Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Serena's POV

Harlan gave a bitter smile. "I'm not scared. I'm just worried. The Rivera family is a mountain we can't move."

"Every mountain can be leveled."

I stared out the car window at the Manhattan skyline rushing past—steel and glass reflecting cold white light in the dusk. My voice was steady.

"Notify the legal director immediately. Send a formal demand letter to BioNova Labs. They have three business days to restore our supply and compensate all losses. If they refuse, we file for arbitration. Also, prepare the full case materials for antitrust and unfair competition lawsuits."

I turned to face him, my eyes cold.

"BioNova Labs signed an exclusive supply agreement with the Rivera family, maliciously cutting off our legitimate raw material channels in an attempt to monopolize the market and crush competitors—that's our core claim. The evidence chain must be airtight."

"Also, mobilize every resource we have. Spare no expense. Search globally for alternative fox leather suppliers or craftsmen and technical teams who can process this specialized material."

I paused, my voice dropping lower.

"The launch event cannot be delayed."

"Got it! I'll handle it right away!" Harlan's voice regained its strength.

---

Back at the office, I dove straight into an emergency meeting.

The legal team operated with ruthless efficiency. By evening, the demand letter was sent—its language uncompromising, laying out BioNova Labs' breach of contract and legal liability with surgical precision. The draft complaint for antitrust and unfair competition violations was taking shape, with previously overlooked details excavated and added to the evidence list. Simultaneously, our global procurement network was activated at full capacity, emergency sourcing information spreading across specialized platforms and confidential channels.

When the meeting ended, I returned to my office to tackle the backlog of other matters. My personal phone vibrated.

I glanced at the screen, and the corner of my mouth curved up slightly.

It was Robert.

"Robert."

His cold, authoritative voice came through without preamble, cutting straight to the point.

"I heard about BioNova Labs."

I wasn't surprised by how quickly he'd learned. I gave a bitter smile. "Your intelligence network is impressive. They're using the Rivera family as leverage. Their attitude is aggressive."

"The Rivera family?" His voice betrayed no emotion, yet carried a crushing calm. "Circus clowns. They think a few cheap tricks can strangle Crimson Jewelry?"

Before I could respond, he continued:

"You don't need to handle this anymore. I'll have my legal team take over completely. BioNova Labs will pay every cent of the penalty. The material allocation will be returned intact. As for the Rivera family..."

He paused, his voice turning ice-cold and sharp, like an ancient iron blade dragged lightly across stone.

"I'll make them understand what it costs to touch my family."

Family.

That word landed in my ears and warmed something deep in my chest.

"They're still the Rivera family, though, and this is my problem..." I hesitated, then spoke. "I don't want to drag you into this."

"Serena, remember this—" His voice was low but struck like a hammer. "You are my family. Crimson Jewelry is your life's work, your dignity. Anyone who dares touch it is slapping the Vanderbilt family in the face. I'm handling this. End of discussion."

He paused, his tone softening slightly.

"The legal team will arrive at your office first thing tomorrow morning with all authorization documents and new contracts. Watson will be leading them. You should know his name."

Watson?

I froze.

Watson Ellis—the elite commercial litigation attorney who moved between Wall Street and the City of London, dubbed "The Undefeated" by Fortune magazine? Legend had it he'd never lost a case, charged astronomical fees, and only served the most powerful financial dynasties and ancient families—

Robert was sending him personally?

"Robert, that's too much. Mr. Ellis's fees..." I felt my palms begin to sweat.

"Fees are not your concern." His voice left no room for argument. "Win this lawsuit and make certain shortsighted fools in New York understand their place—that's the best return. Now, let Watson handle the follow-up. You focus on the launch event and finding alternative materials. That's all."

The call ended abruptly.

I sat in my office chair, holding my phone, momentarily dazed.

But the warmth and sense of belonging I felt when Robert said "family"—that was real. I hadn't imagined it.

---

Tiffany's POV

The study was lit only by a desk lamp, its glow pooling on the dark walnut surface, casting amber shadows.

I'd just hung up the phone.

It had been Damian, BioNova Labs' procurement director, his voice barely concealing his smugness as he recounted the day's events in vivid detail—how Serena and her assistant had hit a wall, how they'd been cowed by the Rivera family name, how they'd left with their tails between their legs.

The corner of my mouth curved upward. I was just thinking that this matter was finally settled, that Vivian should calm down for a while—

The study door was knocked urgently.

"Mrs. Rivera, we have a problem."

The butler entered, holding a fax, his expression grave as he handed it over.

"This came directly from Robert's office. It's a copy of a demand letter sent to BioNova Labs. There's also a detailed evidence list regarding BioNova Labs' involvement in unfair competition and breach of contract."

"What?"

I shot to my feet and snatched the fax.

My eyes swept to the signature line—Robert Vanderbilt's private seal, and below it, a name that made my eyelid twitch violently:

Watson Ellis.

A chill shot up from the soles of my feet.

Watson Ellis.

Of course I knew who that was. He was Robert's sharpest, most expensive, and most terrifying weapon—rarely deployed, but when he was, blood was always spilled. Everyone in New York high society knew what that name meant.

Robert had actually sent him out for Serena?

"Has he lost his mind?" I heard my own voice, tinged with panic I couldn't quite suppress. "For Serena, he's willing to oppose the Rivera family? To deploy Watson?"

The butler kept his head down, not daring to breathe.

I stared at Serena's name on that fax, my mind racing.

Robert had publicly acknowledged his connection with Serena in his private social circles, defending her multiple times—I hadn't paid much attention before, assuming it was merely casual appreciation for a young designer. But now...

"He just told BioNova Labs that Serena is his family?" My voice trembled slightly.

The butler hesitated, then replied, "Yes. He said that touching his family comes with a price."

Family.

I sank back into my chair.

When the word "family" came from Robert's mouth, it carried an entirely different weight—I knew this man too well. He was eccentric and arrogant, extremely selective about people and matters. Very few could catch his eye, and even fewer could be included in the category of "family."

Even I, someone who had maintained deep ties with the Vanderbilt family for years, had never received a shred of genuine closeness from him.

What made Serena so special?

She was just Marcus's daughter. Our families had no deep connection. How had Robert become so deeply involved with her?

Vivian's words began surfacing in my mind, piece by piece—

"Serena has been jealous of me since childhood, always targeting me."

"To steal Ethan, she'd stop at nothing, even using her own children."

"She's vicious, can't stand seeing me happy."

These words, paired with Serena's beautiful face, I had believed without question. Combined with the fact that she was Ethan's publicly announced girlfriend, my disgust toward her had seemed natural.

When I learned Crimson Jewelry was her brand, I'd used my connections to apply pressure.

But now, Robert's fax felt like a resounding slap across my face.

Robert was a man who read people with uncanny accuracy, who tolerated no imperfection. Those with questionable character or twisted minds—he wouldn't even spare them a glance, let alone defend them at such cost, deploying the Vanderbilt family's full legal force to directly confront the Rivera family.

The fact that he considered Serena family meant one thing—in Robert's judgment, Serena's character was beyond reproach.

Then what about Vivian, who'd been crying in my ear, accusing Serena of being vicious?

How much of what she'd said was true?

A powerful wave of doubt and cold dread wrapped around my heart, tightening.

For the first time, I seriously scrutinized Vivian's identity—this "niece" I'd believed so readily based on a single sapphire brooch.

Was she really my sister Grace's daughter?

My hand unconsciously clenched the fax, the paper crinkling slightly under my fingers with a faint, almost inaudible sound.

I stood abruptly and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside was the deep Manhattan night, thousands of lights merging into a sea, as if drowning all secrets in that dazzling ocean of illumination.

"Investigate." My voice turned cold. "Find out Vivian's true background. I want the most detailed report possible. Don't miss a single detail."

I paused for a second.

"Also—arrange a DNA paternity test."