Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Vivienne cried out and spun around, grabbing her phone as she ran toward the bedroom. But pregnant with twins, no matter how fast she moved, she couldn't outrun a desperate man.

Gavin closed the distance in two strides and seized her wrist.

Vivienne struggled wildly, clawing at the back of his hand.

But he didn't budge. His large hand clamped down on the back of her neck, and he began dragging her toward the door.

Just as he pulled her past the bedroom doorway, urgent footsteps echoed through the hallway.

Gavin's hand went rigid. He turned his head toward the corridor. The madness on his face instantly shifted to disbelief.

Finnian was the first to burst through the door. His eyes swept over Vivienne, and his face went white.

"Let her go!" Finnian roared.

Gavin suddenly let out a cold laugh. He yanked Vivienne in front of him as a shield, pulled a switchblade from his coat pocket, and pressed the tip without hesitation against her lower back.

"Back off!" Gavin bellowed. "Everyone back off, or I'll stab her!"

Sawyer shouted, "Gavin! The building's surrounded by police! You can't escape!"

"Then we'll die together!" Gavin snarled. "I spent six years building this, and you tore it all apart! I'm not getting out anyway—I don't care about one more life on my hands!"

The blade pushed forward a fraction.

Vivienne's heart pounded violently. Her ears filled with the sound of her own ragged breathing. But her mind was strangely clear.

If Gavin dragged her out that door, she'd never get another chance.

But clearly, his attention wasn't fully on her right now. He was thinking about how to get her out alive so he could vent his rage.

Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't kill her here.

Vivienne took a deep breath. She summoned every ounce of strength and threw her head backward, smashing the back of her skull into Gavin's nose.

Gavin gasped in pain. His grip loosened for a split second.

Finnian seized the moment. He lunged forward, grabbed Gavin's wrist holding the knife, and twisted it outward.

Gavin cried out. The switchblade clattered to the floor.

Two of Sawyer's bodyguards immediately flanked Gavin from both sides and pinned him down.

Gavin thrashed under the weight of three men, screaming, but ultimately couldn't resist. He was forced flat against the floor.

He panted heavily, eyes still locked on Vivienne, muttering something under his breath.

Vivienne couldn't make it out anymore.

The moment she broke free, her ears began ringing. Her legs gave out, and she slid uncontrollably toward the floor.

She glanced down at her dress. A small bloodstain had begun spreading across the hem.

"Vivi!" Sabrina finally came to. She'd just pulled herself off the floor, blood still trickling from her forehead, when she saw the blood on Vivienne's dress. She snapped fully alert.

"She's in distress! Call an ambulance!"

Vivienne had gone into early labor. Only seven months pregnant, she was forced into emergency surgery to deliver both babies.

The Branpia parents arrived quickly. They stood staring at the red light above the operating room door that refused to go out, eyes brimming with tears, praying nonstop.

Sabrina stood in the corner the entire time like a statue. She had a large gash on her forehead, covered only with a bandage.

Sawyer told her several times to go to the ER and get it treated. She refused to budge, insisting she'd wait until Vivi came out.

After what felt like an eternity, the operating room doors finally opened.

Two nurses emerged carrying swaddled bundles, smiling as they called out, "Family of Vivienne? The babies are here. Mother and daughters are safe."

Gemma shot to her feet, stumbled, steadied herself, then rushed over.

She looked down at the tiny, wrinkled face in the blanket, and tears poured down her cheeks.

The second nurse approached with the other bundle, her voice even louder than the first.

Sabrina leaned in to look. The moment she saw them, she started crying too.

When Vivienne was wheeled out, she was so weak she could barely speak.

But when she saw her parents, she managed to curve her lips faintly.

Then her gaze moved past her mother's shoulder to the two bundles Sabrina held, and she asked softly, "Are they okay?"

Sabrina nodded frantically and brought both babies to the side of her bed.

Vivienne reached out and gently touched each of her daughters' cheeks with her fingertip. Then she closed her eyes and let out a long, slow breath.

Thank God. Though both daughters were premature, they were stable. They just needed a few days in incubators for observation.

When the news reached the detention center, Archibald faced the wall and cried for a long time.

His eyes were swollen by the time he finally lifted his hand and wiped them with his prison uniform sleeve.

"Mr. Wallace, please deliver a letter to her for me," he said hoarsely.

Lloyd immediately pulled paper and pen from his briefcase and handed them over.

Archibald took the pen, wrote a few words, and handed it back.

Lloyd hesitated, then couldn't help glancing down. There was only one sentence on the note.

[What I owe you, I'll repay for the rest of my life.]

A few days later, Gavin was formally arrested.

The list of charges against him was so long it could be bound into a book. The outcome was never in question.

As for Archibald's case, it finally reached its final trial.

The prosecution accepted the full testimonies from Allegra and Gavin, acknowledging that Archibald had not been informed about the material substitution in the East Suburb project and had explicitly objected the moment he found out.

Additionally, his proactive cooperation with the investigation and complete submission of all transaction records were recognized by the court as significant acts of merit.

The court ultimately found Archibald secondarily liable for the accident. He was sentenced to two years in prison for supervisory negligence, suspended for three years, and ordered to pay full civil damages.

The moment the verdict was read, Elowen in the gallery covered her mouth with a handkerchief and sobbed uncontrollably.

Archibald kept his head down, stunned for a long time.

It was over. All of it was over.

The entanglement that had consumed half his life had finally come to an end today.

But when he turned his head, he realized he'd lost everything that mattered most.