After Vivienne worked her magic, Tyler's back was on the mend. He was sitting across from his wife, playing with their kid, when he patted her hand and said reassuringly, "The court summons have been sent, honey. No need to worry anymore."
Anna was scrolling through her phone, the vibration alerts following one after another.
Without even raising an eyelid, she saw that familiar name flash up and felt a surge of irritation.
Instead of reacting, she simply tapped the screen a few times, silencing the notifications. "Kaitlyn, it's not about whether they want to let this go. It's about us not letting them off the hook."
Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she texted Soren.
"Besides, I bet it's not the Abernathy family who wants to drag this out. It's probably that gold digger Zinnia trying to extort some cash.
But she's just one person, and even with that Kipling, they couldn't muster up such an army of trolls. Looks like there's hardly any genuine public opinion left."
Vivienne, unsurprised, replied to Kala's message while said, "There must be some insiders helping them, like that certain Ramona Grimshaw from the celeb world."
"Oh, her," Anna said with vague significance.
Nodding in understanding, they changed the subject. "Are we still going to release what we've prepared?"
"Absolutely!" Vivienne exclaimed. "If they want to make a big deal out of it, let's help them out."
Jerry looked up, interest piqued. "But why is the Abernathy family backing them up like this?"
Leopold, who had been lounging on the couch, shifted his feet.
Hearing Jerry say this, he stared at the ceiling, his listless gaze flickering.
Pursing his lips, he decided it was time to stop playing dead and sat up. "I might know why... My dad set up a blind date for me recently."
Thomas spoke bluntly, "What's a blind date got to do with this? Don't tell me he set you up with Kipling."
Jerry perked up with a laugh, "Is your father that progressive? But man, he could've picked someone better for you. There are so many good guys out there, and he chose that dude? Looks like you're not his favorite son."
"More like he's got a grudge," Anna chimed in coolly.
Leopold gave his so-called friends a mournful look.
“Guys, calm down. I don't have the energy to argue with you now. I'm almost annoyed to death by the second daughter of the Abernathy family!"
"You've met Sophie?" Vivienne, who was initially paying attention to the online trends, joined the conversation when she heard this.
Leopold looked at her and said, "She's the one!"
He suddenly stood up and sat cross-legged in front of Vivienne, slapping his hand as he complained, "And her name isn't Sophie Abernathy. Her last name is Abernasy because her mother isn't a legally wedded wife of the Abernathy family. Those old-fashioned Abernathys don't recognize them! They're not even on the family tree. I don't know why they still have such an old-fashioned thing."
Leopold muttered, "My father wasn't even thinking about a marriage alliance with the Abernathy family. It's just that one of our relatives had some business dealings with them and couldn't refuse when asked to meet. But then, I got caught up with that woman! Vivienne, you don't know, that mother and daughter are both scheming..."
"Stop!" Vivienne interrupted, her face cold, "What matters is the relationship between this Sophie and Kipling."
"Who wants to hear how you got entangled with a woman?" Jerry chimed in. The others nodded solemnly.
Leopold felt as if he had been shot in the chest with an arrow. He looked at everyone with a mix of grief and resentment, but unfortunately, no one sympathized with him.
Especially under Vivienne's piercing gaze, the pressure was too much. Wiping away imaginary tears, he confessed, "Kipling is Sophie's uncle. That makes him Gavin's brother-in-law."
Anna's mouth twitched, "That explains it. The Abernathy family is really going all out. Seems like Gavin is quite smitten with his wife."
Mid-sentence, she was nudged by Thomas.
Anna glanced over reproachfully and, catching Vivienne's expression, suddenly remembered that Gavin's official wife was actually Percival's aunt by marriage.
The room went silent, the awkwardness palpable. Anna scratched her head, "Uh, Ms. Vivienne, I didn't mean it like that."
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