Chapter 4

Regina stiffened, not at all expecting such blatant disrespect from Vivienne. She pointed a shaking finger at her and snapped, "How dare you speak to me that way? I am your grandmother!" Vivienne flashed the old lady a humorless smile. "Mrs. Holt Senior, you're Sebastian's grandmother, not mine. My grandmother passed away many years ago." This time, Melanie didn't wait for Regina to respond before shooting Vivienne a disapproving look. "Ms. Moore, in any case, Mrs. Holt Senior is older than us, and you should mind the way you speak to her." Vivienne gave Melanie a withering look and countered plainly, "I can speak to her however I want. Who do you think you are to tell me how to talk, Ms. Schafer?" As far as Regina could recall, Vivienne had always been timid and obedient. For her to openly talk back and refuse to apologize was an outright display of insolence. "Watch your tongue!" Regina's chest rose and fell rapidly. She pointed at Vivienne and seethed. "I knew you had poor manners! You're too unrefined to come out in public and not even half as decent as Melanie! Have you forgotten the rules I taught you? Get on your knees right now!" Vivienne's lips curled. She wasn't angry in the slightest. "Sorry, but I'm afraid I've forgotten the rules. Why don't you have Ms. Schafer demonstrate the perfect technique to get on one's knees? She must have executed it elegantly if you like her so much, Mrs. Holt Senior." "You—" Melanie's eyes widened in disbelief. Regina's lips quivered with rage as the blood drained from her wizened face. She looked as if she were suffocating. Seeing this, Melanie quickly produced nitroglycerin pills and gave one to her. After taking the pill, Regina looked considerably better. "What's going on here?" At that moment, a handsome but impassive man approached, cutting a tall and suave silhouette in his black tailored suit that accentuated his six-foot-two frame. He looked immaculate. "Sebastian!" Melanie's eyes lit up at the sight of him. Within seconds, she looked like she'd just been victimized, the rims of her eyes turning red as if on command. "Sebastian, Ms. Moore followed you to the banquet, but that's not all. "She also cursed and talked back to Mrs. Holt Senior. Your grandmother was so angry that she nearly had a heart attack… If it weren't for the nitroglycerin pills, Mrs. Holt Senior might have…" Tears began to roll down Melanie's face as she trailed off. "Vivienne?" Sebastian's brows drew together as he glanced at Vivienne, only to go still with surprise. Vivienne looked breathtaking and ethereal in a lilac-colored dress that brought out her alluring eyes. Her long, dark, glossy hair fell to her waist, and she was as graceful and untouchable as an insouciant, prideful feline. When her red lips curved into a dazzling smile, she looked too beautiful to be real. Sebastian had never seen such a hostile, powerful side to Vivienne in the three years they'd been married. Seeing that Vivienne was still smiling, Melanie eagerly painted her as the villain. "Sebastian, do you see this? She's still smiling even after she got Mrs. Holt Senior all worked up!" Vivienne shot Melanie an odd look. "You're not making sense, Ms. Schafer. It's Mr. Goodhall Senior's birthday today. Should I be weeping instead of smiling? "You accused me of cursing Mrs. Holt Senior, but she's standing here, well and alive. You, on the other hand, are crying as if you've just been orphaned. If anyone's wielding bad omens here, it's you." Regina was so infuriated by this that she nearly collapsed. Melanie quickly rubbed soothing circles on her back while whining to Sebastian, "Did you hear the hateful things Ms. Moore just said, Sebastian?" Sebastian fixed a dark look on Vivienne and demanded icily, "Apologize to Grandma right now, Vivienne." Vivienne maintained a bland expression. "Why should I when I didn't do anything wrong?" Sebastian's gaze hardened. He suddenly realized something was different about her. In the past, she would never dare to defy him and always did as he asked. But now, she'd not only talked back to him, but also to Regina. The commotion soon caught the attention of the banquet manager, a middle-aged man who approached Vivienne and the others, demanding, "What's with all the ruckus? Did something happen?" Melanie linked arms with Regina and pointed at Vivienne. "Sir, this woman snuck into the banquet without an invitation. You ought to be more careful about who you let into an event as grand as Mr. Goodhall Senior's birthday banquet, lest you ruin the party!" The manager frowned upon hearing that an unknown outsider had snuck into the banquet. The Goodhalls had issued a limited number of invitations, and to keep out anyone with ill intentions, guests were required to present their invites at the door. Without one, they wouldn't be allowed in—even if they summoned a host of archangels to vouch for them. So, how had this woman managed to get inside? The manager came to a stop in front of Vivienne and said frostily, "Miss, please present your invite." Vivienne's brows furrowed. "Sorry, but I came with another man. The invite is with him, and I'm sure he'll be back soon." Someone snickered. Melanie looked wholly vindicated as she eyed Vivienne with contempt. "Ms. Moore, there's no need for you to lie. If you don't have an invite, just be frank about it." A sudden idea crossed her mind, and her next words were sugar-coated venom. "Or maybe… you could apologize to Mrs. Holt Senior, and I'll convince Sebastian to overlook this. We could pretend you came with us for the evening. It's better than getting thrown out of the banquet, right?" Regina leveled a withered finger at Vivienne, outraged. "I won't accept her apology! I want this shameless, useless wench tossed out the door right now! What in the world is she wearing, anyway? Is she here to seduce men?" Glaring at Melanie, Vivienne let out a wry laugh and said, "Mrs. Holt Senior, in case you haven't noticed, Ms. Schafer has far less clothing on than I do and habitually hangs around your grandson, a married man. Surely I'm not the shameless wench with a passion for seducing men in this scenario." Vivienne's retort was sharp enough to draw blood, and Regina found herself at a loss. In the end, the old lady resorted to throwing a fit before the manager. "Have her thrown out of the banquet right now!" The banquet manager didn't bother with decorum, considering Vivienne couldn't produce her invite. He waved the bodyguards forward and instructed, "See this young woman out." Melanie couldn't help but smile smugly at the turn of events. Vivienne would be thoroughly humiliated if everyone saw her getting thrown out of the banquet by the guards. At this point, more than a handful of guests had noticed the commotion. They gestured at Vivienne, whispering among themselves. Vivienne sized up the bodyguards now standing before her and addressed the banquet manager, "Allow me to repeat myself, sir. I came here with another man." She was admittedly exasperated at Jason for leaving her side at the worst of times. Regina's voice grew shrill. "Don't listen to her nonsense! Throw her out!" "Vivienne." A man's cool, crisp voice sounded behind her. "Just admit you were in the wrong." No matter how much Sebastian loathed Vivienne, she was still his lawfully wedded wife. Her humiliation had a direct bearing on him. If she were to admit she was wrong and apologize, he could at least speak up for her. However, Vivienne didn't so much as glance at him. She bit out coldly, "Like hell I will." Sebastian's eyes darkened dangerously, and his handsome face grew stony. He pursed his lips and said nothing more as the guards moved to escort Vivienne away. "What's going on here?" Just then, a tall and dashing man approached. When he saw Vivienne, his eyes lit up in delighted surprise. "Vivienne?"