Chapter 4

Chloe stared at me in stark terror, her lips trembling so hard she couldn't form words.

"V-Vivienne... what are you talking about? I don't understand!"

I stood up from the sofa, never breaking eye contact. "You don't understand? Let me make it simpler."

I closed the distance between us, step by step.

"The powder you've been slipping into my broth every single day—what is it? And that unmarked bottle in your bag—what's in it?"

Chloe stumbled back in sheer panic until her spine hit the wall. She had nowhere left to run.

"I didn't! Vivienne, you've got it all wrong! Why would I ever hurt you?!"

"Is that so?" I let out a low sneer, pulling out the tissue containing the two capsules and unfurling it right before her eyes.

"Are these yours, or not?"

The moment she saw the pills, Chloe completely shattered.

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the hardwood floor, her eyes hollow with dread.

"It wasn't me! It was Julian! He told me to do it!"

"He said if we made you compliant, we could take over all the trusts and run away to Europe together!"

Without a shred of loyalty, she threw Julian under the bus.

I looked down at her sniveling form, my eyes void of any warmth.

"Good girl."

Right on cue, the front door lock clicked open. Julian walked in holding a sleek leather document folder, looking triumphant and refreshed.

The moment he spotted Chloe sobbing on the floor and me standing tall over her, his grin froze solid.

"Vivienne? Chloe? What's going on here?"

As if spotting her savior, Chloe scrambled across the floor, clinging desperately to the hem of Julian's trousers.

"Julian! Save me! She knows... she knows everything!"

Julian's pupils shrank to pinpricks. He stared at me in utter disbelief, his eyes darting between shock and scrutiny.

He regained his composure with terrifying speed, kicked Chloe away, and strode toward me with that practiced mask of gentle devotion.

"Vivienne, sweetheart, let me explain."

"Chloe is talking nonsense. Why would I ever hurt you? I love you!"

He reached his hands out to grab my shoulders.

I stepped back smoothly, dodging his touch, my expression carved out of solid ice.

"Love me? Is faking my medical reports an act of love?"

"Is having your little mistress drug me into early-onset dementia your idea of devotion?"

"Julian Vance, your love is truly one of a kind."

Every drop of color drained from Julian's face. The shock warped into raw, vicious hatred. He knew the charade was over.

"Vivienne Shen... how long have you known?" His voice was raspy, stripped of all disguise.

"From the very first second you took me for a fool," I replied evenly.

He suddenly burst into a menacing laugh, casting all restraint aside:

"So what if you found out? Do you have proof? You think your word alone holds up in court?"

He waved the folder in the air. "Even if you know, you're signing this trust transfer today. Whether you want to or not!"

"Oh, really?" My voice remained chillingly calm, completely devoid of the sickly fear he was accustomed to.

I stared right through him.

"All you ever wanted was my family's fortune, wasn't it?"

Before Julian could react, I snatched the remote control resting under the coffee table.

"Before I sign anything, why don't we enjoy a little entertainment first?"

As Julian gaped, the large oil painting motorized upward, unveiling the pristine projector screen behind it.

"Julian. Chloe. Before the ink hits the paper, let's take a look at something interesting, shall we?"

I pressed the button. The projector hummed to life, beaming a sharp ray of light across the room.

The first slide displayed an ultra-high-resolution scan of the forged diagnosis from Westside Health Center.

Right beside it was an official certification from Metro General Hospital, signed by the Chief of Hematology, declaring the previous report an outright mathematical and clinical impossibility.

Julian and Chloe's faces turned as pale as fresh ash.

And this was only the opening act.