Chapter 5

"What are you doing?" Vivian exclaimed. Her stern, old-fashioned face, with hair pulled back and black-rimmed glasses, looked oddly mismatched with that pink dress.

Ivy sneered, "Since you love meddling so much, why don't you go with Mr. Ford? I think this dress is perfect for you. You're always so serious, so the pink really pops on you. Makes you stand out."

With that, she grabbed another long gold dress and sized it up against Vivian, the hem pooling on the floor.

Ivy said, "This one's not bad, either: shows off your curves. Not that you've got much to show. Plus, you're so short. Wouldn't people laugh at Mr. Ford with you next to him?"

Vivian's face flushed with anger, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to breathe.

Ivy watched Vivian's face shift, then let out a casual chuckle.

She said, "I'm Mr. Ford's fiancée. Even if you think I'm just here for decoration and he's not into me, do you really think he'd ever pick you? You're the head of his secretary squad. Just stick to your job.

"Why are you always poking your nose into his private life? Or are you hoping to play Mrs. Ford yourself?"

Vivian hadn't expected Ivy to be so blunt. Her expression froze. She stammered, "W-What nonsense are you talking about?"

Ivy shot back, "Oh, please. You act all high and mighty all day, not just with me, but with any woman who even glances at Mr. Ford. Are you really that self-righteous, or are you just dying for a shot at him yourself?"

For the first time, Vivian's usually stern face exploded into a bright red right in front of Ivy.

She was totally called out. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't say a word. She went stiff all over, wishing Ivy would just drop it and move on.

Ivy saw her reaction and couldn't help but laugh. She said, "If I were Wade, I wouldn't go for someone like you either. You're ugly and nasty, like those nightmare teachers back in school, always with that sour face.

"If I saw you at night, I'd probably have nightmares!"

"Are you seriously taking shots at me?" Vivian snapped, her voice going shrill with anger.

"Yeah, what's your problem?" Ivy fired back, totally unapologetic.

Ivy always thought she was pretty chill: If people left her alone, she'd leave them alone, too.

But since Vivian just kept coming for her today, Ivy wasn't backing down either.

Ivy said, "If you want to run to Mr. Ford and tattle, just do it."

With that, she grabbed a random dress and told the salesgirl, "Wrap this up for me."

Ivy swiped Wade's black card like it was nothing, then scrunched up her face. She grumbled, "This one's not cute at all. Let's pick another."

After paying for a few more dresses, Ivy pulled out her phone and, making sure Vivian could hear every word, sent a voice message to Wade.

She said, "Mr. Ford, it's not like I want to buy this many clothes, but Vivian keeps saying I look terrible in everything: this one's bad, that one's worse. Now I honestly have no clue what to wear. It's like whatever I do is wrong.

"I'm really worried I'll embarrass you, Mr. Ford. How about I just buy every single dress here and try them all on for you? You can pick whichever one you like best, okay?"

Once she finished the voice message, she tossed Wade's unlimited black card to the salesgirl and said, "Just pack up every dress in the store for me."

Vivian was left completely speechless, her jaw practically on the floor.

If Vivian had known Ivy was this bold and sharp-tongued, she would've just sucked it up and kept quiet from the start. Now, she was left standing there, as she'd just been roasted in public. She was totally speechless, not even daring to talk back.

During the company's wrap-up meeting, Wade's phone just wouldn't stop buzzing.

Message after message, all from Ivy.

Plus, there were constant notifications about charges on his black card.

Even after work, when his driver was taking him to the club for a business dinner, his phone was still vibrating nonstop.

In the VIP lounge, Emily sat next to Wade, drink in hand, and bumped his leg with her knee. She said, "Hey, Wade, what's with all the notifications? Is that your fiancée blowing up your phone?"

With her short hair, Emily looked like one of the guys, and her voice was rough and always blunt.

"Yeah," Wade replied, glancing at his phone. He saw that Ivy had already tried on her thirty-second dress.

He could only imagine how much Vivian was getting dragged through the wringer today.

"Damn, you're whipped," Emily teased, bumping Wade's shoulder so hard she almost fell into his lap. She said, "Why not invite Ivy over? We're all going to the charity gala together anyway. Let her come have some fun with us."

Wade raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, a few of his other friends overheard Emily's suggestion and started egging him on, all shouting for him to bring his fiancée over.

With a helpless smile, Wade sent Ivy his location.