Chapter 4 - The Unseen Enemy
Downstairs, the gala had dissolved into a chaotic mess of whispering socialites and hurried departures. But in the east wing of the mansion, Vivienne Laurent was not heading for her car. Instead, she had slipped into the service corridor behind the kitchens, her phone pressed tightly to her ear.
“He threw me out, Father,” Vivienne hissed into the receiver, pacing across the tiled floor with her heels clicking sharply. “Adrian humiliated me in front of the entire board of directors over some nobody catering girl. He looked at her... he looked at her the way he’s never looked at me in the three years we’ve been engaged.”
On the other end of the line, Arthur Laurent—senior partner at Laurent & Associates and a major stakeholder in Falkner Global—let out a cold, calculating chuckle.
“Calm down, Vivienne. Adrian has always been eccentric, prone to these bouts of misplaced moral outrage ever since his father died. But he is scheduled to sign the merger papers on Friday. Once those documents are legally binding, the Falkner fortune is half ours. A catering girl cannot derail a fifty-million-dollar acquisition.”
“You don't understand!” Vivienne snapped, tears of frustration stinging her eyes. “She has a scar on her back—an old burn. Adrian stared at it like he’d seen a ghost. If she figures out who he is, or if he digs into her background, we’re finished. He’ll give everything to her.”
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Arthur fell silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his tone was icy and devoid of warmth. “Then make sure she doesn't get the chance. Find out where she lives. Let’s see how long the little stray lasts once her foster mother’s medical clinic loses its funding.”
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