"Vivian, what... what do you mean by that?"

Before he could finish, a roar suppressed by overwhelming fury erupted from outside the door.

"You bitch!"

The mother-in-law, her face flushed red with rage, stormed in and slapped Lucas across the face!

"I treated you so well! It was one thing for you to look down on me, but to hook up with my daughter-in-law and cheat on me like this!"

Lucas was knocked to the floor, half of his face too swollen to be recognizable.

He looked terrified, his whole body trembling incessantly.

"Wife, listen to my explanation, it’s not like that, I didn't—"

"Bah!"

The mother-in-law, face black with rage, kicked him over and spat at him viciously.

"You natural-born slut! You still have the nerve to say I forced you? Why don't you tell everyone how you stripped off your clothes and crawled into my bed to seduce me back then!"

"I'll beat you to death, you shameless wretch!"

With that, she grabbed Lucas’s hair and began punching and kicking him.

Lucas shrieked repeatedly, his face bruised and swollen within moments.

He found strength from somewhere, frantically broke free from her, and threw himself into Vivian’s arms, begging.

"Vivian, save me! I beg you, save me just this once, or I'll really be beaten to death!"

But Vivian only cast a look of disgust at him, her eyes as cold as if looking at a dead man.

"Wouldn't it be better if you died? It would be revenge for Julian."

Thud—

Terrified, Lucas collapsed to the ground, his body instinctively cowering backward.

Having known Vivian for so long, he understood her too well.

He clearly caught the murderous intent in her eyes just a moment ago.

She truly wanted to kill him.

Not long after, Lucas and the mother-in-law got into another brawl.

In the midst of the struggle, there was a sudden, loud bang—

Chapter 15

Vivian lazily lifted her eyelids to look.

Lucas, his hands covered in blood, stood there frozen in horror.

The mother-in-law sat slumped on the ground, a blood-stained knife handle protruding from her chest.

She clutched her wound in agony as large amounts of blood flowed along the handle and splashed onto the floor, a faint, wheezing gasp escaping her throat.

"Vivian, good daughter-in-law, save, save me..."

Vivian’s expression stirred slightly, and she stepped toward her.

A touch of relief appeared on the mother-in-law’s face.

"I knew it..."

But the next second, her expression turned to terror, her eyes widening uncontrollably.

Vivian didn't say a word, she simply pushed the knife deeper.

The mother-in-law trembled in pain, her bloodshot eyes glaring fixedly at her, her mouth hanging open as she emitted a whimpering sound.

"You... you lunatic, aren't you afraid Julian will find out..."

"Ah—"

Vivian’s eyes flashed with ruthlessness as her hand gripping the knife handle gave another hard thrust!

"Are you even worthy of mentioning him?"

Her expression was as gloomy as a demon from hell as she gritted her teeth.

"If it weren't for you hooking up with that wretch back then, none of this would have happened, and Julian would never have divorced me!"

"Besides, Julian will only hate you more than I do. Killing you counts as revenge for his father!"

The mother-in-law, overwhelmed by rage and pain, vomited a mouthful of black blood and passed out, falling silent forever.

Lucas, seeing this, breathed a slight sigh of relief, sobbing as he gripped Vivian’s hand.

"Vivian, I knew it, with all our years of history, you wouldn't bear to see me go to prison, would you..."

"Lucas, why can't you get over your delusions?"

Vivian used force to pry his fingers off one by one, tossing his hand aside, taking out her phone to dial, and speaking slowly.

"Hello, I’m calling the police. There has been a premeditated murder at Nanfeng Mansion."

After sending Lucas away, the assistant rushed in, looking anxious.

"Ms. Lin, we found information on Mr. Julian!"

Vivian stood up with a whoosh, snatched the phone, and fixed her eyes on the surveillance video on the screen.

It was Julian’s figure on the screen.

But upon seeing the woman standing next to him,

Her breath caught, and her pupils contracted sharply.

How could it be her?!

Shen Nanzhi.

The Wall Street investment banking expert who made the entire financial circle tremble, the woman who stood at the top of the global "new rich" list at just twenty-five years old.

But how could Julian be connected to her?!

A massive fog of confusion clouded her heart.

She closed her eyes, trying to suppress the urge to kill, and ordered her assistant.

"Go investigate."

"Find out at any cost what her relationship is with Julian!"

Looking at the two people on the screen standing so closely, the jealousy in her mind nearly drowned her.

Julian could only belong to her.

She would not allow, and would never agree, for any woman other than herself to be by his side!

Three days later, the assistant knocked on the office door with the gathered information.

Looking at the thick stack of documents on the table.

Vivian, who could remain calm during hundred-billion-dollar financing cases, felt a rare sense of apprehension.

For the first time in her life, she was afraid—afraid that the woman had some unknown history with Julian, and even more afraid that Julian had divorced her for someone else.

But when she saw the relationship documented as "father and daughter" between Shen Nanzhi and Julian’s father.

Her tense nerves finally relaxed, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

So, they were just siblings. As long as it wasn't the kind of relationship she feared, everything was fine.

Chapter 16

On the other side of the globe.

It had been three months since Julian arrived in Country A.

Under the care of a psychologist specially hired by Shen Nanzhi, his condition had improved significantly.

The only thing that gave him a headache was—Shen Nanzhi was a bit too tense regarding him.

At night.

Julian had eaten too many desserts in the afternoon, so he had less for dinner.

Just as he set down his chopsticks to leave.

His wrist was pulled violently, and Shen Nanzhi looked him over with a nervous expression.

"What's wrong tonight? Are you in a bad mood? Or is that old injury hurting again?"

Before Julian could explain.

She hurriedly grabbed the car keys, intending to take him to the hospital.

Julian quickly stopped her.

"I’m fine, I just have a bit of indigestion. You don't need to make such a big deal out of it."

But she still wasn't reassured, insisting on calling the family doctor to give him a thorough check-up before she finally relaxed.

Only after watching Julian fall asleep did she get up.

She gently covered him with the quilt, her fingertips brushing his cheek, her cold, clear eyes overflowing with dark, indecipherable emotions.

"Julian, this time, I will absolutely not let anyone hurt you ever again."

In the last few days.

Julian found Shen Nanzhi acting strangely.

In the past, she would have preferred to stay by his side all day, barely making it to the office.

But lately, she had been busy from dawn till dusk.

Once, she was so exhausted that she was speaking one moment,

And the next, she was already asleep on the sofa.

Julian had asked the assistant if something had happened.

But having been warned in advance, the assistant always said with a sincere face that he should rest easy.

Until that day, when Julian went downstairs for water, he overheard the housekeepers chatting.

"I heard from the neighbor's nanny that Ms. Shen seems to have offended someone recently, and the company is having funding problems."

A buzzing sound filled Julian’s head, and his hand gripping the glass turned white.

Shen Nanzhi held a high position; not even in Country A, perhaps not even in the entire circle, were there many people who would dare go head-to-head with her.

Someone who could give her a headache was definitely no ordinary person.

Boom—

A crazy thought suddenly rose in his mind.

Vivian—it could only be her.

Remembering the increasingly exhausted look on Shen Nanzhi’s face and the late nights she returned home.

Guilt welled up uncontrollably in Julian’s heart.

This was a grudge between him and Vivian.

Shen Nanzhi had already helped him too much, and now she was being dragged into this because of him...

With this thought, Julian packed his luggage that afternoon, originally intending to say goodbye to her before leaving.

But looking at the text message that had just arrived: [Working overtime tonight, will be back late. Wait for me, I have something to tell you.]

He hesitated for a long time, deleting and retyping, and finally sent a "Okay."

I’m sorry, I lied to you again this time.

After doing this, he turned off his phone and dragged his suitcase directly to the airport.

But what he didn't expect was.