Chapter 297: Joy

Vivian was stunned.

She hadn’t really known much about this matter, but she remembered the scene she had witnessed at the hospital earlier that day.

In other words, she hadn’t been seeing things. Shelly Drake really was at Concordia Hospital, preparing for surgery.

“I didn’t know, Eleanor,” Vivian said, calming down. “If Mr. Drake is arranging her surgery, I don’t think there will be any issues.

“I trust Mr. Drake, Eleanor.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

Eleanor Rhodes seemed to consider this seriously before saying, “Alright, since you trust him, I’ll choose to trust him too. Regardless, Vivian, you still need to be careful.

“Remember, don’t just bare your soul to anyone. Oh, right, how are you? Did you go for your prenatal checkup today? Is my godson doing well?”

Eleanor had likely changed the subject on purpose, afraid that overthinking would ruin Vivian’s mood.

Knowing Eleanor’s good intentions, Vivian replied, “Don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine. Alright, I have some work to catch up on, so I’ll hang up now.”

“Mhm, okay.” Eleanor agreed and ended the call.

Even after hanging up, Vivian’s mind was still in a mess.

Was Mr. Drake really helping treat Shelly’s illness? Was he doing this just to make the Drakes believe that Shelly was his biological granddaughter?

Vivian wasn’t entirely sure, but it didn’t matter anymore. Eleanor had only warned her because she didn’t know Vivian was Mr. Drake’s actual biological granddaughter. Vivian decided not to dwell on it; it was best to just focus on her own affairs.

She turned on her computer and threw herself into her work. By the time she finished her drawings, it was already past five o’clock.

Her eyes felt a bit sore, so she turned to look out the window. The lush green foliage outside provided a soothing rest for her vision.

After a brief break, Vivian felt much better. She was about to scroll on her phone while quietly waiting for dinner when she suddenly heard the door open behind her.

She jumped in surprise. It wasn’t even six o’clock yet. It was too early. Usually, when they were both at the company, Julian Faulkner wouldn’t return to the office this soon.

But he was back.

He was holding a bouquet of roses. Fresh dew still clung to the petals, a testament to their freshness. As he stepped into the room, a faint, sweet fragrance wafted in with him.

Vivian loved the scent. Wrinkling her nose in appreciation, she smiled and asked, “Why are you back so early today?”

“I missed you, so I came back.” Julian was becoming increasingly adept at sweet talk. He added, “I passed by the flower shop near the company entrance on my way off work. The roses looked beautiful, so I bought some on a whim.

“Vance Wyatt mentioned that you were the one who sent him those materials?”

Vivian nodded, knowing Julian was referring to the photos circulating online and the brewing public outrage.

Hearing this, Julian suddenly chuckled, his smile holding a deeper meaning. “Speaking of which… you probably don’t know, but Vance told me this afternoon that another party is buying trending searches right alongside him.

“They clearly don’t want this story to die down. However, the angle they’re pushing is a little different from Vance’s.”

Someone else was fanning the flames behind the scenes?

Vivian thought for a moment, and a name immediately sprang to mind. She asked tentatively, “Could it be Mason Grant? Is he really that desperate to be with Shelly?”

Julian nodded, walking over to hand the bouquet to her.

Vivian accepted it and inhaled deeply. The fragrance was even richer up close, washing away much of the fatigue from her long afternoon of work.

Julian sat down beside her, joining her in gazing at the view outside the window. “It’s exactly as you thought. The trending searches he bought are all about how the two of them are ‘true love’ and a ‘perfect match.’

“I found it quite amusing, so I couldn’t wait to share it with you as soon as I got back.”

*Quite amusing.*

When Julian said those words, a hint of mockery tugged at the corners of his mouth. Vivian understood. Julian looked down on Mason’s behavior, finding him despicable, hence the sarcasm.

Mason was nothing more than a minor second-generation heir. In the past, when he was arranged to marry into the Lowell Family, their backgrounds had been comparable, allowing him to maintain a slightly superior attitude.

But now, he was dealing with the Drake Family. Even for someone like Mason, marrying a Drake would be marrying far above his station. He was reduced to using such sycophantic methods in a desperate bid to latch onto them.

“It is pretty amusing.” Vivian shook her head with a laugh before Shelly’s situation came to mind. “By the way, Eleanor mentioned that Mr. Drake has already found a suitable match for her and is preparing for the surgery?”

“Mhm.” Julian acknowledged it, then added, “Mr. Drake revealed a bit about this to me. Don’t worry—things only look this way on the surface.”

Vivian blinked, immediately catching his drift.

If it only looked that way on the surface, did that mean there was a hidden agenda? Then that was fine. Vivian felt much better. As long as Shelly wasn’t actually gaining any real benefits, she felt at ease.

“That’s good, then,” Vivian smiled.

Beside her, Julian brought up another topic, “Speaking of which, that annual pass I gave you? You’ll be able to use it in just a few days. The amusement park is about to officially open.

“It was originally supposed to open before summer vacation, but it was delayed due to some other matters. Fortunately, we’re still catching the tail end of the summer.

“Once it officially opens, there will be massive crowds. So, Vivian, before the grand opening, how about I invite you to go a day early and have the place to ourselves?

“If you’d like, you can invite Eleanor, too. Since the park is already operational, there’s no difference between having two people or ten.”

It was finally opening? Vivian had almost forgotten all about it.

She had kept the lifetime pass and the hotel room key Julian had given her safely tucked away. She had previously worried that with her pregnancy, squeezing through packed crowds would be too inconvenient.

But now that Julian was offering an exclusive visit before the official launch, Vivian couldn’t be happier.

“That’s wonderful!” Overjoyed, she planted a loud SMACK on Julian’s cheek and exclaimed, “Julian, you’re the best! Oh… I have to tell Eleanor right now!

“I’m sure she’ll be thrilled once she hears the news!”

“Mhm,” Julian murmured softly. Then, as Vivian reached for her phone, he leaned in and returned the gesture, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.