Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

they were willing to tell me your whereabouts because they saw I was looking for you."

"How could you say that?" Vivienne forced a smile as she stepped over the shattered pieces on the floor and approached Victor. "Victor, you know Ella loves to joke around. The Bailey family only gives me a little respect because of you. Earlier, The slender woman lightly pushed Victor's shoulder, her tone playful and girlish. "I came here to see you, only to find out that Ella and the others have already returned."

Victor's expression softened slightly at her words. He patted Vivienne's hand and gestured for her to sit down. "You two, head back for now. If anything else comes up, I'll let you know."

"Yes, Master," Ella Bailey replied, watching Johnson Bailey leave the room before she stretched lazily and stood up. "You'd better not call me for anything, either. I'm not planning to deal with the Farrell family anymore. After I begged Phil Walker for help earlier, everyone there looked at me like I was a criminal."

"As if I've committed some unforgivable sin."All content is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

She glanced coldly at Vivienne, who was leaning against Victor. A mocking smile played on her lips. "Not like some people, though. Pushing fifty and still acting like a little girl, pouting and whining to keep men wrapped around her finger. Disgusting. I'm out!"

"Victor, did you see that..."

Vivienne's ability to cry on cue was truly unmatched. The moment Ella Bailey finished speaking, Vivienne's eyes turned red.

But this time, Ella didn't give her the chance to play the victim. Clicking her tongue, she sneered, "Look, look, crying again. Miss Walker, aren't you tired of this? You're a grown woman, not some seventeen-year-old girl. Do you ever look in the mirror? Your eye bags are practically hanging down to your chin. Every time you open your mouth, your whole face wrinkles up."

"Do you know that when you cry, your face scrunches up like a wilted flower?"

"Ella Bailey!"

Seeing the woman he adored sobbing uncontrollably, Victor's heart ached.

But as soon as he opened his mouth to reprimand her, Ella Bailey cut him off. "Dad, be reasonable! I just got back from the Farrell family after running errands for you, and now you're turning on me? Acting like I'm the problem here?" "Miss Walker, let me remind you-I was helping your brother. And what do I get in return? Not even a thank you. Instead, you're trying to sow discord between me and my father. So all that virtuous, motherly behavior of yours was just an act, huh? Now we get to see the real you."

By the end of her rant, Ella Bailey's eyes had reddened as well.

Standing nearby, Woods lowered his head to hide his trembling lips, trying to suppress a laugh.

Inwardly, he thought, Ever since Ella started hanging around Tina's crowd, she's gotten way better at poking the Bailey family's sore spots.

Vivienne didn't even have the chance to respond.

Before she could open her mouth, Ella Bailey continued, "But of course, what should I expect? I'm not your biological daughter. You've already gone out of your way to put up a decent front for me all these years. At least you didn't pull the typical villain stepmother move, like on TV, where the mistress takes over and ruins the original wife's kid."

Woods thought to himself, Damn. Straight to the heart.

It wasn't that Vivienne didn't want to retaliate.

She didn't have the chance.

Ever since Simone Farrell was locked away, the family's affairs had been managed by the housekeeper and the elders, who refused to accept an illegitimate child born of an affair into the family registry.

And since Vivienne wasn't in the registry, she had no authority over the household.

The only rightful heir to the Bailey family was Ella Bailey. No housekeeper would dare mistreat the future head of the family, not if they wanted to keep their job.

Ella's words were like knives stabbing into Vivienne's chest.

Vivienne's expression shifted repeatedly as Ella, clearly enjoying herself, ended with one final remark before walking out without looking back. "If you've got the guts, go find Jared yourself. I'm done helping ungrateful people like you!" "I... Victor, you saw how she treated me! I... I never meant anything like that!"

Vivienne's face flushed red with frustration as she watched Ella Bailey disappear from sight. She buried her head in Victor's chest, her shoulders trembling as if she had suffered the greatest injustice.

Victor's large hand gently patted her shoulder as he murmured soft words of comfort.

But his expression said otherwise.

Though there was some pity in his eyes, there was also a hint of scrutiny.

By the time Vivienne looked up, the other emotions in Victor's gaze had vanished, leaving only tenderness.

"Alright, alright. I know you're not that kind of person. You know how Ella is. I'll talk to her later. Stop crying-it's unseemly for the servants to see."

He tilted his chin toward the doorway, where a few maids stood with their heads bowed.

Vivienne hesitated, then dabbed at her face with a handkerchief, wiping away her tears. "I understand. Ella's just a child. I won't stoop to her level. It just hurts that she could misunderstand me like this. For so many years, I've treated her like my own, just like I've treated Kelly. But to her, I'm nothing more than this..."

"I know," Victor said, his tone cooling as he grew tired of the conversation. "There's no point dwelling on it now. That girl already said she won't deal with Phil Walker's problems anymore. I'll have to go speak with the Farrells myself and figure out a way to switch Phil Walker out when the time is right."

He pushed Vivienne aside and got to his feet, heading for the door. "If you're free, go find Kelly. I'm going out, and I might not be back for dinner."

There was no room for negotiation in his tone.

By the time Vivienne gathered her thoughts and tried to suggest going with him, Victor was already gone.

Left alone in the vast living room, Vivienne clenched her handkerchief tightly, her expression shifting from fury to cold determination.

Does Victor really think I'm a fool?

She'd found out yesterday.

The people Victor had hired were no match for Tina's team. Phil Walker had barely made it into the detention center before being transferred to another prison. Now, even his family needed special permission just to visit him. Victor wasn't going to help him. He was probably sneaking off to meet some other woman.

Vivienne let out a long breath, recalling the scene of Phil's wife sobbing earlier. Her head throbbed painfully.

How did his brother end up marrying such a useless woman?

Instead of coming up with solutions herself, all she ever did was run to Vivienne for help-without even considering what Vivienne was dealing with herself.

If it weren't for the fact that the woman had given birth to a son for the Walker family, Vivienne wouldn't have even let her through the door, let alone shouldered all these troubles for her.

But with Victor and Ella Bailey refusing to lend a hand, how could she convince Tina to get Elsa to issue a statement of forgiveness?

"Mom?"

As she pondered the situation, a crisp voice broke the silence and snapped Vivienne out of her thoughts.