Chapter 435


    Jeffrey had always been a hothead, and Vivienne''s challenge sent him over the edge.


    In a fit of rage, he hurled his phone at her, shouting, "Are you behind all this crap?"


    Vivienne merely nced at the phone lying on the floor, her elegant features cool and detached. She


    did not move an inch, just quietly observing Jeffrey.


    At that moment, Percival stepped forward and crushed Jeffrey''s phone underfoot, swiftly turning it into


    a heap of electronic waste.


    The next second, Jeffrey found himself unable to move. Panic crossed his face. "Vivienne, what the


    hell did you do to me?" His eyes bore into hers, but other than his eyes and his mouth, nothing else in


    his body responded to his mind.


    With a casual flick of her hair behind her ear, Vivienne replied indifferently, "An eye for an eye. You


    have a problem with that?"


    "You!"


    Before Jeffrey could retort, Vivienne''s fingers twitched, and a silver needle flew from her fingertips.


    Jeffrey''s words were instantly cut off.


    Seeing the scene unfold, Henry realized his options were dwindling. The only path left was to plead


    with his father, Richard.


    He dropped to his knees before Richard, begging, "Dad! I messed up. Please give me another chance.


    I swear I''ll never do this again. I can''t go to jail!


    I just wasn''t thinking, Dad. Please, for all the years I''ve dedicated to our family business, forgive me


    this once."


    He knew the gravity of his situation.


    The money he had embezzled over the years was enough tond him behind bars!


    Richard ced his cane down and slowly sat on the couch, his aged face void of expression. "As of


    today, you are no longer wee at thepany, and don''t you dare show your face in this house


    again!"


    Henry felt as though he had been struck by lightning.


    Was Richard casting him out from the Ellington family?


    What about the tax authorities?


    Could he even get out of this?


    "Dad, I''m your son! Fiona''s still suffering, Jeffrey''s still sick, and we have no means of ie. You


    can''t just kick me out, Dad!"


    Henry clung to Richard''s leg, wailing.


    But Richard pushed him away. "If it weren''t for this mess, would you still be here begging me? All of


    you, get out! I never want to see you again!"


    Heloise was dumbfounded. Her son was a wreck on the sofa, her husband was to be taken away, and


    her daughter was still in jail. The future looked bleak.


    Heloise''s heart hardened when her eyesnded on Vivienne, sitting there with a faint smile. She


    grabbed a vase from the table and hurled it at Vivienne.


    "You little wretch, this is all your fault! I''ll kill you!"


    With a swift kick, Vivienne sent her flying.


    Heloisended on the broken vase, a shard slicing a long gash across her face. She always prized her


    beauty, and now, disfigured, she felt worse than dead.


    She looked at the blood in her hands and screamed, "Ah! My face!"


    Vivienne frowned at the noise.


    So annoying.


    Another silver needle flew out with a flick of her wrist, silencing Heloise''s cries.


    Vivienne cleared her ears.


    Much better.


    Why could it not always be this quiet?


    And so, a bizarre scene unfolded in the Ellington household. There was crying without tears, bleeding


    without sound, their mouths agape but silent.


    Richard barely nced at Heloise before addressing the tax officials. "Officers, my son has broken the


    The officials stepped forward and escorted Henry out.


    Heloise tried to intervene, but her face ached, and her voice was gone; she could only watch as Henry


    was taken away.


    Once the tax officials and Henry had left, Percival gestured to the servants to remove Heloise and


    Jeffrey.


    Quickly, they were dragged out of the house.


    With the troublesome people gone, peace returned to the Ellington home.


    Richard, red-faced and fuming, took his time to recover on the sofa.


    Vivienne approached, pressing acupressure points on Richard''s hand to help him rx.


    "Vivienne, my dear, we owe you a great debt today. If not for you, who knows how long that ungrateful


    son of mine might have kept me in the dark!" Richard thought of Henry''s misdeeds and felt his blood


    pressure rise again.


    He had known about Henry and his brother Ryan''s sneaky dealings, but since the sums were


    insignificant, he had let it slide.


    After all, Isolde’s face was disfigured because of the poison aimed at Percival; Percival wanted to keep


    a low profile; Richard was old, and his ideas were outdated. All of these reasonsbined, Richard


    had decided to leave the business in the hands of his three sons.


    He trusted Nathan implicitly and had given him the reins of thepany, while Henry and Ryan were


    kept away from crucial positions. To Richard, a little mischief was tolerable.


    In a family asrge as the Ellingtons, some were bound to be not exactly angels.


    Richard knew his sons'' true colors but just could not be bothered.


    Yet he never imagined Henry would embezzle such a staggering amount.


    Vivienne''s lips pursed slightly, a hint of remorse in her eyes. "I''m d you don''t me me, Grandpa."


    There were not many whom she did not want to hurt, and Richard was one of them.


    "me you? Far from it, I should thank you for excising a tumor from thepany and the Ellington


    family." Richard genuinely held no grudges against Vivienne.


    The money Henry had stolen could have supported a smallpany.


    Now that trouble had arisen, it was nothing less than their just desserts.


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    Vivienne remained silent, choosing not toment.


    "Percival," Richard sighed deeply, "I want those bad debts cleaned up. Take care of it, will you?" He


    sounded weary. "I''m exhausted. I''m going to take a break."


    Vivienne and Percival watched as Richard retreated to his bedroom.


    Afterward, they left the Ellington estate. New ch?pter av?ble o? Draмаnоvеls.cоm


    On the road, Percival made calls to have Henry''s mess sorted out.


    He had not needed that 10 billion dors and could have managed without Vivienne''s help, but since


    she had insisted, he had epted it.


    Henry''s ounts were straightforward enough to settle, but Fiona was a moreplex problem.


    Fiona had been conducting shady deals in the shadows, creating an illicitwork that stretched from


    Ellington Group to Jeffrey''s art gallery.


    However, Fiona was stubborn and had not yet revealed any of her secrets.


    Seeing Percival''s grim expression, Vivienne inquired, "Is it that difficult to handle?"


    Vivienne paused, then said, "CK? I''ve heard of them before."