Chapter 590

Chapter 590

After the arranged-marriage scheme fell apart, Lorelei went quiet for a few days.

But Louisa knew better than to think it was over.

Sure enough, Lorelei changed tactics.

She let Vivian out.

The name Vivian wasn't unfamiliar to Louisa.

She was Owen's daughter — and someone who, years ago, had a complicated history with both Louisa and George.

Then Vivian had vanished. Everyone assumed she was dead.

No one had expected her to turn up alive, let alone under Lorelei's thumb.

"Ms. Forbes, Vivian has surfaced." Noah stepped in, his expression tight. "The men sent to keep an eye on Lorelei this morning discovered that her people had gotten Vivian out of prison."

Louisa's eyes went cold.

"Alone?"

"No." Noah shook his head. "Two people with her. They looked like they were keeping tabs on her."

Louisa was quiet for a moment.

"Got it."

She rose and walked to the window, gazing out at the street below.

What was Lorelei's angle here? Using Vivian against her? Or against George?

Either way, it wasn't good.

"Noah — have someone tail Vivian." Her voice was even. "I want to see what game Lorelei's playing."

"Yes, Ms. Forbes."

Noah took his leave.

---

Across town, George had just gotten the same news.

"What did you say? Vivian's back?"

The shock in his voice was impossible to hide.

"Yes, Mr. Capulet." The voice on the other end was measured, respectful. "Someone spotted Vivian coming out of the jail this morning. Two individuals with her — they didn't look like her own people."

George's expression darkened.

Vivian.

That name carried too much weight.

And now she'd shown up in Silverlight City, of all times.

This was no coincidence.

"Have someone watch her." His voice was low. "Anything moves, I want to know immediately."

"Yes, Mr. Capulet."

He hung up and sat there for a long time, staring at nothing.

He had a feeling. Vivian's return was going to bring a storm with it.

He'd thought she was dead.

She wasn't. And somehow, she'd ended up in Lorelei's hands.

Something complicated moved through him — guilt, worry, and something else he couldn't quite name.

He knew this wasn't going to end well.

But he also knew he couldn't stand by and do nothing.

Whatever Vivian had done in the past, she was Lorelei's victim now.

He had to find a way to get her out.

---

At that moment, Vivian sat alone in a hotel room downtown, staring out the window, her eyes unreadable.

Lorelei had kept her locked away for years.

Those years had been hell.

She'd been held in a remote villa, completely cut off from the outside world. Every day, she was forced to take medications that left her mind swinging between sharp clarity and a fog she couldn't fight through.

Lorelei had used her family as leverage. Made her do things she never would have chosen.

She'd helped Lorelei deceive people. Passed messages. Done things that still turned her stomach when she thought about them.

She'd tried to escape. Every plan had failed.

She'd thought about ending it. But every time, her family pulled her back from the edge.

Now Lorelei had let her out — to go after Louisa and George.

A man walked in, his tone flat and cold. "Have you made up your mind? Ms. Wolfe says once you finish this, she'll let you and your family walk away. Start over somewhere new."

Vivian's hand tightened slightly.

Walk away.

Did she believe that?

No.

Lorelei didn't keep promises. She never had.

But Vivian had no choice. Her family was still in Lorelei's hands. One wrong move, and they'd pay for it.

"I understand." She lowered her head, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'll do what she says."

The man gave a satisfied nod and left.

The room was silent.

Vivian looked out the window. Tears slid down her face without a sound.

Louisa. George.

I'm sorry.

I don't want to hurt you.

I just... have no other way out.

She wiped her face. Slowly, something steadied in her eyes.

She knew what she was about to do would cause pain.

But there was no road back.

Only forward, one step at a time.

Still — somewhere deep down, a fragile hope held on.

She hoped Louisa and George would see through Lorelei's scheme.

She hoped they'd win. That they'd find a way to free her and her family from all of this.

Even if the odds were slim.

---

Back at her office, Louisa received another update.

"Ms. Forbes, Vivian has checked into a hotel downtown." Noah reported. "The two people with her are Lorelei's. It looks like Vivian is being controlled."

Something shifted in Louisa's expression.

Controlled.

If that was true, then maybe Vivian wasn't acting of her own free will.

"Noah — look into Vivian's family." Her tone stayed calm. "I want to know what Lorelei's using to keep her in line."

"Yes, Ms. Forbes."

Noah left.

Louisa stood at the window, watching the city lights blur into the night, something unreadable moving behind her eyes.

Vivian.

The woman who had once hurt her.

Now just another piece on Lorelei's board.

The world had a dark sense of irony.

But she wasn't about to let sympathy make her careless.

Whether Vivian was willing or coerced, Louisa would be ready.

Because she knew — a new storm was already on its way.