Chapter 7: Return to the Lowell Family
After breakfast.
Grandma Faulkner forced Julian Faulkner’s hand, urging him with her eyes to walk Vivian Lowell to the door.
"Julian, I know you’re busy with work, but remember to message Vivian often! Relationships need constant communication to grow. Even the deepest affection will fade if you don’t stay in touch!" Grandma Faulkner spoke earnestly, taking her eldest grandson’s hand and giving it a firm pat.
"Alright." Julian was helpless. After reluctantly agreeing, he asked the nanny to take Grandma Faulkner back inside. It was still cold outside in Aethelburg in February, and he didn’t want her catching a chill.
The car soon drove off.
Vivian leaned back in the passenger seat, listening to soft music. Her phone’s browser was open as she scrolled through pictures of swans.
An international jewelry brand was preparing to launch a swan-themed collection. They wanted to incorporate swan elements into everything from necklaces and bracelets to earrings. As it happened, the design for this jewelry collection had fallen right into the hands of the Lowell family.
Vivian already had some preliminary design concepts—the kind that would definitely be breathtaking. However, there was no way she was going to let the Lowell family benefit from her hard work for free!
Last night, Vivian had already figured out how to deal with the Lowell family. In the past, she had always been the one cleaning up their messes. She knew the internal loopholes of the Lowell family’s company like the back of her hand!
Thinking about this, Vivian sent a WhatsApp message to her good friend, Eleanor Rhodes: "Do you know which domestic media or public relations companies are the best?"
Just as Vivian hit send, wondering if Eleanor was busy neutering cats, Eleanor replied instantly.
"Of course I do! It’s the Faulkner Group, obviously! Their media and PR departments are incredibly powerful!"
The Faulkner Group?
Vivian subconsciously glanced at Julian beside her.
She thought, "No way, right?"
She had almost forgotten. The CEO of the Faulkner Group, the country’s leading business giant, also had the last name Faulkner! But if she remembered correctly, that CEO had already settled abroad and was in his fifties. He was known for his elegant and refined demeanor, which was completely different from the ice-cold Julian sitting next to her.
It had to be just a coincidence that they shared the same last name!
Vivian couldn’t help but bite her tongue. She reasoned that there were so many people with the same last name in the world; it couldn’t be that much of a coincidence.
If he really was from the prominent Faulkner family, Julian wouldn’t be in the pitiful state Grandma Faulkner had described—twenty-seven, single, completely ignored by women, and treated like an unwanted stray grandson.
Vivian was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t realize a chill had gradually filled the car.
Julian had clearly noticed her secret observation. He turned his head to glance at Vivian, his gaze flat and a little cold. He wondered what this woman meant by looking at him with that kind of expression.
Stung by his icy stare, Vivian quickly snapped back to reality. She pouted and muttered softly, "Can’t I even look at you when you’re fully clothed?"
As soon as she spoke, Julian slammed on the brakes. Startled, Vivian jolted forward slightly along with him.
They had just arrived at a red light.
Vivian stared straight ahead at the intersection and the pedestrians crossing the street, not daring to turn her head to look at Julian again. She knew without even turning around! This unattainable flower on a high peak was definitely angry!
But she was just telling the truth!
However, even though Vivian didn’t turn around, she noticed that something had fallen out of Julian’s suit pocket when he hit the brakes. It was a small pink box tied with a beautiful ribbon, looking very much like a jewelry box for a ring.
Vivian was taken aback.
She thought, "Is this a gift Julian is planning to give to some young girl?"
"Um..." Vivian picked the gift box up from the floorboards and placed it on the center console. Smiling, she said, "You dropped something."
Julian glanced at it, his brows furrowed tightly, and said flatly, "It’s for you."
Huh? So the "young girl" was herself?
Vivian was astonished.
Julian then explained, "Grandma got it for you. She said she didn’t have time to properly thank you for helping her before. This ring is a gift from her."
So it was from Grandma Faulkner!
Vivian breathed a sigh of relief. She took the ring box, tucked it into her small purse, and asked, "What does Grandma Faulkner like? I should buy a gift for her another day!"
"Grandma likes..." Julian answered immediately.
The atmosphere in the car improved significantly after that.
Fifteen minutes later, Julian’s car pulled up outside the Lowell family’s villa.
As soon as Vivian stepped out of the passenger seat, she saw Mason Grant walking out of the Lowell family’s garage. Mason spotted Vivian. For a moment, he froze. It seemed he hadn’t expected Vivian to be dropped off by someone this morning, let alone in a car that clearly wasn’t cheap.
At the very least, it was more expensive than his own.
A sour feeling welled up in Mason’s chest. He quickly jogged over, chasing after Vivian.
"Vivian, who is he?"
Mason lunged forward suddenly, but Vivian was well prepared. She dodged sideways, causing Mason’s attempt to grab her wrist to completely miss.
"None of your business."
Vivian had no desire to deal with Mason and almost rolled her eyes at him. Instead, she turned back to Julian in the car and said, "Thank you for bringing me back. You can head to the office now."
She deliberately softened her tone, making her voice sound incredibly gentle.
Just when she thought Julian would remain as cold as before and simply ignore her, he broke his usual pattern and replied, "Mm, be careful."
Julian deliberately emphasized the words "be careful." She wondered if he was hinting at something.
The corners of Vivian’s lips curled up. She could feel that Mason, this two-timing scumbag who wanted to have his cake and eat it too, was currently overflowing with possessiveness and on the verge of losing his mind.
Sigh. It was good to make Mason angry. Let Mason know that not everything in this world could be so easily obtained by him!
Julian soon drove off.
Vivian paid no more attention to the annoying man who had suddenly appeared and walked straight toward the Lowell family’s villa.
At the entrance, the nanny, Ms. Shaw, had received Vivian’s message earlier and had already come over to open the door. However, when the door opened, the person Vivian saw wasn’t Ms. Shaw.
It was Shelly Lowell.
Shelly had completely shed the tacky, unsophisticated look she had when Vivian first saw her. She was now dripping in gold and silver, covered from head to toe in designer clothes and jewelry.
It was just... Shelly’s aura still lacked elegance. Compared to Vivian, she looked exactly like an unrefined nouveau riche.
Vivian held back a laugh, failing to notice that Mason, who had followed behind her, frowned the moment he saw Shelly’s tacky display.
Shelly knew Vivian was coming back today. But she hadn’t expected Mason to show up with her!
Immediately, Shelly demanded, "Why did you two arrive together?"