Chapter 6: 006 Viola
Translator: 549690339
After finishing her conversation with Beauty Child, Forsythia went back upstairs at 1 am.
Usually, she could easily fall asleep, but tonight, she simply couldn't.
Perhaps it was because she saw the little girl, or maybe it was because she saw his shadow in the little girl's features. Either way, he now filled her mind.
For the past five years, she frequently forced herself not to think about him, repeatedly telling herself that they had severed all ties, that if they ever met again, they would be strangers.
But...
Who could have known that they were once inseparable, always side by side?
Who could have known that he would be such an integral part of her 26 years of life?
Who could have known that together they would create a child of their own: Audrey!
When she first met him, it was during a season when the forsythia flowers were in full bloom, shortly after her birthday. She was six, and he was fourteen. He spoke with the voice of adolescence, saying, "Where did this little bandit come from? Destroying my orchids! Perhaps I should call you Viola, don't you think?"
Not only did he not blame her for destroying his orchids, but he even fulfilled her wish by replacing all the orchids in his garden with forsythia flowers.
From then on, 'Viola' became his pet name for her, and it soon became the name everyone in his circle used for her.
When she was eight years old, her parents died in a plane crash, and she went from being the Browns' most adored princess to an orphan. At that moment, she felt as if the sky had collapsed on her.
It was also at that moment, while he was in the middle of his coming-of-age ceremony, that he received the news and rushed to her side. He held her in his arms, and although they did not speak the entire night, she felt that the world still had him, and so she was not an orphan, not alone, and the sky did not fall.
After her parents' accidental deaths, and with no will in place, the power struggle in the Brown family became fierce. Members of her family took advantage of her orphan status, forcing her to leave her home.
Without a second thought, he took her and left, and she began to live in Atkinson Manor.
At that time, people in the Brown family no longer paid much attention to her, and the world assumed that she would live a miserable life in the Atkinson Manor. Nobody knew that to their surprise, thanks to him, she lived a life of luxury as Miss Atkinson, with all the privileges that came with it.
Whether asking to fly to the sun and moon or diving to sea to explore marine life, he would fulfill every wish she had.
Under his unreserved love and indulgence, she grew up quite arrogant and wilful.
Her talent was praised by everyone who saw her. At eight years old, she moved to River State Atkinson Manor. At ten, she graduated from River State Elementary School, at twelve, from River State Middle School, and at fifteen, from River State's prestigious Riverdale University Business and Management Department. Everyone complimented her, saying she was a unique and gifted talent.
Only she knew that her uniqueness, her talent, all came from his careful guidance.
After graduating from Riverdale University, she joined the Atkinson Group Empire as an ordinary worker. By eighteen, after three years of hard work, she became the youngest and most successful financial director of the Atkinson Group Empire in River State.
Her background, education, qualifications, and success all became legendary among the people of River State.
And that legend was given to her by him.
As for when her obsession with him began, she didn't know. But it seemed to prove the saying, "Love knows no beginning, only growing deeper with time."
So on the day he was to marry River State's most sought-after lady, Norma Ruby, she did the craziest thing she had ever done in her life: she kidnapped Norma.
And stubbornly put forth the condition: "Marry me, and I'll release Norma."
Perhaps it was because he had always given her everything she wanted, or perhaps it was out of desperation to save Norma, he agreed.
Thus, on the wedding day of River State's Number One Gentleman, Gem Atkinson, there was a bride swap. The bride changed from Norma Ruby to Forsythia.
When faced with the questioning of all the guests, he merely explained, "It was meant to be a surprise so that everyone could remember this unforgettable wedding."
That day, the whole River State was abuzz with the fantastic news: Gem Atkinson favored Forsythia Brown so much that they staged an extraordinary wedding, a unique and memorable event.
On their wedding night, they had sex, with one playing 'S,' and the other 'M.' Who was 'S,' and who was 'M?' - only they knew.
Since then, she, at the age of eighteen, was no longer the beloved Miss Atkinson with all the luxuries in the world, but the doted-upon Young Mrs. Atkinson with even more affection.
He continued to spoil her as before.
In their first year of marriage, he gave her a special gift.
When she was eight years old, her parents died tragically in a plane accident. The Brown family, taking advantage of her being an orphan, forced her out of the house with nothing. Yet Gem Atkinson didn't hesitate to take her away. She thought he just despised the Brown family's estate.
Unexpectedly, in their first year of marriage, on the tenth anniversary of her parents' death, he handed her the Brown family's estate.
That was the entire Brown family estate.
Back then, she was young, and he hadn't yet assumed control of the Atkinson Group. Even if he had asked his father for help to regain the Brown family's assets, she was too young to manage them properly, and they would have been lost regardless. Moreover, if the Atkinson family had been too eager to help her reclaim the property and power, others might have accused them of having ulterior motives.
"Viola, at that time, I just thought, let them manage it - in the end, they were only preparing it for my Viola."
"Viola, remember this: revenge is best served cold, even after ten years."
"Look, Viola, what's meant to be yours will always be yours, and now it's all in your hands."
"Viola, this is my betrothal gift to you - a belated gift."
At her parents' graveside, her hands trembling as she accepted this belated gift, the financially-savvy her knew that Gem had retrieved all the Brown family assets, whether they belonged to her or not.
She became the true master of the Brown family.
By that time, the Brown family was on the brink of bankruptcy under his suppression. However, their pride lay in their cosmetics products, sustained for centuries by their secret beauty formula.
Now she was the keeper of that secret formula.
He had money, and she had the secret recipe. In order to preserve the Brown family's formula, they decided to combine their assets, incorporating the Brown family into the Atkinson Group. With his deliberate authorization, her stake in the Atkinson Group reached five percent after a reassessment of the family's assets.
What did that five percent represent?
It represented her status among the top ten in the Atkinson Group Empire.
It represented her right to attend any shareholder meetings within the Atkinson Group.
It represented nearly a billion dollars in annual dividends for her.
In an instant, she became River State's youngest and wealthiest woman.
Soon, their first batch of cosmetics, the 'Cherish' series, produced under the Atkinson Group, witnessed a skyrocketing sales volume. Consequently, those who once had opposed Gem's incorporation of the Brown family into the Atkinson Group saw their dividends double and triple. Together, they went to the rooftop of the Atkinson Group Empire Building, and with arms outstretched, Gem yelled out, "Viola, give me a child! I'll give him the entire Atkinson Group Empire!"
His pride and confidence at that moment touched her heart. She already loved him, and now that everything seemed to have settled down, it was the perfect time to start a family.
So she stopped taking precautions.
Indeed, she became pregnant, but it happened during the stormiest year of their relationship.
At her most resolute, she seriously considered aborting the child. However, just as she was about to enter the operating room, the scene of Gem shouting "Viola, give me a child!" echoed through her mind. Her heart softened, and she begged the doctor to fake the procedure.
That's how Audrey, their adorable little girl, came to be.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone