Chapter 2
The air in the car was so thick with tension that it was suffocating.
Charles didn't say a word, his jaw clenched, and he was driving so fast it felt like the car might just take off.
[Charles must be losing it—he just got totally humiliated in front of everyone.]
[Serves him right! That's what he gets for always jumping to protect that fake innocent Lily without even knowing the whole story.]
[Why are you sticking up for Vivian? The whole thing was obviously an act!]
[So what if she was acting? It was so satisfying to watch! Why should she just let herself get bullied?]
The bullet comments were going wild, but I didn't even care to look.
I leaned against the car window, my hand resting gently on my belly, feeling the faint stirrings of life inside me.
This was my child, and I'd never let him suffer the same fate the "script" had planned for us.
"Vivian."
Charles' voice suddenly cut through the silence, cold as ice.
"When did you get so good at putting on a show?"
I turned to face him, meeting his searching gaze. My cheeks were still tear-stained, but my eyes were steady.
"Putting on a show?" I let out a soft laugh, like I'd just heard the biggest joke ever. "In your eyes, everything I do is just me acting, right?"
"What else? The drama you pulled tonight at the party wasn't it all just to get sympathy and make me give in?"
I stared right back at him, my voice steady as I spoke each word. "Was it me, standing here three months pregnant, watching my husband hold his precious Lily and comfort her, 'It's not your fault'?"
Charles was left speechless, his face growing even more grim.
[Nice comeback! Never knew Vivian could be so sharp-tongued!]
[Charles' totally stunned, lmao! So satisfying!]
He never expected that the woman who'd always been so humble and invisible around him would suddenly stand up to him with such sharp comebacks.
The car screeched to a halt right outside the villa.
"Get out," he ordered coldly.
I didn't move, just held his gaze. "Charles, can we talk?"
"I have nothing to say to you."
"Oh, really?" I pulled out my phone and hit play on a recording, the promise he'd made to me before we got married.
"Vivian, don't worry. You're the only one I'll ever love. Lily was just a chapter from my reckless youth. We ended things a long time ago."
His familiar voice echoed in the cramped car, sounding especially ironic now.
Charles' face fell instantly.
"You recorded that?"
"Yeah," I said, turning off the recording and looking him straight in the eye. "I had to keep a little proof, just to remind myself how foolish I used to be."
[Whoa! She's got tricks up her sleeve! Did she just get reborn or something?]
[Nope, not reborn—she's awakened! She knows the script now!]
[This is getting spicy! So exciting! Hurry up, I want more!]
Charles stared me down, searching my face for any hint I might slip up or reveal a crack in my story.
"What do you really want?" he finally relented, sounding more defeated than before.
"It's simple," I said, putting my phone away, my voice steady. "First, get Lily out of our lives for good. Second, put ten percent of the NovaSpark Technologies shares in my name to provide for our child."
"Dream on!" Charles practically shouted. "Vivian, don't push your luck!"
I sneered, "Charles, don't forget how you got NovaSpark's core technology. If I hand over the original code and research notes my brother left behind to your competitors, how far do you think your stock will crash?"
Charles' pupils contracted instantly.
That was his biggest secret and the only card I had left to play after my brother passed away.
In the past, because I loved him, I never once thought about holding this over his head.
But now? That love was gone.
[Holy crap! Charles' NovaSpark Technologies was built on Eric Shaw's tech?]
[Wait, wasn't Eric supposed to have died in an accident? Or is there something more to it...]
[This story is getting juicier by the minute!]
The air in the car felt like someone had vacuumed it out.
Charles' breathing turned rough, and the rage in his eyes was so fierce, it looked like he could set me on fire with just a glare.
I knew I'd just crossed the line he'd never let anyone touch.
"Vivian," he said, each word squeezed out through gritted teeth, "you're playing with fire."
"You're the one pushing me," I stared him down, fearless. "Ten percent shares, or you lose everything—your choice."
With that, I shoved the car door open and strode into the villa without looking back.
I knew he'd give in.
Because in the plot, his biggest weakness was that flawless self-made prodigy persona everyone worshipped.
He'd never let anyone ruin that.
And I was going to rip it apart with my own hands.