Chapter 111

Brandon closed his eyes, the weight in his chest tightening. It took several long seconds for him to swallow the ache and speak up again.

"Ari," he said quietly, "things between Vivian and me..they're not what you think."

But Ari just looked at him with those large, searching eyes, making his heart sink further.

"I don't know how to explain it to you since it's too complicated," he said, voice softer now. "But one day,you'll understand. Both of you and your mom will.There's a pretty tanzanite in the safe at home-your mother liked it a lot. I'll have a jeweler design something beautiful from it, just for you."

"No," Ari replied. "I'm my mother's daughter. You're not my father. I don't want jewelry or anything from you. You don't need to show me how rich you are.I already know. But I love my mom."

She was not yet five, but her words cut with clarity and purpose.

She slid down from the chair,clutching her plushie.Its soft ears flapped with the motion.

"Please don't come see me again," she said, turning away. "I need to go back to sleep."

Brandon stood, but he didn't follow. Instead, he called out, "Just this once-please accept the gifts. They were chosen with you in mind."

Ari paused and turned back slightly, her lips pressed tight. "Sir, I told you. You can give them to someone else."

"They'll be yours. Once you have them, you can do whatever you want," Brandon said.

"| already said," Ari insisted. "They belong to you.1don't want them. Are you trying to force a child,sir?"

Brandon let out a quiet sigh. "That's not what I mean."

He only wanted to be kind to her.

But Ari didn't say anything else. She just looked at him.

The director of the facility, who had been standing quietly by the doorway, stepped in. Her eyes were disapproving as she looked at Brandon.

One of the staff members came forward to guide Ari back to her room, while the director lingered. She stared as Brandon watched Ari go, his lips drawn in a tight line.

"You should head back, Mr. Watson," the director said."We'll look after her."

Brandon didn't answer right away. He lowered his head slightly, letting his fringe fall across his eyes.

He then reached into his coat and pulled out a checkbook, scribbled something quickly, and handed the check to the director.

"A donation," he said. "For the children here. Use it how you see fit."

The director hesitated but then accepted it. Despite her opinion of Brandon, the money was much needed.

"These other things..." Brandon gestured toward the untouched gift bags. "See if any of the children can use them."

The director nodded.

"Don't tell them who it came from," Brandon added."And keep her safe."

The director nodded again."We will."

"I'm leaving," Brandon murmured-not to anyone in particular. He then turned and walked off into the night.

...

The city spun on,loud and fast.

Charles was racing toward Evans Mansion.

He had multiple phones stuffed into his coat. One had a video call still running with Millie and the team,another was pulling updates from the mansion, and everything else was vibrating constantly.

His head was starting to throb.

Several investors from the show were already on their way. Millie had come up with a smart solution,but the real trouble wasn't those investors. It was his brothers.Both of them had made it there first.

Inside the Evans family, Charles was finally starting to gain ground. But his two brothers weren't going to hand over control without a fight.

Still, seeing Millie and the others on the video call-shuffling papers, tracking updates, coordinating their plan-it grounded him.

He had to stay strong and win this. No matter what.

This was his one shot to flip the script-something Millie had made possible. If he failed now, he'd stay the underdog forever.

He leaned forward, urging the driver to speed up,too focused to notice the car that slipped past them.

At the same time, Millie and her team were deep in paperwork,sorting through document after document.After what felt like endless hours, they finally confirmed everything they needed.

Only then did the tension in the room ease slightly

Millie checked the time. 3 a.m.

"Thank you all so much," she said, her voice warm with gratitude.

"No trouble at all," Seville replied with a relaxed smile."This is what we're here for."

It wasn't entirely out of kindness-Charles had already recognized his skills and brought him into Evans Entertainment with a generous offer.

But since the whole situation was still in a delicate phase, that news hadn't been made public yet.

Alexia had received her reward from Charles too. She was now curled up on the couch, hugging her brand-new Prada handbag from the latest collection,grinning. "I got my bag. Doing some work in return?

That's totally fair."

But Millie knew the difference between helping because it was your job and helping because you cared.

Seville was a seasoned collector of action figures-lots of them were even rare,limited editions. Alexia?She was the daughter of Crobert Hospital's director.Neither of them had financial problems. They had poured their time and energy into this for Millie simnply because they cared.

Millie didn't say anything more. But she made a quiet note in her heart to treat them sincerely in return.

"Millie, what's next?" Alexia asked, mid-yawn.

Seville listened in as he placed a late-night snack order.

Millie didn't look away from the screen. "Vivian's own tactics can be used to push back against her."

"I don't follow," Alexia said, slumping deeper into the sofa.

Millie stopped typing for a second, glanced up, and smiled. "A show that inspires people and conveys a positive,uplifting message won't be shut down, right?And Vivian's public image is all about being brave and inspiring."

Alexia blinked,still puzzled.

Millie handed her a pillow to lean on and continued,"She's the one who said she wants the public to see the last months of her life to encourage those who suffer just like her. That makes her sound generous,doesn't it?"

"So we're using her own message to respond?" Alexia mumbled.

Millie nodded.

Their concern now wasn't just the donation fraud scandal-it was the risk of the wwhole program being shut down.

But most cancellations only happened when the negative impact was clear and immediate.

Heavenly Melody had launched on the strength of Vivian's appeal, and the audience had only shifted focus much later to talk about the talent, the competition, the music.

And up until now, Serena hadn't had a single public scandal.

Even this supposed scandal was murky. There was no confirmation yet. Those higher-ups in charge knew how this industry worked-nothing was ever as simple as it looked.

With the show's overall message being hopeful and socially positive, canceling it outright wouldn't be their first option.

Their research had also shown that in similar situations,the common solution was to quietly edit out the controversial individuals.

Besides, the authorities wouldn't make a snap decision.There would be meetings, discussions, protocol.

And with their document submission, they had officially flagged their interest in an internal investigation-and requested a final deadline before the last livestream aired.

The decision-makers would want proper evidence,which bought them precious, much-needed time to handle things.

"If it gets too bad, I'll just reveal my identity," Millie said, hitting the Enter key to send a file to Charles."But I don't think we'll have to go that far."

Other matters were being taken care of by staff at Evans Entertainment, who were now liaising directly with the right departments.

The delay strategy was now mostly set.

All that was left... was to finalize her divorce from Brandon.