Chapter 10

The investigative findings and recovered chat data were delivered to Julian’s house the next day.

He had bought identical replacements for all of Vivian’s former belongings, placing them back in their original spots. Each time he returned, he felt a fleeting illusion that Vivian was still there.

But gone was gone. Without Vivian, the entire villa was lifeless and somber, as if it had lost all its vitality.

Julian had to do a lot of mental preparation before finally gathering the courage to open the file.

The latest entry was a video Serena had secretly filmed on the day Vivian left, showing them lightly kissing at the piano.

It also contained accompanying text.

“You probably don’t know this, but this is Julian’s favorite place. I won’t film what happens next; I’m afraid you can’t handle it.”

“Do you think acting dumb all this time is interesting? How does it feel to be a mistress who knows she’s a mistress? Anyway, you’ll be a mistress in the shadows your entire life. If you’re really desperate, beg me, and I’ll ask Julian to visit you a few more times, okay?”

Scrolling further up, more mockery assailed him, filled with countless intimate photos and videos of them.

And her SnapChat was filled with countless posts flaunting their affection, all set to be visible only to Vivian.

Julian was consumed by towering rage.

But when he opened the folder and saw its contents, the angry expression on his face froze, and all the blood in his body seemed to solidify.

The ruffians at the auction? Serena had hired them herself!

But that day, he had pushed Vivian to the ground, ignored her bleeding forehead, and even forced her to drink alcohol she couldn't tolerate.

He remembered her sorrowful eyes that day, and her soft laugh after hearing his passionate arguments.

Julian’s heart gave a violent lurch. The next instant, it felt as if it had been brutally torn open, causing him to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.

“Bring Serena here!”

His voice was so dark it could drip acid.

Soon, Serena was shoved into the room. Seeing the scattered pictures on the floor, she quickly understood, her face turning ashen.

She knelt, crawling towards Julian’s feet.

“Julian, I’m sorry. I did things I shouldn’t have, but it was all because I love you! It’s precisely because I love you that I spoke those words without thinking. But ultimately, it was only because I wanted to stand by your side legitimately, Julian!”

Julian let out a cold laugh, gripping Serena’s jaw tightly, hard enough to leave a bruise on her face.

“I told you more than once that you weren’t allowed to mention my help to Vivian. Did you not understand?”

“Now that she’s been driven away by you, you must face the consequences!”

With that, he coldly flung Serena’s body away.

But Serena, her eyes red, crawled back to him, her voice trembling.

“Julian, I’m carrying your child! For the baby’s sake, please spare me, okay?”

The man in front of her didn't even spare her a glance.

“Of course, I know you’re pregnant. But so what? It’s just a child. I can have as many as I want. What right do you have to bear my child?”

“Moreover, getting rid of the one in your belly now will make it easier for you to carry that man’s child, won’t it?”

### Chapter 20

Hearing that, Serena completely panicked.

She frantically protected her stomach.

The Serena family was no longer what it once was, constantly on the verge of bankruptcy. If she couldn’t keep the child, she would have no way to secure her position as Mrs. Albright.

She might even be sent to that old pervert, to be toyed with by such an old creep!

Her face was ashen. She instinctively snatched her phone, wanting to call Mrs. Albright.

Mrs. Albright valued children above all else; if she knew Serena was pregnant, she would definitely find a way to protect her!

He kicked away her phone, which was about to connect, stood up, and used the tip of his shoe to lift Serena’s chin, saying coldly.

“Go quietly get rid of the child. I’ve already completed the divorce procedures; whether you agree or not is irrelevant. Don’t think about any more of your schemes.”

“When I find Vivian, you’d better sincerely apologize to her. If she’s willing to forgive you, I might leave you a way out.”

He gave Serena no chance to refuse.

In front of him, she would always be the one begging for favor.

Serena collapsed to the floor, utterly undignified, but still desperately clutching her abdomen.

As long as the child could be born safely, her future life wouldn't be too affected.

However, Julian wasn't going to give her that chance.

He had already done too many things to betray Vivian. If this child remained, he and Vivian would have no chance at all!

Julian’s face suddenly turned ruthless. He directly ordered his bodyguards to drag Serena to the hospital.

Serena tried to struggle and resist countless times, crying and begging for mercy, but she was still no match for the bodyguards. She was ultimately pinned down on the cold operating table.

As the anesthetic flowed into her veins, she gradually lost control of her limbs, and her eyelids involuntarily closed.

When she woke up again, her lower abdomen felt utterly hollow; it had once been her only hope.

The anesthetic in her abdomen began to wear off, and excruciating pain racked her body, making even a slight movement incredibly difficult.

Tears streamed down her eyes.

The child was gone. Her future reliance was completely severed!

Julian, meanwhile, returned to the nightclub he frequented, angrily downing drinks in a private room.

He hadn't had a good night's sleep in what felt like ages.

The lingering scent of Vivian in his home grew fainter and fainter; he could barely tell that Vivian had once lived in that villa for so long.

He didn't dare to go back, only escaping to this place, drinking bottle after bottle.

“I’m sorry, Vivian… You don’t like me drinking, do you? Come out and stop me… Vivian.”

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.

He didn't bother to respond. Besides him, only his closest friends knew about this private room, but he hadn't told them he was here today. So, the knocker must have the wrong room.

But the knocking continued relentlessly. Seeing he wasn't answering, they even pushed the door open and walked in.

“Get out of…”

His harsh words were cut short. He looked up, staring blankly at the girl pushing a cart of drinks and snacks at the doorway.

“Hello, did someone here order drinks?”

The familiar voice rang in his ears, and his eyes instantly reddened significantly.

“V-Vivian?”

### Chapter 21

The young woman in front of him, however, took two steps back, her brow slightly furrowed, as if confused.

“Who are you calling?”

The similar expression and movements, the almost identical face and voice—for a moment, he truly believed the girl standing before him was Vivian.

But her perplexed eyes showed she wasn’t.

The girl in front of him was younger, seemingly not even twenty, more like Vivian in her university days.

He restrained the urge to pull her into his arms, his voice trembling.

“What’s your name?”

The girl seemed startled, taking two steps back.

“I’m sorry, I think I have the wrong room.”

With that, she turned to leave, but Julian grabbed her arm.

His hand was still trembling, and warm tears streamed down his face, dripping onto the back of the girl’s hand.

The girl hesitated, stopped, and rummaged through her cart, finding a tissue to hand him.

“A-Are you okay? You should wipe your face.”

When he looked up again, Julian’s eyes had regained their clarity. He looked at the girl in front of him with a complex expression.

“Are you working here? Quit. Stay with me. I’ll give you ten times the salary.”

The girl, however, recoiled two steps, abruptly shaking off his hand.

“What kind of person do you take me for?!”

Seemingly extremely angry, she didn’t linger this time, pushing her cart and quickly leaving.

Julian was left standing there, staring blankly at the girl’s hastily retreating back.

Too similar. His heart hammered. His rational mind screamed at him not to pursue this girl—if Vivian found out, any possibility of them reuniting would be completely destroyed. But a voice kept echoing in his head.

*I won’t do anything to this girl. I just want to look at her face. It’s okay. Once Vivian is back, I’ll find a way to send this girl away, ensuring she never appears before Vivian again.*

Finally, that voice in his head gradually overpowered his reason.

He pulled out his phone and called the owner of the club.

Less than half an hour later, the girl's information was laid before him.

Her name was Iris. She was a university student. Her only living relative had suddenly fallen seriously ill, leaving her no choice but to work here. Because the pay was generally higher here, she occasionally received tips.

She hadn’t been here long and was only doing simple tasks like serving drinks.

“Bring her to me.”

Julian’s voice was low. He stared at Iris’s photo in his hand, his gaze distant, as if looking through her at someone else.

Soon, the girl stood before him again.

She looked at him timidly, a cautious expression he had never seen on Vivian’s face.

“Don’t look at me like that. I won’t bite.”

Julian’s tone involuntarily carried a hint of impatience.

“Stay with me. I’ll cover all your mother’s medical expenses. The only condition is that all your clothes and appearance must be chosen by me.”

Iris seemed flustered and helpless. The bodyguard behind her blocked her escape route. She could only look up at the man standing before her.

“What do I need to do?”

Looking at the face that was eighty percent similar to Vivian’s, he lost himself in thought again.

“You don’t have to do anything. Just stay with me.”

“I’ll take care of everything for you. Just do as I say.”

“And the first thing is…”

“Promise me you won’t leave me again, Vivian.”

### Chapter 22

After bringing Iris by his side, he seemed to mention Vivian less and less. He even allowed Iris to become increasingly audacious, to the point where she began updating her daily life with Julian online.

The story of the powerful CEO rescuing a helpless girl trapped in a nightclub quickly made her account explode in popularity.

Her latest post was even about Julian meticulously preparing a birthday banquet for her, and proposing to her publicly at the event.

The proposal video uploaded, her short video account exploded in popularity again. In just two months, she had already become one of the top influencers with tens of millions of followers.

The end of the video mentioned their wedding happening in half a month, stating that it would be live-streamed.

Time flew by. Half a month passed quickly. He didn't rush the wedding despite the short timeframe; the entire ceremony was exceptionally luxurious, even inviting many independent media outlets for simultaneous live streaming.

The event even made it to the trending topics, ranking first and staying there.

At noon, the wedding officially began.

All the procedures followed the rehearsal until the officiant asked, “Mr. Julian Albright, do you take this woman to be your wife? Do you promise to stay by her side forever, through wealth and poverty, in sickness and in health?”

Julian offered a smile, but his voice was cold as ice.

“I do not.”

Iris’s eyes widened in disbelief. She rushed forward and grabbed Julian’s hand.

“Julian, are you, are you joking?”

Julian, however, shook off the woman’s hand. He watched Iris stumble and fall to the ground due to her high heels, then looked down at her.

“What right do you have? To marry me? Don’t think I don’t know who sent you.”

Iris was instantly speechless.

Julian, however, was remarkably calm, signaling for all the live cameras to continue rolling.

The live stream chat had already exploded, countless people flooding in to watch the spectacle. The comments were flooded with exclamation marks and question marks.

“This woman is a friend—no, I should say, an opponent—who was sent by a friend of mine, found to resemble my beloved. I pretended to fall for it, secretly encouraged her to create an account, and continuously boosted her reach, all for today’s live stream.”

“Vivian, I truly know I was wrong. I will only have you as my wife in this lifetime.”

“No matter where you are, no matter what you’re doing, I will definitely, definitely find you.”

“You promised me you would stay by my side forever.”

“To anyone in the live audience, if you know where Vivian is now and can provide relevant information, I am willing to offer a generous reward. Thank you.”

Behind him, the large screen that had been showing videos of him and Iris suddenly flickered, then changed to a photo of Vivian.

The next second, the live stream was abruptly cut off.

Mrs. Albright stood below the stage, her face ashen, hanging up her phone.

She was the one who had ordered the live stream cut off. Looking at the man on stage, his eyes filled with a manic desperation, she felt only disappointment.

The farce ended. Iris was forcibly dragged away, while Julian, surrounded by his friends, got into a car.

“Julian, why did you have to pull a stunt like this? There are many ways to find Vivian. This move has made your mother furious.”

Julian, however, leaned back in the seat, smiling as he looked at the many trending topics related to him on his phone. A long-lost smile appeared on his face.

“Only this way can more people see it. Netizens will also help me find Vivian. As long as she comes back, nothing else matters to me.”

### Chapter 23

Vivian was about to wash up and go to bed. She had just finished blow-drying her hair when a forceful knock sounded at her door.

Vivian was a little stunned and instinctively opened the door.

Chloe stood there, her lips pressed tightly together, her expression unusually serious.

“Vivian, I think you’re trending in your home country.”

With that, she handed her phone to Vivian. The top trending topics all bore Julian’s name, and one of them read: #JulianAlbright'sDeepConfession:VivianWhereAreYou#.

The news was plastered with Vivian's photos, but so far, no one had revealed Vivian's current location.

Vivian’s expression froze.

She took the phone, somewhat bewildered, and carefully examined the trending topics, her brow furrowed.

Chloe didn’t press her, only looking at Vivian with some concern.

Vivian, however, didn’t have much of a reaction. She just sighed softly and acknowledged it.

“It’s true. Julian is my ex. After we broke up, I left the country.”

At this sudden piece of gossip, the room fell silent for a moment. Chloe spoke after a long pause, in shock.

“Huh? If you broke up, why is he making such a big deal? Won’t this cause you trouble?”

Vivian rubbed her temples, a little helpless.

“It causes some trouble, yes. But I’m overseas, and his family, for certain reasons, can’t leave the country, so it won’t have too much of an impact.”

Chloe’s expression, however, grew serious.

“Still, it’s better to be careful. He seems so extreme. Someone at your company might recognize you later. Vivian, maybe you should wear a hat or something when you go out these days.”

Looking at Chloe, who was genuinely worried about her, Vivian’s heart softened. She took Chloe’s hand and patted it gently.

“It’s okay. He can’t leave the country anyway.”

Chloe was clearly still worried. She nodded sullenly, even digging out her own hat.

“Wear this when you go out. It can cover you up and protect you from the sun.”

Vivian took it, wanting to lighten the mood, and joked with her.

“It’s just an ex-boyfriend, no need to be so nervous.”

“Julian acting so crazy on such an important occasion, he clearly has something wrong with his head. I’ve read a lot of news stories about ex-boyfriends who, driven by love turning to hate, do all sorts of extreme things. Vivian, I’m genuinely worried he might latch onto you and something bad will happen.”

Hearing such concern from a girl she had only known for a few months, Vivian’s heart softened. She took Chloe’s hand and gently patted it.

“I was with him for many years. Even though he did many things that hurt me, he shouldn’t be that extreme, and he won’t hurt me. Don’t worry.”

Though she said this with a smile, Chloe remembered Vivian’s silence when they talked about ex-boyfriends a few days ago, and could vaguely guess that this relationship had caused her significant pain.

Chloe didn’t know how to comfort her. Racking her brains, she could only come up with a few words.

“It will pass, Vivian. You’ve already climbed out of that mud. Just look forward.”

“And we’re here with you! I have many classmates. If he dares to cause trouble, I’ll get them and me to protect you!”

Looking at her determined eyes, Vivian’s inner anxiety slowly dissipated.

She chuckled.

“Okay, thank you, Chloe.”

She had survived those difficult times.

Now, she was living abroad, surrounded by friends who were willing to protect her. What else was there to worry about?

### Chapter 24

Online, the talk about Julian’s obsession grew, with some aggressive netizens even starting to curse Vivian, believing her to be ungrateful.

This continued until the friend Julian had been relentlessly targeting, now on the verge of bankruptcy, began furiously leaking all the inside information he knew.

“Vivian is a truly wonderful girl. When Julian went blind for his ex-girlfriend, it was Vivian who stayed by his side, helping him out of his despair, and even successfully waited until he regained his sight.”

“But after he recovered, Mrs. Albright’s attitude suddenly changed. She looked down on Vivian in every way, yet Julian protected Vivian, and they seemed quite in love.”

“Sadly, Serena came back—that ex-girlfriend of Julian’s. She shed a couple of tears, and Julian, completely brainless, married her, even trying to keep it from Vivian.”

“During that time, Serena framed Vivian in every possible way, while the man you all call ‘deeply devoted’ protected Serena, tormenting Vivian endlessly. This is precisely what drove her away, making her disappear without a trace.”

“You netizens are foolish, believing whatever people say. Do you really think he’s so devoted? Devoted enough to marry someone else, devoted enough to get someone else pregnant, then, when things escalated, he aborted the child and personally sent his ex-girlfriend to an old pervert’s bed.”

“If you love this kind of man so much, I wish you all find ‘true love’ like Julian Albright!”

At this, Julian’s carefully constructed image utterly shattered. Although the Albright family was quick to pull the trending topics, netizens’ speed and ability to change their minds were even faster.

He was just about to get some information about Vivian, but because of this incident, everyone who had intended to tell him her whereabouts cursed him out and blocked him. Julian went mad, becoming even more aggressive towards his former friend, who was now an enemy, even driving him to bankruptcy and massive debt.

Perhaps having completely lost hope, one day, as Julian drove out, his former friend, having acquired a van from somewhere, slammed on the accelerator and crashed into him.

The van was so dilapidated that its front was completely demolished, and the friend died instantly at the scene. Julian’s car, due to its superior safety features, meant he wasn’t in immediate danger, but his body suffered immense damage, with organs rapidly deteriorating. His eyes, too, were permanently blinded by the impact, with no hope of ever recovering his sight.

When Julian woke up, everything was pitch black.

He tried to stand, but his whole body felt light and airy, weak and powerless, as if he had fallen into a cloud.

“What’s going on? What happened to me?”

Having lost his sight again, he felt utterly terrified. The darkness combined with his past nightmares. He called Vivian’s name, his voice trembling non-stop.

But no one answered. Only a bodyguard, utterly fed up with the noise, threw out a comment.

“Stop yelling! You still think you’re a big shot? Mrs. Albright said you just need to stay alive. If you can’t handle it, then go kill yourself, just don’t show your face in public.”

His voice was hoarse.

“What do you mean?”

The bodyguard was about to answer, but footsteps approached the door, followed by Serena’s mocking voice in his ear.

“You’re blind now. You’ll never recover. Don’t you know what that means in your circles?”

“Mrs. Albright rescued me from that pervert, and told me to stay and take care of you.”

“After all, you’re still her son…”

He couldn’t see the woman’s expression in front of him, only feel her slowly approaching, then reaching out and pinching his chin, with the same force he had used on her when he learned the truth.

“Julian, how wonderful. Trash like us, we should go to hell together.”

His response was a pained grunt.

### Chapter 25

The next two New Years, Vivian also spent in Australia.

Every year, Chloe’s parents would come to celebrate, and Chloe would invite Vivian to join her and her family.

After spending time together, their personalities and values aligned well, and their bond gradually deepened.

That year, Chloe’s family had already relocated all their business operations to Melbourne and planned to settle there. Chloe even pressed Vivian about her intentions to stay.

Vivian had considered this question for a long time.

Her few close friends back home had all married and started their own families, and her parents and relatives had passed away years ago. She was alone, without any property or assets.

From both a personal and professional standpoint, she was more inclined to stay.

Her career was also thriving. She had even saved enough money to buy a house with her own funds. Earlier, she had considered returning the money Mrs. Albright gave her, but Chloe stopped her.

The girl poked her angrily.

“Are you crazy? You poured your heart and soul into taking care of a blind man for so long. All of this is what you deserve. Why would you give it back?”

After that, she never brought up the matter again and began preparing her immigration documents.

During this time, Chloe’s family helped her immensely, allowing her to overcome various challenges.

With sufficient funds and a strong business acumen, she turned down a promotion opportunity from her boss and opened her own studio.

Over the next two years, the studio’s scale continuously expanded, gradually gaining a foothold.

Four years later, Vivian successfully met the immigration requirements and obtained her permanent residency.

When she returned to her home country to complete the formalities, she met up with friends she hadn’t seen in a long time.

Years had passed, and time had flown by, leaving its marks; none of them were still the carefree youths they once were.

Everyone’s primary concern, undoubtedly, was her relationship status.

Facing their gossipy enthusiasm, Vivian was very open and honest.

“I dated someone two years ago, but we broke up due to personality differences. Now, we’re more like business partners. My current boyfriend, we got together at the beginning of this year. He’s two years younger than me, a student at Melbourne University, but he has a very mature personality…”

A radiant aura of happiness shone on her face as she recounted her daily love life, sharing photos and videos with everyone.

Looking at the affectionate couple on the screen, everyone showed expressions of relief and contentment.

They chatted for a while longer, when someone suddenly brought up Julian.

“Hey, have you heard? Julian Albright seems to be in a really bad way.”

Hearing this, my heart gave a tiny jolt, and I subconsciously looked up.

Over the years, I had been busy with work and adapting to my new environment, rarely inquiring about things back home. Chloe might have known something, but out of concern for me, she never brought it up.

Although I occasionally chatted with my friend about old times, that period always felt shrouded in mist, not quite clear.

And the name Julian felt like a faded old photograph, bearing a yellowed, antiquated feel.

I thought he would slowly let go of that relationship, move on, and live his own life.

But unexpectedly, he seemed to have led a miserable life, now even clinging to life by a thread?

The atmosphere in the room went cold for a moment. A few people cautiously observed Vivian’s emotions.

Seeing only shock on her face, everyone’s worries eased, and they relaxed into conversation.

“I heard about that too, Vivian. But you said you didn’t want to know anything about him, so I never brought it up. After all, it’s a sad story.”

“Sad story, my foot! He reaped what he sowed. He treated Vivian so badly for Serena, then started acting crazy later on, and ended up being crashed into by his friend, losing his sight completely. He’s completely useless. Mrs. Albright, I don’t know what she was thinking, but she actually made Serena go take care of him. Anyway, he’s been kept alive by a thread, but he’s also been tormented quite a bit.”

So much time had passed that I couldn’t even remember that woman’s name for a moment. Hearing Serena’s name again, I was briefly stunned.

Hearing that the two people who had completely altered the course of my life ended up with such a fate, I felt a degree of melancholy.

Even if I was momentarily lost in thought, it was only for a brief second.

My phone in my pocket vibrated.

I snapped back to reality, pulled out my phone. It was Chloe calling.

“Vivian, when are you coming back? My mom made your favorite jam. I’ll bring you two jars when you’re back.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Everything from the past was gradually becoming blurry and indistinct. I stared out the window, the sun shining brightly, just as it had on the day I left.

When Julian woke up again, everything around him was a blurry white expanse, and his nostrils were filled with the strong smell of disinfectant.

The side effects of the alcohol still lingered, his head felt heavy and foggy, and his entire stomach felt a dull, sour ache.

He stared blankly at his surroundings, the blurry scene gradually coming into focus.