CHAPTER 140: CHAPTER 139. MORE TROJAN HORSE

Vivian had no idea why, but the chairman suddenly told her to see the second daughter in the annex. As if it wasn’t confusing enough, the bodyguard was told to stay outside. She ended up alone with the second daughter and another junior staff member who was tasked to serve them tea and cakes.

Again, Vivian had no idea why, but she was nervous.

Which was weird, because she didn’t feel nervous in front of the chairman. Was it because of that slap she witnessed? It did look painful. Or was it because of those deep, unreadable eyes? This young woman in front of her seemed to have an ability to make expressions without involving her eyes if she wanted.

And it was scary. The nice, sunlit room with fresh flowers all around and art deco furniture did nothing to lower the pressure.

"Don’t be so nervous. I won’t eat you, Miss."

And that statement only made Vivian’s heartbeat increase even more.

"Aren’t you going to be the madam of the house? You cannot look nervous in front of others if you are," Sarah continued. "Or, do you want to stay as the mistress until the chairman gets rid of you?"

"No!" the thought propped Vivian up. "There’s no way I’d make my child an illegitimate one!"

And then she paused after that burst of bravery, realizing that she might trigger unpleasant memories for Sarah. Immediately, her face turned pale as she tried to decipher Sarah’s expression.

"Oh...I mean..."

"There’s no need for you to be cautious," Sarah smiled. "As you can see yesterday, my enemy is not you."

Yeah, it was clear enough that the second daughter hated her stepmother. That slap was louder than any curses. But that was the thing: that slap could be directed at her anytime.

"If anything, as long as your goal is to kick her out of this house, I’ll give you my support," Sarah added.

"...oh?"

Vivian blinked--having the same enemy and becoming an ally were two different things after all.

Sarah leaned back and smiled, not looking as cold as before. She picked up her teacup and told the mistress to relax further by eating the delicious dessert. Only then did Vivian realize that some of the cakes and pastries were her favorites. She wondered if the chairman set it up, but then remembered that the chairman didn’t really know what kind of sweets she liked. Was it just a coincidence, then? Was Sarah actually her kindred spirit?

Suddenly, Vivian felt less cautious, even though she still felt a bit nervous.

"That woman was my mother’s best friend--did you know that?" Sarah put her cup down, turning her head to the garden Hajin always meticulously tended. "I can’t say she thought the same, though. She only contacted my mother when she needed something. Of course, when she found out one of the sponsors for the beauty pageant she participated in was HS, she asked my mother’s help."

Vivian fiddled with the small fork beside her plate. She knew this lore already; it wasn’t exactly a secret. Everyone knew the current madam seduced the chairman while he was attending the beauty pageant, and ended up becoming his mistress.

But it was only last night did she found out that the second wife was the current madam’s best friend.

"Of course, my mother couldn’t foresee that the woman she thought was her best friend would come to the house pregnant and demand to stay in the mansion," Sarah snickered. "The chairman relented, and built this annex for her. But she whined about being too weak because of her pregnancy and my mother ended up staying in the annex instead."

"Oh..." Vivian gasped. No wonder Sarah was so vicious. Vivian wasn’t so shameless as to think she did nothing wrong, having a relationship with a married man. But at the very least, she would never do that to her own friend.

Shifting her gaze back to Vivian, Sarah continued. "So you see...I would be thankful if you could get rid of her and become the legal wife instead," she said. "That being said, I personally think it would be hard."

Vivian gripped her teacup. "...why?"

"Because that woman is not my mother," Sarah replied bitterly. "My mother was very non-confrontational and...soft-hearted. In the face of betrayal, she was still thinking about that woman’s well-being."

Sarah loved her mother, truly, but she also thought Raisa was a pushover. Perhaps that was why Sarah also used to be one; a pushover slave that was easy to manipulate.

"In the end, she agreed to a divorce instead of fighting back."

To be honest, Sarah had no idea whether it would be better for her mother to fight back or just leave. Both options only gave her heartbreak anyway. That being said, Sarah would prefer an outcome where Jeong Mina never tasted happiness, or even a mere peaceful day.

Staring at the musing Vivian, Sarah asked with a smile. "You should know what I’m talking about, right?"

"Unlike your mother...the current madam wouldn’t go down without a fight," Vivian said.

"She’s not soft at all, and truly shameless," Sarah nodded. "She won’t just obediently sign the divorce papers even if she were drowning in one."

Vivian sighed, recalling how vicious the third wife was the day before. Even if she somehow signed the divorce papers, they probably needed to peel her fingers off the door when they dragged her out of the mansion.

"She already has her people inside, and might secretly have amassed some wealth somewhere," Sarah added.

"Ugh..."

Vivian wasn’t poor herself, but...

"However," Sarah tapped the table, prompting the mistress to look at her. "I do think you have some advantage."

"O-oh?"

"Firstly, you’re young and pretty. That woman...well, she’s no longer the chairman’s style," Sarah lifted her fork, wriggling it in the air. It was quite clear the moment the chairman started to look for another woman. "Her children aren’t exactly favored, so it’s not like the chairman or the executive has any reason to keep her around."

Well, Vivian had never worried about the visual aspect in their competition. "But...what about the Madam’s role?"

Sarah shrugged dismissively while tasting a piece of strawberry shortcake. "The madam’s role is to network between high society, but those proud people...how much do you think they are willing to spare for a wife who isn’t favored with no background to speak of?" she snorted.

The only reason Jeong Mina could survive in high society was due to her shamelessness. Her so-called connection was at a superficial level, the ’I’m inviting you because you’re still this person’s legal wife’ type of gathering.

"At any rate, that kind of connection has already been provided by Amber," Sarah continued.

"The first daughter?"

"Yes, which brings me to the next thing," Sarah lifted her whipped cream-covered fork to point at Vivian. "You need to get close to her."

Vivian blinked. "Huh?"

"You also saw it, she doesn’t like that woman. Not as much as me, but still..." Sarah shrugged. "And it’s not official yet, but the chairman would probably designate her as the heiress."

Vivian widened her eyes, which told Sarah the woman had no idea about what had happened to her and Mason. Perhaps the chairman didn’t want to stress her, or perhaps, as usual, the old man just thought women didn’t need to be told anything if they weren’t directly involved.

Well, she didn’t really need to know this one anyway.

"If you want to fight that woman, you need people who can support you in this house," Sarah told her. "Amber is your best choice, since the chairman rarely gets involved with the mansion’s affairs."

Vivian bit her lips before asking cautiously. "But...will she help me?"

"As long as you promise you won’t get in her way," Sarah nodded, lowering her voice and firming her tone. "Don’t think of useless things like desiring power over the house. Just be satisfied with a comfortable life without doing anything--easy, isn’t it?"

"Uhh..."

Vivian bit the inside of her cheek, staring at her untouched pastry as she fiddled with the utensil. It seemed like no matter how innocent someone looked, there would still he ambition lurking deep within.

"Well, I don’t exactly care even if you want to play madam," Sarah snorted inwardly. "But at least do it only after you get rid of that woman and become the legal wife."

Not that it would ever happen--Sarah thought. Unless it all happened within three months or she failed on her revenge. Which Sarah would never let happen.

But this mistress didn’t need to know that.

"O-okay..." Vivian nodded. A bit reluctantly, but she wasn’t stupid enough not to see she needed to fold first before she could go all in.

Satisfied with the mistress’s obedience, Sarah decided to move on to the next thing.

"I’d like to see you wreak havoc in the main house, but I don’t think that woman will let you be," she said. "So, your best option is to stay in this annex until she’s gone."

"What? But you’re..."

Vivian looked at Sarah in confusion, and Mari hugged her tray in the corner, looking even more like a lost little lamb.

"I’m going to leave soon," Sarah held back her laughter and told them. "Tomorrow, at the latest."