Chapter 428

 Chapter 428 Vivienne didn't even pause before snapping back, "Are you out of your mind? Your grudge with Giselle is your business , not mine. Why should I cut ties with her? "Do you think I'm that desperate to marry into the Holt family? You're just a woman yourself -you'll be married off one day. Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong." Anne was momentarily struck speechless. Vivienne pressed on, her voice firm. "Listen to me, Anne. The child I'm carrying is Sebastian's. The only people with any right to weigh in on this pregnancy are him-and maybe your parents. But you?

Who are you?" "Shut up!" Anne slammed her hand on the table and shot to her feet, her face twisted with rage. Vivienne didn't flinch. "You used every dirty trick you could to try to marry Donovan. You've got no shame coming here to sneer at me. My relationship with Sebastian has nothing to do with Giselle, and I'll never let you use her name to threaten me. Stop trying to stir up trouble." Anne's lips curled into a bitter smile. "So the two of you really are bosom friends. Still mouthing off, aren't you? Don't you know when to quit? Fine.

We'll see how long that bastard child of yours lasts." With that icy parting shot, she spun on her heel and stalked ---- out of the conference room. Moments later, Anne slid behind the wheel of her Porsche and tore out of the dental clinic's parking lot. The sting of Vivienne's defiance still burned. Humiliation curdled into fury as she sped through the streets , her mind racing with ways to make Vivienne pay. The truth was, she didn't give a damn who Sebastian dated or married. The only reason she had gone out of her way to torment Vivienne was because Vivienne was Giselle's closest friend.

To Anne, belittling Vivienne was just another way of striking back at Giselle. She had assumed a woman from Vivienne's background would be shallow, materialistic , easily bought or coerced. Clearly, she had been too optimistic. Night was closing in, but Anne had no intention of returning to the Holt residence. Instead, she keyed Zachary's villa address to her GPS. Since finishing his studies, Zachary had been working at the family's headquarters under Ethan and Grace's arrangement. He rarely stayed at Kane Manor anymore, living instead in a lakeside villa outside the city.

Anne often went there to see him. She had dropped by so many times uninvited that the place felt almost like her own. She never bothered calling ahead. When she wanted to go, she went-like tonight. ---- Leaving the glittering city behind, Anne steered the car toward the affluent suburbs . The highway at first was wide and well - paved, the ride smooth under her tires. But before long it funneled into a dim, secluded stretch, thick greenery closing in on both sides, the road nearly empty of passing cars. But just as Anne's car entered that stretch, it happened.

She'd been driving steadily when a sudden bang split the air. The whole vehicle jolted violently, then lurched into a wild, uncontrollable sway. "Abh!" Anne screamed. The car skidded sideways into the middle of the road before lurching to a stop. By sheer luck, it didn't flip. Her heart still hammering, she checked her rearview mirror. Behind her, a woman came out of another car and began walking toward her. Anne's first thought was almost casual-that it must be some careless driver, another woman who had simply lost control and rear-ended her.