Chapter 5

Vivian's face went from pale to a sickly gray. She gripped her paddle, but couldn't quite force herself to make another move.

Awkward silence settled in, and everyone could feel the tension.

"All in, no limit," a familiar male voice called out from the doorway.

The entire room broke out into a stunned uproar. Jane watched Edward stride closer and felt an icy chill creep over her, each step freezing her a little more inside.

The auctioneer, caught off guard, asked, "Mr. Sterling, do you mean...?"

Edward gazed at Vivian with unrestrained affection. "Whatever Ms. Hartley wants tonight, I'll cover it all for her. If she wants it, no matter how much it costs, I'm buying it."

The auction hall exploded—everyone went nuts.

People whispered, "Man, Mr. Sterling is spending like crazy. Ms. Hartley's gotta be his girl."

"Oh, you don't even know. She was his first love. She went abroad out of nowhere back then, and only just came back."

"So that old flame's getting rekindled, huh?"

Vivian was floored at first—her eyes widened in pure shock. But then she broke into an excited grin, and by the end, she looked downright smug, not even trying to hide how pleased she was.

She leaned over and winked at Jane, her voice oozing playfulness. "Jane, you still want a shot? I mean, I really have my heart set on these beads. How about you pick something else, and I'll buy it for you?"

Jane turned utterly pale, desperation driving her as she clung to Edward's arm—the first time she'd ever begged him for anything. "Edward, I want those prayer beads. Please... don't give them to anyone else."

When it came to money and power, she never stood a chance against Edward.

Unless he was actually willing to give her this one thing.

But Edward just slowly peeled Jane's fingers away, and the words he said next made her feel like she was dropping into an ice-cold abyss.

"Jane, don't fight Vivian for it," he said.

Jane forced a bitter smile, her lips barely moving.

She had no chance against Vivian. There was nothing left she could actually win.

Ever since Vivian came back, the master bedroom and closet at home were hers, the trophy was hers, Edward was hers—and now even her father's memento was out of reach.

A dull ache gnawed at her chest, and her nose prickled as an unexpected sting hit her.

Jane couldn't stand it anymore. She turned and walked out, unable to stay in that suffocating room for another second.

Edward chased after her, his tone dripping with impatience. "Come on, it's just some old prayer beads. If you really want one, I'll buy you something way nicer. Do you seriously have to turn this into a whole scene?"

Jane's anger burst out, her eyes rimmed red as she shouted, "Do you even understand—those beads are all I have left from my dad-"

"I know," Edward interrupted.

Jane looked at him, completely stunned. "You knew?"

Edward refused to meet her tear-streaked gaze. "Sure, it's your father's memento, but Vivian finally found something she actually wanted. Just let her have it. It's not a big deal."

With that, he pulled out a blue jewelry box, took out that diamond-studded rose bracelet, and reached out as if to fasten it around Jane's wrist.

He said, "This suits you better. Just do as I say-"

But before he could finish, Jane shook off his hand and walked away without looking back.

She said, "Edward, you're out of your mind."

Word quickly got out about how Edward blew a ton of cash just to please Vivian that day.

Everyone knew Vivian was the girl Edward was crazy about.

Meanwhile, Edward blatantly put Vivian onto Jane's project team, making no secret of the fact that he just wanted to boost her profile with this project.

But Vivian had zero skills for the job. All she did in the lab was cause chaos.

She kept mixing up the chemicals, and Jane had to spend way more time cleaning up after her than actually working.

After a few days, Jane finally snapped and told HR to keep Vivian out of the lab for good.

But HR just stammered, looking awkward as they pointed at the nameplate on the desk. "But Mr. Sterling has already put Ms. Hartley in charge as project lead, which means she outranks you now."

So basically, Jane had no say in keeping Vivian out. After all, Vivian was now her superior.

Vivian flashed Jane a smug smile when they met again. "This is my very first time doing lab work, so you'll have to take care of me from now on, Jane.

"You'll hold my hand every step of the way, right? Otherwise, how could I possibly be the project lead?"

Jane's fingers clenched tightly as she noticed Edward standing in the office doorway, eyes locked on Vivian.

She wondered if he really had to hover over her like that.

With no other choice, Jane gave a reluctant nod.

Sure enough, Vivian only got more out of hand after that. She was goofing off in the lab, even mixing random chemicals together like it was all some childish prank.

She could've easily asked Jane a simple question and gotten it right, but instead, she insisted on playing the mad scientist, "experimenting" on her own and dumping every disaster on Jane to fix—over and over again.

Thanks to her, the project kept falling further and further behind.

"Stop messing with the test tubes, will you?" Jane couldn't hold back anymore and snapped.

Vivian's lips wobbled in a pout, looking all pitiful, but before she could even say a thing, Edward was already shooting Jane a sharp, disapproving glare.

He said, "Vivian's just learning the ropes. Of course she's a bit clueless. Just keep teaching her. If she gets it wrong, go over it as many times as it takes."

Jane gave a cold laugh. "You're flattering me, Mr. Sterling. Someone who can win a tech invention award surely doesn't need me to hold her hand."

Edward fixed Jane with a piercing, warning stare.

He said, "Don't let your personal feelings get in your work, Jane. When did you start acting this unprofessionally?"

After that, he tenderly wiped the sweat from Vivian's forehead. "Take a break, okay? Since your ankle has just recovered, standing too long will make it sore."

Jane glanced at her own left arm, still wrapped in a bandage, her lips twitching in self-mockery as she turned away.

Vivian said, "No, I like it best when Jane teaches me. I just know she'll make me amazing."

She spoiled, cutesy voice piped up from behind Jane.

Then, she marched right up to Jane and, with a fake innocent grin, looked ready to dump the heated magnesium solution straight into the lab solvent.

She said, "Jane, look. If I mix these two, do I get what you're after-"

Before Vivian could finish, Jane's mind erupted in fury. She couldn't take it anymore and, acting on pure instinct, slapped Vivian hard across the face.