Chapter 373
The receptionist's voice turned shrill, her fingers trembling against the marble counter. "And what am I supposed to do? Let her slap me first? If she's really Mrs. Blackwood—"
"Blackwood?" She let out a hysterical laugh. "Then I'll crawl ten laps around this lobby barking like a poodle!" The security guards exchanged glances, visibly swayed by her dramatic declaration.
One burly guard clamped onto Audrey's wrist, pulling her toward the exit. "Sorry, miss—" His apology was cut short when Vivian exhaled sharply through her nose.
"Let her go," Vivian commanded, her voice cutting through the tension. "This is all a ridiculous misunderstanding. I'll call Adrian right now—he'll straighten this out personally."
"Call Adrian?" The receptionist slapped Vivian's phone away with a derisive snort. "Who do you think you are? The CEO of Blackwood Group doesn't come running for just anyone." The device hit the floor with a sickening crack, its screen spiderwebbing instantly.
Ding.
The elevator's cheerful chime sliced through the confrontation. A smooth, familiar voice floated out. "What's going on here?"
Vivian whirled around to see Adrian and Damien stepping out of the private elevator. Adrian's eyes widened when they landed on her. "Mrs. Blackwood," he said, striding forward with concern etched across his features. "Were you coming to see me?"
His gaze darkened when he noticed the guard manhandling Audrey. "Release her. Now." The command left no room for argument.
The guard immediately dropped Audrey's arm like it burned him, jerking his thumb toward the reception desk. "She said they were causing trouble—"
Audrey rubbed her wrist, shooting daggers at the receptionist. "They accused Vivian of impersonating Adrian's wife! As if anyone would want to pretend to be married to a man still hung up on his ex—"
Vivian's breath caught. She pressed a hand to her forehead, already dreading the verbal onslaught Audrey would unleash when she learned about the reconciliation.
Damien's lips curled into a smirk. "Fascinating. Your precious Mr. Blackwood announces his marriage on national television, yet his own staff can't recognize his wife?"
The guards paled, sweat beading on their foreheads as they gestured to two bystanders. "They saw everything!"
The men in question immediately backed away, hands raised in surrender. "We didn't see anything. Just passing through." They grabbed their briefcases and bolted for the exit, nearly tripping over each other in their haste.
Vivian watched them flee with detached amusement before turning her attention to the receptionist. Her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "You promised to crawl around barking if I turned out to be Adrian's wife, didn't you?"
The receptionist's face drained of color. Silent curses flashed through her mind. Why did this woman have to be so vindictive?