Chapter 140

Chapter 140

The news of Gavin's escape reached Vivienne quickly.

"This is outrageous!" Even the usually composed Sawyer couldn't contain his anger. "We had solid evidence, but they let him walk just because he knows how to talk his way out of things? This is absolutely absurd!"

Vivienne remained calm.

"Gavin's been building his empire for years. He's committed every crime in the book. The fact that he's avoided arrest this long means he definitely has connections and backing. What we need to do now is race against time. We can't give Gavin a chance to pull strings and clear his name, or time to run."

Sabrina was frantically flipping through the documents in front of her.

She'd been pulling all-nighters for days now, sleeping only three or four hours a night. Every waking moment, she'd been trying to find answers from the existing clues.

Vivienne glanced at her, about to suggest she take a break, when Sabrina suddenly slammed her hand on the table.

"Vivi! Come look at this!"

Vivienne set down her pen and pushed herself up from the chair, one hand supporting her lower back.

Sabrina spun her laptop around. On the screen was a company registration document dated six years ago.

"This is the registration for Gavin's first overseas company," Sabrina said. "I was cross-checking the backgrounds of overseas partners and happened to search for companies linked to Gavin's name. I found this. The company was established six years ago, changed its name once, and now it's called..."

Before she could finish, Vivienne had already spotted the line.

The company's current name matched the holding company Sawyer had traced back to Gavin.

And its former name—Vivienne recognized it.

It was her father's company.

Six years ago, Preston's business had suffered a catastrophic blow.

The cash flow dried up, core team members were poached, and their biggest client unilaterally canceled the contract. Within months, the company plummeted from its peak to rock bottom.

Preston had no choice but to sell the company at a bargain price to a mysterious buyer just to preserve what remained of the Branpia family's foundation.

This had always been Preston's deepest wound. He never wanted to talk about it, and Vivienne never pressed.

All she knew was that the buyer's offer had been insultingly low—practically highway robbery—but the Branpia family had no other options at the time.

That buyer's name was identical to this company's former name on the screen.

"So the mysterious buyer who swooped in and bought out my father's company was Gavin?"

"There's more." Sawyer took the mouse from Sabrina, quickly scrolling through several pages of documents before pulling up another transaction record. "Look here. Less than two years after acquiring your father's company, Gavin transferred all of the Branpia family's core technology patents to his own company through a series of complex equity swaps. Then, using an offshore structure, he licensed these patents to several companies that appeared to have no connection to him. One of them—guess who?"

Vivienne stared at the name on the screen. Her pupils contracted sharply.

The Carnegie Group.

More precisely, a subsidiary under the Carnegie Group specializing in technology R&D and patent operations.

"Gavin established ties with the Carnegie Group six years ago using the Branpia family's technology patents," Sawyer said. "His purpose in acquiring your father's company wasn't just opportunistic profiteering. He wanted to use the Branpia family's technology as a stepping stone to get close to the Carnegie Group."

The living room fell silent.

The fragmented clues in Vivienne's mind finally clicked into place, piece by piece.

He wasn't after Allegra. Not Archibald. Not even just the Carnegie Group.

He wanted both the Branpia family and the Carnegie family!

Because back then, Vivienne and Archibald were already dating. Gavin knew full well that when the two families united through marriage, it would generate massive profits.

"He's too greedy!" Sabrina fumed.

Sawyer raised a hand, cutting Sabrina off. "Now's not the time to be angry. The point is, if he's really been laying this trap for six years, he's absolutely not going to back down just because Allegra got arrested. Someone who's spent six years weaving a web will only get more desperate before it's torn apart."

Vivienne took a deep breath and lifted her head. "Arrange a video visitation for me."

Sawyer paused. "Visitation with who?"

"Archibald."

Because Vivienne was pregnant, Sawyer advised against her going to the detention center in person—especially with Gavin still on the loose—so he arranged a video visit instead.

The screen lit up, and Archibald appeared.

Though she'd mentally prepared herself, the moment Vivienne actually saw Archibald, she was still slightly startled.

The gray at his temples had thickened since the last time she'd seen him. He'd lost weight. His jawline was sharper than before, and even his eye sockets seemed deeper.

Archibald looked at Vivienne, equally surprised.

When Lloyd notified him, he'd only said an important witness needed to confirm some information via video. Archibald had assumed it would be Sawyer or Ryder.

He froze the moment he saw her face on the screen.

Vivienne took a deep breath and spoke first, skipping pleasantries and getting straight to the point.

She laid out everything they'd uncovered, detail by detail.

"So from the very beginning, his target was never Allegra. It was you and me. The Branpia family and the Carnegie family. Allegra didn't drag you into that project because you went soft. He paved that road six years ago."

Archibald was silent for a long time before his lips finally moved.

"Protect yourself and the children," he said quietly. "For everything outside, I'll have Ryder give you his full support."

There was nothing he could do for Vivienne now except entrust others to help her.

Beyond that, all he could do was silently pray for her safety, over and over.

Vivienne said nothing more.

She simply gazed at Archibald for a while.

That face she'd looked at countless times now felt strangely unreal through the screen.

She'd spent so many years trying to get close to this man, then spent just as much effort trying to leave him.

Now they sat facing each other across a screen—separated by iron bars, a network connection, and a marriage torn to shreds—yet somehow they seemed more like comrades-in-arms than ever before.

Not husband and wife. Not enemies. Two people harmed by the same man, finally deciding to set aside their wounds and drag the mastermind into the light together.

Absurd, that they'd ever find themselves standing side by side.

Vivienne nodded and reached to end the call.

Archibald suddenly spoke.

"Vivi."

Her hand froze mid-air.

"Never mind." He shook his head. "That's all."

Between them, they'd finally reached the point where there was nothing left to say.

After disconnecting, Vivienne sat at her desk for a long time.

Darkness had fallen by the time she finally let out a long sigh.

She was about to pour herself a glass of water when a new email notification popped up.

The sender was an unfamiliar address. The subject line contained only one word: [Gift.]

Vivienne frowned and opened the email. There was no body text, only an attached photo.

Vivienne glanced at it once.

Then she shot to her feet.