Vivian's POV:
It was twelve o'clock at midnight.
I took a deep breath, walked to Spencer's door, and knocked.
A few seconds later, the door opened, and Spencer's towering figure loomed over me.
"Vivian, what are you doing here? It's late. Why haven't you gone to bed yet?" He seemed to be a little
surprised to see me. What was more, there was a hint of worry in his eyes.
Seeing that he was concerned about me boosted my courage. At this moment, I closed my eyes,
swallowed hard, and threw myself into his arms.
A deafening silence fell between us. The only thing I could hear was his heart thumping wildly in his
chest.
"Vivian, what are you doing?" Spencer asked confusedly.
I looked up at him. His face, along with his ears, was as red as a lobster.
It seemed that what I had done aroused something inside him.
The uneasiness in my heart dissipated. I stroked his well-defined chest with my fingers and
coquettishly said, "You saved me from the Johnsons. I haven't officially thanked you yet."
Spencer stiffened and took a step away from me. However, I held his waist tightly with my arms and
followed him into the room.
However, I tripped on something and lost my footing. As a result, we both lost our balance and fell to
the cold hardwood floor.
"Are you okay?" Spencer asked worriedly. I opened my eyes and saw that I had fallen on top of him.
He propped on his hand to get up, but I rode on him, stopping him from doing so
He looked at me in astonishment. Suddenly, an inexplicable look flashed across his face. It seemed
that it finally dawned on him my purpose of coming here. "Are you planning on sleeping with me to
show your gratitude?"
"Yes." My fists were clenched as I spoke. For a moment, we just stared into each other's eyes. His
eyes were deep and bright, and I could clearly see my reflection in them.
He did not say anything in response. Unable to take the silence any longer, I reached out to take off his
clothes.
I unbuttoned his shirt with trembling hands. On the third button, his toned pecs were revealed.
Just as the atmosphere in the room had become hotter, Spencer suddenly grabbed my hand. "You
don't have to do this, Vivian. This isn't why I saved you."
He looked at me expressionlessly, making me doubt my charm.
"Get up," he ordered in a low voice. His words killed the romance between us.
My heart sank, and a feeling of shame and anger arose inside me. Ashamed, I strode to the door
without looking back. "Since you don't want me, I'll arrange someone else for you. Get ready for your
blind date tomorrow night at nine o'clock!"
Before Spencer could react, I slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
The moment I stepped out of the room, I felt exhausted. Feeling weak, I leaned against the door and
sighed heavily.
I did not sleep well that night. The next morning, I got up listlessly and went to the dining room to have
breakfast. However, my day turned even worse as I bumped into a more annoying person.
Dressed in expensive clothes, Emily strutted towards me, followed by Justin.
"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly.
Emily lifted her skirt and sat down gracefully. Then, she looked at me with disdain and retorted, "I'm
your mother. Why can't I come to your place? Don't forget that you still have to pay what you owe me."
"How? By selling my body?" I sneered.
Displeased with what I had said, Emily pounded on the table. "How dare you talk to me like that, you
uneducated hussy?!"
"Well, I don't have parents nor anyone who could teach me how to behave well."
"You!" Emily was at a loss for words.
Her chest heaved violently in anger. But after a while, she calmed down. She put on a straight face and
solemnly said, "Vivian, the truth is, I didn't want to leave you behind. But your father... he's a horrible
man. You saw the way he beat me. If I stayed in that house, who knew what he'd do to me? I might've
been killed! You're an adult now. You should be able to understand where I'm coming from."
Emily's words were like ice thorns piercing into my body. They stung and made me feel cold all over.
I clenched my trembling hands into fists. Although I was trying my best to calm down, I still failed to
suppress the anger in my words. "You're right. My father is violent. You would've been beaten up if you
stayed. But what about me? Did you really believe he wouldn't hurt me?"
"You're his daughter. He won't kill you," Emily argued.
"Wow. That's so nice of you to care about me!" I stood up abruptly in a fit of anger, and my chair
tumbled backwards. My v
ision turned blurry because of the tears welling up in my eyes. Because of this, Emily looked like a
demon, which was ironic because she could pass as one.
"That's all in the past. What matters now is the future. Help me get the property of the Johnson family.
Once I have it, we can live happily together again. Isn't that great?" Emily goaded with a fawning smile.
I wiped the tears streaming down my face and stared daggers at her. "No way!" I roared.
Emily's eyes widened in shock. It appeared that she did not expect I would refuse. "Vivian!"
I turned my back on her, not wanting to talk to her anymore.
But just as I turned around, I saw Spencer at the stairs.
My mind was in a mess. I had no idea how much he had heard from my conversation with my so-called
mother. Frankly speaking, I did not want him to know about my miserable past. I hated being pitied.
On the stairs, Spencer was staring at me.
I immediately adjusted my demeanor and walked past him, pretending to be calm.
Spencer's POV:
The vulnerability in Vivian's eyes brought a pang to my heart.
I watched as she went upstairs with a morose expression. When she was gone, I marched to Emily
with a gloomy face.
Emily seemed to have recognized me. She immediately stood up and stepped back. Justin strode
forward to protect her. The way he looked at me warily somehow amused me.
"Mrs. Johnson, you seem to be very confident in this bodyguard. You think him alone is enough to
protect you?" With a frivolous smile, I turned to Justin and patted him on the shoulder. "There are more
than one hundred hatchet men in my pub. Do you want to spar with them?"
Emily put on an elegant smile and ordered, "Justin, get out of the way."
Justin immediately did as told.
Emily stepped forward and looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze. "Why are you defending Vivian? Do
you want to marry my daughter?"
"It's none of your business," I answered crossly.
"Do you think that that's for you to decide? If the Johnson family doesn't agree, is there anything you
can do about it?" Emily's tone was disdainful.
I could not help but chuckle at her audacity. I sat on the sofa with crossed legs and leisurely asked,
"Are you proud of being Mrs. Johnson? If my guess is right, before you married into the Johnson family,
they made you sign an agreement, forbidding you from having children. Why else would you send your
own daughter to Ethan's bed?"
Emily's face changed. Then, suddenly, she burst into laughter. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Are you sure Ethan will marry Vivian? He just wants to have some fun. Would a young man, born with
a silver spoon in his mouth, agree to marry such a poor girl? You're dreaming."
Emily slammed her hand on the table. Her freshly-manicured nails chipped, but that was the least of
her concern.
"Nonsense!" she shouted in rage.
I merely leaned against the sofa, unfazed. "You know very well whether I'm talking nonsense or not."
Furious, Emily stamped her feet. But then, a vicious smile appeared on her face. "Spencer, you're also
from a rich family. You also look down upon poor women, don't you?"
"So what I do? Get the hell out of here!"
Emily let out a snort and left with Justin.
I watched them leave until they disappeared from my sight. For some reason, Emily's last sentence
kept ringing in my head. Something was wrong. I could feel it.
Wait a minute.
Upon realizing something, I stood up and looked behind me. Just as I expected, Vivian was in the
corridor on the second floor. Our eyes met for a second. Before I could react, she turned around and
left.
I ran as fast as I could. Fortunately, I caught up with her at the door of her room.
I grabbed her wrist and called, "Vivian..."
She raised her head and forced a smile. However, her lips were trembling, and she appeared to be on
the verge of crying. "It turns out that you're just like them. You know what? You're right. The gap
between family backgrounds is like a chasm. You're beyond my reach. I don't deserve a man like you."
After saying that, she tried to prise my fingers.
"I wasn't pertaining about you," I explained in a hurry. Of course, I would not let her go.
But that did not stop her. She suddenly bit my hand, making me gasp and wince in pain. She seized the
opportunity to pull her hand back and push me away.
Then, she went back to her room and locked the door behind her.
My heart ached as I stared at the closed door. I could not defend myself. And most importantly, I could
not show her how much she really meant to me.
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