Vivian's POV:
When I woke up, Spencer was already gone. 'When did Spencer leave?" I wondered.
Gemma called me and urged me to continue finding girls for her son.
Thus, I had no choice but to call Spencer.
"Boss, where are you?" I asked.
"What's up?"
"Oh, it's not that big of a deal. But you'll have to come back and meet your date today."
"Did my mother call you again?" Spencer asked sharply.
I didn't respond to that, and I just rolled my eyes at him. He already knew the answer, and yet he was
still asking me.
"I'm not going on a blind date," he said.
"No, you can't refuse, Spencer! Otherwise I have no idea how I'm going to explain it to your mother," I
said.
"Ugh… fine. Ask Nicole to wait for me in the bar tonight," he responded.
After hanging up, I felt the bitterness overcome my heart.
Clearly, Gemma didn't like me. But I couldn't figure out what Spencer really wanted.
Disappointed, I let out an exasperated sigh.
'Forget it! Even if I don't have a boyfriend, I still have my bestie!'
After a moment of pondering, I decided to go look for Scarlett. 'God, I'm so sick of men!' I cursed
inwardly.
******
Upon arriving at the cafe, I saw that Scarlett and Nina were already there waiting for me. It turned out
that they'd been waiting for me for a long time.
At a glance, I saw James lying in his stroller and sucking on his thumb.
I hadn't seen him for a long time, but he still remembered who I was. He reached out his stubby little
arms to me, smiling like an angel.
'Aww! James is so adorable!' My heart melted at the sight of him.
I couldn't wait to hold him. "Come here, my little angel. Let me hug you!"
The little guy had become a lot heavier than the last time I held him. He leaned his chubby little face
towards me and planted a kiss on my cheek.
"Aww. You're so sweet!"
James' innocent eyes and unadulterated positivity cheered me up. To show him just how much I
adored him, I embraced him in my arms.
After a while, a waiter came over with a tray. "Sorry to bother you, ladies. I'm just here to serve you
your coffees and orange juice. Please, enjoy yourselves."
"Thank you," said Nina.
She took the two cups of coffee and put them in front of me and Scarlett, and then she picked up the
glass of orange juice and took a sip.
I was surprised that Nina wasn't drinking a latte. The ones they served at this cafe was quite famous in
town, so I wondered why she opted for an orange juice instead.
"Nina, why aren't you drinking coffee?" I asked.
Suddenly, Nina blushed. "It's not a big deal. Abner and I have been planning to have a child, so we've
stopped drinking coffee altogether," she stammered.
As she held the orange juice in her hands, her eyes were brimming with joy.
'A child, huh?' I didn't expect that she and Abner would try to have a child so soon.
"In that case, congratulations!" I greeted.
"Thanks, Vivian." Nina smiled meekly at me.
Love was so magical. Nina used to be so perky and forthright, but now she looked so different.
'A baby…'
I put James back into the stroller, and then picked up my cup of coffee in a daze.
Suddenly, it occurred to me that I didn't use any contraception when I had sex with Spencer.
With hope in my heart, I put down my cup and gently stroked my flat stomach. 'Perhaps a seed has
taken root and is growing inside my womb,' I thought.
Before I had time to think any further, Gemma's face flashed through my mind.
And as I cringed at her image, all the beautiful scenes in my head disappeared in an instant.
A bitter smile appeared on my lips. 'Even if I have a child with Spencer, what good would it do? Will it
change where I came from? Will Gemma start to accept me because of the child?'
When those thoughts crossed my mind, I figured it was best to give up on the idea.
Once more, I picked up the cup of coffee. The strong bitterness of the coffee seemed to have seeped
into my very limbs and bones.
'Ugh, the coffee tastes so bitter. I'll never come back here again.'
It was a pity that my well-deserved relaxation time was ruined by an unexpected guest.
Somewhere nearby, Emily was walking towards us along with her new bodyguard.
"Why is she always haunting you like a ghost? I wonder if she's got some sort of tracking device
installed on you. It's like she knows where you are wherever you go!" Nina sounded annoyed.
"What are you doing here?"
I asked bluntly.
The fake smile on Emily's face froze. "I've grown tired of shopping, so I figured it would be nice to sit
down and relax. Can't I have a cup of coffee and say hello to my daughter?"
"God, stop reminding me that you're my mother. You should know by now that I'd rather not talk to you
even if we meet," I responded.
Knowing that I didn't buy her explanation, Emily cut the crap. "Vivian, you're just deceiving yourself.
Whether you like it or not, I am your mother and we share the same blood. There's nothing you can do
about that."
Trembling with anger, I clenched my fists and asked, "What the hell do you want this time?"
"I wish to speak to you alone," said Emily, sounding determined. Moreover, her bodyguard was
standing right in front of me, silent yet daunting.
"Vivian…" Scarlett stopped midsentence. At the same time, she signaled for Tracy and Janet to come
over. It was fortunate that they were nearby and following Scarlett around.
"It seems like talking to you today is unavoidable."
I gave Scarlett a reassuring glance, while finishing the last bits of my coffee. "Fine, let's go," I said to
Emily.
Unhurriedly, I stood up and walked to the corner of the shopping mall along with Emily.
"Vivian, have you thought about marrying Ethan?" she asked bluntly.
I knew that she was still thinking of selling me to that bastard, so I didn't hesitate to refuse her
suggestion. "Fuck that. I'm not going to marry that freak, Ethan."
"Well, if you're not going to marry him, who will you marry? Spencer? Bah! He's way out of your
league!" Emily growled.
"That is none of your business!" I clapped back. All of the hair on my body stood on end because of
how angry I was.
"I am your mother. Do you really think that I can't see through you? You went to see Ethan on purpose,
didn't you? And you did it because you wanted to infuriate Spencer. Well, now that you've got what you
want, you're just going to discard me?"
Emily sneered. "You really are my daughter! You're incredibly talented at seducing men!"
"Shut the fuck up!"
The darkest part of my heart was revealed. It was as if I had been stripped naked and cut open,
revealing the rotten flesh inside.
Though it pained me to admit it, she was right.
I did use Ethan to annoy Spencer, just so he could realize how important I was to him. I almost lost my
virginity in that tragic incident.
The heavy makeup on Emily's face wasn't enough to disguise her intentions of scheming. Upon seeing
her reaction, I suddenly remembered what Gemma told me.
"Like mother, like daughter," she said.
I felt sick to my core and began retching. 'Was she right?' I wondered. Perhaps there might not be any
differences between me and my deviant mother. It made me wonder if I would become so despicable
someday.
"Now that you have a new goal, as your mother, I do hope you get what you want," said Emily with a
sneer.
To my eyes, her blessing was more like a curse, and it filled me with even deeper fear.
Dazed and confused, I went back to my seat. Abner had already picked up Nina, and only Scarlett was
there, anxiously waiting for me.
"Scarlett, do you think I'll be happy if I use a trick to win him over?"
I blurted out the question that had been troubling me for the longest time. "Never mind. I don't wanna
know the answer."
Truthfully, I was worried that I'd get a negative answer from Scarlett.
"Vivian, love at first sight isn't a thing. If a man can pursue a woman, it gives us, women, every right to
pursue our happiness too. It's not a trick. When it comes to love, it's hard to distinguish between right
and wrong. If you're in love with each other, I'm sure it will be fine. We shouldn't deny someone's
feelings just because of a 'trick'."
Scarlett's words were like a beacon of hope shining down on me. It was then that I poured my heart out
and told her everything.
I told her just how much I loved Spencer, how his mother, Gemma disliked me, and that my mother was
only interested in earning money.
All the while, Scarlett listened intently to my ramblings, quietly holding my hand.
"Vivian, love isn't that complicated. As long as you and Spencer love each other, everything will be
fine," she said.
"You don't understand, Scarlett. That's the problem. I don't even know if Spencer loves me back." I
smiled bitterly.
This time, Scarlett didn't say anything and silence ensued between us.
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