The CEO's Rejected Wife And Secret Heir-Chapter 133:Meeting Vivan

Aria pov

And Olivia’s: Forgiveness is for you, not her.

And Damien’s: You’re better than the revenge game.

"Damn it," I muttered.

Before I could second-guess myself, I replied to Margaret. Don’t take any additional action. I’ll handle this personally. —Aria

Then I did something either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid: I texted Vivian’s last unknown number.

We need to talk. Sunrise Inn, Route 9, one hour. Come alone or don’t come at all. —Aria

My phone rang almost immediately from the unknown number. "Hello?" I answered.

"Aria." Vivian’s voice was cautious, surprised. "I—I didn’t expect to hear from you."

"One hour," I repeated. "Room number?"

"127." She paused. "Is this a trap? Are you bringing the police?"

"No police and it’s not a trap." I grabbed my purse. "Just two sisters who need to have a conversation we should have had years ago."

"Aria, I"

"One hour, Vivian, be there or I’m done trying."

I hung up before she could respond. Richards intercepted me in the lobby. "Ms. Monroe, where are you going? You have a meeting in thirty minutes"

"Cancel it," I said. "And Richards? I need you to do something for me."

"Of course."

"If I’m not back in two hours, or if I don’t check in via text every thirty minutes, send security to the Sunrise Inn, Route 9, room 127. Got it?"

His expression sharpened. "You’re meeting with Vivian."

"Yes."

"That’s not safe"

"Which is why you’re my backup." I met his eyes. "But Richards, I need to do this alone. No surveillance, no security hovering. Just me and my sister, finally having it out."

"Mr. Blackwood won’t like this," Richards said.

"Mr. Blackwood doesn’t get a vote," I said firmly. "This is my decision. My sister and my closure."

Richards studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "Two hours. Thirty-minute check-ins. And Ms. Monroe? Your phone stays on location sharing."

"Deal."

The Sunrise Inn was exactly as depressing as expected—peeling paint, flickering neon sign, the kind of place where people hid from life rather than lived it. Room 127 was on the ground floor. I stood outside the door for a long moment, gathering courage.

This is it. The confrontation you’ve been avoiding. The conversation that determines whether you get closure or just more pain.

I knocked. The door opened slowly. Vivian stood there, and I barely recognized her.

Gone was the polished, put-together socialite. Her hair was unwashed, pulled into a messy ponytail. No makeup. Wearing sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. She looked—She looked broken. "Aria." Her voice was small. "You came."

"You have one hour," I said, walking past her into the dingy room. I turned to face her. "Why did you leave the apartment?"

She blinked, surprised by the question. "How did you"

"I know everything, Vivian. The building manager works for me. Security footage. Credit card records." I crossed my arms. "So answer the question. I set up a payment plan. You could have stayed, why did you run?"

Her face flushed. "Because I figured out that you owned the building. That you were the one who’d saved me from eviction."

"And?"

"And I couldn’t" She wrapped her arms around herself. "I couldn’t stay there. Couldn’t accept your charity. Not after everything I’d done. It felt like—like you were rubbing it in my face. ’Look how magnanimous Aria is, saving her terrible sister who tried to destroy her.’"

"So you’d rather live in this dump than accept help from me?"

"Yes!" Her voice rose. "Because at least here, I don’t owe you anything. At least here, I don’t have to see your kindness and know I don’t deserve it."

I studied her face. Pride and shame warred in her expression—the same toxic combination that had driven her to ruin in the first place.

"That’s not why I’m here," I said finally. "I came to ask you one question, and I want the truth. Why did you do it? The affair with Damien, conspiring with Sophia, all of it. Why?"

She was quiet for a long moment. Then, quietly: "Because I was jealous."

"Jealous?" I laughed bitterly. "You were the golden child. Perfect Vivian who could do no wrong. What could you possibly be jealous of?"

"Everything." She sank onto the bed. "You were smart. Talented. You built a business degree on scholarship while I coasted on daddy’s money. You had integrity, compassion—things I could never seem to develop. And when you got engaged to Damien" Her voice cracked. "When you landed the most eligible bachelor in the city through a contract marriage, I was furious. Because it should have been me. I was the pretty one, the charming one. But he chose you."

"He didn’t choose me," I said flatly. "It was an arranged business marriage."

"But he could have." Vivian looked up. "Don’t you see? He could have asked for me instead. But your name was on that contract, not mine. And I" She stopped. "I couldn’t stand it. Couldn’t stand watching you have something I wanted. So I decided to take it."

"By making me into the bad guy."

"By showing him what he was missing." Her voice turned defensive. "You didn’t even try, Aria. You just existed in that penthouse like a ghost. Never dressed up, never flirted, never fought for him. So I did."

"And you fed him lies about me," I said coldly. "Told him I was cheating, that I was only after his money. You faked audio recordings, Vivian. You systematically destroyed my marriage before it even started."

"I know." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"And when I got pregnant? When I came to my family for support?" My voice rose. "You celebrated. You and our parents threw me out like garbage. Left me homeless and pregnant because you wanted my husband."

"I know!" Vivian stood, tears streaming down her face. "I know what I did, Aria. I’ve lived with it every day for years. The guilt, the shame"

"Stop." I held up my hand, my voice cold. "Don’t you dare try to play the victim now."

"I’m not"

"Yes, you are." I pulled out my phone, scrolling to the file Margaret had sent me days ago. "Before I came here, I had my team do a deep dive into Sophia’s phone records. The ones the police retrieved, want to know what they found?"

Vivian’s face went pale.

"Text messages," I continued, my voice deadly calm. "Between you and Sophia. Want me to read them?"

"Aria"

I started reading from my phone. "’He’s on his way to the hotel. Are you sure about this?’ That’s Sophia. And your response: ’Positive. This will destroy them both. Aria will never trust him again.’"

Vivian backed away, shaking her head.

"Oh, there’s more." I scrolled. "’What if she doesn’t believe it? What if she forgives him?’ And you said: ’She won’t. Trust me—I know my sister. One hint of betrayal and she’ll run.’" I looked up, meeting her terrified eyes. "Sound familiar?"

"I can explain"

"There’s nothing to explain!" My voice cracked like a whip. "You didn’t just help Sophia, Vivian. You PLANNED it. The whole thing was YOUR idea. You suggested the hotel. You helped set the trap. You knew EXACTLY what Sophia was going to do."

"No, I—I thought it would just be photos, I didn’t know she’d drug him"

"LIAR!" I thrust my phone toward her face. "You texted her: ’One drugged drink later, and we had our unconscious CEO.’ YOUR words, Vivian. You knew about the drugs. You knew everything."

Vivian collapsed onto the bed, her face in her hands, sobbing.

"And when it failed?" I continued relentlessly. "When I called 911 instead of falling apart like you expected? You texted Sophia: ’I don’t know you. Delete these messages. Cut your losses and run.’ Then you blocked her number and LEFT HER to take the fall alone."

"Please"

"No." I stood over her, shaking with rage. "You don’t get to cry. You don’t get to play the broken, remorseful sister. I have PROOF, Vivian. I have every text, every call log, every piece of evidence showing exactly how calculated and cruel you were."

She looked up at me, tears running down her face. "Then why are you here? If you have all that, why not just let them arrest me?"

"Because I wanted to look you in the eye when I called you out on your bullshit," I said. "I wanted you to know that I’m not the naive girl you used to manipulate anymore. I’m not falling for your tears or your sob stories."

"Aria, I am sorry"

"Are you?" I crouched down to her level. "Or are you just sorry you got caught? Sorry your plan failed? Sorry you’re about to face consequences for once in your privileged life?" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Vivian was silent, tears streaming down her face.

"Here’s what’s going to happen," I said, standing. "The DA is issuing a warrant for your arrest. Within forty-eight hours, you’ll be charged with conspiracy, just like Sophia. You’re going to prison, Vivian."

"No." She grabbed my hands desperately. "No, Aria, please—I can’t—prison will destroy me"

I yanked my hands away. "Like you destroyed me? Like you tried to destroy my family?"