CHAPTER 51 The Slap of SilenceThe restaurant had gold lighting all around it, and with low jazz, the kind of place where reputations were traded more delicately than wine. Vivian Holt entered with practiced grace, just like she had always done before. Her smile was measured, chin lifted, and shoulders perfectly aligned. Lucas was “handling urgent matters,” which meant she had arrived alone.That, in itself, felt dangerous. Celeste slid into the seat beside her, her perfume loud, her laughter even louder than that. “Relax,” she whispered. “Half these women are faking happiness anyway.”Vivian gave a little smile to cover up. Across the long table sat Richard Dane....once an enthusiastic ally, once eager to associate his investments with Lucas’s so-called unstoppable expansion.When the appetizers arrived, Richard stood to make a toast. “To stability,” he began smoothly. “And to… carefully chosen affiliations.”A few polite chuckles circled the table, and Vivian’s glass paused midair

Chapter 53The Arrival of Iris Nolan Vivian froze instantly at the sight of Iris, the very person she detests so much. For half a second, the whole world remained at a stand still, as she believed her eyes were playing tricks on her. Iris on the other hand looked rather very composed, with soft beige coat, her soft hair falling loosely over her shoulders in a carefree abandon, her confidence wasn't forced, and at same time, worn quietly. She looked nothing close to the publically disgraced woman Vivian had mocked months ag.Adrian looked up immediately, as if her scent had helped in drawing her close to him. He was able to recognize her the very second he set his eyes on her, and that made his entire posture changed, making Vivian almost run mad. “Iris?” He called her name like he had memorizd it for years, and waiting for the day he would show the world how much of her he missed. His voice carried so much warmth that Vivian feared there might be er be any room for her. It was too

CHAPTER 55 Iris’ Past ReturnsThe message had arrived very late in the night, with no formalities exchanged, or name attached to it. It had only one subject addressing it: You deserve to know the truth.Iris was now seated at the dining table in the penthouse, after an impromptu date with Adrian during the day, though she kind of liked it. Even though the date went well, and too short, she didn't want to invest her time thinking about it, so her laptop was open before her, as she reviewed the different feedback from her recent consulting session. She also promised Adrain a proper date, but that would be after taking care of some things. While still working, dhe almost ignored the email that entered, kind of interrupting her flow. Julian on the other hand hadn't also retired for the night, as he was across the room, silent as usual nothing new, and busy reading through documents on his tablet. While on his business, he suddenly noticed the moment her breathing changed.“Is something

Chapter 57Lost PeaceThen Julian replied, "I want you to understand something very important. When you learn about the person in charge of everything, there would be no going back to peace.""There's no need holding anything back from me because I already lost peace a long time ago," Iris said with a chuckle.That statement made Julian's face turn cold for the first time before Iris. It wasn't out of rage of everything that had been happening, but his resolve to protect her even more. As everywhere remained silent, his phone suddenly started vibrating, getting his attention back. On checking the screen, he discovered that it was Nathan, but surprisingly, he ignored it. To him, Iris was the only thing that mattered to him at that moment. Iris suddenly noticed his change of attitude, then decided to move closer to him, maybe she could make him spill all he knew about her downfall. "Tell me everything you know," she requested. Julian stared down at her, his eyes glued intensively on

Chapter 59 He almost shattered it on the floor when the door suddenly opened.And Vivian stepped in. Immediately, he froze because he was caught off guard. He wasn't expecting anyone to be around, let alone Vivian been the one to meet him in such condition. He hates to be vulnerable around people, especially those he's pretending to be unbreakable to. To him, it was more like someone had just pressed the violent button in a movie scene. Gradually, his fingers relaxed as he tried to accept the reality of Vivian catching him in such state. He tried to retreat the monster which he just demonstrated behind a mask of his perfect smile, but it looked more like an impossible act. In a split second, Vivian had already taken mental note of the disaster before her. From the shattered glasses on the floor, to the documents shredded in pieces, even dorn to the broken screen that screamed for mercy. "Who exactly are you becoming?" She asked him the moment she found her voice. Lucas stood the