CHAPTER 1: The Perfect Bride With a Hidden Past
Three months earlier, Helena had been the person most strongly against this marriage.
It was not because Vivian was poorer than the Whitmore family. It was not because she did not come from high society. And it was not because Helena wanted to control her son’s life.
Helena only wanted Gabriel to be happy.
After her husband’s sudden death years ago, Helena had lived almost entirely for her son. Gabriel had only been twenty when he was forced to take over Whitmore Corporation while the family was drowning in debt, surrounded by enemies, and shaken by uncertain shareholders.
He had grown up too quickly.
From a young man still awkward at family dinners, Gabriel became the kind of man who could silence an entire boardroom with one glance.
He was successful, wealthy, and powerful.
But Helena knew there was an emptiness inside him that no one had ever reached.
Then Vivian appeared.
She met Gabriel at a charity auction. She did not push herself among the wealthy young women trying to speak to him. She only stood quietly in a corner, helping a server pick up several fallen glasses.
That was why Gabriel noticed her.
Vivian was beautiful, but her beauty was not cold. She had eyes that seemed to listen, a soft smile, and a gentle voice that made people believe she could never hurt anyone.
At first, Helena liked her too.
Vivian remembered that Gabriel did not like his coffee too bitter. She remembered that he often got headaches when he worked too late. Every weekend, she sent Helena a small bouquet of flowers with a handwritten card:
“I hope you stay healthy.”
How could anyone not soften toward such a thoughtful girl?
But Vivian’s perfection soon made Helena uneasy.
Vivian never made mistakes.
She was always on time, always said the right thing, always wore the right expression. She knew when to smile, when to stay silent, and when to place her hand on Gabriel’s arm in front of others.
One evening, during a family dinner, Helena casually asked:
“Where do your parents live now?”
Vivian froze for less than a second.
Then she smiled.
“They passed away when I was little. A relative raised me.”
Gabriel placed his hand over hers, his eyes softening. Helena did not ask more.
But that night, Helena saw Vivian standing alone on the balcony, speaking on the phone.
Her voice was very low.
“I told you not to call at this hour. If Gabriel hears anything, everything will be ruined.”
When Helena stepped outside, Vivian immediately turned around. The familiar smile returned to her lips.
“Aunt Helena, do you need anything?”
No panic.
No nervous explanation.
Only calmness.
And that calmness stayed in Helena’s mind.
From that day on, she began to watch silently.
An envelope with no name was sent to Vivian every Friday.
A black car often parked two streets away from the mansion whenever Gabriel was away on business.
Once, Helena overheard Vivian asking Gabriel’s assistant about inheritance clauses in the family trust. But when Vivian saw Helena walk in, she immediately changed the subject to wedding flower colors.
Helena tried to warn her son.
“Gabriel, I feel like Vivian is not as simple as you think.”
Gabriel looked up from his documents, his face tired.
“You don’t like her?”
“It’s not that. I just feel something is wrong.”
He was silent for a long time.
Then he said:
“I know you worry about me. But this time, Mother, please trust me.”
That answer hurt Helena deeply.
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She thought Gabriel had fallen so deeply in love with Vivian that he no longer wanted to listen.
She did not know that from that moment, Gabriel had already begun investigating.
