Chapter 5

Hearing Peyton's words, Chloe's face went pale, her panic visible to the naked eye.

"What? That was... your mother?"

"I... I just cursed at her. What do I do now?"

She frantically reached for the phone, stammering incoherently:

"No, Caroline, that's not what I meant... Please let me explain..."

But I'd already hung up the call, leaving her no chance to explain.

Peyton quickly supported the trembling Chloe, speaking gently:

"Chloe, don't blame yourself. I know you didn't mean it."

His tone shifted as he looked at me with fury:

"Vivian Williams, you're so scheming! You deliberately provoked her into saying those things."

"Your words were so vicious—cutting tendons and all that. Anyone would have reacted. This isn't Chloe's fault at all."

He turned back to comfort Chloe:

"Baby, don't worry. I'll explain everything to my mother. She'll understand."

I sneered coldly:

"She said those words herself. No one forced her."

"Besides, what makes you so sure your mother will forgive her?"

Peyton looked like his pride had been wounded, furious:

"Vivian Williams, you think making Chloe look bad will make me look at you? Dream on!"

Just then, a rumbling sound came from the sky, and a gust of wind made everyone squint.

A helicopter slowly descended.

Caroline, wearing sunglasses and high heels, stepped off the aircraft with commanding presence.

She walked straight to Peyton and without a word delivered a resounding slap.

"Apologize to Vivian!"

Peyton was knocked to the ground.

Next, Caroline's expression turned cold as she approached Chloe.

Chloe trembled all over, nearly curling into a ball.

Caroline raised her hand high.

"Mom!"

Peyton rushed forward to intervene.

"Chloe is carrying my child. You can't hit her!"

"Pregnant?"

Caroline seemed to laugh in anger, her eyes contemptuous:

"Little homewrecker, you think you can enter the Reeves family with such tactics?"

"I've seen plenty of calculating climbers like you when I was young."

Peyton gripped Caroline's hand tightly, explaining urgently:

"Mom, it's not what you think."

"Chloe is gentle by nature. She only misspoke because Vivian Williams set her up. When she visited you before, wasn't she always polite?"

Caroline glanced at Chloe, who was pretending to be pitiful, and gestured dismissively to her assistant.

The assistant immediately stepped forward with a tablet, playing surveillance footage from the first-class cabin.

The screen showed Chloe ordering the flight attendant around arrogantly, acting completely unreasonable and saying outrageous things to me.

Caroline said coldly:

"The Reeves family has always been low-key and courteous, never mistreating others. We have a good reputation in our circles."

"But here she is, a mistress with no status, already using the Reeves name to throw her weight around. She didn't even know Vivian's identity and dared to be so presumptuous, trampling all over the rightful heir. If she actually gained any connection to the Reeves family, who knows what trouble she'd cause!"

She crossed her arms, her tone brooking no argument:

"Peyton, I don't care about your past entanglements."

"Choose now—either marry Vivian and inherit the family business, or take her and get out of the Reeves family."