The CEO's Contract Bride

Chapter 20: The Confession

The east wing sitting room felt like a stage set for a execution.

Vivian sat down gracefully, crossing her legs, wine glass in hand. David kept his gun trained on her. Ethan stood frozen, the half-typed message still glowing on the phone in his hand.

"Put the gun down, David," Vivian said pleasantly. "If you shoot me, you'll never find the little girl. And you'll never find the other devices."

"Other devices?" Ethan's voice was ice.

"Five was just what I let you find, dear." She smiled. "Did you really think I'd put all my eggs in one basket?"

Ethan felt sick. "How long?"

"How long have I been listening?" Vivian tilted her head. "Since the day your little wife moved in, of course. I needed to know if she was..." She paused. "Suitable."

"Suitable for what?" David demanded.

"For carrying the Gu heir." Vivian's eyes gleamed. "You see, Ethan, your grandfather wasn't the only one who wanted an heir. I did too. But unlike that sentimental old man, I had a plan for what came after."

Ethan's hands clenched. "Explain."

"Gladly." Vivian took a slow sip of wine. "When your father died, I got the mansion, the allowance, the title of Mrs. Gu. But the company? The power? All yours." Her voice turned bitter. "Thirty years I gave that man. And his will treated me like a well-paid servant."

"So this is about money," Ethan said flatly.

"This is about what's MINE." Vivian's composure cracked for just a second. "The Gu empire should have been mine. But the board would never accept a widow with no blood tie." She leaned forward. "Unless... she controlled the heir."

Understanding dawned on Ethan like a poison. "The baby."

"Exactly." Vivian's smile returned. "A Gu heir, raised by me, molded by me. In eighteen years, the company would be mine in everything but name." She looked almost dreamy. "It was perfect. Your grandfather even did the first half of the work for me — putting you and the girl together three years ago."

"But it failed," David said. "No pregnancy."

"A miscalculation." Vivian waved her hand. "The drugs, the timing — it should have worked. When it didn't, I waited. And then, three months ago, I tried again."

"You." Ethan's voice shook. "You hired the Broker. You used Madam White's name."

"I AM Madam White's best client, dear." Vivian laughed. "Who do you think kept her in business all those years? When she died, her little helper — the Broker — came to me. He needed work. I needed discretion." She shrugged. "It was a natural partnership."

"And the tea?" Ethan demanded. "Chloe's poisoned tea? You tried to kill my child!"

Vivian's expression darkened. "That was... an adjustment."

"An adjustment?"

"The girl was becoming a problem." Vivian's voice turned cold. "She was supposed to be compliant. Grateful. Instead, you fell in love with her — disgustingly, publicly in love. And she started asking questions." Vivian stood, pacing. "If I couldn't control the mother, I couldn't control the child. So I decided to... start over. Find another girl. A quieter one."

Ethan lunged at her. David caught his arm.

"Ethan, don't—" David held him back. "She wants you to lose control."

Vivian watched them, amused. "He's right, dear stepson. You need a clear head. Because here's the situation." She set down her wine and counted on her fingers. "One: if I'm arrested, or harmed, or if I fail to make a phone call every six hours, the little girl dies. Two: my associates — the rest of Phoenix — are less patient than I am. I've been holding them back, convincing them to wait for the birth. If I fall, they won't wait." She smiled. "Three: I have recordings. Every conversation in this house for three months. Including, I'm sure, some things you'd rather the board didn't hear."

"What do you want?" Ethan asked through gritted teeth.

"For now? Nothing." Vivian picked up her wine. "Continue your little investigation. Chase your tails. It doesn't matter." Her eyes gleamed. "Because in five months, when that baby is born, I'm taking it. And there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"You're insane."

"I'm practical." Vivian walked to the window, looking out at the gardens she'd tended for thirty years. "Do you know what it's like, Ethan? To pour tea for men who decide your fate? To smile at board meetings where you're invisible?" Her voice dropped. "Your father promised me the world. He gave me a cage with silk curtains." She turned back, her eyes hard. "I won't be caged again. Not by you, not by anyone."

Ethan studied her — this woman he'd known since childhood, who'd tucked him in when he was sick, who'd smiled at his wedding. He searched her face for any trace of the person he thought she was.

There was nothing. Only cold ambition.

"You killed my grandfather's driver," he said quietly. "Feng. And Madam White. The brake failures."

"Loose ends." Vivian shrugged. "Feng was getting nervous. White was getting greedy." She smiled thinly. "You understand, don't you, Ethan? Business."

"They were people."

"Everyone is expendable, dear." Her voice was soft. "Even you. Even me. The only thing that matters is who holds the empire when the dust settles."

"Oh, and Ethan? One more thing." She turned back, her smile cruel. "Your little wife's father. Lin Guoqiang. Such a principled man. He found out about my... arrangements in the company accounts, twenty-two years ago. He was going to expose everything."

Ethan went still. "You killed him."

"I arranged his accident." Vivian said it like she was discussing the weather. "And I'd do it again." She looked at Ethan with something almost like pity. "You see, dear? I've been winning this game since before you were old enough to play."

The door crashed open.

Ava stood in the doorway, her face white, her hand on her belly.

"I heard everything," she said quietly.

"Ava—" Ethan moved toward her.

She held up a hand, stopping him. Her eyes were locked on Vivian.

"You'll never touch my child." Ava's voice was steady, clear, terrifying in its calm. "Not while I'm breathing."

Vivian laughed — a bright, brittle sound.

"Oh, my dear." She finished her wine. "That's exactly what your mother said. Twenty-two years ago."

Ava went rigid. "What?"

"Didn't she tell you?" Vivian's smile was pure poison. "I visited her, you know. In the hospital. We had a lovely chat." She leaned forward. "I told her the same thing I'm telling you now: the Gu family always gets what it wants."

"Get out," Ethan said quietly.

"Excuse me?"

"Get out of my house." Ethan's voice rose. "David, escort Mrs. Gu to her rooms. She's confined to the east wing until further notice."

"You can't—" Vivian started.

"I can." Ethan's eyes were murderous. "You're not leaving this mansion. But you're not leaving the east wing either. And if anything — ANYTHING — happens to my wife, my child, or that little girl..." He stepped closer. "I'll forget I'm a civilized man."

Vivian studied him for a long moment. Then she smiled.

"We'll see, dear stepson." She turned to go, then paused at the door. "Oh — and Ava?"

Ava looked up.

"Your father screamed, you know." Vivian's voice was soft. "When the car went off the bridge. I listened to the recording once. Just once."

She walked out, her heels clicking on the marble floor.

Ava collapsed into Ethan's arms, shaking.

"She's lying," Ethan whispered, holding her tightly. "She's trying to break you."

But Ava wasn't listening. She was staring at the empty doorway, her mother's warning echoing in her mind:

Tears don't always mean kindness. Sometimes they mean guilt.

And now she understood.

Vivian wasn't just evil.

She was enjoying this.