Three Years Forgotten, Why Go Crazy When I Say Goodbye? novel Chapter 518

Just then, a sharp knock echoed from the door before it was pushed open from the outside. It was Vivienne.

She hurried in, her face a mask of frantic disbelief as she looked at Julian. "Julian, is the news out there true?"

Julian turned to face her, his eyes clouded with obvious irritation. He offered no defense, no comfort—he simply stared at her.

In that single heartbeat, Vivienne understood. She had harbored a desperate glimmer of hope that the rumors were false, or at the very least, that Julian would stand his ground and refuse the demand. But in that instant, all her hopes and delusions violently crumbled.

Whether it was pure hatred for Merit or crushing disappointment in Julian, she glared at him, her voice trembling with intense bitterness and accusation. For the first time, she completely lost her composure in front of him. "Why? I'm the victim here! From start to finish, I did absolutely nothing wrong! Why am I the one being thrown to the wolves?"

Julian was already stressed, and her screeching only obliterated whatever patience he had left. But noting the hospital gown she was still wearing, he forced himself to answer steadily. "It was Silas Thorne's direct order. He mandated it personally. There is no room for negotiation."

"So what if it's Silas Thorne's order? Who gave him the right to play god?" Vivienne had grown up swathed in luxury, forever the center of everyone's universe. When had she ever been subjected to such humiliation? And the fact that this was all tied to Willow Horgan only made it infinitely worse.

"Sinclair Group isn't some no-name startup! We have deep roots in New York City! Besides, we signed a legally binding contract with them for this project. He thinks he can just swap people out and fire whoever he wants? Why should we let him bully us?"

Her chest heaved violently. Her tone was desperate and stubborn, carrying the reckless energy of someone willing to burn everything down. "Let's just take them to court! Even if the project completely stalls and both sides take a massive hit, I absolutely will not step down!"

She should have known. In Julian's eyes, the only thing that mattered was the bottom line. The second her existence threatened the company's interests, he wouldn't hesitate to discard her.

A person's true nature never changes. She used to watch him treat Willow exactly like this, never imagining that one day, she would be on the receiving end of the exact same cruelty.

After a brief moment of shock, Vivienne desperately tried to suppress the raging storm in her chest, pivoting to a different tactic. Her tone softened just a fraction, laced with a final, stubborn plea. "But I built this project from the ground up! The early negotiations, the mid-stage execution, every single operational detail—I smoothed it all out personally. If you swap me out at the eleventh hour, things will inevitably fall through the cracks. It will hurt the company."

Julian's expression remained entirely unmoved. He replied coldly, "You don't need to worry about that. Mr. Smith can take over. He has the capability and the experience, and he's been deeply involved recently. He is more than qualified to handle it."