Everything was a deal until divorce novel Chapter 33

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“Watch it carefully,” Cassian messaged. “Tell me what you think after.”

Dorian played it. The footage was unmistakably clear. Arden had not pushed her.

It had been the first time she met Vivienne. When Vivienne fell, Arden looked terrified and rushed forward to help, only to be stopped and accused.

“Was getting me worth being that ruthless, even hurting her unborn child?”

She had turned red trying to explain. He had shouted, “Get out.”

Dorian’s grip on the phone tightened. What had he done?

Back then, Arden had just started college. She had that soft, delicate beauty, dark bright eyes filled with innocence. When she looked at someone, they sparkled.

Her face had been small, her skin pale, her brows fine. That day, the corners of her eyes had turned red.

After he shouted at her, all the color drained from her face. Her lashes trembled violently, her lips pressed together, her hands twisting helplessly.

She had been protected too well, completely unprepared for cruelty. His heart thudded painfully.

He zoomed in on the video and studied her face.

She had been crying. Her ponytail slightly messy. He stood abruptly, kicking the chair aside.

Lucien, who was coming in to deliver documents, jumped in surprise and knocked before entering.

Dorian already had a cigarette between his lips. His features were sharp, his eyes dark, his expression cold and volatile.

“Boss,” Lucien said cautiously. “What happened?”

“Post the old video online,” Dorian said. “The one from three years ago.”

Lucien froze. “Didn’t you just have it taken down?”

“Post it,” Dorian repeated. “But don’t let Arden know. Let the rumors spread. Watch Vivienne’s reaction. When she brings up the incident again and accuses Arden, release this one.”

He forwarded Cassian’s video. Lucien watched it immediately.

When it ended, he was stunned. “I knew it. Mrs. Vale is too gentle for something like that.”

Back then, Lucien had gone to Avalen University with Dorian.

That had been the first time he saw Arden. She had left an impression that made it hard to believe she could do anything cruel. She had been young, bright, unforgettable.

He had even suggested at the time that there might be a misunderstanding.

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Chapter 33 Cracks

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Their family of four had always been tight–knit.

Even in her forties, Elise still carried a softness, sheltered by Gareth and, later, by their son Caleb, who treated her like glass.

And Arden–her baby girl–had been the jewel of their home from the day she was born.

Elise clicked the video.

By the end, she was shaking with anger. “No. Arden would never do this. She brings home stray cats off the street–how would she ever hurt a pregnant woman? This has to be some kind of mistake.”

But then came the part where Dorian appeared on–screen, furious, yelling at Arden, “You really went this far just to get me? Even her baby wasn’t off–limits?”

Elise felt her head spin.

Her hand went to her chest. She scrolled down with trembling fingers and saw the coldness in Dorian’s eyes when he looked at Arden–the disgust, the way he snapped at her to get out.

Her daughter, her baby, had been trying desperately to explain, eyes wide with panic, but Dorian didn’t care. He was yelling at her.

Elise felt like her chest was tearing apart. Her sweet, gentle Arden. The girl they never even raised their voices at.

And he yelled at her like she was trash.

As she looked through the rest of the videos and photos, her vision blurred. Her phone screen lit up with hate–online users calling Arden a homewrecker, accusing her of stealing Dorian from Vivienne.

Arden had kept the marriage hidden. Elise had thought Dorian’s family was the one mistreating her daughter, but Arden had smiled at her and said she didn’t care. She liked him. She was proud she could help the Wynn family.

And his grandmother, Eugenia, had treated her well. So had his mother, Theresa.

That’s why Elise had finally agreed. But now Dorian was caught up in a scandal with a movie star.

He even took Vivienne to the hospital. Vivienne was pregnant.

And still, he treated Arden like garbage.

Elise’s world tilted. She was drowning in regret, furious she hadn’t stopped her daughter from marrying into this nightmare.

Barely able to breathe, she gripped her phone and called Gareth and Caleb, one after the other.

“You need to come home. Right now.”

Her voice broke into a scream, raw and uncontrollable. She’d never raised her voice like this before, not at her husband, not even at her son.

Chapter 33 Cracks

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