Chapter 284

• I rose smoothly, my heels clicking through the spilled water on the polished marble floor, each step deliberate and commanding. The shattered vase and scattered orchids lay forgotten in the wake of my presence. I stopped just inches from Vivian, whose tightly controlled composure was beginning to fracture.
• Leaning in, my voice low and precise like a scalpel, I said, “Has Liam’s corporate takedown not opened your eyes yet? Do you still think you’re some invincible powerhouse? Vivian, you’re not. Adrian got engaged to you for the thrill of rebellion, not out of love. If he’d truly cared, you’d have been introduced as his fiancée to the press, not hidden behind the title of 'strategic partner.’”
• Vivian’s face drained of color. “He was trying to spare your public image. As for me, I don’t care about labels or optics.”