King of Wrath: An Arranged Marriage Romance

Vivian, Sloane, and Isabella have brunch together a couple of days after Vivian’s fight with Dante, and Sloane and Isabella each give her their own advice about how to handle the situation. Vivian, though, has realized that even though she still wants Dante to see her side, she knows that he was right about how she behaves with her parents.

Buffy Darlington, head of the Legacy Ball committee, appears and congratulates Vivian on landing Valhalla as a venue while insulting her subtly by commenting on the benefits of marrying a Russo. Buffy asks about the entertainment for the ball; when Vivian informs her that she has booked someone to replace the opera singer who had to pull out, Buffy tells Vivian to cancel the new booking and book her goddaughter, who has recently moved into the music industry. She tries to insist, but Vivian, exhausted by the fight with Dante and her parents’ treatment of her, stands up for herself, politely but firmly making the point that her own name is also attached to the event and that she will consider Buffy’s goddaughter if her goddaughter sends a sample of her work. Buffy agrees, reluctantly admiring Vivian but also clearly resentful. She tells Vivian that she expects this year’s Legacy Ball to be the best one in its history.

After brunch, Vivian runs into Dante, who has been waiting for her. He apologizes, awkwardly but sincerely, for criticizing her and for not trying to see her side. In return, Vivian admits that he was right about her behavior around her parents, but she shares that she believes that it may be too late to change. When Dante insists that she is perfect and that her parents should accept her as she is, Vivian relents by suggesting that she wear a silk dress on her parents’ next visit instead of the tweed suits of which they approve. As she and Dante begin the rest of the day with the intention of spending it together, she realizes that sometimes a long reconciliation process is not necessary, as long as a simple apology is sincere.

Dante informs Vivian that since his VP’s wife has gone into labor, Dante has to take over the VP’s business trip to Paris; Dante asks her to go with him. Vivian tries to refuse, claiming that she cannot be away from New York with the Legacy Ball only two weeks away, but Dante argues that most of her preparation is done, her team is competent, and she can work in Paris remotely while he is at meetings. Although he says that she does not have to go if she truly feels that she cannot, he lures her with the opportunity to get a gown for the ball from Yves Dubois, a famous and exclusive couturier in Paris. She teases him about having separation anxiety, which leads to him admitting that perhaps he has developed it for her. Vivian decides to take his offer.

In Paris, Vivian finds herself surprisingly productive during the days, and she and Dante enjoy themselves in the city each evening. She breaks from her work one day to shop, choosing a phoenix-inspired gown from Yves Dubois and buying custom-made cufflinks for Dante that look like ice cream and soy sauce. At dinner up the Eiffel Tower on their last night, Vivian asks Dante what he would do if he was not a CEO. He does not know and admits that he is actually happy with what he does; Vivian admits that she is also happy with her work. When they admit to both being happy with their lives, Vivian realizes that she is falling in love. They are interrupted by a phone call; Dante steps away.

The call is from Christian; his team has found all eight copies of the photos. They can destroy those photos and Lau’s company at Dante’s word. Dante is torn now that he is falling for Vivian. He does not want to lose her, but Christian, sounding judgmental about Dante’s feelings, reminds Dante of what Francis Lau did to him. He reminds Dante that they have spent eight months working toward Francis’s destruction. Knowing that he has to protect his brother and still infuriated over Francis’s actions, he gives the order for Christian’s team to move forward with the plan. Back in their hotel room, Dante initiates sex in an effort to be close to Vivian during what he believes will be one of their last nights together.

Dante decides he wants to be the one to tell Vivian about everything before her father can twist the truth, but he decides to wait until they return to New York. His heart doesn’t want to let go of Vivian, while logic tells him to put distance between them before he falls for her more than he already has. He does not know yet whether his heart or mind will win.

Vivian leaves a movie with Sloane and Isabella, picking up takeout to take home to Dante. He has been somewhat distant since their trip, and he is curt and dismissive when she takes him the food. Over the next several days he barely talks to her and avoids her. Vivian finally snaps when she arrives home to discover that they will be having guests, Christian and his girlfriend, and Dante did not tell her until a couple of short hours beforehand. She loses her temper and yells at him; she sees remorse, frustration, and some other emotion she does not recognize in his eyes, but he leaves before she can say anything else. Vivian feels that their relationship has somehow been fundamentally altered.

Vivian and Dante host Christian and his girlfriend, Stella. While showing Stella the apartment, Vivian overhears Dante and Christian talking. She and Stella both stop, hearing something about Christian and Heath. The men hear her cough and stop talking; when Christian and Stella leave, Vivian demands to know what they were talking about. Dante admits that Christian was the one who sent the text to Heath which was supposedly from Vivian. Angry at Dante for withholding such information, Vivian tells him to come to her when he’s ready to talk.

The next day, Vivian walks in the park to clear her head and calls her sister for advice. Agnes advises Vivian that she and Dante seem as if they could make it as a couple, but she also admits that Vivian needs to choose whether or not to marry him for herself, despite the threat of being disowned. She admits that she almost risked being disowned herself. A sudden rain starts, and Vivian runs back toward home.

Vivian carries takeout from the Moondust Diner to Dante’s office; since he is in a meeting, she tells his assistant that she will wait for him. On her way in, she hears her father’s voice coming from a nearby room and stops, shocked that he is in New York. From their argument, she learns about the blackmail and hears hints that Dante ruined the Lau company. She hears Dante claim that he only agreed to marry her because of the blackmail, and she escapes in a near-panic.

The perspective switches to Dante’s. Francis Lau has tried to maintain his threats and blackmail, but Dante assures him that he found all the copies of the photos. Francis realizes Dante’s role in his company’s current troubles, but Dante makes it clear that Francis has no more leverage over the Russos. When Francis leaves, Dante’s assistant brings in the food Vivian left, and Dante realizes that Vivian must have overheard everything. He orders his assistant to cancel all his appointments and rushes home, where he finds Vivian packing a suitcase. Vivian tells Dante that she understands why he did what he did and why he would not want to marry her. She asks him about her father’s company, and he provides a veiled admission about his role in its current problems. Dante lets her go, realizing that even if she could forgive him for everything, her father would use her as leverage if he realized that Dante cared for her. She returns her engagement ring and leaves; Dante admits to himself that the room has never felt emptier.