Chapter 19 She Will Come Back
The shift in Vincent’s expression was immediate.
The faint amusement vanished.
His face darkened, jaw tightening as something colder settled into his gaze. Juliet’s calm indifference seemed to do more damage than anger ever could.
"I don’t remember agreeing to that," he said slowly.
Juliet let out a small, humorless breath, almost like she was tired rather than surprised.
"You don’t remember agreeing to what?"
"The breakup."
For a moment, she just looked at him, completely still, as if trying to decide whether this was even worth responding to.
Then she shook her head slightly.
"You know what?"
Without breaking eye contact, she shifted the shopping bags to one arm and reached into her purse.
Vincent’s brows furrowed as he watched her.
A second later, she pulled out a folded document.
His expression changed immediately.
Juliet unfolded it slowly and held it up between them.
"I already signed it."
Her voice was steady. Completely unshaken.
There was no anger in it. No hesitation either.
Just finality.
She extended it toward him.
"How about you sign it too?"
Vincent didn’t move.
Juliet stepped a little closer and pressed the papers against his chest until he had no choice but to take them or let them fall.
"It’ll make things easier for both of us," she said calmly, her eyes still fixed on his. "You can go find another girlfriend."
A small, almost indifferent shrug followed.
"And I can finally walk away."
The simplicity of it made it worse.
Vincent’s expression hardened, his silence stretching as he stared at her.
Juliet, however, had already begun to withdraw from the moment emotionally.
She lifted the shopping bag slightly, her expression softening in a completely different direction now—gentler, warmer, as if the entire conversation had shifted in her mind.
"I have someone waiting for me at home.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Vincent's expression darkened.
The easy, relaxed look he had been wearing vanished completely, replaced by a cold fury that sharpened every line of his face.
He leaned back slightly in his chair, his gaze fixed on Juliet as if trying to decide whether she truly understood what she was asking of him.
"Don't think I want to sign it," he said, his voice low and dangerous.
His fingers drummed once against the table before going still.
"You know your little tricks don't work on me, Juliet.
Once I sign those papers, there is no going back.
If this engagement is canceled, then it's canceled. I won't take back my word later."
"Of course I know that."
Juliet nodded immediately, her eyes brightening with hope. She leaned forward, as though she was afraid giving him too much space would allow him to change his mind.
"That's exactly why you should sign it right now," she said quickly. "Come on, Vincent. It's not difficult. Just put your name on the papers and it'll all be over. It'll be easier for both of us that way, don't you think?"
As she spoke, she gestured toward him encouragingly, her hands moving animatedly in the air. The excitement in her voice grew harder to hide with every word.
"If you need the documents, I'll pull them up for you. If you need anything else, just tell me." She flashed him a hopeful smile and practically inched closer. "I'll do whatever you need. Just sign them."
Her obvious eagerness only made the tension in Vincent's face deepen. A muscle ticked sharply in his jaw, and his eyes narrowed. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone with a quick, irritated motion that revealed exactly how thin his patience had become.
He unlocked the screen and scrolled through several files before bringing up a document. Then he held the phone in front of her, lifting his gaze back to her face.
"Then explain something to me," he said coldly. "Why does this document say that I'm the one walking away with nothing? Why aren't you the one leaving with nothing?"
Juliet blinked before letting out a small sound of realization.
"Oh, that's what you're upset about?" she asked, looking almost amused. "That's easy to explain."
Without hesitation, she grabbed her own phone and quickly tapped the screen. A moment later, she turned it toward him.
"Look."
Vincent frowned and took the phone from her hand. His eyes lowered to the screen, and almost immediately a video began to play.
Alexa's face appeared.
"I'm pregnant with Vincent's child."
The words echoed through the video.
Vincent's entire body seemed to go still.
His fingers tightened around the phone until his knuckles turned white. The color drained slightly from his face, and his jaw clenched so hard it looked painful. He watched the video until the very end before slowly lifting his eyes back to Juliet.
Juliet folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Now you understand why you're the one walking away without any money, right?"
For several long seconds, Vincent said nothing.
His jaw worked as though he were physically forcing himself to stay calm. A dangerous darkness flickered through his eyes before he finally lowered his gaze and exhaled through his nose.
"I get it."
The words sounded strained, dragged out of him against his will.
The moment he said them, relief flooded Juliet's face.
Her entire expression lit up, and she scooted closer to him with an eager smile.
"Then sign it," she urged. "Let's get it over with."
Vincent stared at her for a moment before lowering his eyes to his phone. Without another word, he opened the document and scrolled to the final page.
His expression remained unreadable.
No anger.
No frustration.
Nothing at all.
Only the slight tightening of his grip around the phone betrayed what he was feeling.
After a brief pause, he pressed his finger against the screen and signed his name.
The second he finished, Juliet looked as though she had just won the lottery.
A huge smile spread across her face. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she practically bounced in her seat as she stared at him.
"You are so smart, Vincent," she said happily, clutching her phone to her chest.
She didn't even wait for a response.
Jumping to her feet, she hurried toward the exit with barely contained excitement. Her steps were light and quick, and she looked so pleased with herself that she almost seemed to be floating. Within moments, she disappeared through the club doors.
The instant she was gone, the atmosphere around Vincent changed completely.
The restraint he had been forcing himself to maintain shattered.
Still seated, he stared at the signed document on his phone.
His grip tightened around the device until the veins in his hand stood out prominently beneath his skin.
His shoulders were rigid, and the look on his face was so dark and terrifying that anyone could tell he was hanging onto his self-control by a thread.
Not far away, several of his friends exchanged uneasy glances.
Nobody dared approach him.
Nobody dared speak.
The fury radiating from him was so intense that it seemed to consume the entire area around him, making the air feel heavier and colder. Even from a distance, it was obvious that Vincent was one step away from exploding.
An hour later, Vincent stood inside a dimly lit room, his tall frame radiating an oppressive coldness that made the already heavy atmosphere feel suffocating.
The faint smell of cigarette smoke lingered in the air, mixing with the tension that seemed to press down on everyone present. Not a single person dared to speak.
Alexa sat tied to a chair in the center of the room.
Her face was deathly pale, and her entire body shook uncontrollably.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as her frightened gaze darted from Vincent to the people surrounding her.
Again and again, she searched their faces for help, but nobody met her eyes for long.
The silence from everyone around her only made the fear clawing at her chest grow stronger.
Vincent stood several feet away with one hand tucked into his pocket.
His posture looked relaxed at first glance, but there was something terrifying about the stillness of his body.
The sight of Alexa crying had no effect on him whatsoever.
His expression remained unreadable, and the coldness in his eyes only seemed to deepen the longer he looked at her.
Behind him, Griffin stood quietly with a phone in his hand, recording everything.
A lawyer sat nearby with several documents spread across the table in front of him, occasionally adjusting the papers while waiting.
Two bodyguards remained stationed outside the door, while a doctor and a nurse stood silently off to one side, ready to move the moment they were instructed.
Unable to bear the pressure any longer, Alexa's breathing became uneven.
"Vincent..."
Her voice trembled as tears gathered in her eyes. She shifted in her chair and struggled against the ropes around her wrists, but the restraints held firm.
"You can't do this to me."
A sob caught in her throat, making her voice crack.
"I swear I didn't say anything to Juliet. I don't understand what's happening. Why are you doing this to me?"
Vincent didn't answer.
He simply continued looking at her, his gaze so cold and detached that it made her feel as though she wasn't even worth responding to. The silence stretched on for several seconds before he finally turned his head toward the doctor.
"Take the paternity test."
His voice was calm.
The calmness was far more frightening than anger.
The doctor immediately stepped forward.
"No!"
Alexa's eyes widened in panic, and she instinctively tried to pull away. The chair scraped lightly against the floor as she struggled, but she couldn't escape. Her heart pounded wildly as the doctor reached for her arm.
"Please, Vincent, don't do this!"