Chapter 814:
“I don’t care about her drama with Millie, that’s their business. But this? This charity sale is actually making a difference for people who need help!”
“Same here. I might not be Vivian’s biggest fan, but if she’s selling something I want, I’ll buy it, even if the price is higher, since the money’s going to charity.”
“I already made a purchase! Count me in as a supporter of Vivian!”
Amidst the event’s hustle, Vivian managed to sneak in a call to Johnny.
“Our products are mixed in with the goods, right?” she murmured.
“Right, they’re mixed in,” Johnny answered, though his tone was a bit uneasy. “Are you sure this is okay?”
Vivian kept her voice low. “It’s fine, just keep it discreet. We’re still donating, but we’re also offsetting some costs.”
After ending the call, Vivian’s smile brightened as she surveyed the lively crowd, completely unaware of the caretaker watching her quietly from a distance.
The hours drifted forward like sand through an hourglass.
Donations poured in from generous hearts, transforming Vivian’s modest fundraising event into something magnificent and sprawling.
What had begun as a humble setup confined to Vivian’s own studio now sprawled across the entire block. Neighboring merchants had thrown open their doors, offering their storefronts as extensions of this growing charitable movement.
The entire street pulsed with energy, radiating compassion and collective purpose. Human goodness blazed in every gesture, every contribution, every shared smile.
While this unfolded, Millie maintained her digital correspondence with the institution in Flaville, her fingers dancing across her phone screen.
Hours dissolved into one another—nine became ten, ten surrendered to eleven, and eleven raced toward the looming twelve o’clock deadline.
Lunchtime approached with its promise of gathered crowds and heightened attention.
Fresh updates now on g𝖺ln𝖔𝖵e𝗅s.c𝗈m
Vivian Floral Design magnetized growing throngs of spectators with each passing moment. Media cameras remained locked on Vivian’s every movement, capturing each calculated gesture.
Vivian found herself obsessively monitoring Millie’s digital footprint, searching for any crack in her opponent’s composure.
Yet Millie remained silent as stone, utterly disconnected from the bold proclamations she had hurled the previous day.
This silence only strengthened Vivian’s conviction that Millie specialized in empty promises and hollow bravado.
Fifteen minutes stretched between the present moment and twelve o’clock. Vivian’s eyes found a nearby camera lens, and she offered it a smile that trembled with manufactured vulnerability before unveiling her masterpiece of deception.
“Today’s fundraising event has shattered every expectation I dared to harbor,” Vivian spoke, her voice carrying practiced warmth. “I have witnessed the breathtaking kindness that dwells within each heart. The beauty of it overwhelms—”
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears that seemed born of profound loss, her entire being radiating delicate vulnerability. “In these final chapters of my story, sharing these meaningful moments with all of you feels like divine grace. Yet I…”
.
.
.