Chapter 42\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivian locked all the doors and lay back down on the bed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe it was because Logan had left, but she slept especially soundly this time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next day, Vivian made herself breakfast. As she ate, she scrolled through the latest financial news from Durmont on her phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An unlisted number came in, and her grip on her phone tightened slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even without a contact name, she knew this number all too well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She frowned at the string of digits for a long while. Just before the ringtone was about to stop, she swiped to answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A voice she hadn\u2019t heard in nearly seven years came through the phone. It was familiar, yet strangely distant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVivi, it\u2019s Dad. I\u2019m on a business trip passing through Baymoor. I heard you\u2019re getting married, so I wanted to see you? Are you free right now? Could you come out to meet me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivian frowned, and a trace of emotion leaked into her cool, clear gaze. \u201cAddress.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Derrick Hartwell readily gave her an address.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivian glanced down at the time. It was still two hours before her appointment with Kingston.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After ending the call, she lost her appetite. So, she tidied up briefly and headed out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The address Derrick gave her was a relatively high\u2013end hotel in Baymoor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After entering the hotel and giving Derrick\u2019s name, a waiter led her into the restaurant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man seated at the dining table was dressed in a casual yet refined outfit\u2013clearly a carefully selected luxury brand at a glance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After all these years, he seemed to have hardly changed. His hair was still thick and dark, and there was an added air of refined elegance that only time could cultivate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he saw her approach, he raised a hand, signaling for her to sit in the chair in front of him. \u201cSit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took her seat silently, and he pushed the bank card toward her. \u201cThis is a wedding gift I prepared for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As if such generosity could come without strings attached.\u00a0<\/p>\n
X CLOSE\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 42\u00a0<\/p>\n
22\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivian lowered her gaze and glanced at it indifferently. Then, she pushed the card back toward\u00a0<\/p>\n
him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When her mother left the Hartwell family, she hadn\u2019t taken a single cent. Vivian didn\u2019t need Derrick\u2019s money either.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want from me?\u201d Vivian asked bluntly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Derrick let out a soft laugh. \u201cVivian, you\u2019re still too much like your mother.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivian didn\u2019t respond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Derrick sighed lightly. \u201cSince you\u2019ve asked so directly, I won\u2019t beat around the bush. I\u2019ll just tell you why I came to see you this time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sure enough, Vivian wasn\u2019t surprised at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Derrick continued, \u201cWhen your grandfather passed away, he left you 15% of the Hartwell Group\u2019s shares. You\u2019ve been away from the Hartwell family for so many years, so those shares are meaningless to you. You might as well give them to me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivian looked up at him. \u201cI\u2019ve already entrusted those shares to Camille.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Derrick smiled gently, putting on a warm, benevolent expression. \u201cYou\u2019ve only entrusted her with managing them, and you never transferred them to her. Over the years, she\u2019s disregarded your status as sisters and never given you a single cent in dividends. Those shares under your name are of no use to you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once again, he pushed the bank card toward Vivian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 43\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 42\u00a0 Vivian locked all the doors and lay back down on the bed.\u00a0 Maybe it was because Logan had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-i-cancel-the-engagement-and-level-way-up"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":425,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349\/revisions\/425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}