Claimed by the Wrong Wolfe

CHAPTER 4

Tristan’s POV

Tristan’s throat tightened. He couldn’t say a word or even extend a hand. He could only stare at the woman in front of him, and the longer he looked at her, the more absurd the situation became.

How interesting. The same woman he had forced out of his life five years ago was now the formidable CEO of House of V. How had she managed to achieve this?

For two years now, that name had been a thorn in his flesh. The media constantly compared House of V to Wolfe Group’s fashion empire. The company had secured contracts meant for his company and launched viral campaigns that threatened to overshadow his own.

She had almost snatched the contract for the First Lady’s birthday dresses from him, if not for his mother, who pulled some strings for him to be part of the project. Tristan had been furious when his mother shared the news with him. He couldn't believe a newbie in the industry had dared to challenge him.

Every time he investigated, he couldn't find a single picture of her. All he had found was the story of a young woman who had built her company from the ground up, fueled by the betrayal of the man she once loved. The media had even tagged her story ‘Betrayal to Revolution.’

Tristan was curious, obsessed even, with the CEO of the company. Even minutes ago, he had been impatient to see who she was. But now, he could barely contain his shock. His anger had been replaced by disbelief. Why had he never suspected she was the owner of the House of V, even after seeing her name countless times?

Perhaps he had never imagined Vivian could make it this far. He was disappointed in himself. He should have realized that House of V’s fierce competition with Wolfe Group was driven by something more personal than business.

“The powerful Mr. Wolfe.” Vivian’s subtly mocking voice pulled him from his thoughts. Mrs. Carter glanced at him, confused by his silence.

“Yes.“ He forced a smile at her, taking her hand. “Tristan Wolfe.“

“Nice meeting you,” she said in a tone that wouldn’t even hint that they’d met before, let alone shared a history.

How did she manage to keep such a straight face when he was struggling to hold himself together? She would have made a career in acting too, he thought.

“Let’s have a seat.” Mrs. Carter said, gesturing towards the couch behind them.

Tristan sat back down while Vivian took the seat across from him, crossing her legs with the effortless grace of a queen on her throne.

Six long years had passed, and she seemed so bright, full of life, and far more sophisticated than she’d been with him. She looked gorgeous, dressed to kill in that bouclé cropped blazer and a sleeveless bodycon dress that fitted tightly to her knees..

Life without him seemed to have treated her so well. Seeing her beautiful face, she had grown into a beautiful young woman, just twenty-six now. He couldn’t help but be impressed by how successful she had become.

“You make great dresses, Miss Lawrence. I'm a huge fan of yours even though we've never seen you in public,” said Mrs. Carter, her voice brimming with happiness as if she had just seen her idol.

Vivian offered a smile. “Thank you for the compliment, Mrs. Carter. As a fan of the brand, I believe you know the story behind it.” She adjusted forward a little before continuing.

“House of V was built on pain, determination, and the courage to stand tall as a woman. It was never about my public image, but the message I wanted to convey. That’s why you rarely see pictures of me. I want people to focus on what House of V stands for, not the woman behind it.”

Mrs. Carter nodded, looking impressed. “Your story makes so much more sense now. You must have been through quite an experience, Miss Lawrence. But look at you now. You’ve done so well.”

“That’s why I love creating dresses that tell a story. There’s always a certain depth to them that connects with the person wearing them,” Vivian explained. Then she asked, “So, does the First Lady have a story she’d like to tell through the dresses?”

“Yes… The First Lady shares almost the same story as you.”

“Really?” Vivian asked, curious.

“Yes… She was betrayed by her first love and looked down on by society for being an illegitimate daughter, so she vowed to become someone important. She studied hard, worked her way to the top, and then attracted the attention of the president, who is now head over heels for her.”

“Oh,” Vivian exclaimed, pressing both hands to her chest as though she could feel the First Lady’s pain. “Men who betray women who love them are assholes. They don’t deserve to live.” Her expression darkened at once.

The smile Mrs. Carter had worn seconds ago faded. Something in Vivian’s voice seemed to frighten her. Then Vivian turned toward Tristan. “Isn’t that so, Mr. Wolfe?”

Tristan swallowed hard, and despite the air conditioning, the room seemed to grow more stifling by the second. He tugged at his tie, which suddenly felt too tight around his neck.

He knew exactly what she was trying to do. She wanted to humiliate him in front of the first lady’s assistant. The glint of triumph in her eyes, as if she’d gotten him where she wanted, said it all.

All along, Tristan had looked forward to meeting the woman behind House of V. He wanted to know who she was and why she seemed so determined to crush his company.

But now that he had finally met her, his chest ached with the realization that he was the very reason behind her hostility. The woman he had once hurt had built an empire of her own, only to become a threat to his company.

On that fateful day he'd sent her away, Tristan had been angered, and he'd acted solely on instinct but had not given it much thought not until later, after she was gone, when all findings revealed that the tapes were nothing more than accusations directed at her.

A pang of regret hit Tristan as he realized he might have ruined his chance with the woman he had seen a future with. He had felt like a fool, or worse, an i***t. He had searched all over Los Angeles for her afterward, but he couldn’t find her.

His silence drew Mrs Carter attention, and she turned toward him. He had no choice but to play along. The last thing he wanted was to disrupt the moment or spoil everyone’s fun.

“Sure.“ He forced a smile.

Then both women burst into laughter.

“Alright,” Mrs. Carter finally said, standing up. “I’ll leave you both to it.”

She shook both their hands before walking out of the room.

Vivian picked up her sketchbook and flipped through the pages, seemingly unbothered by his presence. It was as though sitting across from him meant nothing to her, as though he were just another client.

Tristan’s jaw tightened. Several unanswered questions had been running through his damn mind, and he could not take it anymore.

“Vivian,” he said quietly, yanking off his tie. “Can you explain… everything?”

She didn’t even bother to lift her eyes. “Everything? I don’t understand.”

“You disappeared,” he said, his voice low. “No calls. No texts. Nothing. And now I find out that you’re the woman behind the company that’s been tearing my company apart—”

He stopped himself. He wasn’t about to admit how much she had been getting under his skin.

But the sudden pause caught her attention, and she looked up. Her gaze was sharp enough to cut through him. “I owe you no explanation, Tristan,” she said coldly. “Last I remember, this was a meeting to discuss dresses, not to entertain your curiosity about my personal life.”

Looking into her eyes, Tristan could see that she expected him to drop the subject. But he needed answers, so he pressed on. “But where did you go?” he asked, unable to stop himself. “You just… vanished. You even changed your number.”

Vivian’s expression was annoyingly calm. For some reason, it looked to Tristan as though she was enjoying his frustration.

“You don’t get to ask me that,” she snapped. “And yes, you’re right. I changed my number. That’s because I want nothing that could connect us. So stop asking silly questions.”

He clenched his jaw, his fists digging into his palms. “Oh, I get it. House of V is some kind of revenge, huh? You built a damn brand just to get back at me?”

“Revenge?” She scoffed. “I don’t care about you or what you do, so tell me why I would want revenge on your brand. I’m only doing business, Mr. Wolfe.”

“Then why—” Tristan tried to speak, but Vivian cut him off.

“We’ll have to reschedule this. I have another meeting now,” she said as she stood, closing her sketchbook and straightening her jacket. “Mr. Wolfe, if you need anything, get in touch with my assistant. Okay,” she said as she had already begun walking toward the door.

The action stung deeper. She had just walked out on him, and Tristan couldn’t remember the last time anyone had made him feel this humiliated.

Tristan quickly rose to his feet and headed for the door too. He struggled to bury the turmoil churning inside him. He didn’t want Mrs. Carter to know that Vivian had walked out on him.

As he stepped into the corridor, a little boy of about five to six years ran past Tristan—barely missing colliding with him.

His small voice shrieked with excitement.

“Mom!”