Chapter 128
Vivian's POV
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.
Not because of the food.
I barely eat anything, usually only drinking tea while everyone else pretends they're not already exhausted by the day ahead.
No.
I like breakfast because everyone is tired.
Everyone is slower.
Everyone is easier to read.
I sit at the table with my cup between my hands, watching steam curl upward from the porcelain.
Chamomile.
Calming.
Necessary, considering the argument happening across the room.
Ellie is already fighting with Dad.
Right on schedule.
"I'm not doing this."
Her voice cuts through the room.
She stands near the kitchen counter, hair slightly messy from a restless night, exhaustion visible beneath her eyes, but her glare is sharp enough to cut through stone.
"You don't get to decide who walks me to school."
Dad doesn't even look up.
He calmly spreads butter across his toast like this is the most ordinary conversation in the world.
"I already have."
His tone is effortless.
"Lucas will be here any minute."
I lift my tea to my lips, hiding the small smile that threatens to appear.
Perfect.
Ellie's expression darkens.
She turns fully toward him.
"Yesterday, you wanted me with Dominic."
Her voice rises.
"You screamed at me for refusing him."
A brief pause.
"You hit me for refusing him."
The room goes quiet for half a second.
Then Dad continues as if she hadn't said anything important.
"And now suddenly I'm supposed to be with Lucas?"
Ellie laughs once, bitterly.
"Which is it?"
"Do you even hear yourself?"
Dad finally looks up.
"Don't be dramatic."
His voice is calm.
Almost annoyingly so.
"This is practical."
He gestures vaguely.
"Lucas is an Alpha too."
"If you insist on rejecting one opportunity, then we consider another."
"I don't want either of them!"
Ellie snaps.
Her voice echoes through the room.
"Stop trying to marry me off like I'm some kind of—"
"Like you're valuable?"
Dad interrupts.
His expression hardens.
"Because you are."
He sets his toast down.
"Whether you like it or not, your purpose is to build alliances."
"You will marry well."
I take another sip of tea.
Ellie's face turns bright with anger.
"You're controlling me."
"You're manipulating everything."
"You're—"
"I'm doing what's best for this family."
Dad's voice drops into that final tone.
The one that means the discussion is already over.
"Something you clearly refuse to understand."
And right on cue...
The doorbell rings.
Perfect timing.
Ellie turns toward the entrance so quickly I almost laugh.
She looks like she might actually attack the door.
I remain seated.
Calm.
Composed.
Watching the tension in the room stretch tighter and tighter, like a thread waiting to snap.
Honestly...
This is better than any entertainment show.
The door opens moments later.
Lucas steps inside.
And immediately looks like he regrets walking through it.
I almost feel sorry for him.
Almost.
He's dressed neatly, hands tucked into his pockets, his eyes moving between Ellie and Dad with the careful expression of someone who realizes he's entered a situation he never agreed to.
At least he's smart enough to recognize that.
"Morning," he says cautiously.
Ellie glares at him.
"You didn't have to come."
Lucas's expression softens.
"I know."
A pause.
"But I didn't want to make things worse."
Dad gestures toward him.
"You'll walk her to school."
His voice is firm.
"Spend time together. Get to know each other properly."
Ellie looks like she's about to lose her patience completely.
Instead, Lucas steps closer.
Slowly.
Carefully.
He offers his arm.
"Come on."
His voice is gentle.
"We can talk on the way."
Ellie stares at his arm.
She hesitates.
For a moment, I wonder if she'll refuse.
But then she takes it.
Not because she wants to.
Because leaving this house is clearly better than staying here.
I watch them walk out together.
Exactly as I intended.
The door closes behind them.
And the house finally releases the breath it was holding.
Ellie's mother sets her mug down quietly.
The sound is small.
But the tension afterward isn't.
"Honey..."
Her voice is hesitant.
"I don't know if this is right."
Dad doesn't look at her.
"She's overwhelmed."
"She's going through a lot."
His response is immediate.
"I see where she gets her attitude from."
Her shoulders stiffen.
"She's not a bargaining chip."
Dad's expression doesn't change.
"She is exactly that."
The words are cold.
"Whether she accepts it or not."
I finish the last of my tea.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Then I stand and smooth my skirt.
"Thank you for breakfast."
I offer Ellie's mother a polite smile.
Her eyes drop to my untouched plate.
She notices.
Of course she does.
But she says nothing.
I pick up my bag and head toward the door.
My steps feel lighter than they have in days.
Ellie is walking to school with Lucas.
Dominic is free.
Everything is finally moving exactly where it should.
And the best part?
I barely had to do anything at all.