Chapter 14
Under Sienna’s gentle persistence, Vivienne briefly recounted her hospital encounter. Mercifully, Sienna’s attention soon shifted to Warren and Natalie’s situation. “Those two are absolutely revolting! In your place, I would have struck her across the face!”
A subtle frost glazed Vivienne’s gaze. “Perhaps this experience will teach her something valuable.” Though she harbored no desire to waste energy on Natalie, Vivienne remained prepared to deliver a firmer lesson should her previous warning fall on deaf ears. Mercy and excessive forgiveness had never been her defining traits.
Sienna bobbed her head in agreement. “But Warren won’t escape consequences so easily!”
“What do you have in mind?” Vivienne’s curiosity peaked.
“I’ve withdrawn my investment,” Sienna announced with casual indifference. “The Mitchell family only received my funding because of you. Now that they’ve shown their true colors, why should I maintain any generosity?”
“You should have consulted me first,” Vivienne admonished. “The Bayside project holds genuine promise. Sudden withdrawal means sacrificing tens of millions! Isn’t that recklessly wasteful?”
Sienna dramatically flung herself beside Vivienne, feigning devastation. “Tens of millions! My heart aches! You’ll have to make it up to me.”
“Why should I compensate for your impulsive decisions?”
While their exchange maintained its playful warmth, on another floor of the hospital, Warren’s expression hardened into grave concern. The Bayside project represented the Mitchell Group’s most significant recent venture, one that few within the company had supported. Warren had fought relentlessly, attending countless meetings to secure vital investments. Now, at this crucial moment, the withdrawal of funds struck like a thunderbolt.
“Contact the Sienna family immediately, whatever it takes!” Warren’s voice carried razor-sharp urgency.
“Yes, Mr. Mitchell,” his assistant responded promptly.
After ending the call, Warren drew a steadying breath before returning to the hospital ward. Inside, he found his mother, Melissa, examining Natalie’s forehead wound while sighing dramatically. “She always lacked refinement! Fortunately, Warren ended things when he did. Imagine the scandals such a woman would have brought to our family!”
Warren’s arrival coincided with his mother’s words; his brow furrowed at their harsh edge. When Natalie caught Warren’s expression, vulnerability flickered across her features. “The fault lies entirely with me. I shouldn’t have appeared suddenly, creating misunderstandings with Vivienne or affecting their relationship.”
“You’re not to blame,” Warren interjected, accepting the half-peeled apple from his mother. “What Vivienne and I had was mutually convenient. Even without your presence, it would have reached its natural end.”
“Given her background, she never truly belonged with the Mitchell family,” Melissa remarked, undisguised contempt coloring her words. “Warren’s excessive kindness prevented him from outright refusing her persistent marriage demands.” To her, the marriage had been nothing more than a blemish on the Mitchell family’s reputation, leaving her the subject of ridicule among Lyhaton’s social elite.
Natalie lowered her gaze, projecting an aura of delicate fragility designed to evoke sympathy. “Years ago, when false accusations threatened my father, he sent me abroad overnight for protection. I missed my chance with Warren then, and now I’ve inadvertently hurt Vivienne. Yet these feelings for Warren have persisted through all these years—I cannot simply dismiss them.”