Chapter 94

Time flew by. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Vivian was completely caught up in the situation with Serena and was unaware of everything else that had taken place that day.

By the following day, rumors about Millie and Charles had already spread everywhere, yet there was still no word from Serena.

Did she not know? Or was she simply too ashamed to be the one to reach out first?

Mulling over this, Vivian decided to send a message to Serena's phone.

Millie was driving home after dropping Ari off when her phone vibrated.

She stopped at a red light and glanced at the screen.

It was a message from Serena's number, sent by Vivian. "Have you seen the news trending online? This confirms that I wasn't lying. This is your last chance. Work with me, and I'll support you to the very end."

The streetlight beside her car buzzed faintly as it flickered, casting a wavering glow.

Millie paid Vivian's message no mind and instead opened a different message in her inbox.

It was from Babette, sent some days before.

Millie had been searching for a reason to not attend Babette's wine tasting event.

Something about it gave her a bad feeling, like it would be more trouble than it was worth.

But before she could come up with a solid excuse, Babette had sent her a message.

"You have to be at the wine tasting, Millie. If I were you, I wouldn't miss it. Remember why I come back to the country this time. The Bennett family's old dealings are still tied to the Watson Group. You know what that means."

The streetlight kept flickering, casting shifting shadows throughout the car's interior.

When the light turned green, Millie took her eyes off the screen and continued driving.

There was no escaping the wine tasting now.

Even if it ended up being a setup, she'd still have to face it.

At least if she showed up, she could deal with whatever came her way in the moment.

And besides... Millie's thoughts drifted to Babette.

After spending years with Brandon, Millie had gotten a good read on her.

Babette was driven and full of pride, but she had the knowledge to match her confidence.

They had always stayed out of each other's business, and Millie had no clue what Babette had gone through during her time in Flesta.

If it had anything to do with Millie personally, there were only a handful of possibilities.

A wave of weariness washed over her.

And truthfully, she needed to figure out what to do about Brandon. He was becoming more of a problem than she could handle.

That night,the wind picked up again across Crobert.

The dark sky, the weaving traffic, and the scattered city lights all seemed to move under the weight of something unseen.

Clouds moved swiftly across the sky, as if the night was bracing for something coming.

Time slipped by, and two more days had gone by.

It was now the night of Babette's wine tasting.

The venue was Crobert's most extravagant hotel, reserved entirely for Babette's exclusive event.

To be fair, this setup was already on the casual side.

For a family like the Watsons, events like this were usually held in more private, elite settings like an estate, a luxury villa, a yacht, or some exclusive club.

They use exclusive and elegant venues, tucked away from the public eye. And this kind of high-profile,public affair? Wasn't their typical style.

Millie drove to the hotel and met Brandon at the spot they had agreed on.

As soon as Brandon saw what she was wearing, a subtle frown formed on his face.

It wasn't the dress he had chosen for her.

Millie caught his expression and immediately understood what was running through his mind.

The dress she had on was borrowed from Charles' side.

She had no intention of deepening her ties with Brandon.

Without offering any explanation, she walked into the venue with him.

Inside, the temperature was just right. Soft golden lights bathed the space in a warm glow, giving it an elegant air. Gentle piano music filled the background while formally dressed guests chatted in hushed tones, glasses of wine in hand.

The unmistakable scent of wine lingered in the room, just as one would expect at such an event.

Wherever Brandon went, he was naturally the center of attention. The moment they stepped through the door, all eyes turned toward him.

Reporters quickly got to work, snapping photos and capturing the moment.

Within minutes, headlines like "Millie and Brandon Attend Babette's Party Together" began making the rounds.

Until now, Brandon had only been seen in public with Vivian. It was the first time in days that he'd appeared with his actual partner.

The Internet was buzzing with speculation.

"Wow, it's been a while since we saw those two show up together."

"Wait, what about Vivian? Wasn't Brandon with her all this time?"

"Come on, think about it. This is Babette's welcome home party and she's family. It wouldn't exactly be

proper for him to show up with Vivian."

"But didn't he take Vivian to that charity gala just recently?"

"You guys are missing the point. Vivian has been unwell and tied up with filming that series Glimmer of Love. Word is, she's fallen sick again. There's no way she'd make it to something like a wine tasting."

"Exactly. It's a wine tasting, after all. Vivian is battling late-stage stomach cancer. You really expect her to show up and start drinking? That's insane. Do you want her dead sooner?"

"Yeah...when you put it that way, it makes sense."

Vivian's fans jumped in quickly to defend her.

"Millie is just shameless. She'll do anything for the Watsons' money. She's probably counting down the months until Vivian dies so she can keep living off Brandon and his family."

"Exactly. All she has to do is wait six months. Vivian will be gone, and she'll still have the Watson name.What's stopping her?"

"For real. With all those stories flying around about Brandon and Vivian, she still shows up with him?That woman must be obsessed with his money. It's pathetic."

···

"Brandon!" Babette spotted them as they entered the hotel and came over with a welcoming smile.

She raised her wine glass toward Brandon, but deliberately ignore Millie."

A waiter approached with a tray of glasses.

Millie and Brandon each picked one up.

Brandon stayed and exchanged a few casual words with Babette.

"I'll be joining the Watson Group soon. Don't even think about giving me the short end of the stick,"Babette said with a playful smirk, casting a sideways glance at Millie.

Brandon's expression remained calm. He simply gave a nod in response.

"Have you decided yet? Will you take over your father's company or start out somewhere else in the

group?" Brandon asked.

"I'll let you know later," Babette replied with a hint of mystery in her tone.

After exchanging greetings with the two, she turned and moved on to mingle with the other guests.

Brandon then led Millie toward a quieter corner of the room.

As they walked away, Babette shot them a glance with a mysterious glint in her eyes.

Millie followed Brandon to a sofa. They sat down but both remained in silence, like strangers.

"Your injury/ from the fall..." Brandon finally spoke, breaking the long silence.

But the moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it.

In the soft lighting, he could see that the skin exposed on Millie's arms looked smooth. There was no trace of the bruise or cut anymore.

Indeed,it had been several days. It might have healed by now.

Brandon looked up and saw Millie looking at him calmly.

"Ari mentioned your injuries to me the other day," Brandon added.

"It's healed," Millie replied plainly.

But while her body could heal, what she had lost could never be restored.

"I didn't mean for that to happen," Brandon finally said after a long pause.

That day had been a blur of chaos. When Millie fell down the stairs, all Brandon could remember were his own outstretched hand.

This time, Millie said nothing. Her eyes dropped to the glass of wine resting on the table.

Intentional or not, the child was gone. And nothing could bring them back.

A wave of sorrow welled up inside her, and Millie took a slow sip of wine, hoping it would dull the ache she carried.

Once again, silence stretched between them.

Neither of them spoke and the minutes crawled by

Brandon felt frustrated.

She had been distant like this for some time now.

How long was she going to keep shutting him out?

But looking at her now, so thin, with a quiet sadness lingering on her calm face, he didn't have the heart

to press her.

"I transferred some money to your account," he said softly."Now that you're better, make sure you

take care of yourself."

He couldn't stand seeing her so frail.

When he held her in his arms at Moonlit Estate the other day, she felt so light.

It was almost like she weighed nothing at all as he lifted her with no effort.