Chapter 168

There was a hint of unwillingness in Tracy’s eyes as she spoke. “Jared and I were classmates for a year in high school. He was the genius of the school—skipped a grade and left the rest of us in the dust. I kept chasing after him, but I still ended up graduating two years later. When I was studying abroad, I suddenly heard he was getting married. I was crushed.”

Her emotions were a mess, and I couldn’t tell if it was anger or something else in her eyes. She took a sip of her lemonade and went on. “All our classmates and friends came back for your wedding, but I didn’t come back.”

I just looked at her, my face unreadable. Tracy still hadn’t let go of those old wounds. She lifted her gaze at me, her voice tinged with bitterness. "I always thought Jared wasn’t the kind of man to be swayed by appearances. Maybe it was your beauty that clouded his judgment, made him impulsively marry you."

“But passion isn’t the same as love. I’m not sure what you did to make him marry you, but after seven years, your marriage has been slowly falling apart. I’m sure you feel it too.”

I just nodded, admitting she was telling the truth.

“Mrs. Holcomb, I’m not like you. When Jared and I crossed paths again and started working together, it was two mature minds meeting as equals. There’s a mutual understanding between us, both in work and in spirit. I’ll be blunt. I’ve admired him for years. I hope you’ll step aside.”

Tracy paused, gripping her glass tightly and taking a small sip of water. “Of course, I’m not asking for your permission, just stating the facts. Jared needs someone who can truly support him in his work. I’ve given my all to the company, and everyone knows it. As for you, all you know is how to cook, clean, and do the laundry.”

I gave a small laugh. “So now you’ve finally had your big awakening and want to chase a career? Don’t you think it’s a little late for that?”

She let out a mocking laugh. “Harmonia Hotel is a legendary place, and now you’re turning both hotels into a total mess. Honestly, I don’t see you pulling it off. That 100 million you dumped in? Might as well flush it down the toilet. Lucky for you, Jared’s letting you play with that kind of money. You should be grateful you landed such a good man.”

“Are you done?” I took a casual sip of my coffee, leaning back in my chair and looking at her. “You’ve said a lot, but you still haven’t gotten to the point.”

Tracy’s face fell, looking both awkward and embarrassed.

I smiled and said, “You wanted to say you two were in love, admiring each other, with perfect understanding. But wasn’t it ridiculous that you ignored morality and marriage laws, waving the banner of love for my blessing?”

“Victoria, could you be a little more civilized?” Tracy snapped, her face going green with anger, her classy act completely falling apart.

“Oh? You think I’m being too harsh? Please. You two do the dirty work but can’t even own up to it. It’s not just dirty. It’s rotten to the core,” I raised an eyebrow. “Leaving everything else aside, you think being a mistress makes you right? Even if you knew Jared well, as long as he didn’t divorce me, we were still legally married. If you truly loved him, you’d have him come to divorce me, not tell the first wife you’re perfect together.”

Tracy was livid. Looking at her flushed face, I calmly said, “Both of you are highly educated, but to me, you seem like failures of the system, lacking even basic shame. Maybe you should go back for re-education.”

“Victoria, are you done yet?” Tracy gripped her glass so tight it looked like she might toss it at me any second.

I sipped my coffee elegantly and said calmly. “My marriage can be like a leaf, green or yellow, it doesn’t matter. But it mustn’t be dirty or rotten. You left me no choice, tainted my marriage, and now you have no right to criticize me.”

“Victoria, you’re just a woman who can’t even earn her own living. What makes you think you can act all superior here? I tried to talk to you nicely, but if you want to argue, fine by me. Let me spell it out. Your family and Jared have shielded you way too much. You have no clue how ruthless the world is, how twisted people can be."

"They’ve got one wife, but a whole parade of lovers. If you can’t accept that, then you deserve to be miserable,” Tracy went all in. “I never cared about being Jared’s wife. That title means nothing to me. What matters is that I’m in his heart and on his mind. And let’s be real, everything you have now is thanks to Jared busting his ass. I can help him make even more. The money you spend? My hard work is in there too. All you have to do is be a little generous, a little open-minded, and you’ll have more money than you could ever spend. Why not just turn a blind eye and enjoy it?”

Tracy’s words stung like a whip. I stared at her smug face, feeling the burn. Maybe, to her, I was just some leech she had to support. No one would ever give a damn about how a parasite felt anyway.