Chapter 474
Ethan Roscente stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in the palace corridor, a cigarette burning down to its filter between his fingers. He glanced at his watch. Three hours until dawn.
Light rain fell outside, blurring the night through the water-streaked glass.
He needed to tell Vivian Laurent the truth himself.
About Theo's parentage. About the scandalous headlines flooding every media outlet. He knew she would see them. And she would misunderstand.
Her contact in his phone still showed a red exclamation mark. Every social media account blocked. Emails left unanswered.
When the palace guard passed by for the third time, he hesitated. "Mr. Roscente, Dr. Laurent might already be asleep."
Ethan stubbed out the cigarette. "I'll wait."
At four in the morning, footsteps echoed from the far end of the hallway. His head snapped up—only to see Ryan Fairsprene rubbing his eyes.
"Mr. Roscente?" Ryan blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Is Vivian still asleep?" Ethan's voice was hoarse.
Ryan's expression turned odd. "Dr. Laurent returned to Jiangcheng two days ago."
Ethan's pupils constricted. "When?"
"A private jet took her directly back." Ryan checked his watch. "She should be in the city by now."
Raindrops hammered against the glass.
Ethan's knuckles whitened. "Did she leave any message?"
"Just asked me to take care of Princess Fiona." Ryan hesitated. "Nothing else."
As Ethan turned, his elbow knocked over a vase by the window. The shattering porcelain pierced the empty corridor.
His mind flashed to the press conference three days ago. When he'd been forced to acknowledge Theo's identity, the cameras had caught a woman in sunglasses rushing from the audience.
Now he realized—it had been Vivian.
The palace gates clanged shut behind him as he dialed Finn Deross. The call rang seven times before deafening music blasted through the line.
"Where's Vivian?" Ethan demanded.
On the other end, Finn glanced at Vivian dancing wildly in the center of the club. Silently, he closed the VIP room door.