Chapter 158

Chapter 158

Serena's POV

Just as Vivian continued her desperate denials, Ethan finally moved.

I watched him pull a thick stack of documents from his briefcase, his voice steady and calm. "Tiffany, here's Vivian's birth certificate. The mother's name is clearly listed as Jade. There's also the marriage registration from when Jade married Marcus, proving beyond doubt that Vivian is the daughter of Jade and Marcus—with absolutely no blood relation to the Vanderbilt family."

Lucas stepped forward briskly, placing the documents in Tiffany's hands.

I stood nearby, watching as Tiffany opened the file and began reading page by page. Her hands started to tremble slightly. When she finally looked up at Vivian, her eyes burned with barely contained fury and crushing disappointment.

Vivian stared at the documents, her face draining to the color of parchment. Her body swayed, knees nearly buckling.

But she didn't collapse.

Before I could process what was happening, she lunged at me like a snapped wire, shrieking, "Serena! This is all your fault! You homewrecking bitch! If you hadn't stolen Ethan from me years ago, I would've married him by now! You wouldn't be standing here gloating! You spread lies about me to steal him away, then destroyed my reputation on purpose! You shameless whore!"

I instinctively stepped back half a pace, then felt a warm, solid presence behind me—Ethan had positioned himself between us, shielding me.

The banquet hall fell deathly silent.

I heard Nina gasp beside me, then the rustle of movement as she started forward. Ethan stopped her with a gesture.

Ethan stood in front of me, not turning around. His voice was cold as tempered steel, and from my angle I could see the undisguised disgust in his eyes as he looked at Vivian. "Vivian, do you have even a shred of self-awareness? You deceived me from the start. I only interacted with you out of basic courtesy. I told you from day one—I never had any feelings for you. Not then, not ever."

He paused, then his voice rose, cutting through the hall so every corner could hear him clearly:

"I, Ethan Blackwood, have only ever loved one woman in my life—Serena. I fell for her at first sight. After countless obstacles, we finally made it to each other. Our relationship is not something a person like you gets to defile. These lies you've concocted don't just insult Serena—they humiliate you."

Standing behind him, I heard those words and felt a momentary flush of warmth in my chest. But it quickly settled into something cooler, calmer.

I stepped out from behind Ethan and looked at Vivian.

She looked wretched now—makeup smeared, eyes unfocused—but still glaring at me with unhinged intensity, as if waiting for her lies to drag me down with her.

I spoke, my voice steadier than I'd expected. "Vivian, do you think slandering me will cover up your own crimes? You forged your identity, deceived the Vanderbilt family, and framed me repeatedly. Every single act is documented. Your behavior only makes your true nature more obvious to everyone here."

I paused, drew a deep breath, and dragged out the thing I'd buried for six years.

"Vivian, did you think I'd forgotten what happened at The Grand Regency Hotel six years ago?"

The air in the room solidified again. My voice dropped into the silence, each word deliberate. "You drugged my champagne. You sent me to that man's hotel suite. You wanted me violated, my life destroyed. Didn't you?"

It was like detonating a bomb in the middle of the banquet hall.

I felt every eye in the room pivot toward me, but I didn't look at anyone else. Only Vivian.

Her face turned a terrifying shade of white the instant I spoke. Her entire body began to shake. She stammered denials. "You're lying! I didn't! You just drank too much on your own! It had nothing to do with me!"

"Nothing to do with you?" My voice remained flat. "Do you think I'd accuse you without evidence? You had someone delete the hotel surveillance footage, but the staff member who helped you deliver me to that suite? He's still in Manhattan. And the drug you used? I had a full blood panel done at Manhattan General Hospital afterward. I still have the report. Should I have someone bring all that evidence here right now so everyone can see exactly who you were six years ago?"

Vivian's lips trembled. Not a single word came out.

I continued, sweeping my gaze across everyone present, my voice clear and forceful. "After I returned to New York, not only did you show no remorse—you escalated. You stole my identity, used my hair to forge a paternity test, and latched onto the Vanderbilt family. You conspired with Jade to frame me. You even hired someone to kidnap me and inject me with a neurotoxin, hoping I'd lose my mind forever. Vivian, after committing so many vicious acts, you still have the audacity to accuse me of stealing Ethan from you?"

Ethan stepped forward beside me, pulling out his phone and projecting evidence onto the banquet hall's massive screen. His voice was calm but unyielding. "This proves everything Serena just said is true. Vivian, what do you have to say now?"

The screen filled with damning details—the forged DNA report, wire transfers to Dragon, procurement records for the neurotoxin. Every piece was black and white, irrefutable.

I didn't look at the screen closely. I just listened as the murmurs around us swelled like a wave.

"How vicious! She tried to destroy Serena six years ago, and she's still at it!"

"I actually felt sorry for her earlier. Turns out she's got a heart of pure poison!"

"Ethan and Serena have been tormented by this woman for years!"

I stood there, watching Vivian slowly crumple, collapsing onto the floor.

Then I heard footsteps. Tiffany strode up to Vivian and slapped her hard across the face, her voice ice-cold. "Vivian! You not only deceived me—you committed unspeakable crimes! Get out of here! Right now! And never show your face to me again!"

The slap snapped Vivian's head to the side. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

I watched her crawl to her feet, stumbling toward the exit, muttering something under her breath. I didn't catch it. I didn't care to.

Her figure disappeared through the banquet hall doors.

Behind me, the murmurs of contempt continued. But I was done watching.

---

The atmosphere in the banquet hall slowly settled. I felt Ethan come to stand beside me. He didn't speak, just stayed there quietly.

His presence alone was a silent strength—a wall standing firm at my back, needing no words.

Tiffany took a deep breath and walked over to me. Her face held a rare expression of guilt, her eyes slightly red. "Serena, I'm sorry. I misjudged you before and nearly let you suffer because of it. You… you're the real…"

I shook my head, cutting her off gently. My voice was even. "Tiffany, there's no need to say more. I'm not interested in that Vanderbilt identity, and I don't need to prove myself through any family connection. I came here tonight for one reason—to expose Vivian's lies and make her pay for what she's done."

I paused, meeting her eyes, my tone light but clear. "That goal has been achieved. It's time for me to go."

I didn't wait for her to respond. I turned and walked toward the banquet hall's grand entrance.

I truly had no interest in the title of Vanderbilt heir—but that bloodline came from my mother, Grace. It was mine.

And Vivian? She could forget about ever touching it.