Chapter 5

Caden

After the banquet started, I couldn't spare any time at all, busy as a spinning top.

As soon as I entered, several billion-dollar business partners who had specifically come grabbed me tightly, insisting on discussing the advancement of several core projects at this moment. During more than an hour of socializing, I skillfully navigated business interests with a wine glass in hand, but Vivian's pale and cold face kept floating in my mind.

When I got up this morning, I didn't see Vivian, but I saw Camille wearing the dress I had chosen for Vivian. From Camille's mouth, I learned that Vivian didn't like the dress. This made my hand unconsciously grip the stair railing tighter, though my expression remained impassive.

I coldly told Camille to take off the dress - this dress could only be worn by Vivian, it would surely make her look like an angel. Too bad I wouldn't get to see it.

Or perhaps, she didn't dislike the dress itself... she just loathed that it was from me.

This incident left me somewhat distracted. During breaks in the socializing, my gaze inconspicuously swept around the bustling venue, but I never saw that familiar figure. I had clearly instructed Camille to find her, so why hadn't Vivian come to my side yet?

"Mr. Lux, just now..." An accompanying assistant came over, seeing my dark expression, somewhat hesitant to speak. Under my cold stare, the assistant lowered his head and reported what had happened in the corner of the banquet hall, sweating nervously.

Hearing that Vivian had actually had a direct conflict with Camille, even alarming half the hall's wealthy ladies and socialites, my brow furrowed like a twisted rope.

How could Vivian, usually so aloof and proud that she found even speaking an extra sentence tiresome, publicly clash with Camille?

Rather than blame, at this moment, the most genuine emotion in my chest was overwhelming worry. That woman had extremely strong self-respect in her bones. Now being pointed at and gossiped about by those busybody gossips, how humiliated must she feel?

"Mr. Lux, the next ceremony..."

"Postpone it."

I coldly dropped those two words, directly shoving the champagne glass in my hand to the assistant. I didn't even have time to button my suit jacket as I strode with long legs, pushing through the crowd urgently toward the underground parking garage. I wanted to find her immediately.

However, the moment my anxious steps just emerged from the underground private elevator, what met my eyes was exactly the scene of Camille falling hard onto the cement floor. The heavy impact sound was particularly harsh in the spacious parking garage.

"Vivian, what are you doing?!"

Looking at Camille lying on the ground, anger and irritation intertwined in my heart as I walked over with a stern face and large strides.

Damn it, there were still some reporters nearby who would capture this.

The moment she saw me appear, Camille, who had fallen with her forehead already bruised purple, immediately reddened her eyes completely. She tightly covered her swollen cheek, tears rolling down like broken pearls, telling me with a heavy crying voice, "Caden... I'm sorry. It's my fault, I said something wrong that made Vivian angry... Vivian was just emotionally agitated, she didn't push me on purpose, please don't blame her..."

I stood between the two of them, frowning tightly, my sharp gaze sweeping back and forth between Camille's swollen forehead and Vivian's ice-cold face.

Vivian looked at me, suddenly raised an eyebrow, releasing a sense of "I see." There wasn't a trace of panic in her eyes, only a mocking cold smile. She didn't even bother to straighten her somewhat disheveled clothing, just coolly lifted her eyelids to look at me, dropping a sentence. "I didn't push her."

That attitude again.

Every time there was a problem, she was always so high and mighty. Even disdaining to explain half a sentence more to me with that cold demeanor. Looking at those emotionless eyes of hers, the displeasure and anger of being ignored and pushed away in my heart instantly burned even fiercer.

"Is this the upbringing of the Holloway family?" Cold words came from my mouth.

Vivian's face paled, then she lowered her eyes, laughed self-mockingly, her tone as calm as if telling a joke. "If Mr. Lux doesn't know what happened, you can go check the HD surveillance from the banquet hall just now. Though it really is hard on your secretary, specifically choosing a place without surveillance again."

That "Mr. Lux" almost made my blood flow backwards. I unconsciously stepped forward, wanting to touch her.

"Ah... it hurts so much... Caden, my hand seems to be bleeding..." Behind me, Camille's miserable cry suddenly interrupted my movement.

I suddenly stopped, unconsciously turning to look around. Just at the corner of a nearby driveway, two or three business partners who had just gotten off the elevator had noticed the commotion here and were looking over with curious expressions. Nearby reporters were also gathering around.

Tonight was a business banquet hosted by the Lux family, and my every move affected the next day's stock market. Camille's dress had been damaged in the earlier scuffle, half her shoulder exposed, and her forehead was injured. If this scene were photographed by gossip media, tomorrow's entertainment headlines and financial news would create a tremendous uproar.

To prevent the Lux family from being tainted by such low-grade wealthy family scandals, I had to grit my teeth and forcibly avoid looking at Vivian. I took a deep breath, suppressing my full chest of anger as I turned around. Looking at Camille, disheveled and in a sorry state, I ultimately took off my suit jacket with a stern face and somewhat rough movements, wrapping it over her bare shoulders.

"Enough, stop crying. Get in the car, I'll take you away first." I commanded coldly, pulling Camille up from the ground and quickly getting her into another van. From beginning to end, I didn't look back once.

More than ten minutes later, I pinched my temples looking at the dark scenery outside the car. The interior was so quiet you could only hear Camille's occasional soft sobs. She was tightly wrapped in my suit jacket, sitting in the passenger seat with her head down.

I stared fixedly at the neon lights rapidly retreating outside the window. Thinking of Vivian's decisive and cold gaze at that time, the irritation in my heart couldn't be suppressed. I knew tonight's incident was definitely not as simple as it appeared on the surface. Since Vivian dared mention surveillance, it must be Camille's problem.

"Camille." I spoke coldly, that voice without a trace of warmth, even more bone-chillingly cold than the drafts in the parking garage.

Camille's whole body stiffened, looking up somewhat at a loss. "Caden..."

I didn't turn to look at her, speaking word by word with absolute authority and warning. "This is my final warning to you. Put away those petty schemes of yours that can't see the light of day. In the future, you are not allowed to provoke Vivian again."

Camille's face turned completely pale as paper in that instant. "How could you think that, Caden? Vivian is like my sister-in-law, I just wanted to help her."

"You know in your heart what you want to do." I knew Camille was somewhat spoiled and didn't really like Vivian. But because of past favors, I didn't want to create more complications.

Fortunately, Camille just had childish temperament from being used to depending on me, and probably wouldn't do anything serious.

Camille wanted to say something more, but I raised my hand to interrupt her. "Alright, this matter ends here. I'll take you home."

"But I left my watch at Blackstone Club, and I have other schedules tomorrow... Caden, could you take me to get it back first?" Camille asked timidly.

I took a deep breath and still instructed the driver to turn around. "Go to Blackstone Club."

After saying that, I leaned back in my seat, idly scrolling through my phone. As I expected, there wasn't a single message from Vivian.

I put down my phone and closed my eyes. Fine, I'll go check on her after I get home.