Chapter 8
“Who is that? She’s gorgeous,” one of the guests asked.
“You don’t know? That’s Vivian Hart, the second daughter. She’s engaged to Mason.”
“She’s beautiful,” the guest exclaimed. “I heard she moved out a long time ago.”
Amid the murmurs of the crowd, Vivian walked straight to Aiden, ignoring Mason and his parents completely. “I’m back,” she announced. “I’m here to collect my things from my old room.”
Linda moved to take her hand, but Vivian coldly sidestepped her. “What’s the matter?”
Linda’s smile froze. “Vivian, dear,” she said, recovering quickly. “I know you have your issues with me, but you and your father are family. You shouldn’t be so cold. And what’s this about taking things? This is your home. You can come back and live here anytime you want.”
Vivian’s eyes filled with scorn. Come back anytime? She sneered inside. They were the ones who had kicked her out seven years ago.
This house belonged to her mother, and now these squatters had taken it over. Before, she was weak and powerless. But things were different now. Sienna was back, and she had told her that even if she burned the world down, she would be there to help her rebuild.
“Family?” Vivian summoned her courage, conquering her fear, her voice ringing with newfound strength. “What family are you to me? A mistress. You were the ones who threw me out seven years ago, and now you have the nerve to say such things? Have you no shame? I’m embarrassed for you.”
Linda was shocked. The usually timid Vivian had actually talked back. Her eyes flashed, and she clung to Aiden’s arm.
“Darling, I knew it,” she said, playing the victim. “Vivian doesn’t like me. I should just go. I don’t want to be in your way.”
“Vivian, how dare you speak to Linda like that?” Aiden’s anger flared. “Apologize to her right now, or you’ll regret it.”
Vivian laughed bitterly. “Are you going to hit me again? Go on, then. Hit me!”
Aiden was seething, but with the Quinns and a few friends present, he had to maintain some composure.
Mrs. Quinn had always looked down on the Harts. She swirled the red wine in her glass, giving Vivian a disdainful look.
“I’ve never seen such an ill-mannered girl,” she said. “The moment she returns, she starts arguing with her parents. Vivian, the Quinn family has no place for someone like you.”
Aiden panicked. He couldn’t lose this marriage alliance. “She’s just a child, she doesn’t know any better,” he said with a nervous laugh. “I’ll teach her. It won’t happen again.”
With that, he quickly turned to Mason, “Mason, my boy, you and Vivian have been engaged for three years now. When should we expect a wedding?”
Before Mason could speak, his mother cut in. “Frankly, the Hart family isn’t worthy of us Quinns. You know our position. If it weren’t for my son taking pity on Vivian, there wouldn’t even be an engagement.”
She sneered, tilting her head arrogantly as she glanced at Vivian. “And let me be clear: if she wants to be a Quinn daughter-in-law, she’ll need to master the arts, manage the household, and serve her in-laws properly. In a family like ours, marriage doesn’t mean monogamy. If Mason finds other women he fancies, Vivian is not to interfere or cause a scene.”
Aiden nodded eagerly. “Of course, of course.”
Mason stood nearby, a smug smile playing on his lips as he watched Vivian. His condescending gaze said it all: this was her place to grovel, and he held the power to discard her—so she’d better stay in line.
“After the wedding, Vivian will quit her job,” Mrs. Quinn continued coldly. “She’ll represent the Quinns and stay out of the public eye. She must give me a grandson soon, and any daughter will be a failure. Her job is to serve my son: dress him, feed him, bathe him. That’s the bare minimum.”
“Naturally,” Aiden agreed. “Of course, she should center her life around her husband.”