Chapter 82

Julia was caught off guard for a moment.It made sense.

After spending some time with Tiffany, she realized Tiffany was nothing like Vivian. Not even close.

Julia smiled. "Can you tell me who Tiffany's mom is?"

Hannah hesitated. "Well... I'd rather not say. You should ask Mr. Hearst directly."

With that, she went to pick up Tiffany.

Tiffany didn't mind and seemed to like her a lot.

Seeing their interaction, Julia decided not to push the issue.

But she couldn't understand how Henry, who had been so obsessed with Vivian, could have a child with another woman.

This was something Julia couldn't wrap her head around.

What kind of feelings did he have for Vivian?

What had happened between them in the past six years?

Julia suddenly remembered the last time at the Carter Family, when Henry had insisted on riding in her car instead of Vivian's.

What had happened between them?

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't find an answer, so she decided to stop thinking about it.

With Hannah taking care of Tiffany, Julia had some time to handle things in the lab.

While she was busy, Tiffany thoughtfully brought her a glass of water, placing it on her desk and smiling at her.

Seeing Tiffany made Julia very happy, and she reached out to hug her.

Tiffany opened her arms for a hug.

Julia felt the warmth of Tiffany in her arms and wanted to give her a kiss.

No matter who Tiffany's biological mother was or what the relationship between Henry and Vivian was, it didn't concern Julia anymore, right?

She pressed her cheek against Tiffany's and said, "Sweetie, give me a kiss."

Tiffany kissed her on the cheek.

Their interaction was incredibly warm and loving.

Julia enjoyed spending time with Tiffany, almost feeling as if Tiffany were her own daughter.

Meanwhile, at Thornfield Manor.

Scarlett and Raymond were about to go to bed when the doorbell rang.

The housekeeper went to open the door.

Scarlett and Raymond, in their pajamas, came to the living room.

At the door stood Vivian and her parents, Edward and Ruby, looking apologetic. Vivian, with red-rimmed eyes, stood behind them, looking like she was there to apologize.

Scarlett, puzzled by their appearance, asked, "What's going on?"

Ruby glanced at Vivian, signaling her to speak.

Vivian, eyes red and full of regret, said, "I'm sorry for disturbing you so late. I'm here to apologize."

Scarlett was even more confused. Why was she apologizing out of the blue?

She invited them to sit and asked the housekeeper to bring them some water.

"What happened?" she asked, wondering why they had come over so late.

Vivian, head down and avoiding eye contact, said cautiously, "It's about yesterday. You asked me to take Tiffany, but she didn't want to get in my car. After you persuaded her, she got in, but she kept asking to get out."

She continued, "She even tried to open the door while we were on the highway. I told her several times, but she wouldn't listen. I got so anxious that I hit her twice."

Scarlett and Raymond's faces darkened upon hearing that Vivian had hit Tiffany.

Vivian, sensing their disapproval, started crying again. "I didn't mean to... It was all my fault. I shouldn't have hit Tiffany. I regret it so much. I've been under a lot of stress at work and lost my temper. It's entirely my fault. If I had been more patient with her..."

Scarlett, who cherished Tiffany dearly, was furious that Vivian had hit her.

Vivian's excuse about work stress didn't sit well with her.

Why didn't she hit herself instead?

Edward and Ruby pleaded on Vivian's behalf, and within minutes, the three of them were in tears, softening Scarlett's heart a bit.

Scarlett took a deep breath and said, "Vivian, hitting Tiffany was wrong. You need to apologize to her and promise never to do it again."

Vivian, looking even more pitiful, said, "I want to, but Henry already knows. He's furious and won't listen to me."

Scarlett wasn't surprised. Henry cherished Tiffany more than anything.

It would be strange if he wasn't angry that Vivian had hit her.

"That's between you and Henry. You need to talk to him," Scarlett said. "I can't help you with that."

Scarlett hoped Vivian could marry Henry, knowing how she had treated him over the years.

But Tiffany was the bottom line.

Vivian should never have laid a hand on her.

Even as Tiffany's grandmother, Scarlett was upset hearing about it.

Vivian, seeing Scarlett's lack of support, continued to play the victim. "If Henry can forgive me, I'll do anything. But..." Vivian trailed off.

Ruby chimed in, mother and daughter working together. "Scarlett, you don't know how angry Henry was. He even hit Vivian. Look."

She lifted Vivian's hair to reveal bruises on her neck.

Scarlett and Raymond were shocked.

Henry had hit Vivian that hard?

Scarlett, seeing the bruises, asked, "Does it hurt?"

Vivian, crying, shook her head. "As long as Henry can forgive me, the pain doesn't matter. It was my fault. He had every right to hit me."

Seeing Vivian's injuries and her plea for forgiveness, Scarlett's anger subsided.

Tiffany was indeed difficult to handle, stubborn and hard to get close to.

Apart from the nannies who had been with her since she was little, others found it challenging to deal with her.

Scarlett took a deep breath. "Regardless, Henry hitting you was wrong. We apologize on his behalf."

Vivian, tears streaming down her face, said, "It's okay. But Henry might never want to see me again. I couldn't even take care of Tiffany and let you down. I'm sorry. If Henry chooses Julia, I'll sincerely wish them well."

Hearing Vivian bring up Julia, Scarlett felt something was off. She asked, "Vivian, what do you mean? Henry told me clearly that he would never get back with Julia. What are you talking about?"