Chapter 3

I stared at him with pure ridicule. The sheer absurdity was almost comical.

He had the audacity to claim he looked down on me? To say I only stood here because of my family's backing?

If it weren't for the Stone family injecting billions into their liquidity pool, Tristan wouldn't even have a secure seat on his own board of directors!

I held my head high, meeting his furious gaze unflinchingly. "Our marriage was strictly business from day one. By pulling this sickening display in front of our peers, you haven't just humiliated me—you've dragged the Lu family name through the gutter!"

"If you and Vivian were so deeply in love, why didn't you have the spine to call off the engagement months ago? You wanted the Stone family's billions, but you also wanted to play house with your little mistress. Tristan, did you really think you could have your cake and eat it too?"

I turned my piercing glare onto Vivian, my tone cutting like ice. "And you, Miss Lin! You knew you were pregnant. You had dozens of private chances to tell him, yet you stayed silent."

"You deliberately chose his wedding day, in front of the city's entire high society, to stage your little tragedy. Do you dare look these people in the eye and say you didn't plan every single second of this?"

Vivian wailed defensively, "I didn't plan it! I swear! I just... I heard colleagues at the office saying that Miss Stone has a ruthless temper, and that the moment she married in, she'd fire every female staff member close to Mr. Lu. I was terrified of losing my job and my baby... I just panicked..."

Tristan glared at me, his eyes murderous. "Victoria, you vicious woman! You haven't even walked down the aisle and you're already plotting to purge my staff? You want to cut off my closest allies?"

I burst into dry, mocking laughter. "Tristan, did you leave your brain in bed this morning? She feeds you a line and you swallow it whole? 'Colleagues'? Which colleagues? What are their names? Where did they say this?"

"My executive team stepped foot into the Lu headquarters for the first time this morning. They don't even know where the restrooms are yet, let alone have time to spread office gossip. Did you think my professionals behave like your undisciplined pet?"

I stepped closer to Vivian, pinning her down with my gaze. "Miss Lin, why don't you call this 'colleague' in right now? Let's have a little confrontation so I can clear my name."

Vivian's face flushed crimson. She stammered, completely cornered, before whispering weakly, "I... maybe I misheard..."

The guests exchanged knowing glances. Nobody in this room was stupid; such a cheap, transparent trick was pathetic to watch.

Disdainful murmurs rippled through the suite.

"Just a desperate mistress trying to use a pregnancy to trap an heir."

"Crashing a high-stakes wedding like this, assuming the Stones would eat the insult just to save face. Cheap move."

"Miss Stone is handling this with way more class than I would."

In the middle of the chaos, a middle-aged woman rushed into the room and dropped straight to her knees.

It was Martha, the Lu family's longtime housekeeper and Vivian's mother.

"Miss Stone, please forgive my Vivian! For the sake of all the years I've served the Lu family, please spare her!"

"If the Dowager Mrs. Lu finds out about this, Vivian won't survive!"

Tristan immediately reached down to haul her up. "Martha, get up right now!"

He spun on me, his voice trembling with outrage. "You're supposed to be my wife, yet you stand there and let the woman who raised me kneel at your feet! Is this the prestigious Stone family upbringing?"

"Vivian and I love each other! You used your family's leverage to force me into this wedding, and I accepted it! But you can't even tolerate another woman. A petty, jealous shrew like you could never be the lady of the Lu household!"

"I am the heir to the Lu empire! It's normal for a man in my position to have women on the side! If you can't stomach that, get the hell out!"

Tristan and Vivian stood with their hands tightly intertwined, playing the role of tragic lovers torn apart by cruel reality.

I looked at them, took a slow step backward, and slipped off the massive five-carat diamond ring.

"Since Mr. Lu is so fiercely devoted, how could I possibly be cruel enough to tear you two apart?"