Obsessive Devotion Ice-Cold Tycoon's Calculated Proposal

Gloria immediately turned around and shot Evelyn a venomous glare. "Shut up!"

Vivian, watching the two of them bicker, couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "What exactly are you asking me to let go of?" she asked.

"Are you asking me to let go of your infidelity and the bastard child, Evelyn, whom you hid from my father for years? Or are you asking me to let go of the fact that you used my father's money to support your lover, only to keep living with him happily after his death, while convincing me to accept the man who betrayed my father as my father?"

On the outside, Gloria was the wife of the chairman of Smith Jewelery, a leading figure in high society, always surrounded by admiration. But today, after being ruthlessly confronted by Vivian, she felt the sting of humiliation.

"Vivi, I had no choice," Gloria's voice trembled with a mixture of regret and defensiveness, the veins in her temples throbbing with anger. "When I gave birth to you, not long after, your father had an accident at the construction site…"

"He was hit by steel bars, and we went everywhere, consulted so many people, tried countless remedies, but his illness couldn't be cured. I... I couldn't live like a widow forever!"

Vivian leaned back casually against the couch, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Couldn't live like a widow? Then why didn't you just get a divorce?"

Vivian wasn't about to let her off with a simple excuse.

Vivian half-sat, half-lounged. "Let me guess, the real reason you didn't leave was that you couldn't bear to give up my father's money, right?"

Gloria's almond-shaped eyes narrowed, her fingers curling into fists.

"Back then, he was wealthy enough to ensure you lived a life without worry, indulging your insatiable material desires. As for your physical needs, well, you could always find another man to take care of that, couldn't you?"

Vivian wasn't giving her an ounce of mercy.

Looking at Gloria now, all dressed up and looking rich, Vivian felt nothing but disgust. How could she think of herself as a victim when she had led a life of luxury, all while her father had worked tirelessly for the family, only to die without any recognition or peace?

"Don't try to justify your promiscuity. Evelyn is barely two years younger than me. Was a year of loneliness really so unbearable that you couldn't wait to sleep with some other man? And now you act like you're the one who's been wronged?"

Gloria's face turned pale as she clenched her fists, trying her best not to lose control.

In front of others, Gloria was the elegant and poised wife of a wealthy man, the head of Smith Jewelery. But today, when faced with the sharp words of her own daughter, she could hardly hold her ground. Still, she knew she was in the wrong, and she had no power to push back.

Evelyn, who had been silently fuming, couldn't contain herself any longer. The moment she heard Vivian insult her father, she exploded.

"Vivian, do you even have any manners?" She nearly spat in Vivian's face.

"Who do you think you're talking to? Back when you were at the Pruitt family's peak, you lived in luxury, and when the Pruitt family went bankrupt, your dad jumped off a building. My mother didn't abandon you, and when she found a good place for herself, she wanted to take you along, but you refused. Who are you blaming now?"

Clearly, Evelyn had learned all too well from Gloria, twisting the truth to suit her own narrative.

Vivian scoffed, "Manners?"

"It's no surprise that your family's morals are upside down. Gloria couldn't resist having an affair with your dad while you were busy playing the role of the good daughter, taking it all in stride. The family values at Smith are truly something else, aren't they? It's no wonder you've learned so well from your mother."

What mother? Vivian thought to herself. The day her father jumped from the building, she was already an orphan—she never had a mother.

Evelyn, thinking that wearing designer clothes and carrying herself like a socialite would somehow make her better than Vivian, was sorely mistaken. She still had no idea who she was dealing with.

Evelyn, unable to retort, only stood there, her mouth twisting in frustration. After a long pause, she muttered, "You… you're so rude."

Vivian, the once adored and cherished daughter, had become the very woman Evelyn envied, someone who could no longer be pushed around or belittled. Though Evelyn still couldn't shake the jealousy burning within her, she tried to use her clothes and status to feel superior.

With a cold laugh, Vivian retorted, "Ethan? Evelyn, do you actually believe your own delusions? Do you think, for a second, that if I just beckon, Ethan will come crawling back to me like a dog?"

Evelyn's gaze faltered as she desperately avoided looking into Vivian's eyes. She couldn't bring herself to believe that Ethan could truly abandon her.

She was furious, and her fist clenched tighter in her desperation. But deep down, she feared Vivian's words were true. The thought of Ethan possibly abandoning her on the day of her engagement drove her into a fit of trembling rage.

It was pathetic, really. Evelyn was so caught up in a man who had never truly been hers.

Vivian shook her head, "What a waste of time, fighting over a man like Ethan. You should've learned by now, but you're still just as much of a fool."

Seeing Evelyn's face turn red with frustration, Gloria quickly intervened, "Vivi, it's all in the past now. Eve didn't mean it…" She pinched Evelyn's arm and gave her a meaningful glance.

"Don't worry, if you want to pick up this trash and treat it like treasure, go ahead. Today's supposed to be a happy day for you, and we've known each other for years, so I'll still wish you both a lifetime of happiness."

The jerk and the bitch, forever.

Vivian thought to herself, These two better not go ruin anyone else's life.

Evelyn didn't even truly care for Ethan, she just had to have what Vivian once had. That was the only thing that mattered.

All these years, Evelyn had spent a fortune on socialite classes, teaching herself how to behave with grace and sophistication. Her every move was supposed to be impeccable.

But today, all her carefully cultivated manners shattered. She couldn't even handle a confrontation without cracking.

And while Evelyn's sense of superiority flared again, Vivian rolled her eyes, unbothered. "You still think you can compare to me?"

Vivian, having lived through so much, no longer allowed anyone's words to break her. She'd long stopped being that pampered girl who could be easily hurt.

Evelyn, on the other hand, was still the same—trying to use the past to push her down while fighting over a man who didn't deserve either of them.

Vivian stood her ground, no longer willing to waste any more time with them.