Rising from Betrayal

Chapter 010

She picked up her wine glass.

"Come on. Let's drink. Don't let him ruin the night."

The tension gradually faded.

The background music shifted to something livelier, the wine went into its third bottle, and the conversation found its flow again between laughter and old stories.

But Vivienne wasn't fully there.

Every few minutes, her eyes drifted to her phone on the table—screen dark, no notifications, no missed calls.

She had already made up her mind.

The moment Norman called, she'd hang up.

No matter how desperately he apologized or begged for forgiveness, she wouldn't give him the chance.

Hoverever, half an hour passed.

Then another.

Still nothing.

Her brows slowly knitted together.

Why hadn't he called yet?

What was that idiot actually thinking?!

That wasn’t like Norman.

Whenever they argued, he was always the first to give in. Always the first to apologize.

But tonight... there was nothing.

Enough.

Vivienne grabbed her phone, pressed Norman's name, and held it to her ear.

Just wait.

You went too far tonight, and I'm going to make you regret every word you said.

The call connected—

"The number you have dialed cannot be reached or is currently unavailable—"

Vivienne froze.

Unavailable?!

She called again.

Same result.

The blood rushed to Vivienne's face.

“Norman! You actually blocked my number?!”

Her fingers tightened around the phone until her knuckles turned white.

Rage flared through her, but after a few seconds, she forced herself to calm down.

Fine.

So Norman wanted to play this game, huh?

Let him!

He was probably pacing around the penthouse right now, pretending to be angry while secretly waiting for her to come home.

After all, when had Norman ever been able to stay angry with her for long?

She could already imagine the scene.

The moment she walked through the door, he would drop his pride, apologize, and beg her to forgive him.

A faint, contemptuous smile touched Vivienne's lips.

“We'll see how long you can keep this up.”

“Getting on your knees won't be enough this time.”

“I’ll make you slap yourself until your face swelled!”

What Vivienne didn't know was that Norman had already gone to bed.

Earlier that evening, he'd spent less than an hour reorganizing the company's plans for the next several months.

Projects that would fail...

He canceled.

Investments that would soar...

He secured ahead of everyone else.

Potential partners who would betray the company...

He crossed them off the list without hesitation.

With the memories of his previous life, every major market shift and business opportunity was already etched into his mind.

What would have taken months of trial and error had been settled in a single evening.

For Norman, building a business empire this time around was only a matter of following the roadmap he had already lived once.

And with the divorce finally within reach...

Sleep came easier than it had in years.

Meanwhile, the staff W******p group at Grand Corholt Tower was exploding.

Housekeeping Staff 40–42—a group that included all staff serving the top three penthouses on Floors 40-42.

Security_Bram: BREAKING NEWS! Mrs. Vivienne's belongings are being moved out tonight!

Three typing indicators popped up almost instantly.

Serena_41A: Wait... Seriously?? The REAL Mrs. Calloway?

Security_Bram: Yep. Mr. Calloway’s order. Her access card’s been revoked too.

Housekeeper_Vienna: Oh my. I thought it was just another one of their usual dramas.

Receptionist_Danis: Confirmed. Access card disabled. Parking privileges revoked. Mrs Walker is supervising everything herself.

Security_Bram: Looks like Mr. Calloway finally snapped.

The messages flooded in one after another.

Within minutes, nearly everyone on the staff had heard the news.

---

Meanwhile, the gathering at the Imperial Lounge finally began to wind down.

Camille had finally recovered from the shock of being cursed at over the phone.

She slid besided Vivienne with a knowing smile, giving a subtle nod toward Nathan.

"This is fate, Viv."

“Nathan finally came back from abroad. You really don’t want to waste a night like this, do you?”

Vivienne’s gaze drifted toward Nathan.

He was every bit as handsome as she remembered.

For a brief moment, her heart stirred furiously.

Then Norman's face flashed through her mind.

No.

At least, not tonight.

First... she had to deal with Norman!

The fact that he still hadn’t called or apologized irritated her far more than she wanted to admit.

Camille seemed to notice what was on Vivienne’s mind. “Don’t worry about Norman,” she said with a dismissive wave. “Give him a few hours, and he’ll come crawling back.”

One of the men at the table laughed, “Camille’s right. Everyone knows your husband can’t stay angry with you for long.”

“Exactly,” another man chimed in. “Viv, you’ve spoiled him too much over the years. He probably doesn’t even know how to live without you.”

Camille laughed, “If I were you, Viv, I’d make him wait until morning before I even gave him the chance to apologize.”

“Honestly, Norman is too lucky to have a wife like you.”

The words washed over Vivienne like warm water.

Her irritation gradually faded, replaced by a faint smile.

Of course.

Norman had spent years bending whenever she applied a little pressure. Tonight was no different.

He was probably standing by the window right now, watching the street like a lovesick puppy, practically wagging his tail as he waited for her to come home.

The thought made Vivienne feel much better.

She lifted her chin slightly.

Fine.

“If he wants to put on an act, let him.”

She picked up her wine glass and took a slow sip.

“I'll deal with him when I get home.”

The confidence in her voice drew another round of laughter and approving smiles from the table.

“That’s our Viv.”

“A man like Norman wouldn’t dare cross you twice.”

Vivienne’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.

She had already forgotten that Norman had blocked her number.

To her, it was nothing more than another childish attempt to make her anxious.

She would let him have his little victory tonight.