Chapter 37: She Had Been Faking It the Entire Time!

A glint of enjoying the spectacle flashed through Vivian Hale's eyes, yet she asked, knowing full well the answer:

"Miss Rose, why did you come out?"

However, seeing her act this way only made Tiffany Rose even more infuriated.

Before this, she hadn't completely fallen out with her, but now that she possessed the patent, what did she have to fear?

She simply let out a light laugh and went straight to the point.

"Why shouldn't I come? This is the Cross family mansion, did you truly consider it your own home? You won't honestly believe that giving birth to a child can make Adrian and Auntie happy, do you? Too bad for you, you are utterly daydreaming."

Hearing this, Vivian's face darkened.

"Miss Rose, what is the meaning of this? You are overstepping your boundaries. You are merely a subordinate of my husband's, and the words you are speaking seem rather excessive."

Yet her hand slowly slipped into her pocket, pressing the record button.

Tiffany crossed her arms over her chest, closing in on her step by step.

"Heh, did I say anything wrong? You are just a useless housewife who provides absolutely no help to Adrian's company, and now you actually want to use a child to bind him?"

"To tell you the truth, I have developed a brand-new patent that will very soon replace that piece of garbage you left behind. Adrian is going to convene a press conference immediately to announce it on my behalf. I am the greatest contributor to the Cross family now. When that time comes, Adrian won't require you any longer—do you truly think there will still be a place for you in the Cross family?"

The exact moment she recalled how she used to display affection with Adrian right under Vivian’s nose while Vivian showed absolutely no reaction, she found it exceptionally hilarious.

What a truly stupid woman; it seemed that if things weren't explicitly spelled out, she would never perceive them.

Vivian gave a half-smile, "But I am Adrian's wife after all. Do you honestly believe your position can surpass mine in the future? Miss Rose, given your appearance, do you truly think Adrian could ever look upon you with favor?"

Hearing this, Tiffany was instantly consumed with uncontrollable rage, violently provoked by her words.

Without even thinking, the words blurted straight out of her mouth.

"Of course he looks upon me with favor! To tell you the truth, Adrian and I have been together privately long ago. He has long since grown weary and disgusted of your disabled state. He told me himself that looking at your deformed body makes him nauseous, and marrying you was purely out of pity."

"Vivian Hale, do you truly think you still possess any capital to be proud of? Your man, your everything—very soon, all of it will belong to me."

However, entirely out of her anticipation, not only was there any trace of grief or despair on Vivian’s face, but the corners of her lips slowly curled upward instead, "Is that so?"

"What do you mean?" Tiffany vaguely perceived that something was amiss.

"Do you truly believe that by selling the patent to the company to generate money, my husband will look upon you with a single extra glance? But don't forget, as long as I don't yield my position, no matter how much profit you earn for the company, it will ultimately become the marital assets shared between me and Adrian."

Vivian crossed her arms, her face entirely covered in smiles, "Which means, no matter how much effort you make, or how much sweat and hardship you invest, in the end, it is all merely preparing the wedding gown for me. And what can you actually obtain for yourself?"

The moment those words fell, Tiffany's face froze completely.

It was like being woken up by a violent blow to the head.

What Vivian stated happened to be precisely what she cared about the most.

Once this project went live and tens of millions, or even billions, of funding flowed into the accounts, what would she actually get to split in the end?

Previously she hadn't pondered it much, but seeing Vivian’s perfectly composed manner right now, she suffered a sudden realization.

No, there was a trap in this; Vivian was faking it!

So, her continuous pattern of swallowing insults was entirely to coax her into bringing out the patent first to earn money for her.

How could this possibly be!

"You're dreaming! Adrian doesn't love you at all, how could he possibly split half the money with you? A woman like you who can't even be presented in public can give him absolutely no help. Do you believe that with a single word from me, he will immediately kick you out and leave you completely empty-handed!"

Tiffany spoke with absolute certainty, simply tearing off all pretenses of courtesy completely.

"Do you honestly believe you are any more noble than I am? You're nothing more than an orphan without a father or mother. I've heard your parents were brought to their deaths by your own bad luck! A bringer of misfortune like you causes bad luck to whoever touches you; if I were you, I would have long since lacked the face to continue living in this world—"

To her shock, before she could even finish her sentence, a loud slap delivered a fierce blow to her face.

Before Tiffany could even react, Vivian’s backhand delivered another fierce slap right after.

Tiffany's face was instantly swollen from the slaps.

Only then did Vivian shake her hand out, pulling a tissue to wipe her palm with absolute disgust.

"What an incredibly thick skin. These days, even a mistress dares to be this arrogant. If you want to die, go die by yourself; you truly fouled my hands."

Tiffany felt the burning, stinging pain on her face with hindsight.

Her eyes stared wide, never dreaming that Vivian would actually dare to strike her.

The deduction from a moment ago was officially confirmed.

Vivian’s forbearance had been a complete act the entire time!

She was calculating against her, utilizing her!

Snapping back to reality, her eyes turned bloodshot, and she rushed forward hysterically.

"Ahhh! You tramp, I'll kill you—"

But before her hand could even touch Vivian's clothes, Adrian, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, caught her by her wrist right on cue.

"Enough! What do you think you are doing?!"

His gaze was heavily darkened, his face carrying an flavor of intense irritation.

To his shock, before Tiffany could even find time to speak, he only felt a burning pain explode across his own face.

Vivian stood right before him, delivering two fierce slaps across his face.

His face instantly turned green with fury.

However, before he could react and unleash his temper, Vivian’s eyes were already filling with a rush of tears, launching a sorrowful, furious accusation.

"This is pushing things too far! Adrian Cross, I trusted you so absolutely, yet you conversely treated me like a fool to be deceived. Right now, Tiffany Rose has already confessed your relationship with her own mouth! It turns out she has consistently wanted to replace me, and the rumors from the outside world were entirely true!

Only I was kept completely blanketed in darkness like a stupid fool."

A single sentence caused his raging fury to be forcefully suppressed, plugging tightly in his chest. What did she mean?

She knew? Tiffany had confessed it herself?

The commotion here wasn't small, instantly attracting the attention of numerous maids within the ancestral mansion.

"So that woman named Rose truly wanted to replace the wife? I felt before that her dressing up all glamorous made her look like a complete seductress, turns out it was entirely to bewitch Mr. Cross."

"The madam truly is too pitiful. She clearly treats everyone so wonderfully, yet this female is actually this shameless at such a young age."

"But hasn't Mr. Cross consistently loved his wife deeply? Could it be that he truly committed infidelity?"

The crowd lowered their voices to gossip rapidly, every word entering their ears.

Adrian’s expression was dark to the absolute limit.

But for the moment, he could only endure it, casting a freezing, lethal glare at Tiffany before hurriedly stepping forward to grasp Vivian’s hands, his face full of earnest pleading: "Vivian, you must have misunderstood. There is absolutely no private affair between me and her, you must believe me."

After all, right now was far from the time to admit his relationship with Tiffany.

Only then did Tiffany realize she had been far too impulsive; after all, Adrian still required the maintenance of his public image right now.

But so what? As long as she herself refused to admit it, what evidence did Vivian have?

She hurriedly opened her mouth, "Exactly, it is Miss Hale who misunderstood on her own. I explained that everything between me and Mr. Cross is completely pure and innocent, yet she refused to believe it, even laying hands to strike me."

As she spoke, she covered her cheek with a face full of grievance, continuing her performance on the verge of tears.

"It doesn't matter if I suffer a bit of injury, but I truly don't wish to cause any impact between you as a married couple..."

As she spoke, a trace of absolute malice flashed through the depths of her eyes. Isn't it just acting? I know how to act too. Fortunately, I kept my wits about me beforehand—as long as Adrian doesn't marry me, the patent will absolutely never be handed over to him. Vivian Hale, if you think you can calculate against me, fat chance!