Chapter 242: Surfacing
Vivian Lowell drank more than half of the red wine.
She was a lightweight when it came to drinking. Having already had some wine on deck earlier, drinking more now made her head feel a bit fuzzy.
Of course, that was just the alcohol.
The bassist, on the other hand, swayed on his feet. He glanced at Vivian Lowell and asked, "Miss Lowell, would you like some more? I’ll go pour you another glass!"
The bassist could barely stand, but he still staggered toward Vivian Lowell.
Vivian Lowell sneered.
’Looks like they really did put something in the wine,’ she thought. ’This bassist is so well-built, but he can’t even handle it after drinking. The dose must be pretty strong.’
Good thing she had thought through all the possibilities before the banquet tonight. She had plenty of things in her bag.
Pepper spray, an antidote for date-rape drugs... she had come prepared.
Vivian Lowell had taken a pill before the bassist even came in. So, aside from feeling a little drunk, she wasn’t about to pass out.
In fact, the bassist collapsed before she did.
Seeing this, Vivian Lowell was about to go check on the bassist when she suddenly heard a noise from outside the room.
The sound came from the balcony. It seemed someone was climbing over from the adjacent room.
’So soon?’
Vivian Lowell’s heart skipped a beat. Pretending to be overcome by the alcohol, she lay down on a nearby sofa, closed her eyes, and feigned sleep.
Someone entered quickly. Judging by the steady footsteps, it sounded like two or three men.
"It’s done. Throw this bassist into the sea. Make it look like he slipped and fell overboard. Come back later to help me carry Vivian Lowell to my room."
"Heh. After tonight, I refuse to believe things can stay peaceful between Vivian Lowell and Julian Faulkner. Are the cameras all set?"
"A video of the esteemed Mrs. Faulkner. Tsk. With this kind of leverage, she’ll be putty in my hands."
After the man gave his orders, there was immediate movement. Someone came over and started moving something near Vivian Lowell. It seemed they were really going to do as he said and throw the bassist into the sea.
’It makes sense, I guess.’
’The fewer people who know the secret, the better. The bassist probably wasn’t one of their inner circle, so it’s no wonder they’d do this.’
’As for me... this person is truly vicious. This whole method is just disgusting!’
However, Vivian Lowell hesitated. The man’s voice sounded vaguely familiar, but when she tried to place it, she came up blank.
’Who could it be?’
Vivian Lowell racked her brain for a moment but couldn’t come up with anything. Soon, she heard a SPLASH from the direction of the balcony. It seemed the bassist had been thrown into the sea.
𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
’How pathetic. But if the bassist hadn’t been trying to harm someone himself, he wouldn’t have met this end.’
’If he’s still alive when I get rescued later, I’ll tell Julian Faulkner that he fell into the water.’
’Taking the law into your own hands is never right. If I stay silent about this, I’d be no better than an accomplice. The best solution is to have him arrested and handed over to the proper authorities.’
As she was thinking this, the men started moving toward her.
Vivian Lowell felt someone hoist her up and throw her over their shoulder. Moments later, she was dropped onto a bed.
It was a very soft bed. From the feel of it, Vivian Lowell deduced she must be in the adjacent suite.
Vivian Lowell kept her eyes shut. She sensed the room had gone quiet, as the man from before had just told his companions to leave.
Now it was just the two of them.
Vivian Lowell’s heart began to race, THUMPING in her chest. ’When is Julian going to get here?’ she wondered.
She could practically feel the man in the room with her approaching. He was at her side now. They must be very close!
Sure enough, Vivian Lowell felt a fingernail trail across her face. He seemed to be sizing her up.
"It’s a real shame, Vivian Lowell. You’re so talented. It would be great if you could work for me. But that’s not an option. My sister likes Julian Faulkner, so I have to help her."
"Who can she blame for hating you so much? And don’t blame me. If you have to blame someone, blame Julian Faulkner. We’ve been tailing him for so long and haven’t found a single thing we can use against him."
"But today, we finally found something. And of course, we just couldn’t wait to let you know!"
His tone was casual, as if he were certain his plan would succeed.
Vivian Lowell’s heart jolted. She recognized the voice. It was Finn Drake!
Finn Drake—Sylvia Drake’s brother!
’Of course. Sylvia Drake is in love with Julian Faulkner, and ever since that incident at the banquet, she’s held a grudge against me. She must have sworn to destroy my relationship with Julian!’
’So she got Finn Drake to help her.’
’I just wonder what’s happening with Julian right now.’
Just as Vivian Lowell was thinking this, she heard a rustling sound. It was Finn Drake, taking off his clothes.
The process didn’t last long. The rustling had barely begun when there was a KNOCK at Finn Drake’s door.
"Who is it?"
Finn Drake asked. The person at the door answered immediately, "Mr. Drake, it’s me. Something’s come up outside. I need to talk to you about it!"
The voice was familiar. Vivian Lowell recognized it as one of the men who had come in with Finn Drake earlier—one of the ones who’d thrown the bassist overboard.
The man’s return clearly annoyed Finn Drake. There was another rustle of clothing as he presumably got dressed again, then he walked to the door and opened it.
The door opened. Vivian Lowell expected the man to follow Finn Drake back into the room, but instead, she heard a loud THUD, followed by Finn Drake’s bloodcurdling scream!
"AGH..."
Finn Drake’s scream was truly wretched, like a pig being slaughtered. He roared, "Julian Faulkner, what are you doing here? You bastard! You betrayed me! Damn you!"
’Julian Faulkner!’
After Vivian Lowell heard his name, she instantly felt a wave of relief. She shot up into a sitting position like a spring and immediately opened her eyes.
She saw Julian Faulkner standing in the doorway, empty-handed. Finn Drake was clutching his cheek, and blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth.
It was clear the punch Julian Faulkner had landed on Finn Drake’s face had been a painful one.
"Vivian, are you okay?"
Eleanor Rhodes and Finn, who had come with Julian, rushed to Vivian’s side to check on her, while Julian also looked over.
"Vance Wyatt, take care of the rest."
Julian Faulkner said coldly to Vance Wyatt as he, too, walked toward Vivian.