Chapter 235

Vivian kept the contract in hand, her smile deepening as satisfaction lit her face.

It was, without question, an advantageous deal.

While she basked in her victory upstairs, Millie had already stepped out of the building and made her way to the ground floor.

Myron's car was parked outside the building at the curb. The moment he spotted her, a quick honk announced his presence before he swung the door open and stepped out.

Relief washed over his features the instant he confirmed she was unharmed.

"Everything okay?" he inquired gently, pulling the door wide for her.

"'m fine," Millie assured him, sliding into the seat. As soon as he settled behind the wheel, she passed him the supplementary agreement."They only moved the deadline up."

Myron skimmed the document, gave a curt nod, and turned the key in the ignition.

"So," he said, keeping his eyes on the road."What are you planning to do next?"

The new product line obviously needed more than the month she had.

Millie let out a soft laugh, leaning in to murmur something only he could hear.

Myron's brow arched in mild surprise. "So, this is what you've been working toward all along?"

Millie gave a firm nod. "That's right. The process was already in motion-we just need to speed things up given the tighter schedule. Take me to Evans Entertainment," she insisted, her gaze fixed on the road ahead.

Without hesitation, Myron swung the car into a turn,steering down a different route.

"Last night, I had Jayceon contact Charles to propose a collaboration. Would that bother you?" he queried, glancing her way.

"Not at all," she responded, catching on immediately to his intent. "Charles is remarkably shrewd-he won't pass up a good business deal."

A chuckle rumbled from Myron's chest as he nodded. "Exactly. Jayceon told me Charles swore he'd never turn down profit."

Millie laughed softly, shaking her head.

That was so very Charles-always handling things in his own distinctive way.

Myron treated her to breakfast first before steering the car toward Evans Entertainment.

While she sat down with Charles to go over the details of their business, Vivian was busy launching a live stream of her own.

It was her first public move after yesterday's abrupt cutoff of her previous broadcast-and the exposure of her sneaking into Serenity Villa without permission.

The moment she went live, the viewers poured in like a tidal wave.

Comments flooded the screen, sharp and unforgiving.

"Why in the world would you stream Millie's private matters for all to watch yesterday?"

"Vivian, you're utterly shameless! You'll do anything to claw your way to the top!"

"I was dead wrong about you1. I actually thought you had a shred of kindness in you-guess I was blind as hell!"

A moment later, Vivian reappeared on the camera frame,her complexion even paler than before.

A faint cough slipped past her lips as she dabbed at her mouth with a tissue, her bandaged hand

trembling slightly.

Lowering the tissue, she drew in a steadying breath.

"Sorry... I wasn't feeling well yesterday," she said, her voice tinged with weakness. "And had to see a doctor, so l couldn't respond right away."

She offered the camera a feeble, almost fragile smile,nodding repeatedly as her gaze tracked the flood of incoming comments.

"I've read what you've all said," she murmured,her reddened eyes glistening as if holding back tears. "I truly apologize-l didn't handle things properly."

Pausing for only a heartbeat, she straightened her shoulders. "First of all, I admit I entered Serenity Villa to livestream without permission."

With that, Vivian rose to her feet and bent forward in a deep, deliberate bow toward the lens.

The comments poured in even faster now that she had confessed, the barrage of words serving as irrefutable proof in the eyes of her audience.

Shameless-that was the verdict scrolling endlessly across the screen.

"But there's a reason you didn't expect," Vivian pointed out, her tone tight but controlled. "I know it's useless to say this now, but I still want to explain.I had originally announced another location, but on that day, the pipes there suddenly burst and the whole place was flooded. It was impossible to stream from the mess. I didn't want to postpone,so l went to a different location instead..."

As she spoke, she signaled her assistant, who hurried forward with a tablet and played footage from Darden's villa.

The video captured frantic voices after the burst, the camera panning over water flooding every corner.

"It truly was an emergency I handled poorly," Vivian admitted, lowering her head in another deep,deliberate bow.

"Brandon was away on a business trip that day, and I couldn't get through to him. I just... happened to

know the password to that villa, sol..."

Some viewers softened at her words, blaming her only for her clumsy handling and calling her careless rather than malicious.

Others, however, weren't swayed in the slightest.

"So you actually thought it was fine to hurt Millie like that? You knew livestreaming that would drag her name through the mud, but you still went ahead!"

Vivian's shoulders slumped, a trace of defeat clouding her expression.

"That wasn't what I meant to do," she murmured, her voice trembling. "I... I wasn't thinking straight in that moment. I can't even explain it properly. If l absolutely have to make amends,then..."

Vivianfaced the camera with a solemn expression."I'll be suspending my floral design work in luxury villas. My career will go on hold so lI can make amends to Millie and properly address this matter.I've been competing with her for the chance to marry

Brandon, but now I'm making a major sacrifice to prove my sincerity."

Her voice broke as another fit of coughing racked her, the sound rough and wet until it tipped into dry heaves.

A pair of hands rushed in from the side to steady her.An urgent voice, just off-screen, warned, "Miss Simpson, I've told you-your time is already running out. If you keep overworking, you might not even have four months left to live!"

Vivian simply waved them away, insisting they let her finish.

The comment feed exploded.

Some applauded her decision to halt her career,praising her humility. Others admired her willingness to own her mistakes. Many expressed pity, moved by the revelation that she was staring down death itself.

No matter their stance, one sentiment gained traction-her image had taken a turn for the better.

#NotBrightButTrulySincere

The phrase surged to the top of the trending list.

At the same time, headlines announced that Love of Vivian had officially secured a cinema release and was merely waiting for its premiere date.

Vivian later flooded her socials with updates, hyping up Love of Vivian.

Over at Evans Entertainment, Charles nearly blew up when he saw it.

"Isn't that supposed to be my tagline? How the hell did it become part of her persona?" he demanded,slamming his palm against the desk with a sharp crack.

The theft of his image filled him with burning fury.

Millie chuckled, eyes sparkling with mischief. "So you're finally admitting you're not exactly a genius?"

"You!" Charles shot her a glare, his irritation spiking.

His temper flared hot enough to make the veins in his

neck stand out.

Millie lifted a hand in mock surrender, the hint of a smile playing on her lips. She was only teasing. In truth, she knew he was sharp as a blade-just sly enough to make people mistake him for a fool.

That earned a smug nod from Charles. "You're right."

The compliment soothed his ego, and he eased back into his seat. "Still, she's unbelievable. I know Darden, and just yesterday I heard him going off-sarcastically hinting someone sabotaged his pipes.Vivian planned it from the start. She wanted that broadcast location, and now she's spinning excuses,pretending she's meeting you halfway. Meanwhile,you're the one who looks like the aggressor."

He shook his head in disgust. "I've never met anyone this damn shameless."

Millie's lips curled in a cold smile. It was exactly as he said.

They'd just watched the livestream together, and

Vivian's performance was transparent-her entire broadcast boiled down to a carefully packaged confession and an apology, the kind meant to win sympathy, not to take real responsibility.

"So, what's our next move?" Charles pressed, stil seething from his earlier outburst.

"I need a concert," Millie declared with unwavering resolve, drumming her fingers on the table as a glint of strategy lit her eyes.

Charles gave a firm nod, signaling he was on the same page. The groundwork had already been laid earlier. They'd talked before about moving in tandem with the Elliott Group-aligning it with Millie's concert, song sales, and other ventures, pushing forward on several fronts at once.

"We need to push through a schedule change immediately," Millie instructed, sliding the supplementary agreement fromn her folder.

"And then there's Eva," she went on, her voice turning icy.

Her gaze shifted to the tablet resting nearby, where Vivian's latest promotional post for Love of Vivian glared back at her.

Vivian clearly had no intention of backing down on the film's release.

If that was her choice, she had no right to complain about what came next.

Millie's lips curved faintly, her tone laced with resolve. "It's time to settle every score-one at a time."