Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Vivian’s POV
A few days after I returned to Sunlight City and went back to work, I received an anonymous email.
I opened the attachment. In the photo, Allen was holding Dylan’s hand with one hand and Hazel’s with the other, grinning brightly. Behind them was a colorful amusement park, bathed in perfect sunlight.
Dylan was wearing a light gray polo shirt, looking far more casual than he usually did in a suit. The curve of his lips was relaxed, an expression I had rarely seen on him. Hazel smiled gently, holding Allen’s toy in her hand. Allen was beaming from ear to ear.
A happy family of three.
I stared at the photo for a long time, then turned off the screen, placed my phone facedown on the desk, and let out a soft laugh.
Good. They each had a bright future ahead of them.
A few more days passed, and I officially returned to Oceancrest City.
The research project had entered a critical stage, and I had to stay fully focused.
That day, I was discussing parameters with several researchers when the receptionist came over, looking a little troubled. “Ms. Wilson, there’s a Ms. Hughes outside asking to see you. She says she’s here on behalf of Hudson Group.”
The pen in my hand paused for a moment, and a trace of coldness flashed through my eyes.
“Go on without me. I’ll take a look.”
Hazel was already seated on the sofa in the reception room. She was dressed in a beige suit, with flawless makeup and loose strands of hair framing her face. She looked polished and composed.
The moment she saw me enter, she immediately stood up and put on a professional smile. “Vivian, sorry to bother you.”
I sat down across from her and got straight to the point. “What is it?”
She took a document out of her bag and slid it toward me.
“Hudson Group has reassessed its investment in your lab and concluded that the risk-return ratio does not align with the group’s current investment strategy,” she said in a gentle voice. “The group has decided to formally withdraw all financial support. The relevant legal clauses and follow-up procedures are all attached.”
I didn’t touch the document. I only looked at her, the corners of my lips lifting slightly. “Did Dylan send you?”
Her gaze flickered for a moment, then returned to normal. “This is the company’s official decision. Mr. Hudson authorized me to handle it.”
“From the moment this notice is delivered, the lab must immediately stop using all equipment and materials purchased with Hudson Group’s funds,” she continued, sounding even more considerate. “Of course, if the lab runs into trouble because of this, Vivian can always let Mr. Hudson or me know, and we can discuss how to handle it based on the situation.”
She and Dylan, discuss how to handle it based on the situation.
I almost laughed out loud.
I leaned forward slightly and looked straight into her eyes. “Hazel, are you done?”
She shifted uncomfortably under my gaze and nodded stiffly. “That’s basically it. The specific details are all in the file...”
“Then it’s my turn.” I cut her off.
“First, if Hudson Group is withdrawing its investment, it must strictly follow the breach clauses in the investment agreement. Not a cent less in penalties.”
The smile on Hazel’s face stiffened.
“Second, regarding the usage rights of the lab equipment, Hudson Group originally invested eighty million, and about fifty million of that went toward equipment purchases. Two weeks ago, I already had my lawyer return that full amount to the group’s account.”
The smile on her face froze completely.
“What? It was returned?” she blurted out, clutching the strap of her bag tightly. “That’s impossible...”
She was Dylan’s chief assistant, yet she knew nothing about a transfer of that size?
“Didn’t Hazel check the company accounts before coming here?” I lifted a brow lightly. “Or did Mr. Hudson forget to tell you when he sent you?”
She had nothing to say.
She had probably come in a hurry, eager to watch me leave in disgrace, never expecting that fifty million had already been paid back in full.
“Also,” I said, leaning back against the sofa, my tone calm, “the lab currently has sufficient funding and is operating just fine, so there’s no need for Hazel to worry. If there’s nothing else, I won’t see you out. This is a restricted area. Unauthorized people are not allowed inside.”
I enunciated the last few words very clearly.
“You—” Hazel shot to her feet, her face dark. “Vivian, don’t get smug too soon. Without Hudson Group backing you, how long can your little lab last?”
She grabbed the file and turned to leave.
I thought that was the end of it.
But just before the end of the workday, Daniel rushed in. “The CEO of Hudson Group is here. He wants to see you.”
Dylan.
A wave of irritation rose in me, but I still took off my lab coat and headed to the reception room.
When I pushed open the door, Dylan was sitting on the sofa with a dark expression, Hazel standing beside him.
So it really was Hazel again.
The moment he saw me, Dylan’s expression darkened even further, and he got straight to the point. “Vivian, where did that money come from?”
After five years of marriage, he knew very well that there was no way I could have come up with fifty million in such a short time.
“What’s it to you?” I had no patience for nonsense.
“What do you think?” His knuckles were faintly white. “Legally, you’re still my wife. Everything you do reflects on Hudson Group’s reputation.”
I understood. He only wanted to confirm whether the source of that money used by his wife in name was legitimate.
Just then, a clear male voice came from outside the door—
“Vivian, you didn’t answer my call. I thought you were dead.”
Dylan whipped his head around.
A tall man stood at the doorway of the reception room, about thirty-two or thirty-three, with sharp features and oversized sunglasses. He carried himself with striking ease. With both hands in his pockets, he lazily swept his gaze over the situation inside, a faintly disdainful curve at the corner of his lips.
“Vivian, you okay?” He walked straight past Dylan and came to stand beside me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. His large hand came down on my shoulder with complete ease, gently pulling me to his side.
Dylan stared fixedly at the hand on my shoulder. His jaw was so tight I almost thought he was going to grind his teeth apart. The indifference in his eyes had been replaced by a dark, possessive anger I had never once seen in our five years of marriage.
“Who is he?” Dylan’s voice was low and dangerous. He took a step forward, staring hard at my face.
I was just about to speak when Hazel let out a soft gasp and looked at me in disbelief. “Vivian, no matter how dissatisfied you are with Mr. Hudson... Mr. Hudson is still right here.”
She didn’t finish the sentence, but the meaning was obvious enough.
“So the reason you suddenly got so tough is that you already had another man.” Every word Dylan spoke sounded like it was forced out through clenched teeth. “I really never realized just how shameless you are.”
