Chapter 12

Nathaniel's hands balled into tight fists at his sides. His knuckles turned white from the pressure.

This woman had always seemed like a docile doll to him before - quiet, obedient, without a thought of her own. He never imagined she could bare such sharp claws when provoked. She clearly didn't need his protection.

Cassandra seized the moment to play victim again, clinging to Nathaniel's arm like ivy. "Please don't be angry with Miss Lockhart," she pleaded with practiced tears. "This is all mine and the baby's fault! She had to give you up despite loving you so much... Of course she'd resent us! Let her vent her anger on me if she must—"

"Wrong again." Vivian's laugh was razor-sharp. "Don't thank me. I wasn't being generous - I threw out the trash I didn't want anymore, and you happened to pick it up. That's why this baby is your karma. I told you the name fits, didn't I?"

She turned to Nathaniel with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Though indecent people tend to get bad karma, Mr. Blackwood. I suspect you'll have quite the streak of misfortune coming your way."

Nathaniel's expression darkened further. Every word from her lips made his blood boil hotter.

"My mother always warned me to steer clear of unlucky people," Vivian continued breezily. "Wouldn't want that rubbing off on me. So by all means, marry each other. I'll respect your choice. Ta-ta now!"

No one in Newport City would dare provoke Nathaniel Blackwood this way. She was playing with fire.

Before he could react, Vivian spun on her heel and strode away, leaving her cutting words hanging in the air. She didn't care about their reactions - the satisfaction of speaking her mind was enough.

'If they're offended... good. They deserve it.'

As Vivian disappeared, Cassandra studied Nathaniel's face carefully. A man of his temper wouldn't tolerate such insults. Yet to her shock, the corner of his mouth twitched upward - was he... smiling?

"Don't be angry," Cassandra pressed on, hoping to bait him. "Miss Lockhart just spoke out of anger. Blame me and the baby, don't hold it against her—"

Her whining grated on his nerves. Nathaniel's gaze remained fixed on the doorway where Vivian had vanished.

'Heh... my soon-to-be ex-wife... is rather intriguing.'

Vivian's chest ached with mingled fury and sorrow as she left the hospital. That despicable couple enraged her, but the thought of her lost child cut deeper.

Whenever she remembered the tiny life that had been growing inside her, frustration welled up. 'That child could have had everything - a brilliant future. But it died because of its worthless, immoral father.'

Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her laptop. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, weaving complex code in under ten minutes. A sophisticated virus took shape.

With a satisfied smirk, Vivian activated the program.

Thirty minutes later, Blackwood Group's entire corporate system was compromised, leaking sensitive client data.

Nathaniel was still at the hospital when the frantic call came in.

"A virus? Who's responsible?!"

Meanwhile, Vivian sipped coffee by a tranquil pond, watching sunlight dance on the water's surface. The peaceful scene soothed her frayed nerves.

She'd warned Nathaniel about impending misfortune. That virus would keep Blackwood Group in crisis mode for at least two weeks.

She hadn't lied.