Chapter 128 An Unexpected Delight

Chapter 128 An Unexpected Delight

Dimitri stood outside the door, listening to Vivian's pleading, anguished cries from within. He closed his eyes, savoring them like a beautiful symphony.

He didn't leave. He stood at the door for half an hour before it finally opened. The obese man walked out, still savoring the experience.

A thin sheen of sweat glistened on his nose, and his expression was greasy with satisfaction.

"This one's quite something. A real prize." His voice carried that post-coital languor.

Dimitri opened his eyes, his face settling into that standard smile. "I'm glad you're satisfied."

The man clapped him on the shoulder with condescending magnanimity. "Don't worry. That project I was going to give your aunt? It's yours now."

He smoothed his collar with satisfaction and strode toward the stairwell. His footsteps gradually faded in the empty corridor.

Dimitri watched his retreating figure disappear around the corner before turning to push open the door.

The air inside was stifling and stale. The fireplace had burned low, leaving only a thin red glow spreading across the edge of the carpet.

Vivian lay curled in a ball in the center of the room.

Her dress was hopelessly wrinkled, one broken strap hanging crooked over her arm. Her exposed skin was covered with marks of varying depths.

Her whole body trembled. Her breathing came rapid and ragged. Sweat-dampened hair stuck to her face, half of which was buried in the crook of her arm. One visible eye stared vacantly at the floor ahead.

Hearing footsteps, she slowly lifted her head. Her gaze remained unfocused for several moments before finally settling on Dimitri's face.

She seemed to exhaust all her strength just to prop up her upper body. Her fingers scraped at the carpet twice before finally grasping the hem of Dimitri's pants, her knuckles white with effort.

"Dimitri..." Vivian's voice was so hoarse it was barely audible. "Let me go... please... I'll do whatever you say, anything you want..."

Dimitri looked down at her, his expression as calm as if he were observing an insignificant toy.

He pulled a check from his inside jacket pocket and released it. The paper floated down, landing on the carpet in front of Vivian.

"This is your reward." His voice was gentle, like coaxing an obedient child. "Tomorrow your father will receive a major project contract. You'll continue being my fiancée—glamorous, with access to all those circles you used to only dream about."

Vivian stared down at the check, her fingers still clutching his pant leg. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs. "I don't want any of this... I don't want anything... just let me go..."

Dimitri crouched down and pried her fingers off his pants one by one.

He straightened up, his tone still gentle. "Keep this up and I'll take it all back. You won't even have the title of fiancée anymore. When your father loses the big tree he's been leaning on, how do you think he'll treat you?"

Vivian's lips moved, but no sound came out.

She slowly lowered her hand, fingers curling against her chest like a cat that had been declawed.

Dimitri glanced at her and pulled out his phone, casually snapping a photo.

In the frame, she lay on the carpet, barely clothed, face streaked with tears, eyes vacant.

Without another look, he pocketed his phone and headed for the door.

"Rest up for half an hour. The next client will be here soon."

The door closed on Vivian's look of utter despair.

Dimitri returned to his car. He pulled out his phone and sent Vivian's photo to Evie, adding a line of text: [This is my sincerity.]

After sending it, he switched to another screen. An encrypted email sat quietly in his inbox.

He opened the attachment—a paternity test report.

His eyes landed on the conclusion at the bottom. He stared at that line for several seconds, then slowly curved his lips upward.

The smile spread from his mouth to his eyes, growing wider until it became an almost uncontainable, nearly grotesque arc.

"What a pleasant surprise."

...

The hotel suite's lighting was dimmed low. Evie had just finished showering and emerged with damp hair when her phone screen lit up.

She walked over and picked it up. Her whole body froze.

The image on screen made her stomach churn.

Vivian sprawled on the floor, disheveled, her exposed skin covered in shocking marks, her face streaked with tears and eyes vacant.

Evie's brow furrowed. Looking at Vivian's wretched state in the photo, Evie didn't feel vindicated—instead, a chill ran through her. Her grip on the phone unconsciously tightened.

Though it came from an unknown number, Evie knew instantly who had sent it.

Just then, James approached from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist. Warm kisses landed on her neck. "Why don't I just move in here? I've missed you so much these past few days I can barely eat. When I think about being apart for the next few months, I really can't bear it."

Evie turned and handed him the phone.

James looked puzzled as he took it. His eyes stopped on the screen for a few seconds, his brow gradually furrowing.

"Dimitri?"

"Yeah. He added a message saying it's his 'sincerity.' He approached me at the engagement party too, said he wanted to discuss a collaboration. Wanted me to convince you to work with him. I refused."

James's gaze lifted from the screen. His thumb unconsciously rubbed the phone's edge.

"Dimitri's been making aggressive moves lately. Don't know what methods he's using, but in just one month, he's stolen signing authority for three major projects right out from under Katerina. The winds are shifting inside the Orlov family—people underneath are starting to side with him."

James paused. "But to completely swallow the entire family, he's still missing one step. He needs backing from external forces, which is why he won't stop targeting me."

"The Rockefeller family?" Evie tilted her head to look at him.

James nodded slightly. "Only if the Rockefeller family publicly endorses him can those wavering old shareholders fully commit to Dimitri."

"But you've already given up your inheritance rights to the Rockefeller family. If he wants the Rockefellers' support, shouldn't he approach your grandfather?" Evie asked.

"He probably did approach him and got redirected to me. That's my grandfather's tactic too—using Dimitri to try to bring me back to the Rockefeller family."

Evie couldn't help but sigh, leaning into James's shoulder. "Everyone's after you. You're really quite the catch."

James chuckled softly, pinching Evie's cheek. "Then you'd better hold on tight, before someone else snatches me away."

"If someone else could actually snatch you away, I wouldn't want you anymore."

James reached up to adjust the bathrobe strap sliding off Evie's shoulder, his tone mock-exasperated. "Can't you say something I actually want to hear?"

"Enough sweet talk. What are you planning to do about Dimitri?" Evie asked.

"I'll handle it. Don't worry about it."

With James's assurance, Evie put Dimitri's matter out of her mind. She nodded and nestled into James's embrace.