Chapter 2

Lydia's face turned pale, and her fingers curled slightly.

I immediately ran over, grabbed Vivian's purse strap, and shook it hard. "Vivian, are you leaving?"

Vivian looked down at me and forced a smile. "Yes. Since you don't like me, I'll leave right now."

I tilted my head and pointed at the brand-new Hermès bag in her hand. "But I saw Dad send you 50,000 dollars yesterday to buy that bag. If you quit, are you going to give it back to us?"

The living room instantly fell silent again.

Eric's hand, which was still holding Vivian's arm, froze.

Vivian stopped crying. Her face turned pale too.

I added, "The TV shows say that when someone quits, they have to return company property. Vivian, can you put the bag down before you leave?"

Eric's face looked terrible.

Vivian gripped the handles of the bag so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Of course she didn't want to leave.

In the end, Vivian stayed.

Not only did she stay, but she also sat comfortably on our couch and chatted with Alex and Eric as if nothing had happened.

She no longer acted weak and helpless like she had before.

Instead, she showed off her confident, capable side. "Mr. Alex, Mr. Lincoln, about the multimillion-dollar project for the Southport property, I finished the proposal overnight. The investors are almost ready to approve it."

Vivian smiled as she poured Alex a drink.

But from the corner of her eye, she glanced at Lydia, who was walking over with a fruit tray. "Honestly, I envy Mrs. Lincoln."

She sighed and continued in a pitying voice. "Mrs. Lincoln gets to stay home with the kids and enjoy a comfortable life. She doesn't have to deal with all the stress of work. I'm not that lucky. I worked for three days straight to help Mr. Lincoln. I was so tired that I barely had time to eat. I guess I'll never be as lucky as Mrs. Lincoln."

Eric clearly loved hearing those words. His eyes were full of admiration as he looked at Vivian.

But when he turned to Lydia, his brows immediately furrowed. "Lydia, Vivian has helped me a lot at the company. As my wife, you should learn from her and help take some pressure off me. Don’t tie yourself to the kitchen."

Lydia put down the fruit tray and lowered her head without saying a word.

I sat on the carpet, building with my blocks.

When I looked up and saw the "loser" label above Lydia's head growing fainter and fainter, I felt sad.

I threw my blocks aside and shouted. "Dad is lying!"

Eric's face darkened. "Maya, what are you acting up about now?"

I scrambled to my feet and ran over to Lydia.

Then I pointed at Vivian. "Vivian spends all the money she makes on new clothes, new purses, and new necklaces. But Mom spends her money on my formula and books. She even buys expensive supplements for Grandma!"

I looked up at Vivian and stared straight at her. "You spend Dad's money every day to make yourself look pretty. Mom takes care of Grandma and me, and she doesn't even want to buy herself a new dress. How can you say those things about Mom? Do you think Mom has nothing to do just because you don't have to buy Grandma's medicine?"

The entire room fell into complete silence.

Vivian couldn't smile anymore. She slammed her glass down on the table.

Eric was furious. He was about to scold me, but Alex stopped him.

Alex put down his glass. The "judge" label above his head began to glow with a faint golden light, filling the room with an invisible pressure.