Chapter 1939
chapter1939
After Manfred led Vivian inside, the guards who had blocked her earlier stood frozen in shock. It was as if they had just witnessed something unbelievable.
"She really knows Mr. Atkinson?"
At that moment, Kemp stepped up to the guards. "What did you just say?" His voice was sharp.
"She came again? And she really knows Mr. Atkinson? She's been here before?" The guard, still dazed, nodded.
"Yes... She came this afternoon, asking to see Mr. Atkinson. I thought she was just causing trouble and didn't believe she knew him.
"Ms. Lynch was also there at the time. She specifically told us not to let any random people disturb Mr. Atkinson."
Kemp's vision went black for a second. He nearly slapped the fool across the face.
"Mabel's words are bullshit! Do you even know who that woman is? That's Mr. Atkinson's fiancée! The woman he treasures more than anything!
"And you left her out here in the cold like some beggar, making her wait all night?" The guard turned deathly pale. "W-What? Mr. Atkinson's fiancée? But... But she looked like a beggar! If I had known, I never would have stopped her!"
Kemp gritted his teeth. "It's a damn good thing Vivian is unharmed! If anything had happened to her, you wouldn't be standing here right now!
"From now on, if Mabel ever comes here again, turn her away. Let her taste what it's like to be left outside!"
His blood was boiling. No wonder Vivian looked like that.
The chaos in Briarpatch meant she had to fend for herself after being turned away. She couldn't risk drawing attention, so she disguised herself as a beggar.
But just thinking about her standing out there all alone, covered in dust and exhaustion, made Kemp's temples throb.
Manfred must be heartbroken right now.
Venet
of
Kemp had no idea when Vivian arrived in town or what she had suffered to get here. But none that mattered anymore-she was finally safe.
Manfred must be overjoyed.
As Kemp stepped inside, he heard Manfred giving orders, "Find clean women's clothing. Prepare hot water for a bath."
Kemp immediately sent people to arrange everything. Right now, besides himself, no one in the residence recognized Vivian.
Hearing his orders, some of the servants grew curious about her identity. To prevent another incident like the guards blocking her, Kemp's voice turned grave when he said, "Vivian is Mr. Atkinson's fiancée. From this moment on, her words are Mr. Atkinson's words.
"You are to treat her with the utmost respect. Understood?"
"Mr. Atkinson's fiancée?" The realization dawned on everyone.
No one dared to slack off again.
Half an hour later, freshly bathed and dressed in clean clothes, Vivian stepped into Manfred's room.
Earlier, under the dim gate lights, she hadn't gotten a good look at him. Now, she finally saw him clearly.
Manfred had changed. Time had left no trace on his face, but it had left its mark on his temperament. He had grown up.
Every movement carried the weight of authority, power, and command.
As Vivian studied him, Manfred was watching her, too.
The woman before him was exactly as she had been in his dreams for the past three years. She had not changed. She was still the same as when he first met her.
She was just as he remembered. But he had aged.
Looking at her now, he felt like he was seven or eight years older than her. For
just a fleeting moment, Manfred felt... unworthy.