Chapter 2

Vivian had to bite back a laugh. 'Small thing?' Vivian scoffed inwardly.

All the humiliation, suspicion, and indifference she'd endured in her old life, James brushed it off as nothing but 'small things.'

"It may be a small thing to you, but it's not to me," Vivian said quietly. "James, I'm tired. If your heart only has Charlotte, then I don't care for being your wife anymore."

James's lips pressed into a thin line, his gaze cold. "What tricks are you up to this time?"

"Call it whatever you want," Vivian said, taking the agreement back and turning to leave. "But I'm serious this time."

As she brushed past him, James caught her wrist in a sudden, unyielding grip. "Vivian," his tone was icy and commanding.

Her bones protested under his grip, the pain sharp and immediate.

"Don't bother with your little games. They won't work on me," he said.

Vivian glanced down at his hand, the very hand she once adored, the one that used to send shivers of excitement through her, but now only made her feel sick. "Let go," she said coldly.

"I won't sign," James said, looking at her as if she were a stubborn child acting out. "When you've thought it through, then come find me."

Vivian slowly pulled her hand free, her voice so calm it was almost icy. "You will sign it. Because very soon, you'll come to realize that I'm done with you."

That night, Vivian packed up and left the Carter residence without ever looking back.

James stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the car lights fade into the night. A sudden, inexplicable frustration settled in his chest.

But he quickly forced it away.

James knew that Vivian had loved him for so long, and she'd never be able to walk away from him.

He was certain she'd come back within three days, head bowed in defeat.

Yet this time, three days went by, then seven, then two whole weeks.

Vivian still didn't come back.

Not only did she not come back, but it was like she'd turned into a whole new person.

The very first thing Vivian did after moving back to the Sterling family was to walk into an executive meeting at Sterling Jewelry and unceremoniously remove Charlotte from the list of brand ambassadors.

In the conference room, Vivian's father, Richard Sterling's face darkened with fury. "Don't push it, Vivian. Charlotte's been part of this family since she was a kid. She's my daughter as well. Why shouldn't she be the face of Sterling Jewelry?"

"That's a big problem," Vivian said, tossing a stack of documents onto the table. "First, she faked her academic credentials. Second, all those so-called design sketches she presented are copied. And third, she's not fit to represent Sterling Group."

Charlotte's eyes were red as she protested tearfully, "Vivian, I didn't—"

"Didn't you?" Vivian gave a cold, mocking laugh and turned on the projector.

Design sketches were displayed one after another across the big screen.

First were the jewelry concept designs Charlotte had been showing off on social media days ago, then came sketches from the same collection by Eve, the world-famous designer, which had been exhibited overseas two years earlier.

The lines, the inspiration, and the structure were almost identical.

The conference room exploded with outrage.

"This is outright plagiarism!"

"Ms. Charlotte Sterling claimed she spent months on those designs."

"God, if this leaks, Sterling Group will be utterly humiliated!"

Charlotte's face went ghostly pale, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I, I really admire Eve's style, I only took a little inspiration, that's all."

"Inspiration?" Vivian's voice dripped with mockery. "So copying an entire page counts as 'taking inspiration' now?"

Richard slammed his hand on the table. "Enough. Vivian, we don't air our family's dirty laundry in public."

Vivian looked at her father, biased to his core, and honestly found it ridiculous.

When she was first brought back to the Sterling family, she thought she'd finally found a real home.

But later, she realized that because they were her biological parents, it didn't mean they'd ever truly care about her.

Charlotte, the adopted daughter, had been pampered for twenty years, always had everything handed to her, while Vivian was always second best.

No matter what happened, Richard would rush to defend Charlotte, telling Vivian, his own daughter, to be the bigger person, to step aside, and not to make a fuss.

In her old life, Vivian kept believing in family, always hoping that one day they'd truly accept her.

But when she was wheeled into surgery, not a single person from the Sterling family stood up for her.

This time, she refused to wait any longer.

"If you all think I'm overreacting, then let's ask Eve herself, see if she thinks this is plagiarism or not," Vivian said coolly.

Vivian's words hit like a bomb. Everyone in the room froze, caught off guard.

Panic flashed in Charlotte's eyes, but she tried to keep her composure. "Eve never shows up anywhere. Vivian, don't pretend you can actually get in touch with her."

The next moment, Vivian reached up, took off her gold-rimmed glasses, and let her long hair fall loose from its usual bun.

She looked up, and suddenly her eyes shifted from gentle and quiet to fierce and unapologetic. "Let me introduce myself. I am Eve."