Chapter 12

Oliver Roland's dull eyes suddenly lit up.

Natalie Valois's face turned deathly pale.

Her fingers dug into her palms as she stared at the familiar figure in the doorway.

"Vivian?"

The name she hadn't heard in five years pierced her heart like a dagger.

Wasn't Vivian supposed to be dead?

She had sent people to search everywhere, but found no trace of her.

Yet here Vivian stood, alive and well at her engagement party.

What shocked her more was Vivian's face—once disfigured, now more radiant than ever.

"Impossible..." Natalie's voice trembled.

Oliver had already shaken off her hand and rushed toward Vivian. "Vivian!"

He opened his arms eagerly, only to be blocked by the man beside her.

Lucas Lefèvre stood between them with a cold expression. "Keep your distance."

Vivian's lips curved slightly. "Congratulations on your engagement."

"It's not what you think!" Oliver protested desperately. "This was arranged by my family. I have no feelings for Natalie!"

The guests erupted in murmurs.

"Get out, Vivian!" Natalie shrieked.

Vivian remained composed, her presence overwhelming.

"I came to give you a gift," she said lightly. "I planned to give you a piece of land, but it seems you don't need it now."

Natalie's eyes widened. "You're the one who took that land?"

"Nothing's yours until the contract is signed." Vivian produced an exquisite box from her clutch. "But I have something else for you."

Natalie eyed the box warily.

"Open it," Vivian urged with a charming smile.

Inside lay a single pill.

"What is this?"

"Have you forgotten already?" Vivian tilted her head. "The same thing you gave me years ago. Take it now, and we're even."

Natalie's hands shook.

She remembered the pill's effects—Vivian's ruined face was proof enough.

"You're trying to poison me?" Natalie flung the pill away.

"So you admit it was poison?" Vivian's gaze turned icy. "You're confessing to what you did?"

"That's nonsense!" Natalie forced composure. "Your disappearance had nothing to do with me!"

"I gave you a chance." Vivian sighed.

At that moment, the banquet hall's screen flickered to life.

"Mr. Wang~ You promised me the project if I kept you company tonight~"

The video showed Natalie in a revealing dress, perched on a middle-aged man's lap.

His greasy hands roamed her waist. "That depends on how well you perform..."

The two soon became entangled on screen.

"Turn it off! Now!" Natalie screamed, lunging for the controls.

This was the price she'd paid last week to secure a deal—now exposed before Oliver's entire family.

The technicians panicked. "The system's hacked! We can't stop it!"

As the video continued, the guests' whispers grew louder.

Natalie collapsed to the floor.

Her carefully planned engagement party was ruined.