her as nothing more than a bargaining chip. The last flicker of filial feeling inside her went cold and died.
Her voice was perfectly even：
“I have one more condition.”
“I want every piece of my mother's trust fund as my dowry. And a hundred million dollars in cash on top of it.”
Aldric's jaw tightened. He was silent for several seconds before he finally nodded.
Vivienne walked out under the murderous glares of Cordelia and Noelle and found Tristram and Leslie still lingering by the front entrance.
Neither looked pleased. Leslie spoke first：
“What Noelle and I have is real. I'd sooner die than marry you.”
“If I show up to that wedding and find you standing at the altar, don't blame me for walking out in front of every guest and humiliating the Whitmore name across all of Ridgeport.”
Tristram, meanwhile, leaned against the door of his Maybach, a smile on his lips threaded with something unmistakably cruel：
“Don't be naive, Vivienne. I won't let you ruin Noelle's happiness.”
“The moment you rejected me in there, I had my people spread a little something through high society. Just enough to make sure you have no choice but to marry me.”
Vivienne's heart slammed into her throat, dread pooling fast and thick：
“What did you do?”
Her alarm clearly pleased him. His smile widened, and he took his time answering：
“I've already used AI to generate over a hundred photos of you and me in bed together. By now, every name worth knowing in Ridgeport has a copy.”
“I'd say that makes me the only man alive who'd still marry a woman with a reputation like yours.”
