Chapter 591

Chapter 591

Vivian moved faster than anyone expected.

The retaliation started the very next day.

George was first.

Vivian reached out and asked him to meet, saying she had something important to tell him.

George hesitated for a long time. In the end, he went anyway.

What he didn't expect was that Vivian had slipped something into his drink.

Fortunately, George had been careful. He never touched the glass.

"Vivian. What exactly are you trying to do?"

He studied her, his expression unreadable.

The color drained from Vivian's face.

She hadn't thought he'd be this guarded.

"I... I wasn't trying to do anything."

She looked down, her voice barely steady. "I just wanted to talk."

"Talk."

George let out a short, humorless laugh. "You drug someone's drink, and you call that talking?"

Vivian's eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry."

She choked on the words. "I didn't want to. It was Lorelei — she made me. She said if I didn't do it, she'd go after my family."

George watched her, something complicated moving through him.

He believed her. He knew Vivian had been cornered.

But sympathy wasn't the same as letting his guard down.

"Vivian, if Lorelei is threatening you, why not go to the police?"

"The police?" A hollow laugh escaped her. "She has my family's lives in her hands. If I go to the police, she kills them. I can't risk it."

George went quiet.

He knew she was telling the truth. Lorelei was ruthless — the kind of person who followed through on every threat.

"I'll help you," he said at last, his voice steady and certain. "I'll find a way to get your family out. But you have to promise me — no more doing Lorelei's dirty work."

Fresh tears spilled down Vivian's face.

"Okay. I promise."

---

On the other side of the city, Vivian's move against Louisa had already been set in motion.

She sent people to spread rumors outside Louisa's company — that Louisa had slept her way to the top, that she was ruthless and cold, that she'd been responsible for her own parents' deaths.

The rumors spread fast. Within days, all of Silverlight City's business circles were buzzing with Louisa's name.

That wasn't all. Vivian also had threatening letters delivered to Louisa directly — envelopes stuffed with blood-stained photographs and written warnings.

When Noah brought the letters to Louisa, his jaw was tight.

"Ms. Forbes, these people have gone too far. Should I have them tracked down?"

"No need."

Louisa flipped through the envelopes, her voice even. "Hold onto all of it. Every piece is evidence."

"But Ms. Forbes, the rumors are already hitting the company." Noah's concern showed. "We've had clients calling with questions. A few potential deals have stalled — the other parties are getting cold feet."

"It's fine."

Louisa smiled slightly. "Pull together our performance numbers from the past few years and send them to every client. Hard data speaks louder than any denial. And file all these letters with the police as an official record."

"Yes, Ms. Forbes."

Noah gave a small nod and left.

Julian stepped in just as he walked out. He took one look at Louisa — calm, composed, unhurried — and felt a quiet swell of pride.

"You're not even a little angry?"

"What would anger accomplish?"

Louisa leaned back in her chair. "Vivian is being used by Lorelei. Getting worked up over her is a waste of energy. When it's time to settle the score, I'll settle it with Lorelei."

"So what's the plan?"

"Wait."

Something sharp came into Louisa's eyes. "Wait for Vivian to slip up. Wait for Lorelei to walk straight into the trap we've already set."

She paused, then added, "And I've already asked Sadie to track down Vivian's family. Once they're safe, Lorelei loses her leverage. Vivian won't be her weapon anymore."

Julian looked at her, a slow smile breaking across his face.

"My Louisa. You keep getting more formidable."

---

Across town, the Price family was falling apart.

The details of Owen's old case had surfaced — suddenly and completely. His dealings with Lorelei, the illegal arrangements he'd been part of for years, all of it dragged into the light at once.

Almost overnight, the Price family became a target.

Their company's stock collapsed. In a single day, they lost billions.

Partners and investors rushed to pull out, demanding compensation. Banks called in loans and began freezing assets.

The Price family was in free fall.

Owen spent his days on the phone, working through every contact he had. No one picked up. No one helped.

When the walls come down, they come down fast — Owen understood that now in a way he never had before.

Caden stood in the middle of the Price family's living room, watching his parents scramble, his face like stone.

"Dad. Mom. What did you do?"

His voice was quiet. That made it worse.

Owen's face went rigid. "Stay out of it. This is adult business."

"Stay out of it?"

Caden's laugh had no warmth in it. "The Price family is about to collapse, and you want me to stay out of it? Tell me the truth, Dad. How deep were you in? What was the deal with Lorelei? What did you actually do?"

Owen said nothing.

His silence said everything.

Something in Caden's chest sank, slow and heavy.

He had always told himself his father wasn't a good man in the small ways — cutting corners, bending rules. But not this. Not whatever this was.

Not something that might connect back to Louisa's parents.

"Dad." Caden's voice broke slightly at the edges. "You've disappointed me in a way I don't know how to come back from. I won't cover for you anymore."

Owen shot to his feet. "What did you say?"

"I already went to the police." Caden met his father's eyes and didn't flinch. "Everything I knew — the money transfers between you and Lorelei, the illegal dealings over the years. All of it. It's done, Dad. Handle what comes next."

He turned and walked toward the door.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Owen's voice cracked into a shout at his back. "After everything I did for you — you ungrateful—"

Caden didn't stop.

He didn't look back.

He knew, with every step he took, that this was the end of something. He and the Price family were finished.

But he had no regrets.

Some things are wrong. It doesn't matter who did them. Everyone answers for what they've done — sooner or later.

The collapse of the Price family was only the beginning.

There were others who still had a reckoning coming.