My Husband Is a Million Years Old Vampire-Chapter 174

But her tone changed when Liam added coldly, "One year is still one year, Mum. No business with GSK for one year. Do you know what that means for our funding cycle? For the expansions we’ve already committed to?"

At that moment Maria’s mouth tightened. She couldn’t say anything back.

Then Liam looked up, defeated, then dropped the final blow.

"That contract we’ve been pushing for—the one that was supposed to seal everything for us. The same contract that was going to cement this wedding... it’s been cancelled."

The room froze.

Immediately Maria’s eyes widened, her jaw dropped slightly, and Chloe looked up with a snap, her breath hitching. Her lips parted but no words came out. That contract wasn’t just a deal—it was their ticket into elite society, into higher power. It was the very reason the wedding was being pushed forward.

And now—it was gone.

So, now that the contract had been officially cancelled, Chloe was the first to turn away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I don’t want to hear any stories," she muttered coldly, her voice trembling. "I don’t care what happened or why it happened. All I know is that everything we’ve worked for—everything we planned—is gone."

However Maria didn’t say a word. She just stood there, stunned. Her mouth opened slightly like she wanted to say something, but no sound came out. She had never imagined that things could spiral so far out of control. The entire room felt suffocating, and she couldn’t even bring herself to breathe too loudly.

Liam’s father sat down heavily beside the hospital bed, his hand pressed against his forehead.

"I don’t even know what we’re going to do now," he said quietly, voice weary. "This... this isn’t just some minor setback. Everything is hanging by a thread." He glanced at Liam, who lowered his head in shame.

"If we don’t find a way to fix this," he continued, "our company won’t just slow down... it’ll crash. The backlash from this suspension will hit us harder than we’ve ever been hit before."

The room went silent again, no one had any answers. No one had a plan.

All they had left... was damage control.

At that moment Maria turned back to Liam’s family with a faint, apologetic smile. "We’ll be back," she said smoothly. "There’s something really important we need to attend to. Please excuse us."

She didn’t wait for a reply. She took Chloe by the wrist and pulled her away, her grip firm, her pace quick. Chloe struggled to keep up as they moved past the hospital hallway, down the stairs, and out into the open parking lot.

"Mum..." Chloe’s voice trembled. "This is really bad. What are we going to do now? The marriage... the contract—everything we’ve worked for—it’s all cancelled. How are we going to fix this?"

Maria stopped walking. Her heels clicked against the pavement as she turned slowly and faced her daughter.

"Do what, Chloe?" she asked coldly. Her tone wasn’t loud, but it sliced through the silence.

Chloe blinked. "The marriage... with Liam... we’ve already sent out invitations. People are expecting—"

"And now it’s cancelled," Maria cut her off, her voice sharp. "Can’t you see what’s happening around you? His family is crashing, Chloe. Crashing. Their business is suspended, their connections are shattered. GSK won’t even look at them anymore."

"But we were supposed to rise together—"

Immediately Maria stepped closer, her eyes burning. "Rise? With who? With a man whose name might soon be in the papers for destroying property of GSK and causing a million-dollar scandal? That’s who you want to rise with?"

Chloe was silent, Maria exhaled, trying to keep her voice steady. "Their families have taken a massive blow. If we stay tied to them, we’ll go down with them. That’s not strength, that’s stupidity. So yes, the marriage is cancelled. And it’s for the best."

She took a step back and adjusted her purse on her arm. "Now let’s go. We have better things to focus on than cleaning up someone else’s fall."

However Chloe didn’t say a word as she followed Maria across the hospital lot. Her heels tapped softly against the pavement, but inside, her chest was noisy. Too noisy.

She was quiet... but her thoughts were loud.

Liam. Her Liam.

She clenched her fingers around the edge of her purse. She wasn’t even sure when the tears had built up, but her eyes were misty, and she didn’t blink them away.

She truly loved him.

But love... love didn’t pay debts, Love didn’t repair reputations after a scandal.

Love wouldn’t hold her up if everything around her collapsed.

She bit her lower lip hard. Her heart felt like it was splitting in two, but she already knew the answer.

She wasn’t the kind of woman that could suffer with a man.

Not this kind of suffering, Liam’s family was already at the edge of disaster. Their names would be dragged through the mud. Deals gone. Prestige gone. Everything they were—shattered, just like that.

Even if it wasn’t Liam’s fault... even if she believed him... it didn’t change the reality.

She couldn’t go down with him, Even if she loved him.

Chloe didn’t look up as she walked beside Maria. Her fingers tightened slightly around her phone, but she remained silent.

Maria glanced sideways at her daughter, then slowed her pace a bit. "You heard me, right?" Her voice was low, but firm. "You’re not going to suffer because of him. Not now. Not ever."

Chloe gave a small nod.

"I know you loved him," Maria added, "but this is not about love anymore. This is survival. Power. Reputation. We’ve come too far, Chloe."

Chloe stopped walking, she took a breath.

She didn’t cry. She wouldn’t. But the ache inside her chest was real.

Still, she nodded again. "No problem, Mom. I’ve heard you."

Maria smiled faintly. "That’s my girl."

Then she leaned closer and whispered, "Just give me time. I’ll fix this. I’ll make sure the next man that comes your way is everything Liam could never be—and more."

Chloe didn’t respond, She didn’t have to.

She had heard her mother loud and clear.

Immediately Chloe didn’t say much as she walked away, just nodded again and muttered, "Okay, no problem."

Maria watched her go, her expression blank—too blank. The moment Chloe disappeared into the hallway, her composure cracked. A spark of cold rage burned in her eyes as she reached into her bag and pulled out her phone.

She didn’t hesitate, She dialed.

The phone rang once... twice... then connected.

"I hope you’re ready," Maria said sharply, not bothering with pleasantries.

"It’s going to be tomorrow. Everything we talked about—you make sure it’s all in check."

She began pacing, Her heels struck the tiles with clipped determination.

"I don’t want any mistakes this time. That’s why I gave the job to you personally. You know what I need. No trail. No trace. Nothing left behind. Do you understand me?"

She didn’t wait for confirmation, she simply ended the call, her chest rose and fell as she stared at her phone screen.

Her jaw clenched tightly, She was done waiting.

This time, Valentina was going to feel it.

And anyone—absolutely anyone—who dared to stand in her way... she was going to crush them too.

**

Early that morning, Maria sent a text to Valentina. It was short—just an address and a time: 9:30 AM, along with a simple line beneath: "You can help us from here."

Valentina stared at the message for a while, her thumb hovering above the screen. There was a small frown between her brows, but she didn’t reply. She just saved the location and locked her phone.

It was nothing, she reminded herself. Just a quick meeting, barely an hour, and the place wasn’t far from her usual route to work. She’d get it done before stepping into Sterling Designs.

As she got ready, she didn’t tell Raymond anything. Not a word.

He was still in bed, asleep, the duvet half-draped across his waist. She glanced at him once—peaceful, unaware—and then looked away. She knew the moment she said "I’m going to help her family," Raymond would shut it down. He didn’t even hide his disdain for them anymore. And to be fair... he wasn’t wrong. But this—this wasn’t about them. This was about Luca. And maybe a little part of her that just wanted closure.

So, she slipped out quietly, heels clicking across the tiles, coat draped over one arm, and keys in the other.

The morning was calm. Traffic was light. She turned the steering wheel with one hand and kept the other on the address pinned on her GPS.

But when she arrived and pulled into the lot... her eyes narrowed.

This couldn’t be it.

There was nothing extravagant. No high-rise tower. No busy commercial hub. Just a modest, quiet building that looked more like a side-office than anything serious.

Valentina sat behind the wheel for a second, her brows drawing together.

No signboard. No logo. Just a small metal plaque beside the glass door.

It was Ordinary, Too ordinary.

Still, she cut the engine and stepped out of the car.