Dark Romance: A Cruel Obsession

“Enough!” Bryson reprimanded, “You are just as foolish, Vivian. You’ve inherited your mother’s weakness and stupidity.”

Vivian bit her lip, restraining the urge to inquire about her mother’s whereabouts. “I’m sorry I couldn’t meet your expectations. I’m your failed child. Perhaps only Joseph can be considered your child; he is your perfect heir.”

“I can’t blame Alajos’s actions. Perhaps he has his reasons for collaborating with Washington, but please believe me, he has no intention of undermining the alliance between Los Angeles and Houston,” Vivian tried to persuade Bryson. “Vilem has been rehired by Alajos, he’s been on a business trip.”

Bryson didn’t care whether Vilem had been rehired by Alajos. Like his sister, Vilem had inherited his mother’s weakness and incompetence. Bryson had felt disappointed in him more than once.

“Undermine the alliance between Houston and Washington, Vivian,” Bryson assigned a task to his daughter from Los Angeles. “The interests of Los Angeles must remain unwavering and indivisible. My generosity requires genuine reciprocation, not just airy thanks.”

“No, I can’t do that,” Vivian refused. “You’ve already handed me over to Alajos; you said it yourself, I am no longer Los Angeles’s daughter. I can’t obey your commands.”

“You will obey,” Bryson paid no heed to Vivian’s futile resistance. He had ways of making Vivian obedient. “Your mother misses you a lot, Vivian.”

Bryson’s voice was terrifyingly ominous, like a summons from hell. “Don’t you want to hear her voice? I can make it so you never hear it again.”

“No, you can’t!” Vivian exclaimed in fear. “What are you going to do to her? She’s your wife.”

“She’s also your mother,” Bryson said. “She gave birth to you, raised you, and brought you up to be timid and mediocre. You no longer heed your father’s teachings and instructions; you’ve become a rebellious disciple. This is her fault; she needs to be punished.”

“No! No!” Vivian pleaded in terror.

Every word Bryson uttered felt like a knife slashing at Vivian’s heart, tearing flesh and causing blood to flow. Vivian felt the pain and fear acutely.

She knew all too well that her father was a true demon. He would torment her mother as he said, and her mother would die.

“I promise you, I promise you!” Vivian grabbed the phone tightly, shouting loudly, putting a stop to Bryson’s threats. “I promise you anything, please, let me see my mother.”

“As long as you satisfy me, I will let you see her,” Bryson chuckled with satisfaction, pleased with Vivian’s compromise. He had endured Tasneem’s presence with difficulty, and at this moment, he felt rewarded.

“I can promise you, but I can’t guarantee the outcome,” Vivian wasn’t blindly confident, nor did she give Bryson a definite commitment. “You know Capo won’t allow a woman to meddle in his business. He will kill me.”

“If I die, the alliance between Los Angeles and Houston will truly be irreparable, won’t it?”

Bryson’s cold laughter came through the phone. “Vivian, you’ve become bolder, learning to threaten me.”

“No!” Vivian hastily concealed her true intentions. “I haven’t. I’m only considering Los Angeles’s interests.”

“I hope you’re sincere, Vivian,” Bryson said. “You’ve been away from Los Angeles for a long time. You can tell Alajos that you miss the city that raised you. I will invite you both to Los Angeles as guests.”

“No!” Vivian instinctively objected.

Bryson was displeased. “Tonight, you’ve said ‘no’ to me too many times, Vivian.”

“I’m sorry,” Vivian quickly apologized. “But I really can’t. In a few days, it’s Mrs. Yazmin’s birthday, and Alajos and I both need to attend her birthday party. We can’t go to Los Angeles for the time being.”This material belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

“Oh? Mrs. Yazmin’s birthday party?” Bryson smiled and said, “Mrs. Yazmin is also Luzia’s aunt. How can her birthday party be without Luzia?”

“I will have Joseph take Luzia back to Houston to visit Mrs. Yazmin.”

Joseph was coming to Houston?

Vivian instinctively didn’t want to see him. She opened her mouth, “But…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Bryson hung up the phone, and there was a “beep” in the receiver. Vivian slumped on the bed, the phone falling to her feet.

The empty bedroom was silent. The incandescent light snapped off, and a lump rose under theblanket. Buried beneath it, the person trembled slightly, emitting a low sob.

Vivian didn’t know when she had fallen asleep. She only remembered her mother in her dream, her mouth bloody, moaning in agony. She had rushed to check, only to discover her mother’s tongue had been gruesomely removed.

Vivian was drenched in sweat, her eyes swollen from crying. She could barely open them; they felt dry and uncomfortable.

Hastily, she ran into the bathroom, grabbing a cold towel to soothe her eyes. She hadn’t forgotten her father’s threat from the previous night. She firmly believed Joseph was a callous thug. Her mother’s fate wouldn’t be taken seriously; it could only be used as leverage against her and Vilem.

She had to find a way to locate her mother and help her escape her father’s control.

While applying the cold compress, Vivian retrieved the phone she had discarded last night. She dialed Vilem’s number. She needed his assistance.

No one answered the phone. Vivian dialed again and again, but no one picked up, not even an automated response to end the call.

Was he still on a business trip? Or was he on a mission?

Vivian didn’t know. She hadn’t lied to Bryson; she truly hadn’t been involved in Houston’s affairs. She didn’t even know what urgent work Alajos had been attending to the previous night.

For now, Vivian had to give up.

After confirming that her eyes had somewhat reduced in swelling, Vivian went downstairs to find something to eat.

She needed to go to the shooting club in the morning for target practice and to Adieu in the afternoon to check on the business.

Emmert was up early. When Vivian came downstairs, he had already finished breakfast and was sitting at the dining table, reading today’s military magazine.

Haylee had ended her vacation and had helped prepare breakfast.

“Why are your eyes so swollen?” Emmert diverted a bit of attention from his magazine to Vivian. “Did I scare you to tears?”

“What?” Vivian instinctively touched her eyes. “Are they still swollen?”

“At least I can tell,” Emmert asked seriously, “Did something happen?”

Should she tell him about her father’s threat? Vivian hesitated, her hand hovering over the sandwich. Ultimately, she dismissed the idea.

No, she might tell Alajos, but she couldn’t let anyone else know about this before that.

“I just had a terrible nightmare,” Vivian said, still shaken. “It was too frightening.”

Vivian had no intention of confessing, and Emmert didn’t press further. After all, he would report all of Vivian’s actions and states of mind to Alajos truthfully. If there were any secrets, Alajos would naturally dig them out.

Emmert’s lack of questioning relieved Vivian greatly because she hadn’t prepared a reason in advance. If Emmert had insisted on probing, she wouldn’t have known how to respond.