Chapter 171

Countless voices filled the air with complaints and regrets,while a few saw the chaos as an opportunity.

Everyone was moving quickly, making their own moves.

Millie stayed silent, calmly watching from the sidelines as she waited for the expected signal.

Time dragged on as various parties engaged in a battle of wits.

The bidding came to an end, and then the early trading session began.

The Watson Group's stock continued to plummet.

Their phones were getting blown up with frantic calls from panicked shareholders desperate for answers.

Derek and Norma watched the disaster play out with growing irritation.

"I knew from the start that Brandon divorcing Millie would bring him to this. Isn't this just karma?" Derek snapped,thudding his cane on the floor in anger.

Norma let out a deep sigh."You still have to deal with the aftermath. No matter how mad you are at Brandon,you can't just sit back and let the Watson Group crumble."

"That little brat knows exactly what he's doing, and he's doing it to mess with me!" Derek shouted, fuming.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, a figure moved into action,instructing their team with precision.

They began sweeping up shares, buying them in large volumes.

When the numbers were just about right, he picked up a phone and made a call.

On the other end, Vivian glanced at the secret phone.

It rang three times and then went silent.

She smiled to herself.

At 9:35 AM, while furious investors flooded the Internet with curses, blaming Brandon and dragging his entire family to filth,Vivian went live.

Because of Brandon's current infamy, and since she was closely connected to him, her stream immediately exploded with viewers.

Eugene rushed into Brandon's office.

"Mr. Watson, Miss Simpson just went live," Eugene reported, breathless and anxious. "This wasn't part of the plan. WVhat is she trying to do?"

Brandon's expression darkened as he reached for his phone and dialed her number. But Vivian didn't pick up.She stayed on air.

No one had seen this coming, not Millie, Charles,or Myron.

Everyone's attention turned to Vivian's live broadcast.

On screen, she appeared with teary eyes, looking delicate and vulnerable.

She looked straight into the camera and said softly,"I never thought the rumors about Brandon,Millie,and me wvould affect Watson Group's stock this much.

That was never what I wanted." She dabbed at her eyes and added, "When I saw the stock price crash,I felt I had to clarify things."

Brandon turned to Eugene. "Go find her and make her stop!"

Without hesitation, Eugene rushed out.

They had worked through the night, reaching out to countless contacts, negotiating endlessly, trying to keep different sides in balance, even making a few reluctant compromises.

Every angle had been considered and every move had been mapped out. They had a thorough plan in place.

As one of Crobert's top three powerhouses, backed by a team of sharp minds, they couldn't-and definitely wouldn't-just sit still. They had to find a way forward.

Vivian hadn't been part of their plan, and her sudden livestream could easily unravel everything.

Meanwhile,Millie watched the livestream, blinking in confusion.

"So this is it, Brandon? After I left the Watson Group,your brilliant move was sending Vivian to play the victim and win people's sympathy?" she muttered.

She couldn't believe he would go that far.

Millie was baffled, but decided to keep watching.

Back on the stream, Vivian had calmed herself and continued talking. "Everyone knows I don't have much time left... So, whatever there is between Brandon and I won't ruin his marriage."

She gave a faint, sorrowful smile. "I won't be around much longer anyway. But since everyone seems so invested in the rumors, I'll explain everything today.There was never anything inappropriate between me and Brandon. Everything happened because I..."

She sniffed and continued, "I told Brandon | didn't have much time left. I admitted that I liked him and asked if he could spend my last six months with me.Not as lovers, just... as someone by my side, doing the things I still wanted to experience with me. At first,he turned me down. He had made it clear, time and time again, that he and Millie shared a strong bond,and he had no intention of betraying his marriage. But when my health declined further, and maybe because I'd once helped him, things turned out the way they did.He divorced Millie because he didn't want her thinking he was being unfaithful. The truth is, his feelings for me aren't that deep. Maybe after I'm gone, he and Millie will find their way back to each other. I can't say for sure. This livestream, by the way, is something l decided to do on my own. He is completely unaware of it. I hadn't planned to speak out like this, especially since I've only got five months left. But watching the Watson Group's stock plummet over this... I couldn't bear the guilt." 1

Vivian let out a dry cough on camera. As she brought a tissue to her lips, the viewers caught a glimpse of the bloodstain.

She quickly tucked the tissue out of sight, as if she didn't want the audience to see it.

With a faint, bitter smile, she said, "The business partners aren't pulling out. There's no outrageous divorce settlement. Honestly, Brandon and I never even shared a bed. If the stock keeps fluctuating because of rumors like this, then it's really-"

Just then, a knock came at the door, and Vivian turned her head,startled.

Then,the stream abruptly cut off.

At the doorway, Eugene stood out of breath, staring at her.

"Miss Simpson, you can't make moves like this without running it by us first!" he snapped,struggling to hold back his exasperation.

Vivian feigned an apologetic look and said, "I'm sorry.I just thought I could help."

She then gestured toward a graph on the screen nearby. "See? It's working. The stock price is starting to bounce back."

Eugene nearly rolled his eyes. The recovery had nothing to do with her. It was clearly the result of their plan finally kicking in. But he didn't dare say anything too harsh. All he could do was take Vivian back with him to the Watson Group.

Sure enough, the company's stock price had started to climb again.

That much was expected since Brandon had a plan and just like any other publicly traded firm, they had professionals in place to handle this kind of situation.

However, Vivian's little stunt had set off waves of gossip across the industry.

To those who didn't know the fulI story, she might have seemed pitiful. But to others, she came off as nothing more than a joke.

Charles burst out laughing and turned to Millie. "Did you hear? Brandon's become the laughingstock of the entire industry! It's ridiculous! Since when did he start pulling such cheap tricks? Hlonestly, it's killing me. My stomach hurts from laughing."

Millie couldn't believe it either.

The overblown divorce rumors had already been cleared up the day before. There was never such a case to begin with.

The real reason behind the wave of panic that tanked the stock was a rumor that one of the Watson Group's biggest partners was about to pull out, with others supposedly following suit and pulling out as well.

But Egbert had only gone to give Brandon a scare yesterday.

The contract had already been signed, and pulling out wasn't something that could be done on a whim. At most,they might choose not to renew it when the time came.

That was exactly why Millie had told Egbert not to drag her name into the matter.

The Watson Group had a strong foundation in technology, and they got the contract back then only because they overcame technological barriers first.

So even if Brandon had truly behaved like a jerk to his wife, his personal life had little to do with his professional one. While it could shake investor confidence a little, it wasn't enough to cause significant damage.

As long as the company stayed on top of things,the stock price would bounce back.

But now, the situation had taken a strange turn.

Vivian's stunt was embarrassing, so much so that it was hard to even talk about.

Was this what Brandon had become without Millie by his side?

That thought echoed throughout the industry.

And what most people didn't yet realize was that Vivian's actions had opened the door to a whole new wave of trouble.