Her Gilded Revenge For Stolen Fate novel Chapter 54

Chapter 54

“No way. Vivian is decent and well–behaved. There’s no chance she’d sneak off to meet some man at the silk shop!” Sylvia snapped, her voice brimming with fury.

She was clearly disgusted by the accusation, refusing to believe Vivian could ever be involved in something so shameful.

The Servant said, “Lady Sylvia, I saw it with my own eyes. There’s no way I’m mistaken. Vivian and that guy were hugging and flirting, acting way too close for comfort. Anyone could tell they’ve been sweet on each other for ages.

“I was afraid things would get messy, so I went and got Lady Beatrice before it all blew up.”

Sylvia quivered, looking as if she’d just been hit by a truck. Her face went paper–white, but she stubbornly defended Vivian all the same. She was really playing the devoted mother to perfection.

“You old hag, spewing lies in front of everyone. If you dare smear my daughter’s name, you’d better watch your tongue!” Sylvia snapped, her voice razor–sharp with fury.

Celia picked up a tissue and gently dabbed at Sylvia’s tears. She said, “Sylvia, please, don’t get upset yet. Let’s find Vivian first. Maybe it’s all just a misunderstanding.”

Sylvia nodded, her eyes red with tears.

Seeing Sylvia like this, Beatrice furrowed her brows. Something just didn’t sit right with her, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

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Beatrice thought, ‘Sylvia is Vivian’s real mother. She lost her way before and kept coming down hard on Vivian, but after being grounded for so long, maybe she’s finally seen the light.

Still, Beatrice trusted Vivian’s character. She couldn’t believe Vivian would ever stoop to something so shameful. But Sylvia was putting on quite a show.

Flora wasn’t one for pointless talk. She just picked up the pace and strode ahead. When she reached the end of the hallway, she spotted Vivian standing in the gazebo, with an unfamiliar young man by her side.

Flora froze, her lips parted, but no words came out at first. After a moment, she finally called out, “Vivian.”

Vivian dropped into a curtsy and called out, “Mother.”

Just then, Beatrice and the others showed up, too. They all spotted Vivian and Charles.

“Well, would you look at that: Vivian really is here,” Nina said, unable to hide her smug delight.

She was absolutely loving the drama. Who would’ve thought that just by stepping out today, she’d get to watch a juicy scene of lovers getting busted right in front of everyone?

Nina thought, ‘Poor Vivian. Talk about bad luck. Why’d the cleaning maid call her out in public like that unless she’d ticked off the wrong person?‘

“Vivian, who’s this guy?” Celia asked, her eyes wide in mock surprise. But if one paid attention, one’d catch a sly little smile flickering in her eyes.

Celia thought, ‘Vivian got busted, just as I thought.’

Compared to Celia, Sylvia was falling apart even more. She could barely stand, her whole body trembling as she broke down

in tears.

She sobbed, “Vivian, if you wanted to marry Charles, you could’ve just come talk to me. Why did you have to go sneaking

Chapter 54

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around with him behind my back? How could you be so disgraceful? You’ve thrown our family’s reputation right into the gutter.”

“Charles?” Beatrice muttered, her tone laced with suspicion. Her eyes flashed with sudden intensity, her gaze turning razor- sharp.

“Mom, you must be mistaken. Charles and I just ran into each other here. We didn’t arrange to meet,” Vivian explained, her voice calm and steady, not a trace of nervousness showing.

Sylvia turned to Charles, her eyes brimming with emotion. “Charles, just tell us. What’s going on here?” she demanded.

Charles could still hear Sylvia’s words echoing in his mind.

She’d told him straight up: the Linden family was way too low on the social ladder, and as a son from a side branch, no matter how well–educated or decent–looking he was, he’d never be good enough for a girl from a powerful house.

Hell, even hoping to marry an illegitimate daughter from one of those families was nothing but a pipe dream.

Vivian was the only highborn girl he could ever even hope to get close to. And she just happened to be the real sister of the one he secretly had feelings for.

So even though Charles found Vivian unattractive and withdrawn, he couldn’t deny that marrying her would definitely work out in his favor.

Charles thought, ‘Aunt Sylvia really has my best interests at heart.

‘Besides, Celine’s belly is getting bigger by the day, and she will be giving birth soon. If I can’t find a wife I can keep in check, it could stir up a whole lot of drama.

With that thought, Charles made up his mind and bowed respectfully to Beatrice.

He said, “Lady Beatrice, Vivian and I have known each other since we were little. We’ve always shared a special bond, and our feelings for each other run deep.

“We’ve already promised ourselves to each other in secret. Please, Beatrice, I hope you can give us your blessing.”

Sylvia hurried over, making a show of trying to hit Charles, but it was obvious she was pretending. She couldn’t bring herself to actually use any real force.

After all, Charles was the only man left in their branch of the family. If anything happened to him, how could she ever face

her mom?

“See, Lady Beatrice? Told you I wasn’t making things up,” the servant who’d led everyone here said, her face lit up with a self- satisfied grin.

Beatrice ignored her, scanning the crowd. Then she barked out an order, her voice cutting through the air.

She snapped, “What kind of mess are you all making? Haven’t you embarrassed yourselves enough? Get back to Aurea Manor, all of you. Move it!”

As she spoke, Beatrice’s jaw was clenched so hard her cheeks were twitching. Anyone could tell she was about to blow a fuse.

Vivian was quickly escorted by a group of matrons to the carriage. Before getting in, she turned to Judith and told her, “Don’t forget to bring that guy to Aurea Manor.”

Judith nodded and darted away.

Celia glanced back at Vivian and couldn’t help but ask, “So, Vivian, who exactly are you planning to bring to Aurea Manor now? Is it Princess Gloria, or maybe even the crown prince?”

Chapter 51

Vivian just smiled and said, “Neither of them.”

EVOURAGE

Celia was starting to get worried. Her hands were balled up into fists inside her sleeves, and she was barely keeping her breathing steady.

Honestly, who could blame Celia? Vivian had burned her so many times before. If she let her guard down now, she’d probably get played by Vivian all over again.

Celia, Vivian, and Nina rode together in the same carriage.

Celia let out a soft sigh, her face clouded with worry. She said, “Vivian, I know Veronia is a lot more open than it used to be, but a girl’s reputation still means everything.

“Even if you do like Charles, you can’t just forget all the values Mom and Dad raised us with and go behind everyone’s back to see him. Even if you don’t care about us, you should at least think about yourself.”

Nina snorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “Celia, why bother talking to someone like her? She’s selfish down to her bones. If she wasn’t, would she pull a stunt that screws everyone over and doesn’t even help herself?”

Celia said, “Nina, now’s not the time to point fingers. What matters most is making this whole thing disappear quietly, before it turns into an even bigger mess.”

Vivian shut her eyes, tuning out their endless buzzing like a couple of annoying gnats, acting as if she couldn’t hear a word they said.

“Vivian, seriously, how can you just sit there like nothing happened? If I got busted for having a fling in front of everyone, I’d probably die of embarrassment,” Nina sneered, her words laced with venom.

She was trying to get a rise out of Vivian, expecting her to fire back, but Vivian just sat there cool as a cucumber: not a hint of panic or annoyance on her face.

Honestly, her calm just made Nina and Celia look like jealous schoolgirls.

Nina was getting more and more worked up inside.

Once they got back to Aurea Manor, everyone headed straight for Hearthstone Court. Vivian and Charles, who’d been escorted back under guard, were no exception.

Sylvia’s eyes were puffy and red. Her voice was hoarse from crying as she said to Beatrice, “Lady Beatrice, whatever happened, it’s all my fault. I’m willing to bear the punishment for Vivian. Please, don’t blame her.”

She was so sincere that she bowed three times. Her thin shoulders trembled with each bow, her face deathly pale. She looked truly wretched.

Just then, Quentin arrived. He felt a pang of sympathy for Sylvia and helped her straighten up. He said, “What’s done is done. Punishing anyone now won’t change a thing.”

At the same time, his dislike for Vivian had hit the roof.