Three Years Forgotten, Why Go Crazy When I Say Goodbye? novel Chapter 206

Panic clawed at Vivienne's chest.

Being forced to copy him on everything was a direct insult to her competence, but that wasn't what terrified her. What terrified her was that this arrangement would force Julian and Willow back into each other's orbits.

She had fought tooth and nail to eradicate Willow from their lives. Victory had been practically in her grasp. Now, everything was resetting, and the new, empowered version of Willow was a threat Vivienne couldn't afford.

She scrambled for an excuse. "You're already so swamped with work. You don't have time to sift through endless emails. I can just give you private briefings when issues arise."

Julian was unyielding. "I'll make the time."

"But I'm the lead on this," she argued. "If you suddenly step in, the team will think I'm incompetent. I'll lose all my authority."

"You're just copying me on the correspondence. You're still running the show," he replied coolly. "This is standard procedure for high-stakes projects. No one is going to question your authority."

He realized his past leniency with her had directly caused today's disaster.

But right now, it was nothing more than passing curiosity. He knew his priorities, and he didn't need Vivienne turning this into a massive conspiracy.

"Come here," he ordered softly. He pulled her onto his lap and wiped her tears with a tissue. "You're being ridiculous. Do you really think so little of me? You're a mother now; stop acting like a child. Even if I wasn't thinking about you, I have to think about Toby. He's my flesh and blood. Everything I do is to secure his future."

Hearing Toby's name settled Vivienne's nerves slightly. As long as she had the boy, she had leverage. But Toby was also a ticking time bomb. If the truth ever came out, she would be completely ruined.

Leaning against his chest, she sniffled and pouted. "So you only care about me because of Toby? That's totally backward."