Chapter 72

Vivian

I could feel my heart pounding against my ribs, wild and uneven. The way Dad was looking at me wasn’t just disappointment. It was cold. He practically already said he had made up his mind. Who had he called if Renee hadn't answered? I set my jaw and crossed my arms.

"If you know so much already, what difference does it make?" I set my jaw.

He said nothing. His eyes didn't waver.

"And where have you been all night? Out with that whore from the office? Are you already sleeping with her? I don't like her. She's said all kinds of things to me! Being mean to me at work, and now you're being mean to me, taking some maid's side over mine."

Still, he said nothing. It irritated me more.

"Answer me! You'd better not be thinking about dating anyone. I don't want a stepmother!"

He said nothing. I huffed and turned.

"If you leave, be sure to leave the house and not come back."

I stilled and turned back. "What?"

He leaned forward in his eat, resting his folded hands on the table. But he didn’t repeat himself.

"Are you threatening to throw me out? What kind of father does that make you? You're no better than Philip then!"

Still, he said nothing. He was unmoved. It was clear that he was just giving me a chance to lie to his face.

Which was unfair.

Completely unfair.

I folded my arms and tried to breathe through the panic climbing up my throat. He’d definitely talked to someone who could give him answers, someone he trusted more than me. His own daughter. He was supposed to be on my side no matter what.

"You can't kick me out. I'm under age!"

"You turned twenty-five two months ago, Vivian," he said. "Don't you remember not inviting Renee to your birthday and lying about it?"

I set my jaw. "You wouldn't."

"Would you like to test that theory?"

I set my jaw, staring at him, at this man who wasn't acting at all like my father. He had to be seeing someone, planning to get rid of me so he could get married or whatever. I knew he wouldn't start dating until I was married, and why would I let some other woman have access to his money when I could be spending it?

I glanced at the phone. "Who did you call?"

He said nothing.

"Answer me, or I will leave. And you'll regret that more than me."

His expression remained completely unchanged. My eyes burned.

"You will."

He said nothing. And he didn't need to, because we both knew that it wasn't true. I was already losing face in Brightclaw after the thing at the karaoke bar, the fact that I was going back and forth to work. I'd already been demoted twice.

If he'd talked to Renee or that Arielle woman, neither of them would have any reason to lie about the dress or to cover for me.

I set my jaw. "What did they tell you?"

"What are you going to tell me?"

He wasn't letting me out of this. Fine. I could tell him enough to get him off my case, at least until I found out what gold digging whore he'd been out with and get rid of her the way I'd gotten rid of all the others.

So I let out a huff, softening my voice just enough. “Fine. I took the dress.”

His expression didn’t change, but something in his jaw tightened.

“I didn’t do anything else,” I added quickly. “I didn’t destroy anything. I just --- look, I was angry. After the Ceremony, when Renee humiliated Tyler in front of everyone... I was mad. I thought ---” I waved a hand, trying to sound casual, breezy, like it was some petty impulse and not the bitter spite that was still burning in me.

If it got back to Renee, I'd never have a chance to get it taken in to fit me, and I hadn't had a chance to get someone to make me a version of it.

“I wasn’t trying to start a war,” I said. “It was just a stupid, impulsive decision. That’s all.”

I gave him the look I always used when I needed him to remember I was his daughter.

"I didn’t mean any harm. You believe me, right?”

I waited. Eyes wide. Lips just the right amount of tremble. I didn’t need him to love me right now—I just needed him not to throw me out the way he was practically promising.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Come in," he said, his eyes never leaving me.

Dominic

Had she always been such a liar? Yes, was the immediate answer that came to mind. Ms. Leon’s expression gave her away before she said a word. Her mouth was polite, but her eyes flicked toward Vivian like they couldn’t quite believe what they were hearing. Doubt clung to her like a second uniform as she came in with the dress in the same packaging. She lay it carefully across my desk.

"It seems to be completely undamaged, though perhaps in need of cleaning."

I nodded. "Thank you, Ms. Leon."

She met my gaze. Her eyes were full of things she wanted to say but wouldn't. I made a mental note to follow up with her later, preferably when Vivian wasn't here. For now, I needed this scene wrapped up.

“If you could make yourself available to me a little later? For now, I need you to get a sense of how the younger ones feel about their continued employment here. Make it known that their jobs are secure if they want them still."

"Of course, alpha."

Then, she left. I looked at Vivian and stood to pick the dress up.

"I will have more to say to you tomorrow, Vivian, for now go to your room, and don't even think about asking for a staff member to assist you. You've lost that right until I say otherwise.”

She hesitated just for a breath, but I didn’t blink. Eventually, she turned on her heel and stalked off, tension rolling off her in waves. I exhaled slowly. Finally alone, I hung the dress bag up and unzipped it. I trust Ms. Leon completely, but the anxiety of what hell Arielle would cause over this dress wouldn't get gone without me seeing it myself. I checked the dress, my fingers smoothing over the silken fabric. Perfume still clung to the dress, there might have been a bit of dirt or dust from the night of the Ceremony, but other than that, the dress appeared untouched. No stains. No seams altered. No scent of perfume that didn’t belong there. It still smelled of Renee.

Good.

I left the estate with the garment bag in my arms, and a headache already blooming behind my eyes.

I had never told Vivian about the damage. The only way she should have known was if Renee told her, doubtful, or that she had been behind it. I made a note to check on the lien against her paycheck and what little she might still have in her inheritance. She'd have to start tipping into the funds reserved for her dowry next.

I called Arielle, asking where I should meet her, and not surprising, she told me she was at her office, just off one of Brightclaw’s central avenues. I drove there, carried the bag inside, and headed up the elevator to her office floor. She barely glanced at the bag before folding her arms across her chest, sharp gaze pinning me in place.

“You have a monster on your hands,” she said flatly. “And if you don’t get her under control, I will. Or my grandfather will.”

I nodded. "I know."

Then, her eyes softened. "I'm not a parent, but I do manage a lot of immature children of varying ages. A word of advice?"

I grimaced. "Sure."

"Play hard ball," she said. "You've been nice enough. You've doted and spoiled, but the girl is rotten to the core. You're at scorched earth stage as there's no saving her… Not from me anyway."

I looked down. "I…"

"You're her father, and that has meant a lot to you, I understand, but she's of the age where you should be asking how much it's meant to her."

I was stunned, stuck, and a bit overwhelmed by her words. I closed my eyes for a moment, then passed the bag to her.

“I’ll handle it.”

She smiled, folding the dress over her arm. "Of that I have no doubt. Grandpa says you can always trust a Brightclaw to do what is right."

I blinked as she turned back inside. I could see daybreak starting though the windows and while my mind and my heart were still reeling, the words were comforting and reassuring in a way I desperately needed.

I always tried to do the right thing, and if there was any chance of reforming Vivian, it had to start now.