Vivian Lau is the 28-year-old heiress of Lau Jewels, her father’s company, and the female protagonist and romantic lead of King of Wrath. She is also a luxury event planner living in New York City. From the beginning, Vivian’s role as an event planner and her dedication to her job reveal her interest in earning her own way and building her own life. She says of her work, “[i]t wasn’t part of my trust fund, nor was it my inheritance. It was money I’d earned, fair and square” (2). Vivian has seen what money did to her family, and she has no desire to let her status as an heiress turn her into someone she does not like, as it did her parents. This establishes her position surrounding Compromising Morality for Success.

Another important, although not often directly referenced, element of Vivian’s characterization is her identity as a Chinese American woman. She and her mother allude to the reality of being part of a minority group in a predominantly white upper-class society in America, knowing that they will be judged by different standards than others. Vivian’s parents fight this by seeking ultimate assimilation and adherence to the “rules” of upper-crust society.