Kicked Out, Flash-Married, and Now He Won't Let Me Go

Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Not Hungry

On X.

The discussion had already become completely one-sided.

Vivian saw that several of her professors from Aethelburg University had come forward to speak up for her, confirming that she had indeed been a good student and had won many awards during her time at school.

And then there was Eleanor Rhodes.

Eleanor knew a fair bit about the Lowell Family’s affairs. She posted a long-form essay online, describing how the Lowells had once faced hardship and only managed to turn things around thanks to Vivian.

It was safe to say that without Vivian, the Lowell Family wouldn’t exist today.

For the Lowell Family to turn against Vivian at a time like this... it was no wonder their business had been in such poor shape before, and so on and so forth.

The post also mentioned that when Vivian left home, she didn’t take a single penny. All her jewelry had been seized by Shelly Lowell, her car was left behind at the Lowell residence, and on the day she went to the marriage registry to get married, she even had to ride a bicycle.

Netizens went wild.

They never expected...

...that the CEO’s wife was so down-to-earth?

When Vivian saw the words "down-to-earth," she couldn’t help but press her lips together in a small smile.

’That’s not quite it,’ she thought.

She had just always lived a normal life, much like anyone else.

As for the Lowell Family...

The post they had originally published to accuse Vivian was now flooded with angry comments. As Vivian scrolled, she suddenly discovered the post was gone.

’Huh?’

Vivian thought her browser had frozen, but after refreshing the page, she realized the Lowell Family must have had a guilty conscience and deleted the post themselves.

The public outcry basically died down.

’Sigh.’

’They really dug their own grave.’

Thinking about all this put Vivian in a great mood.

However...

Vivian’s thoughts turned to someone else.

Shelly Lowell.

After the Lowell Family’s troubles started, aside from the time Shelly came with Sharon Galahad to cause a scene at the Faulkner Group, Vivian hadn’t seen her at all.

’Where is Shelly?’

’Is she with Mason Grant?’

The Grant Family had been suspiciously quiet lately. Before, Mason Grant had even stepped forward, declaring he would stand with the Lowell Family through thick and thin.

Back then, people online had seen his gesture and praised him for being so loyal and righteous. She wondered if his true motive had just been to create buzz for himself, build a certain image, and cultivate a good reputation.

But now... with things having blown up like this...

...she had no idea if Mason could withstand the Grant Family’s opposition and continue to defend the Lowells.

Logic told Vivian it would be very difficult.

Well, whatever happened, the Lowell Family’s downfall was already a certainty.

The thought made Vivian feel quite relaxed. She reviewed the materials she had prepared with Vance Wyatt one more time, and after confirming everything was in order, she got busy with the collaborative design drafts for her client.

She got so absorbed in her work that the sky darkened without her noticing.

Vivian finished the first draft. As she leaned back in her chair and stretched, she finally realized that it had, at some point, gotten dark outside.

"GROWL~"

Her stomach rumbled, and Vivian realized she was a little hungry.

’The first draft is done. I’ll go over it with Leo tomorrow, and if there are no issues, I’ll send it to the client for their feedback.’

With that in mind, Vivian decided to call it a day.

When she walked out of her office, only one or two lights were still on in the main area. Her company’s official closing time was six o’clock, but employees could voluntarily work overtime if they hadn’t finished their tasks.

With paid overtime, of course. Still, she didn’t encourage it. In an era where the "996" work culture was prevalent, her company was a breath of fresh air.

’This whole "996 is a blessing" nonsense!’

’It’s complete bullshit, just something capitalists made up to exploit their employees. In reality, though, most people have no way to fight back against them.’

’So much for "common prosperity." In the end, the means of production are still controlled by a tiny handful of people.’

Vivian sighed and glanced at the one lit desk in the distance. She assumed it was Leo, who had always projected the image of a strong career woman.

She loved working overtime and was passionate about her job; work was practically her entire life.

"Leo, it’s almost eight. Don’t you want to..."

Vivian had just started speaking when she tilted her head and saw that the person sitting at the desk wasn’t Leo, but... Julian Faulkner?

!?

Vivian was stunned to suddenly see Julian.

’What is he doing here?’

Vivian almost thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

But as she took a few steps closer, she saw that Julian was sitting at an empty desk next to Leo’s. A laptop was open in front of him, and he seemed to be reviewing a proposal someone had submitted.

Ahem.

’So this is the legendary capitalist, the client almighty!’

"Julian Faulkner."

Vivian called out.

Julian looked over, his tone even as he asked, "Finished with your work?"

"Yeah."

Vivian nodded and asked, "What about you? What are you doing here?"

Julian explained, "I was going to ask you to dinner around six, but your colleagues said you were busy. So I decided to wait for you out here and get some work done in the meantime."

"..."

It was a very simple explanation, and very much in line with Julian’s style.

Vivian glanced at the unfinished proposal on his laptop and asked tentatively, "Why don’t you finish up first? I don’t think I’m that hungry yet. We can go after you’re done..."

Before she could finish her sentence...

...her stomach let out another "GROWL."

’My stomach has the worst timing!’

Vivian felt the sound was incredibly awkward, completely shattering the delicate balance between her and Julian.

Just as she expected.

Julian let out a soft laugh.

He looked up, a teasing smile playing on his lips as he glanced at Vivian and repeated, "You ’don’t think you’re that hungry yet’?"

"..."

Vivian wanted to deny it, but it would have sounded feeble. She could only equivocate, "I was just thinking that your work is probably more important. I don’t want to interrupt you."

"Besides, you’ve been waiting for me for so long. It’s no big deal for me to wait a little while for you."

"It is a big deal."

Julian’s expression turned serious. He suddenly stood up, closed his laptop, and said to Vivian, "You waiting any longer for me is a big deal."

"Because I’m actually hungry. And work isn’t that important. There’s no such thing as you ’interrupting’ me. Understand?"

Vivian seemed to only half-understand.

She felt as if there was a hidden meaning in his words, something else he was trying to tell her.

But her mind couldn’t quite process it; she couldn’t figure out what he meant.

Watching her, Julian sighed softly. Not that he had expected her to understand anyway. "Alright, don’t overthink it," he said.

"Didn’t you say you were hungry? What do you want to eat? If I make a reservation now, we can eat as soon as we get to the restaurant. Or if you’d rather eat at home, that’s fine too. I can have Ms. Shaw prepare dinner in advance."

"No."

Vivian shook her head. A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she gave Julian a brilliant smile. "I know a great place I want to take you to."

Hearing this, Julian didn’t hesitate for a second. Without even considering whether he might be a picky eater, he answered directly, "Okay. Let’s go."

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