Elliana’s lips curved into a smile, though there wasn’t an ounce of warmth or mercy in her expression. She had already extended far too many chances to Paige over the years. Each time, Paige had shown absolutely no genuine remorse for her actions. Every single time she had been foolish enough to show mercy, Paige had immediately begun scheming against her. This time would be different. She was permanently closing that door.
Within minutes, the officers had escorted a hysterically sobbing Paige away from the scene. Given that she had orchestrated such a calculated and vicious kidnapping, she was staring down the barrel of significant prison time. A celebrity whose star had risen meteorically only to crash spectacularly—the internet gossip sites would absolutely feast on her dramatic downfall.
Of course, Elliana couldn’t have cared less about the media circus that would inevitably follow. Her only concern right now was seeing Rosemarie with her own eyes.
She was about to ask the Hudson family’s butler to formally announce her arrival, but Raylan was staring at her with an expression of dazed hope. “Elliana… did you actually come here to see me?”
“No,” Elliana responded flatly, crushing whatever fantasy he’d been building in his head. Why would she ever choose to come all the way here to see him after everything that had happened between them?
Raylan’s head dropped in obvious disappointment. Somewhere deep inside, he’d already known she wasn’t here for him, but he’d been clinging desperately to even the tiniest possibility.
That was when Vivien spoke up, shifting her weight uncomfortably from foot to foot. “Elliana, Paige said you were the one who actually saved me from that cruise ship. So I guess… thank you.”
“I only saved you because Lenard showed me tremendous kindness over the years,” Elliana replied, her face remaining completely neutral. “If you weren’t his granddaughter, ”
“I honestly wouldn’t have given a damn whether you survived or not if you weren’t his granddaughter. You don’t need to thank me—I don’t want your gratitude. If you feel compelled to express appreciation to someone, direct it toward Myles. He’s the one who physically carried you down five entire floors of that sinking ship and got you onto the evacuation plane.”
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Standing silently beside Elliana, Myles raised one eyebrow slightly. He had zero interest in receiving thanks from this spoiled woman either.
“Wait, what?” Vivien’s eyes went wide as saucers. She thrust an accusatory finger at Myles. “You were the one who carried me?” Her gaze was filled with a volatile mixture of pure shock and building rage, with not even a trace of gratitude visible anywhere in her expression.
Myles frowned deeply, completely confused by her reaction.
“Why aren’t you answering me? Say something!” Vivien’s voice climbed several octaves, dripping with fury.
Myles had no choice but to respond. “That’s right. Is there a problem?”
Nobody could have possibly predicted what happened in the next moment. Vivien lunged forward with surprising speed and kicked him hard right in the shin. “You absolute bastard! Who gave you permission to put your hands on me? I made a sacred vow to myself that Merlin would be the only man who would ever be allowed to touch me! Nobody else is supposed to lay even a single finger on my body!”
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