She wouldn't allow it! She would never let go!

Her eyes surged with a near-paranoid possessiveness, glowing blood-red.

"Go to the hospital immediately and take the old Mr. Julian away! I refuse to believe he would be willing to abandon his father!"

The assistant froze, subconsciously trying to persuade her.

"Ms. Lin, that wouldn't be appropriate. Mr. Julian, he—"

"Do as I say!"

Vivian cut her off coldly, her voice frigid.

"No matter the cost, even if he hates me or resents me, he is staying by my side for the rest of his life."

The assistant, terrified by the madness in her eyes, scrambled away.

"Wait!"

Vivian suddenly called her back.

"Send people to prepare a birthday banquet immediately—the most top-tier standard. And that watch from the Prince of D-Country... buy it back at any cost."

The last birthday banquet was ruined by Lucas.

This time, she would give Julian a ceremony a thousand times more luxurious.

Everything she owed him over these seven years, she would make up for, bit by bit.

Back at home, the villa was still empty.

Yet, Vivian felt a sense of triumph in her heart.

She was certain that Julian couldn't bear to leave his father, and she was certain that he would eventually return to her.

She forgot, however, that fate plays cruel tricks.

What is meant to be lost cannot be held, no matter how hard one tries.

She clutched Julian’s pajamas with an obsessive expression, inhaling deeply before closing her eyes in satisfaction.

"Julian, I’ve prepared such a huge surprise for you this time. You’ll be so happy when you see it."

But the next second, a jarring ringtone interrupted her fantasies.

Seeing the caller ID "Assistant" on her phone,

She hooked her lips in triumph, thinking the person’s efficiency was quite good.

But in the next second, the assistant’s first sentence plunged her into hell.

"Ms. Lin, Mr. Julian’s father... has passed away."

Vivian sat up abruptly, her knuckles turning purple from gripping the phone so hard, her voice filled with disbelief.

"How is that possible? I clearly sent people..."

She gritted her teeth, a monstrous rage surging in her eyes.

"Go find out immediately—which idiot did this?!"

There was silence on the other end for a long time before the assistant sighed hesitantly.

"It was you. Ms. Lin, the surveillance footage shows that it was you who personally kicked the old Mr. Julian out of the hospital ward."

Chapter 13

Thud—

Vivian fell to the floor, powerless, as if her soul had been ripped out.

How could it be?! How could it be her own doing?

The scene of sending Lucas to the hospital that day flashed through her mind.

Her chest tightened abruptly, and a wave of overwhelming remorse engulfed her, like vines strangling her until she couldn't breathe.

It wasn't that she didn't know.

Julian hated his mother to the core and had long severed ties with her.

His father was the only relative he had left in the world.

In the past, she had used his father to threaten him.

Even when he proposed divorce, the reason she had no panic—her entire foundation of confidence—rested on his father.

She thought that as long as she held his father in her grip, Julian would eventually return obediently to her side, even if he hated or resented her.

But now, she had single-handedly caused his father’s death.

If Julian found out, how much would he hate her...

It felt as if someone had carved a piece out of her heart, the pain bleeding out.

She struggled to pull herself up, closed her eyes, and spoke in a voice hoarse with deep-seated agony.

"Find him. No matter where Julian is, you must bring him back to me, in one piece!"

"Even if you have to tie him up, bring him back!"

Hearing this, the assistant on the other end quickly acknowledged.

"Yes, boss."

The assistant paused, her tone laced with hesitation.

"Also, Ms. Lin, I just saw Mr. Lucas’s ex-wife."

Hearing Lucas’s name, Vivian’s brow furrowed imperceptibly, and she said impatiently,

"Why mention him? I only care about Julian—"

The assistant looked at a figure not far away and shook her head.

"The situation is too complex to explain over the phone. You... had better come see for yourself."

Vivian, though puzzled, did as she was told.

Arriving at the hospital.

Following the direction the assistant pointed, she only saw a woman whose body had been severed at the waist, kneeling by the roadside begging for alms.

Even someone as calculating as Vivian couldn't help but be stunned by the sight.

It wasn't that she hadn't seen Lucas’s ex-wife before.

She wasn't particularly scheming, but she certainly wasn't one to fall into such misery.

The begging woman clearly saw her too; her expression changed, and she lowered her head, hurriedly leaving with her crutches.

"Stop!"

Vivian stepped forward to call her back, her tone filled with confusion.

"Didn't you run away to a foreign country with all the assets and the security guard? How—"

The beggar stopped, her voice thick with hatred and resentment.

"That bitch told you that, did he?"

Vivian frowned slightly.

"What do you mean? Wasn't it you who had an affair and forced Lucas to leave with nothing?"

"Of course not!"

The woman’s broken body trembled slightly with rage, a bone-chilling coldness surging in her eyes.

"Everything I’m suffering today is because of that bitch!"

"When I caught him cheating, not only did he refuse to repent, but he colluded with that mistress to steal all our assets. It was bad enough that he turned me into this ghost-like creature, but now he even has the nerve to say that I cheated!"

Vivian’s heart was rocked by a massive shock; her lips trembled, unable to utter a single word.

The woman didn't notice Vivian’s deathly pale complexion and continued speaking to herself.

"That man has the heart of a scorpion and a snake. I heard he later hooked up with Julian’s mother. Ms. Lin, you should be careful."

The air was deathly silent.

Vivian stood stunned for a long time before a bitter laugh, on the verge of tearing her apart, escaped her throat.

So that’s how it was...

All the lies about being forced, being driven into a corner—it was all bullshit from Lucas!

A monstrous rage filled her entire chest, burning her eyes red and making her head spin.

She gripped her fists tightly, took a deep breath to maintain her crumbling sanity, and called her assistant coldly.

"Go to Lucas’s house now."

As she spoke, a cold, inscrutable sneer flickered in her eyes.

"Also, go do one more thing for me."

Chapter 14

Lucas was at home watching TV.

The moment he saw Vivian,

He jumped up almost instantly, his eyes flashing with excitement.

"Vivian! I knew you couldn't bear to be separated from me. You've had a change of heart, right?"

Vivian curled her lips.

"Yes, I've had a change of heart."

A playful smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, but her eyes were cold, devoid of even a trace of warmth.

"I made you angry last time, so this time I’ve specially brought you a surprise."

Hearing this, Lucas was instantly overjoyed, hugging her in excitement.

"Why are you being so polite..."

Vivian calmly pushed him away, speaking as if it were a casual mention.

"Julian has divorced me, so the position of the Lin family's son-in-law is vacant."

"Really?!"

Lucas’s eyes suddenly lit up, filled with shrewd brilliance.

"Vivian, don't worry, I'll go make that old bag of bones get a divorce right now, and then we can be together openly and legitimately!"

"That you can do."

Vivian pushed him aside and walked in, leaning back on the sofa, slowly picking up a wine glass and swirling it.

"However, you’ve been with my mother-in-law for several years now. Do you have no feelings for her at all, that you can just leave her like that?"

Lucas immediately rushed to explain, forgetting the "ethereal and pure" persona he usually maintained.

"No! I don't love that old hag at all!"

"If she hadn't forced me back then, I never would have married her. You have no idea—just looking at her makes me feel sick. Every time she touches me, I have to take a dozen showers."

Vivian’s hand holding the wine glass paused, a dark shadow quickly passing through her eyes.

"Is that so?"

"Of course, Vivian!"

Lucas completely missed the hidden meaning in her words, rushing to defend himself.

"From beginning to end, I have only ever loved you. Don't forget, those three children are your own flesh and blood."

"Well said!"

Vivian couldn't control her laughter.

She pushed him away coldly, her gaze directed pointedly toward the door.

"Mother-in-law, have you... heard that clearly?"

The moment these words fell, the color drained entirely from Lucas’s face, his body shaking uncontrollably. His lips stammered for a long time before he could squeeze out a few words.