You Had Me, You Lost Me, You'll Never Find Me novel Chapter 39

Sylvia found the entire situation hilarious. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted from me? Did you really think Ashton was worth more to me than five million dollars?"

Outrage bled through Vivienne's flawless makeup. "I knew you were a greedy little gold-digger. It took barely any effort to expose you. What a shame Ashton poured his heart and soul out for you these past three years."

Vivienne had accidentally witnessed them together once before. Ashton had done something to upset Sylvia, and Sylvia had pinched his arm so hard it left a massive, angry red mark.

Yet Ashton hadn't even dropped his doting smile. Afterward, he had even strong-armed Vivienne into parting with a massive, priceless block of imperial green jade.

Not long after, Vivienne had seen the jade carved into an exquisite emerald pendant hanging around Sylvia's neck.

Sylvia's luminous skin and delicate, stunning features were only elevated by the breathtaking piece.

But to Vivienne, it was a total waste.

Eventually, Sylvia stopped wearing it because it got in the way of her stunt work.

Vivienne scoffed internally. The girl probably had no idea the pendant was worth millions of dollars. As expected of a country bumpkin, she had zero vision and was smugly satisfied with a mere five-million-dollar check.

What Vivienne didn't know was that Sylvia would have left Ashton even without the money. The five million was just free cash.

As soon as Sylvia walked away, a man stepped out from the shadows. Offering a consoling smile to a still-fuming Vivienne, he plucked a rose from his lapel and handed it to her.

"Calm down, Aunt Vivienne. Why let someone like her ruin your mood? Isn't it a relief that a little money was all it took to make her disappear?"

The man was Connor Brooks—the same arrogant playboy who had previously mocked Sylvia at the nightclub.

Vivienne let out a heavy sigh. "You're right. It's high time Ashton saw that woman's true colors."

A malicious, scheming grin spread across Connor's face.

—

Ashton pulled back the heavy curtains, his gaze frozen on the two figures walking intimately out of the estate together.

A paralyzing numbness gripped his heart, dragging him down into a suffocating, endless abyss.

Despite the blazing fever burning his skin, a freezing chill radiated from his bones.

He had offered to marry her. He had offered to give her a child. But she had still walked away.

And she had walked away with Julian Sterling.

Even though he was the one who had technically initiated the breakup, she was the one who had shattered him.

What a cruel, heartless woman.

Ashton's mind flashed back to his first meeting with Julian. He remembered the subtle, unspoken tension between Julian and Sylvia. Had there been something going on between them even then? Otherwise, how could she have moved on so seamlessly the absolute second they broke up?

Once the seed of toxic jealousy was planted, every memory felt like a betrayal.

The voice recorder on the table played Sylvia's voice.

"Do you have any idea how sick it makes me to pretend to like him every day?"

"Oh, and he actually said he wanted to marry me. It's hilarious. Who on earth would want to marry him?"

Vivienne stood with her arms crossed, watching her imposing nephew stare blankly out the window. She felt equal parts heartbroken and infuriated. "You heard her. Why are you still hung up on her?"

"Didn't you just give her a massive check? We can bait her into cashing it, then have someone pitch her some terrible investment projects. Once she burns through the cash, you can demand the money back, claiming it was never a voluntary gift. When she can't pay, we'll drag her to court. If the debt is high enough, she'll have no choice but to face jail time."

"Plus, doesn't she want to be an actress? If she's blacklisted as a bankrupt defaulter, her fans will completely turn on her. Her career will be permanently destroyed."

Hearing Connor casually outline such a venomous scheme sent a chill down Vivienne's spine. As much as she despised Sylvia, she had never considered taking it that far.

The fact that Connor could conjure up something so ruthlessly sinister in a matter of seconds made her deeply uncomfortable, and a wave of subtle disdain washed over her.

But then again, Ashton had been raised under Elder Wyatt's strict guidance, while Connor had been brought into the family as an illegitimate child, neglected and ignored. It was no surprise his mind operated in the gutter.

"Forget it," Vivienne said coldly. "It's just pocket change. As long as she stays away from Ashton, I won't go after her."

She gave him a sharp glare. "Don't you dare do anything without my explicit permission."

Connor's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What about Reina? Hasn't she suffered enough? Ashton is still obsessing over someone else. She finally came back home, and now her heart's going to be broken all over again."

Despite talking about Reina's heartbreak, his tone was completely devoid of sympathy. He was clearly just stirring the pot for his own twisted amusement.

Vivienne shot him a final, warning glare. "I'll handle the situation myself. Keep your nose out of it."

Connor shoved his hands in his pockets with a careless smirk. He didn't care either way.

Vivienne had initially considered using Connor's help, but seeing his sociopathic tendencies, she decided to investigate Sylvia's supposed pregnancy on her own.

If it was genuinely just a stomach bug, she would drop it. But if Sylvia was actually pregnant, Vivienne would make absolutely sure she got rid of it.

The Wyatt family would not be humiliated by a scandal like an illegitimate child.