Chapter 108

Brandon remained silent, his hands steady on the wheel as he drove Vivian back.

He kept asking himself-was he beginning to lose sight of who Vivian really was?

Vivian said nothing either.

Ever since she started tapping into the Watson Group's entertainment resources, things had changed.Some outcomes were unavoidable now.

This time, with mysterious forces moving behind the scenes to help Serena and that Johnny's team couldn't handle alone, she'd gone back to the Watson Group.

But she had been smarter about it.

She'd learned from last time. This time, she drew lines -clear ones.

She only used the Watson Group's power to clean up rumors about herself and to expose Serena's miscarriage.

The messier things-the accusations about sex-for-power and donation fraud-were left to Johnny's team to deal with, all quietly.

So when Brandon received updates, all he saw were the basics: Vivian using his people to shut down false claims and retaliating a little by revealing Serena's miscarriage.

Everything else was just suspicion-no proof, unless she confessed.

The drive stretched on in silence.

Finally, as the car slowed in front of the floral studio,Vivian turned to speak.

"Brandon, I know you're not happy about what I'm doing," she said softly,"but I don't want to lie to you.If I wanted to do this behind your back, I could've gone to Oakley. He'd jump at the chance to destroy Charles. But instead, I chose to show you this version of me."

She looked straight at him

His eyes were dark. She couldn't tell what was behind them.

"She came at me too hard. I had to fight back. And all I did was tell the truth. She did have a miscarriage- ten days before the first live show. I didn't make it up."Vivian's voice wavered, her eyes growing red. "Maybe you'll be disappointed in me. But I think honesty matters. It should count for something."

Tears fell, streaking down her cheeks. "Just like..." she whispered, "just like I know Millie is still in your heart We can't pretend these things don't exist. So let's not."

Brandon watched her cry, unsure how to feel.

He knew people weren't simple. They were layered.

Millie had stood beside him for years, and even with her,he had never believed she was entirely innocent of strategy.

And he didn't want her to be. He liked that she could think for herself, act when needed, and take hold of power when the moment demanded it.

He wanted her to be strong enough to survive, even if he wasn't there someday.

But still,he believed in limits.

There had to be a line. Something that separated defense from cruelty. That line was what made trust possible.

So was Vivian really merely revealing Serena's miscarriage, or did she do more?

As if reading his silence, Vivian continued, "Brandon, I know wwhat you're thinking. But I didn't do those other things. I swear. If I'm lying, I'll get hit by a car the moment I step out of here." Her voice trembled. "I'm not the only one who wants to bring Serena and Charles down. Last time-it was Oakley. Not me." She paused, looking at him with eyes that tried to seem calm.

"If you don't believe me," she said, trying to sound indifferent, "then go. Go back to Millie. She'll be happy. I won't be around for long, so you don't have to think about me."

Her voice cracked, but she kept going. "I was just defending myself. I didn't do anything wrong.Someone else would've exposed her miscarriage anyway even if I hadn't stepped in. I'm not doing this just for me. I'm doing it for all those who've believed in me. I have my own needs, Brandon. My own goals."

Brandon frowned. Her tears were steady now.

A dull headache was already forming at his temples.

Eugene's investigation had confirmed that Vivian had only pushed back against the rumors and exposed Serena's miscarriage.

But still, something didn't sit right.

Was he overthinking things?

He didn't know.

As Vivian kept crying, Brandon simply said,"Go get some rest. You're not feeling well."

...

Meanwhile,Charles had taken Millie to Sheridan's place.

Everyone was already there,waiting.

"What do we do now?" one of them asked. They all knew who Serena really was. And they all knew what was at stake.

Only three days left. Then the divorce could be finalized.

If Serena's identity as Millie came out now,would that ruin everything?

Everyone in this room knew Millie wanted out. She was serious about the divorce. But if the truth came out too soon, it could block the process.

Worse, if Vivian found out who Serena really was, no one could predict what she'd do next.

Charles' phone buzzed again.

Millie saw the screen-calls from nearly every investor tied to the show.

Charles didn't pick up. He didn't dare to.

More notifications followed. Messages, one after another.

Millie leaned closer and saw the same thing over and over-demands that Serena be taken off the show.

The pressure on Charles was piling up fast.

The donation fraud rumors had exploded, and the fallout was already affecting the show.

None of the investors wanted to take risks. If things got worse, they'd pull out completely before the entire program would collapse.

Charles rubbed his forehead. His head was throbbing.He flashed his phone at Millie briefly, and then slipped it back into his pocket.

They needed to come up with a plan. And fast. 1

"Let's not rush," Millie said.

She had been thinking on the ride over.

"The next livestream is the final one. If everything stays on track, I'll have the divorce decree before it Everyone nodded.

"So for now," she said,looking around the room,stall. That's the strategy. Keep my position. Don't let them disqualify me. Keep the program running. Once the divorce comes through, we'll have more control."

They all nodded again-but quietly. No one spoke.

There were too many unknowns.

Would the divorce really go through without issue?And how long could they hold things off?

Charles knew Serena's real identity. But the other investors didn't-and they couldn't be told.How could they fix this without revealing the truth?

The tension in the living room hung heavy.

What had started as trivial had now turned into something serious, something dangerous.

They all sat with it.

Then Millie's phone vibrated.

She looked down. A call-Serena's line.

"Who is it?" Alexia asked quickly. Millie shook her head. "I don't know."

"You think someone leaked your info? Maybe it's another attack," Alexia said, her voice tense. She'd seen too much of that in the industry.

Seville nodded in agreement. He had seen the same.

"Can you set up a blocker for Millie's phone?" Seville asked Sheridan.

Sheridan was already reaching for his laptop.

Millie stared at her phone. She didn't answer.

The call ended on its own. Then two messages appeared on the screen.