Chapter 257

Rita's POV:



I stood there and watched Charles's car disappear in the distance. I swallowed the lump in my throat
and wiped away my tears. I could not believe the blinding pain being caused by my breaking heart.



Charles used to love me so much and spoil me. How could he be so cruel to me now? It seemed that
everything we had shared and gone through meant nothing to him.



And it was all because of Scarlett!



This was all her fault! She must have bewitched Charles into staying away from me. I could not hate
her more.



I gritted my teeth and thought, 'Your day will come, Scarlett. Let's just wait and see.'



Then, my phone rang, interrupting my thoughts.



"Hello?" I answered impatiently.





"Hello, Miss Lively. I'm an employee of the Lively Group." The caller was a man with an unfamiliar
voice.



"And why are you calling me?"



"I have a way to save your company," the man said firmly, and my heart leapt to my throat.



"Is this some kind of joke? Who the hell are you?"



"Meet me in booth 502 at the Mint Bar tonight, and I will tell you everything. I can help you."



Then, the mysterious man hung up. Conflicting emotions started swirling in my gut. My reason told me
that the man was probably a liar, but a small part of me could not help thinking that maybe he was the
glimmer of hope that I needed. What if this mysterious man really had a way to save the Lively Group?



I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.





So I decided to meet him.



The Mint Bar was already abuzz with revelry when I arrived.



The place smelled like smoke and wine. The floor was littered with platforms on which gorgeous, half-
naked young women danced. As pieces of their clothing flew in the air and kissed the floor, the men
watching them howled, mad with excitement and lust.



I calmly made my way through the raging crowd on the dance floor and saw the man I was meeting in
booth 502.



It was a bit dark, but I could tell that he was in his thirties. He was wearing a blue Gucci business suit
and a Rolex watch. The hair left on his head was covered in mousse, which reflected the bouncing
lights. He quickly spotted me in the crowd, and he curled his lips in a smile that reminded me of every
single man who ever hit on me.



I clicked my tongue but kept my face bereft of emotion.



"You said that you have a way to save the Lively Group?" I came straight to the point as soon as I sat
down beside him.





"Yes, Miss Lively. If you give me a chance, I'll make sure that your company doesn't succumb to
bankruptcy." The man's face was full of confidence.



"So I'm just supposed to take your word for it?"



If there was one thing that I learned in business, it was never to trust anybody. The business world was
riddled with snakes, and I was not going to let myself get bitten.



"Yes. I'm not just any employee, Miss Lively. I went from an entry-level clerk to a middle-level manager
in less than six months at the Lively Group." The man was bragging, but he was calm.



And I was intrigued.



If I were still the over-pampered daughter of the Lively Group's CEO, I would not have wasted time
coming to a bar to meet this mysterious man. But things were different now. I was responsible for the
Lively Group, and if this man could help me save it, then I would give him a shot.



"Tell me your name," I ordered.





"Kevin. My name is Kevin."



Aside from the searing self-esteem that shone from his eyes, I saw... Desire.



I smiled contemptuously. Men were always so laughably predictable.



I had met countless men like this one, men who were obsessed with women and who would do
anything for the right incentive.



"Are you single, Kevin?"



Kevin hesitated for a moment and said, "No, I'm married."



I w

as a little disappointed. "At such a young age? Well, I never would've guessed."





But it did not matter. Charles almost divorced Scarlett because of me.



Kevin should not be so hard to crack. I slid closer to him, reached out, and rested my hand on his thigh.



To my surprise, he stopped my hand and said, "Miss Lively, I just told you I'm already married. Please,
let's just keep this professional." His tone was serious.



"So you're not offering to help me to get into my pants?" I felt offended by his blatant rejection.



"Please don't get me wrong, Miss Lively. You're as beautiful as the goddess Athena. But I have a wife
and a family. Even if I were a single man, I wouldn't deserve someone like you. You're way out of my
league."



What a hypocrite!



After we talked, I asked Kevin to drive me home. He agreed without hesitation and put his hand on the
small of my back as we left the bar.





Vivian's POV:



I saw Rita at the Mint Bar chatting happily with a middle-aged man.



What was this bad woman playing at?



I called the waiter over and asked him to eavesdrop on their conversation.



The waiter told me everything he had heard.



I curled my lips. "Wow. That woman is unstoppable. She wasted no time and hooked up with the first
man she drank with."



Spencer leaned over and asked, "Is she more unstoppable than you?"



I rolled my eyes at him. "What do you mean?"





"Well, she's good at hooking up with men. But you... You are good at finding women for me! Where on
earth do you find so many girls to set me up with?"



"Oh, please. There had only been a few. Why? Are you tired of being a ladies' man?" I glanced at his
body and drew circles on his arm with my finger.



"You, you, you..."



Spencer did not manage to finish what he was trying to say. He just turned around and left with a red
face.



I took out my phone, called Scarlett, and told her what I just witnessed.



As soon as our conversation ended, I saw Emily walking toward me with Justin on her heels.



The moment I laid eyes on her, all the alarms in my head went off, and I straightened my back.





Emily strode straight to me and held my hand. The hypocritical smile on her face made me want to
throw up.



"Hi, Vivian. We haven't seen each other in a long time. How are you doing?"



"What are you doing here?" I pushed her hand away and rubbed my hand on my shirt. Her touch made
me feel sick.



"Ethan have been talking to me about you lately. He wanted to invite you to dinner and apologize for
what he did last time."



"Really? Well, you can go tell him that I don't ever want to see him again for the rest of my life." I stared
at Emily coldly.



"Vivian, just accept Ethan's invitation and repay my kindness for coming here and telling you. After all,
I'm still your mother."



I scoffed, "I didn't ask you to give birth to me."





"You ungrateful child! You should count yourself lucky that Ethan likes you. How dare you be rude to
him? Justin, get her. Tie her up if you have to. I will take her to Ethan myself."



As I expected, Emily finally showed her true intentions. At her command, Justin approached me.



Before he could lay a hand on me, I took the syringe from my pocket and jammed it into his wrist.



Justin's face twisted in pain. After a few moments, he began shaking. I flashed him a mocking grin.



"Do you still want to grab me and tie me up?"



"You bitch!"



Justin raised his other hand and was about to slap me. But then, the bar's security guards rushed over
and hit Justin with a stick, knocking him to the ground.



"Are you okay, Miss Vivian?" The guards looked at me worriedly.





I took a deep breath, shoved down the surging hatred inside me, and ordered them.



"Throw these two out."


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