LOGINIn a VIP ward as lavish as a five-star hotel on the top floor of Vivian's private hospital, Eleanor leaned back against the soft bed while a nurse fed her peeled imported grapes. Her ankle still ached, but every time she pictured the miserable fate that was about to fall on Maria, her mood turned giddy.She was already getting impatient as she turned toward Vivian, sitting by the window, who was elegantly peeling an apple with a small silver knife."Vivian, when are we going to make a move? I can't wait anymore. I want to see Maria kneel in front of me, sobbing and bawling."Vivian was nowhere near as restless. The knife in her hand moved with steady ease, peeling the apple in one long spiral. She didn't even look up at Eleanor and said in an unhurried tone, "Be patient and don't rush. Taking revenge is like cooking. You need to give it time."Her tone was soft, but there was a coldness in it that chilled Eleanor to the bones. "To deal with her, we need to be precise and eleg
Meanwhile, Vivian looked at Eleanor in front of her, the perfect piece on the board. Her hatred had been stoked as bright as possible. Vivian knew this greedy, foolish woman had already taken the bait completely.Built on their shared hatred for Maria, Eleanor grabbed onto Vivian like a drowning person grabbing at the last straw and rushed to spill out her own plan. "You're right. We have to work together and make her suffer a fate worse than death. I already have the perfect plan. Listen, all we have to do is..."Vivian didn't answer right away.She slowly let go of the hand she had just been holding to comfort Eleanor. She was standing here with her arms folded, her eyes full of icy ridicule as she looked at Eleanor over from head to toe slowly.That gaze no longer belonged to an ally. It was the gaze of someone appraising a broken, worthless piece of merchandise.A soft laugh with disdain, slipped from her red lips. "A plan?"Her tone was pure contempt. "Let me ask you
"My feud with Maria started long before yours. It was also...much simpler. From the time I was a child, the words 'second place' did not exist in my world," Vivian started, her tone holding the innate pride of someone born to win. "My parents were both top musicians. I started playing the cello at three. By five, I was composing my own music. In everyone's eyes, I was the best. I was the undisputed genius."As she started reminiscing, a faint trace of nostalgia edged her voice. "In every competition back in Sidonia, big or small, I would be the only one taking the champion's trophy. My so-called rivals were a bunch of mediocrities who couldn't even grasp the basics of pitching. Everyone said I was a prodigy, the future hope of classical music. Until..."Right then, her voice got thick with hate that never went away. "...I met her."Vivian turned around sharply from watching outside the window. The pride and contempt that were in her eyes vanished. What remained was primal, und
"You've said so much about me... What about you? What kind of grudge do you have with Maria that you'd go to so much trouble dragging me out under the overpass and team up with me?" Eleanor had finally asked Vivian the most crucial question.For the first time, the perfect sympathetic expression on Vivian's face faltered. It lasted only a heartbeat, almost too quick to see, but it was there. Then, she slipped back into her usual composure. She gave a weak, amused smile, looking a little hurt that Eleanor doubted her.After letting out a well-placed sigh, she said, "It seems that trusting anyone really isn't easy for you."The words broke through every defense Eleanor had been forcing herself to maintain. She looked at the only woman in front of her who was willing to understand her, and for the first time, real tears welled in her eyes that had always been full of malice. For the first time since everyone had turned their backs on her, she felt her cold heart finally touched b
Vivian's voice was soft, yet her voice cleared Eleanor's mind as if Vivian had just said something Eleanor had never expected to hear.Eleanor froze.She could not believe that at a time when the whole world had abandoned her, when she had become a fugitive that everyone hunted, there was still someone standing on her side and saying things like that to her.Vivian pulled over a cushioned couch and sat gracefully at Eleanor's bedside. Her face held exactly the right mix of sympathy and regret for everything Eleanor had gone through. Her gaze was so sincere it felt as if they had been close friends for years.She began to lay out her analysis, every word pulled at Eleanor's heartstrings. Those were what Eleanor wanted to be seen and recognized for the most."I read everything about you online, and I had friends look into what really happened." She paused, and her tone turned firm. "In my view, you and Mr. Shaw are the ones the law recognizes as husband and wife. Maria Brooks is not
"A pawn? No, darling, I'm giving you a chance." Her voice was soaked in lethal temptation. "A chance to take back everything that should have been yours. The position of Richard's wife, the Shaw family's wealth, and... The pleasure of making that wretched Maria kneel in front of you and beg for mercy. Don't you want that?"She let go of Eleanor, took a black nameless bank card from her crocodile leather handbag at her side, and flicked it onto Eleanor's face."There's five hundred thousand on this card. The password is six eights. If you're willing to work with me... You'll never again have to live under an overpass and fight the homeless for food the way you do now. You never have to live like this anymore."That line instantly lit up the deepest darkness in Eleanor's heart, showing the lowliest desire buried inside.She stared at the black card in front of her, then looked at the filthy clothes on her body that were so dirty she could no longer tell what color they had once b







