Ch. 391..400
Chapter 391
“I guess the teacher doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it since it’s just a squabble among kids.But
I’ll have to teach Evelyn a lesson when we get home.
”
Benedict was embarrassed to look at Vivian when he made that remark. Evelyn probably did this
intentionally so that Finnick would lose faith in Vivian.
Upon hearing that, Vivian was overwhelmed by mixed feelings. I can’t believe how conniving Evelyn is.
She’s still so young!
“So, you’re saying Evelyn likes Finnick, and she won’t give him up? Does that mean she lied when she
promised she would not get between Finnick and me?”
“I’m afraid so,” Benedict nodded, “That’s why I told you to be mindful of her.”
Vivian took a glance at Benedict and asked, “Did you believe me when I told you Evelyn escaped
without Finnick during the fire incident ten years ago then?”
“I did,” Benedict nodded at first, but he added, “But I believe Evelyn didn’t leave Finnick there on
purpose.
“She must have panicked since she didn’t have the energy to carry him. I guess she was too afraid to
tell us the truth since she thought we might reprimand her.”
Evelyn was Benedict’s sister, after all. Thus, he did not wish to think of her as someone with evil intent.
At that point, Vivian was touched when she heard that Benedict trusted her, but somehow, she was still
a little crestfallen. She was upset that Finnick and her Mom chose to believe the rumors on the Internet
instead of her explanation. Yet, Evelyn’s very own brother believed what I said. What an irony.
“Why do you believe me?” Vivian asked, “For all you know, I could be lying to you too.”
“Because I know Evelyn too well,” Benedict responded with a wry smile. He looked into her eyes and
said, “You might think I’m crazy, but everything you do or say makes me want to believe you.” After
spending quite some time with you, I believe you’re a person with integrity.
“Thank you,” Vivian looked at him and said. Benedict seemed to always be on her side. The man was
there when Rachel was admitted to the hospital. He was also with her at the cemetery, fending off the
paparazzi. It seemed whenever Vivian was in trouble, Benedict would always appear in the nick of time
to take care of her.
“Don’t worry about it.” Benedict looked at the serious expression on Vivian’s face and patted the back
of her head gently.
Patting a person’s head was an intimate act, but Vivian did not take offense to it. In fact, she thought of
him as a close family member and responded with a grin.
At this point, Vivian heard footsteps coming in her direction. The moment she saw Finnick, the smile on
her face instantly disappeared. She pressed her lips and lowered her head.
Finnick stared at Vivian with disdain. Just a while ago, she raised her voice and argued with him, but
with Benedict by her side, she was all smiles.
Walking up to her, Finnick extended his hand. “Let’s go home.”
Nonetheless, Vivian ignored him. She then pressed her palm against a wall and tried standing up on
her own. All of a sudden, her legs turned numb, causing her to stagger and falling down the next
second.
However, Benedict, who stood beside her, caught her on time before she collapsed on the ground. At
that moment, Vivian leaned against his chest as if she had done it on purpose.
A hard glint flashed through Finnick’s eyes as he observed their interaction from a distance. He walked
up to her, carried her up in his arms, and walked away immediately.
Vivian tried pushing him away as she wanted to get down, but Finnick tightened his grip and refused to
put her down. Left with no choice, she could only give him a killer stare. “Put me down!”
Chapter 392
Despite that, Finnick continued carrying her out of the hospital as if he was not bothered by how mad
she was.
Upon seeing them coming out of the building, Noah immediately walked over to the car and opened the
passenger’s door behind. Finnick then placed her on her seat and sat beside her.
“Go home,” Finnick instructed Noah with a straight face. Meanwhile, Vivian tilted her head to the other
side to avoid seeing Finnick.
It was obvious that the tension in the car was palpable. Thus, Noah decided to keep mum and started
driving. As expected, no one talked throughout the journey back to the villa.
Once the car arrived at the villa’s entrance, Vivian opened the car door and walked toward the living
hall. Finnick, too, quickly got down from the car and followed right behind.
Yet Vivian showed no signs of slowing down. She strode across the living hall, walked upstairs, and
went straight into the bedroom.
When she was about to lock the door from inside, Finnick forced the door open and stopped her.
As he entered the room, Vivian turned around and walked into her closet. She then grabbed some
fresh clothes and appeared to be ready to leave. Just as she was about to get out of the room, Finnick
stopped her. “Let’s talk.”
“There’s nothing for us to talk about.” Vivian walked to the other side of the door. “Move. I want to take
a shower.”
However, Finnick pulled her over and grabbed both of her arms from behind. “Don’t be mad at me first,
alright? Let’s talk about Evelyn.”
Hearing Evelyn’s name instantly struck a nerve, making Vivian explode with rage. “I said there’s
nothing to talk about! We don’t need to talk since you don’t even believe me! Let me go!”
Nonetheless, Finnick tried to stop Vivian. “Can you please calm down? You shouldn’t let your emotions
take over you, Vivian. Let’s just sit down and talk, okay?”
“No! I don’t want to talk to you! I just want to have my freakin’ SHOWER!” Vivian roared.
“Fine!” His frustration kicked in, and he, too, exploded. “If that’s the case, then let’s shower!” He then
dragged Vivian to the shower.
“What the hell are you doing?” Vivian started crying as she was at her breaking point.
After pulling her into the room and shoving her to the bed, Finnick lay on top of her and kissed her tear-
stained cheeks.
“Get off me!” Vivian roared in anger and struggled to push him away. “Get off me. Do you hear me? You
basta…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Finnick stuck his tongue into her mouth to stop her from cursing.
His tongue continued to snake through her lips and into her mouth, and he did not give her a chance to
retaliate. The thought of her smiling at Benedict got him even more jealous. How could she do this to
me?
At that thought, he became even more agitated. Not only did he kiss Vivian more deeply, but he also
started sticking his hands into her blouse…
At that point, she knew her resistance was futile. Instead of fighting him off, she had no choice but to let
Finnick do what he desired. What used to be intimate and personal had now become a humiliation.
Right then, tears started rolling down her cheeks.
Unaware of Vivian’s feelings, Finnick continued with his bestial act, leaving hickeys all over her body.
He lifted Vivian’s hands above her head and interlocked his fingers with hers. All of a sudden, he
noticed blood patches on her arm.
Finnick froze and looked at her left palm – It was all covered in blood.
Earlier, she had a friction blister when she accidentally skinned her hand on the floor after someone
knocked her over in a café. Though the scab had formed, the constant dragging and pulling caused it
to fall off prematurely, and blood started seeping through the wound.
Finnick was stunned. With that, he immediately pulled himself away from Vivian and looked at her.
Chapter 393
At that moment, Vivian looked dishevelled. She had hickeys all over her body, and the swelling on her
cheek caused by Rachel’s slap still had not subsided. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she was
trembling as tears spilled out uncontrollably.
Clenching his fists, Finnick cursed himself for being a jerk. Why didn’t I notice these wounds on her
body? He got up from the bed and instantly went looking for the first-aid kit.
When Vivian felt that Finnick had finally released her, she gradually opened her eyes. Her vision was
blurry as tears clouded over, and she wondered if he had satisfied his brutal lust. Then, her lips curled
into a self-deprecating smile. She tried to sit herself up, but her body was in pain.
After picking up the clothes that Finnick tossed on the floor, Vivian walked toward the bathroom like a
lost soul.
Right now, the only thing that warmed her cold heart was the heat that came from the shower. As the
shower wet her wounds and washed away her tears, she collapsed on the ground and wailed. What
happened to us? We used to be so in love.
At the same time, Finnick had come back with the first-aid kit in his hand. When he noticed that Vivian
was nowhere to be found, he panicked and thought that she had run away. Just when he was about to
look for her, he heard noises coming from the bathroom.
He walked up to the door and heard Vivian sobbing in the shower.
Initially, Finnick wanted to head in, but now, he was hesitating whether he should do so. It hurt him so
badly upon hearing Vivian’s cries.
Finnick knew his presence would irritate her further, so he decided to retreat. After placing the first-aid
kit on the bedside table, he walked out and went into one of the guestrooms.
Soon, Vivian got out of the bathroom. She heaved a sigh of relief after noticing Finnick was gone. After
all, she did not know how to face Finnick right then, and she did not want to see him either.
With wobbly steps, Vivian walked to the bed and saw the first-aid kit that Finnick left on the bedside
table. Nonetheless, she did not open the kit even after staring at it for quite some time.
The next day, Vivian woke up early and got down to have breakfast. She looked around but did not see
Finnick in the house. Though she was not sure if he had left or was still asleep, she was glad that she
did not need to interact with that beast of a man.
And since she was not in the mood to enjoy breakfast, she gulped a glass of milk and left for the office.
When she reached the office, many of her colleagues shot her a look – it was full of disdain. They must
have watched the video.
Nevertheless, Vivian decided to ignore those hostile glares as she knew no one would listen to her
explanation. She proceeded to walk toward her desk and sat down. What else can I say? They’re just
going to believe what they saw anyway, just like Finnick and Mom.
Yet, the more she tried to ignore them, the more they took advantage of it. It was to the point that her
colleagues were intentionally discussing yesterday’s incident in front of her.
“It’s so hard to believe she’s this kind of woman. I mean, look at her. She always appeared to be gentle
and soft-spoken.”
“I know, right? Looks can be deceiving.”
“Now that her position in the Norton family is threatened, I bet she must be anxious now. She’s
probably thinking of ways to get rid of people who stand in her way too.”
“Yeah! She even thought of disfiguring Evelyn! That’s crazy. Well, if I’m Finnick, I’ll definitely choose
Evelyn over this crazy woman.”
“She must be shocked that someone filmed what she did and put it on the Internet. Now, the whole
world knows what kind of person she is. I’m sure Finnick can’t wait to get rid of her.”
Chapter 394
Those people took a sidelong glance at Vivian as if they wanted her to know they were talking about
her.
Upon hearing all their remarks, Vivian could only tighten her grip on a pen in her hand.
One day, I’ll show them all the evidence, so they’ll know what kind of person Evelyn is.
“Enough with your gossips, and focus on your work!” Fabian warned. Even he could hear them talk
from his office.
Everyone in the office instantly kept their mouths shut after that. Seeing that they were all silent, Fabian
then turned to Vivian. “You. Come in.”
Vivian did not know why he wanted to see her, but she still went in. She just wanted to get away from
those people who shared the same space with her for a moment.
After she went in, Fabian offered her a seat.
“You okay?” Fabian showed concern in a gentle voice.
However, Vivian did not answer him as she did not know what to say. After all, she could not plaster a
smile on her face and tell her she was fine.
“I know about everything on the Internet, and I trust you. It’s all a misunderstanding, right?” Fabian
asked.
“Thank you, Fabian.” Vivian was very touched, “Thanks for believing in me.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll always be on your side.” Fabian then cautiously asked, “But what about Finnick?”
Vivian lowered her head and remained silent. It was not difficult to guess whose side Finnick was on.
The video captured everything so clear, and he used to be so in love with Evelyn. He would most
probably think Vivian was the culprit.
“I’ve witnessed them falling in love and knew how close they were. Now that Evelyn has returned, I
won’t be surprised if he’s having second thoughts about his relationship with you.” Fabian then walked
up to her, crouched down, and held her hand.
“But he wouldn’t have doubted you if he’s in love with you, would he? This only goes to show he still
cares for Evelyn.”
Vivian tried to pull her hand away, but Fabian grabbed her wrist even more tightly. “Now that Ashley is
out of the picture, why don’t we get back together? I promise I’d believe you in everything you do, I…”
“Fabian!” Vivian raised her voice, pulled her hand away, and stood up. The atmosphere in the office
turned instantly awkward.
Upon noticing he had gotten on her nerves, Fabian immediately came to his sense. Crap… I shouldn’t
have rushed into it. I’m sure she’s still very overwhelmed right now.
“I… Sorry, Vivian. I shouldn’t have bothered you with that type of question.”
Vivian was surprised to see how apologetic Fabian was. As a matter of fact, he would have never
behaved like this in the past.
Hence, Vivian accepted his sincere apology and sat down. She decided to switch to another topic to
defuse the tension. “When is Ashley’s funeral?”
“This Sunday.” Fabian was relieved that Vivian was no longer mad at him. “Are you coming?”
“Yes.” Vivian nodded. “She’s my sister, after all.”
“All right. I’ll make the necessary arrangement for you,” he replied.
“Thanks.” Vivian was grateful to him for handling Ashley’s funeral in the last couple of days.
“Don’t mention it. It’s my responsibility,” Fabian gazed into her eyes and replied.
Chapter 395
Feeling that the atmosphere was a bit inappropriate, Vivian immediately turned away and avoided his
eye contact. “I’ll get back to work now.”
She nodded and walked out of Fabian’s office in a hurry.
A corner of Fabian’s mouth quirked up as soon as she left. Clearly, Finnick is not the man for you. I’ll
get you back, Vivian. I will.
The moment Vivian returned to her desk, she heard her colleagues murmuring behind her back again.
Gah… What’s wrong with these women!
Just when she lifted her head and was about to shoot daggers at them, she noticed Evelyn walking in
her direction.
That woman had a peach dress on and wore a pair of red heels. Though there was still a bandage on
her face, she seemed fine now.
Wait… What is she doing here? Vivian did not have a good feeling about it.
“Oh my God. Isn’t that Evelyn?”
“She looks so much prettier in person. I cannot imagine her living with a scar on her face for the rest of
her life!” One of the colleagues then gave Vivian a sullen glare.
“But I feel that having a bandage on makes her look more charming. Now I understand why Vivian
wanted to disfigure her. She must have felt threatened by her beauty. I mean, I would have lost my
confidence too if she’s my love rival.”
“What is Evelyn doing here, though? Did she come all the way to fight against Vivian?”
“I think so! Evelyn must have come to warn her to stay away from her man.”
Hearing that, Vivian could not help but let out a cold snort. If only they knew the ugly truth behind her
demure appearance.
“What are you doing here!” Vivian sneered as Evelyn walked up to her.
Evelyn took a glance at the people around them and grinned. “Are you sure you want to talk in front of
everyone?”
Knowing that Evelyn was right, Vivian stood up right away and walked to the pantry. She did not want
her colleagues to ridicule her anymore.
In the pantry, Vivian looked at Evelyn and asked, “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
Instead of answering her question, Evelyn looked around the pantry and said, “So, this is where you
work? Does Finnick know you actually work for such a small company?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“None of my business?” Evelyn scoffed as if she was talking to a fool.
“What do you want from me?” Vivian was sick of playing mind games with her.
Upon seeing how annoyed Vivian was, Evelyn let out a mirthless laugh. “Why can’t you be a little
patient with me? I came here to see people’s reaction, of course.”
Evelyn looked at Vivian and smirked. “Remember what I told you earlier? People will never believe you.
Look what happened now.”
“You did nothing wrong, but the whole world doesn’t believe you. How do you feel now?” Evelyn asked,
“I bet you must be devastated since Finnick and your Mom are not on your side.”
“You purposely came here to tell me this?” Vivian tried to contain her anger.
Evelyn nodded once with a smirk. “Oh, yes. I want your entire office to know that I’m the victim here.” A
hard glint flashed through her eyes. “I want everyone to hate you wherever you go. That’s your
punishment for stealing my belonging.”
Vivian almost wanted to slap the hell out of Evelyn upon seeing the arrogance on her face, but she
reminded herself to stay calm.
She knew Evelyn had come to irritate her on purpose, and if she lost her cool, those people outside
would further make up stories about her.
Chapter 396
Without a choice, Vivian continued to suppress her anger. “Are you done? If so, then you can leave
now.”
Evelyn let out a cold snort. She was surprised that Vivian did not explode with rage like the last time.
Hence, she inched closer and whispered in Vivian’s ear to provoke her further, “Don’t worry, I’ll take
back what was mine.” After that, Evelyn stood up and looked at Vivian in defiance.
All of a sudden, Vivian recalled someone seemed to have made a similar remark like this before. She
paused for a bit and finally remembered. It was a remark her Twitter follower, “Back to the Past,” had
made: It’s time to return the item to its owner.
“You’re ‘Back to the Past’!” Vivian exclaimed in disbelief while pointing at Evelyn.
“Bingo,” Evelyn chuckled, “Are you that innocent, or are you plain dumb?”
“And you’re also the one who released the birthday video?” Vivian was dumbstruck. She did not realize
Evelyn had been following her Twitter for such a long time.
Upon that, Evelyn seemed to be very proud of her achievement. “Of course, it’s me, you fool. I wish I
could continue to play this game with you, but you’re just too dumb.”
She then turned around and left after mocking Vivian for the one last time.
Feeling stunned, Vivian froze in the pantry for a long time.
Never in a million years did she think Evelyn was “Back to the Past.” Why didn’t I suspect anything
earlier? She’s right. I’m stupid. I’m so stupid!
She went back to her seat and continued working under the watchful eyes of all her colleagues for the
rest of the day.
The day had finally come to an end, and she went home immediately. At that time, Finnick was still
nowhere to be found.
To take her mind off Evelyn, Vivian took a warm shower and felt much better. Suddenly, her stomach
rumbled. That’s when she realized she had not eaten the entire day.
Since Mrs. Filder took a day off, Vivian decided to head downstairs to make herself some noodles.
Coincidentally, Finnick just came home while she was walking downstairs. The awkwardness was
written all over their faces the moment their eyes met.
Vivian froze. She was not sure if she should turn around and return to the room or keep walking to the
kitchen. After giving it some thought, she decided to do what she had initially intended and walked
toward the kitchen, giving Finnick the cold shoulder.
Finnick only stepped into the living hall after Vivian had ignored him and walked away.
He then went straight into his study, wanting to continue with his unfinished work. Yet, he was
constantly distracted by Vivian’s emotionally distant expression earlier. No. We can’t go on acting like
strangers. Thus, Finnick immediately went downstairs again to have a talk with her.
He stood by the kitchen and noticed she was cooking noodles. After a brief hesitation, he finally
opened his mouth. “I’m hungry too. Could you make me some?”
In the meantime, Vivian was actually aware that Finnick had been standing outside of the kitchen for a
while, but she just pretended he was not around since he did not say anything.
I knew it. I knew he wanted me to make him some noodles too.
Finnick, for sure, would not know how to cook, and Mrs. Filder was not around to take care of his
dinner.
Nonetheless, Vivian decided to make an extra plate of noodles for him, though they had not made
peace with each other. Yet, she did not answer his question directly.
The way she ignored his request caused him to feel extremely awkward. Obviously, Finnick was not
used to making peace with someone, so he decided to leave the kitchen and return to his study.
He sat by his desk and was mad at himself for not continuing with the conversation. How am I
supposed to talk to her now?
A corner of Vivian’s mouth quirked up. Well, well, well, how the high and mighty Mr. Norton has fallen.
All for a plate of noodles.
Chapter 397
Just when Finnick was still figuring out his next move, he heard someone knock on the door. “The
noodles’ ready.”
Finnick’s face lit up instantly, but by the time he opened the door, Vivian had left and was walking to the
dining table.
He followed her to the dining table and started eating the noodles. Finnick had several times wanted to
initiate a conversation with her, but after seeing how focused she was on her food, he did not know
what to say.
“Finnick.” While he was still contemplating what to say to her, Vivian suddenly called his name.
“Yes?” Finnick was pleased that she made the first move. He put down his fork and looked at her.
Vivian lowered her head as she did not want to look at him. She asked while twirling the noodles on the
plate, “Would you come to Ashley’s funeral with me?”
Believe it or not, Vivian did not know if she should make that request since they were still not on
speaking terms. Besides, she did not want to give in first.
But she was afraid to face Harvey alone. After all, she was indirectly related to Ashley’s death and the
collapse of the Miller Group. Finnick’s presence at the funeral would make her feel a little less uneasy.
That request put Finnick in a rather awkward position. He was pleased that Vivian took the initiative to
make peace with him, but he had to turn her down.
Vivian tilted her head aside to look at Finnick, who did not give her a response. She could see
awkwardness on his face. He’s probably worried that his presence might cause a stir at the funeral
since everyone knew what happened between him and the Miller Group.
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to go,” Finnick immediately explained as he did not want to cause further
misunderstanding, “But I’ll be meeting Evelyn this Sunday to work out the details of our design. This
design will affect the company’s performance for the next two quarters of the year, so I have to be
there. I’ll get Noah to drive you to the funeral, okay?”
Upon hearing his explanation, Vivian tightened her grip on her fork. Evelyn again. Does he still have to
meet her for work? He might treat her as a co-worker and a friend, but clearly, Evelyn has her hidden
agenda.
Vivian recalled all the things Evelyn said to her in the office today. If only I can keep Finnick away from
that woman.
But she knew he would not believe her even if she told him the truth. Besides, they had had too many
arguments in the last couple of days, all because of Evelyn. Hence, she did not want to argue with
Finnick on the same matter over and again.
“Got it.” Vivian lowered her head and answered.
“You have to trust me, Vivian.” Finnick thought Vivian was still suspicious of his relationship with
Evelyn. He lifted her chin and gazed into her eyes. “Evelyn and I are just co-workers. There’s
nothing…”
“Got it.” Vivian interrupted. At this point, she was so sick of hearing her name.
Finnick instantly kept quiet as he knew Vivian did not want to talk about Evelyn anymore.
After a short awkward silence, Vivian switched to another topic. “Can you give Emma a chance to
attend Ashley’s funeral?”
“You’re willing to forgive her?” Finnick had no intention of letting her off so easily.
“Ashley’s death is her greatest punishment.” Vivian thought it would be too cruel to keep Emma away
from her own daughter’s funeral.
“All right then. I’ll arrange for her to come back.”
Vivian nodded and continued finishing her noodles in silence.
At the same time, Finnick could not help but let out a sigh after seeing how cold Vivian was. It’s going
to take some time to heal this relationship.
Chapter 398
On Sunday, Noah came and drove Vivian to Ashley’s funeral. Vivian had asked Rachel to come along
so that she would not be alone.
When she arrived, the first person Vivian saw was Harvey.
Harvey was standing in front of Ashley’s photo with his back hunched. He was no longer the man he
used to be. In fact, he looked aged as compared to the last time Vivian saw him.
Vivian could not help but feel sorry to see him in such a miserable state. Though Harvey had never
fulfilled his responsibility as a father throughout her childhood, he was still her biological father, after all.
And since Rachel did not wish to get near Harvey, Vivian had to walk up to him by herself.
“Dad,” Vivian stood behind him and gently called.
Harvey turned around and looked at Vivian. Her appearance suddenly got him flustered with emotions.
Though Emma and Ashley were to be blamed for the chaos that had happened, to Harvey, Finnick, too,
had to bear a certain degree of responsibility for Ashley’s death, the collapse of the Miller Group, and
barring Emma from returning to the country. He did not know how to feel when he saw Vivian here, but
since she was his only daughter left in this world, Harvey decided not to make things difficult for the
both of them.
In a gentle voice, he said, “Hey.”
Vivian responded with a nod as she did not know what else to say.
“Good to see you here. Come and say goodbye to your sister.” Harvey then turned around, took a
glance at her photo, and started tearing up again.
Vivian stood beside him quietly as she did not know how to comfort the grieving man.
The Miller family might have lost its foothold in the business world, but since Fabian was the one who
organized the funeral, many prominent families still came to pay their last respects to Ashley.
At this time, Fabian went up the stage and started speaking.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re gathered here today to pay our respects to the late Ms. Ashley Miller. On
behalf of all the friends and guests here, I would like to offer our sincere condolences to the Miller
family.”
All of a sudden, there was a commotion outside. Upon hearing a woman wailing, all the guests began
to look toward the entrance.
They saw a few security guards trying to stop a woman from entering, but she kept slapping them and
scratching their faces with her nails as if she had gone mad. In the end, the middle-aged women
barged into the hall and ran to the front.
Vivian thought her voice sounded familiar but could not recall who she was. As the woman
approached, she finally recognized her. It was Emma.
Looking absolutely dishevelled, Emma was no longer the elegant woman that she was. Clad in a torn
blue blouse and a pair of old and oversized camo sneakers, she ran toward Ashley’s photo.
Not only had she become as skinny as a skeleton, but her complexion was both sallow and pallid. It
was as if she had been undernourished for quite some time.
Vivian was shocked to see Emma in such a condition. What exactly did Finnick do to turn this classy
and domineering woman into a haggard beggar? What did they do to her?
Emma ran to Ashley’s coffin in wobbly steps and dropped to her knees.
“Ashley! How could you leave me alone? I didn’t even get to say goodbye!”
Chapter 399
Fabian stopped in his tracks when he realized that the wailing and crying came from Emma. He was
momentarily at a loss. When Fabian recovered to his senses, he waved at the security guards, who
had rushed in to remove her, to move back.
“Oh, Ashley, my sweet daughter. I can’t believe you’re gone from my life. It’s my fault that I failed to
protect you!” Emma continued to yell and wail without caring so much about her image.
Some of the guests at the funeral used to be friends with Emma. They sighed as they had never
expected a strong-willed Emma ended up in such a state. Others started to engage in hushed
whispers.
Harvey was also startled by the sudden appearance of Emma. He walked briskly toward Emma and
said, “It’s Ashley’s funeral and there are many guests here. Can you please stop being an
embarrassment?”
“Am I an embarrassment?” Upon hearing Harvey’s words, Emma sprung to her feet and grabbed onto
his collar. “Is that all you care about, Harvey Miller? You’re such a piece of trash! You can’t even protect
your own wife and daughter. What right do you still have of calling yourself a man and a father?”
Emma’s grip was so tight that Harvey failed to pry open her balled-up fists at his collar and tie. His feet
were unsteady and his face was turning red from her pulling his tie.
Seeing that Harvey started to have difficulty breathing, Vivian went up to them and helped him break
from Emma.
The appearance of Vivian had the effect of adding fuel to the fire as Emma let go of Harvey and started
charging toward her, ready to give her a slap on the face. Vivian took a quick step back and avoided
the slap. However, Emma’s sharp fingernails still landed on her arm, leaving a few deep scratches.
“Vivian William, you’re a murderer! The nerve you have for showing your face here at Ashley’s funeral.
If it wasn’t for you, Ashley would still be alive. I must kill you to avenge Ashley!” As Emma yelled and
attempted to charge at Vivian again, she was promptly stopped by Harvey.
Fabian was also quick to shield Vivian behind him from Emma’s attacks. He looked at the scratches on
her arm and asked worriedly, “Does this hurt a lot?”
Vivian shook her head to indicate that she was okay. But as she moved, her wounds twitched and
caused her to wince in pain.
“Harvey Miller, you’re so blind! This b*tch has killed your own daughter and you’re still protecting her?”
Emma was punching and yelling at Harvey, who was still trying to hold her down.
“Vivian is also my daughter. And with Ashley gone, she’s now the only daughter I have. Of course, I’ll
have to protect her!” Harvey felt embarrassed by the commotion caused by Emma. “Will you please
stop screaming like a crazy person? We’ll settle this at home!” He wished the floor would just swallow
her up so she would stop bringing shame to the family.
“Hahaha…!” Harvey’s words seemed to have triggered a wild switch in Emma as she let out a loud and
sarcastic chuckle. “You still think that she’s your daughter? You’re such a fool!”
“What do you mean by that?” The man’s expression instantly stiffened.
“I’m telling you, Vivian is not your biological daughter. You’ve been raising another man’s child all these
years!” Emma continued to yell and her voice choked, “You still think that she’s your precious daughter.
Don’t you know that she has killed your own daughter?”
Emma’s shocking revelation managed to stun everyone in the room and chatters erupted instantly from
every corner of the room. What’s going on? They came to attend a funeral, but they heard mind-
blowing news.
As the whispers went on, some just stopped being discreet altogether and started discussing the
matter openly. “A daughter just passed away, and the next thing he knows, his wife discloses that the
other daughter is not blood-related to him. What kind of twisted event is this?” someone said.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” The pressure of being the subject of gossip finally got to
Harvey as he slapped Emma on her face before he attempted to drag her out of the door. “You’re
getting out of here. Now!”
Ignoring the burning sensation radiating from her cheek, Emma broke from Harvey’s grip and continued
to cry out loud, “I’m not lying!”
Chapter 400
Emma turned around and looked at Vivian in disdain. “Vivian William, I hated you from the moment I
saw you. Why does an illegitimate daughter get to stay with us? For that reason, I took you to the
hospital to get a forged DNA test done in hope that Harvey would kick you out of the house. To my
surprise, the paternity test came back negative and that was when I realized you aren’t blood-related to
Harvey at all!”
Emma’s disclosure triggered some of Vivian’s distant memories. Emma did take me to the hospital
once when I was a little girl. She said that I looked a little malnourished and needed to go for a medical
check-up so that she could take better care of me thereafter. I remembered feeling touched by her
thoughtfulness and acceptance of me. I wouldn’t have thought that her real intention was to kick me out
of the house!
“That’s impossible. If you had known that I’m not his daughter, you wouldn’t have waited until today to
tell him the truth!” Vivian insisted that what Emma claimed could not be true.
If she had known for sure that I’m not my father’s daughter, her initial plan would have succeeded. Why
would she hide this information from her husband for so many years? This doesn’t make any sense.
“Why don’t you turn to your mother for this question?” Emma snickered and glanced toward Rachel.
“Rachel William, now that the cat is out of the bag; you’re not still planning on keeping quiet about this,
are you?”
“Mom, what’s going on?” Vivian turned to her mother in bewilderment.
Rachel had stood frozen since the instant Emma dropped the bomb by saying that Vivian was not
Harvey’s biological daughter. Her face was white as a sheet and her whole body was trembling as she
stood there, at a loss how to answer her daughter’s question. It seems this secret can’t be kept forever,
after all.
“Vivian, I-I…” Tears kept rolling down her cheeks as the older woman was fumbling for an explanation.
Her mother’s uncontrollable sobbing made Vivian feel anxious. “Mom, please say something. How is it
that I’m not Dad’s daughter? Why don’t you just set them straight?” Vivian’s voice grew desperate.
However, Rachel just shook her head and kept muttering, “I’m Sorry, Vivian. I’m so sorry…”
“Since you’re too much of a coward to admit, I’ll help you do the honor,” Emma said to Rachel with a
smirk on her contorted face. “Many years ago, I confronted you as soon as I found out the truth about
Vivian. You carried a child for another man and even have the audacity to pass her off as Harvey’s
daughter! Do you remember what you did when I showed you the DNA results?”
Emma let out an unsettling laugh as she continued, “You begged me! You got onto both your knees
and you begged me to keep it a secret. Oh! What a satisfying moment to see my nemesis crawling
before me to ask for a favor!
“You promised that as long as I turn a blind eye to this, you would disappear from Harvey’s life forever.
That’s the only reason why I agreed to keeping Harvey in the dark about Vivian’s true identify. Rachel
William, have I left out anything?”
Every audience in the room now looked at Rachel in disbelief as they tried to digest the rapid unfolding
of events. This woman is really something. Not only did she have a child with another man, but she
also made Harvey Miller raise that child. They were now shooting sympathy looks at Harvey for being
kept in the dark all this while.
“Mom, please say something. She was wrong, right? Mom?” Vivian was already in tears. She
desperately needed her mother to deny this in front of everyone in the room. Vivian was disappointed
again as Rachel just kept her head low and continued to sob inconsolably.
Harvey was on the brink of an emotional breakdown after soaking up all the information. He walked up
to Rachel and demanded an explanation. “Is everything Emma said true? Talk to me!”
Rachel was visibly shaken up. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I’m sorry…” All the woman could
muster was more apologies.
Seeing as questioning Rachel was not getting them anywhere, Harvey grabbed hold of Vivian and
barked, “You’re coming with me to do a DNA test right now!”
The man did not care that his excessive force had left bruises on Vivian’s arm as he dragged her onto
his car. His mind was now occupied with only one thing—the truth about Vivian’s identity.