Chapter 7

Vivian glanced around the room, eyes briefly settling on Ryan, whose cheek was still swelling from her slap. Yeah—this disaster of an engagement party? All thanks to her. And given how Ryan had caused Alexander' death in her last life, there was no way she could ever look at Logan and call him “Grandpa.” “Sorry, Mr. Harris,” she said, voice cool as ever. Logan couldn’t help the flicker of disappointment that passed through him. This girl… wasn’t nearly as simple as she looked. The doctor who once saved his life… might very well be this girl’s mentor. Someday, she'd probably stand on par with her mentor, respected across the country as a medical master. Too bad his grandson wasn’t good enough for her. What a shame. “Vivian, if Alexander ever doesn’t treat you right, just know the Harris family doors are always open for you.” Logan took a deep breath and said it with genuine weight. He still had other grandsons, after all. But he didn’t say that part out loud—so everyone, including Ryan, assumed he meant Ryan. “Vivian’s never coming back to the Harris family,” Alexander cut in, his tone icy and sharp. The chill in his voice was so overwhelming that even Logan, a man who’d wrestled in business for decades, instinctively took a step back. By the time he realized what he’d done, it was already too late. Logan's face darkened with embarrassment and frustration—he’d actually been backed down by a kid! And not just that, he couldn’t even control it! “Better keep those doors closed, Mr. Harris,” Vivian said sweetly, her head tilting as she leaned into Alexander’s shoulder, “because this man right here? He’s always going to treat me well.” The tension in Alexander's body instantly melted away. He looked down at the girl resting against him, heart soft as a feather. “Let’s get outta here,” Vivian said with a smile. “Yeah.” He took her hand and didn’t hesitate a second as they walked straight toward the exit.Under the silent stares of the crowd, Vivian suddenly paused, then turned around with a soft smile aimed at Daphne. “Thanks, sis. And… I’m sorry.” Daphne looked completely lost. Thank her? For what? And sorry… why? “Earlier, when you tried to stop me from coming here and even tore up the dress Ryan’s family sent... I was so upset and blamed you. Now I get it… Anyway, really, thank you. You're the best.” Vivian’s tone was full of appreciation and guilt. After setting up this trap for so long, she finally dropped the final piece into place. Now the whole Harris family would definitely pin today’s disaster on Daphne. Drama like this? She was loving it. As expected, the second she finished, Logan and his family all turned to glare furiously at Daphne. Even Richard Grant and Margaret Lane stared at their daughter like they'd just realized something. Daphne, what were you thinking? Did she have any idea how much the Grant family stood to gain from Vivian marrying Ryan? The Harris family had made it clear—once the engagement was official, all next year’s business would be handed to them. “No! That’s not true, I didn’t… I didn’t do any of that!” Daphne panicked under the crowd’s accusing eyes. She tried to explain to everyone, but no one seemed to believe her. Especially Ryan—he, the guy she’d liked for so long, actually pointed at her with rage. “I didn’t! She’s lying! Vivian’s framing me!” Daphne shouted. “Framing you?” Ryan grabbed her wrist and shoved the screen of his phone in front of her face. “Then what’s this?” Daphne’s eyes welled up with tears as she stared at it—and broke down completely. It was her. There she was in the photo next to the shredded wedding dress… Now she remembered—after Vivian ruined the dress, she’d pulled out her phone to snap a few pics and scrolled on it for a bit. So that backstabber really set her up. All at once, hatred burned wildly in Daphne’s chest.