Chapter 735

Vivian lived in a villa in Hachester. When I dropped her off that afternoon, she seemed to have heard about it already, a hint of worry creased her brow.

“Let Edward handle it,” Vivian said calmly.

“Victoria, you’ve been with me all afternoon. Are you tired? Come in for a cup of tea,” she invited.

I quickly made up an excuse and declined, but my heart started pounding.

I had a feeling that the video being leaked online would bring some serious consequences.

Before it got dark, Edward came to find me. He wanted to take me out for dinner.

“Your mom’s here. Why aren’t you with her?” I asked, curious as he showed up at my place.

“She likes her quiet time. She doesn’t need me around,” Edward replied.

‘Maybe Vivian didn’t want Edward hanging around her just so he could come see me instead,’ I thought.

‘That little hint made me feel like Vivian actually didn’t mind me being with Edward at all.’

“Alright, I am actually a bit hungry. Let’s find a place to eat,” I said, settling into the car and leaning back to rest.

Edward couldn’t wait to ask, “Did Mariah say anything about us?”

“Nope,” I replied. “We just talked about other things.”

“Really?” Edward frowned. “I thought she’d at least bring it up with you.”

I chuckled. “We barely know each other, it’d be kind of weird to talk about that already.”

Edward shot me a helpless look. “We’ve known each other for over half a year now. That’s not exactly a short time, is it?”

“We were just acquaintances before–and we even used to be at odds. Does that count?” I teased him.

“Wait, at odds? I don’t remember that at all,” Edward replied with a laid-back smile.

“Well, it was just me. You were always acting like you were above it all, barely even noticing me,” I huffed, turning my face toward the window.

“Sorry about that. I probably didn’t handle things well back then. Did I leave you with any scars from it?” Edward took the chance to apologize.

“Forget it, I forgive you,” I said, not really in the mood to argue.

I asked, a little anxious, “Did you manage to get all those videos taken down?”

Edward nodded. “Yeah, some folks online thought you guys looked way too good, so they posted the video trying to figure out who you were.”

“Why didn’t you ever mention your mom was this gorgeous?” I gave him a teasing glare.

Edward laughed. “You never asked–and you didn’t even think to ask for a photo.”

‘Well, guess I’ve learned something today. There really are people in their fifties who can look that amazing,’ I thought, feeling a new sense of inspiration for my own future.

Edward looked a little wistful. “My mom’s beautiful and gentle, but people out there call her ‘the Ice Queen’ or say she’s cold and emotionless.”

“People who slap labels on others like that are the real jerks,” I said, feeling indignant.

Edward looked surprised and paused for a second. “Honestly, I thought you’d say my mom is a bit distant or cold.”

“Everyone’s got their own personality and way of living. Just because someone keeps to themselves doesn’t mean people should slap labels on them. I just feel sorry for your mom,” I said. Even though I hadn’t spent much time with her, it was obvious she just minded her own business and never hurt anyone. Why should people talk about her like that?

I guess part of why I got so worked up was because someone once called me just eye candy too.

Women really have to learn to tear off the labels others try to slap on them. If you don’t, those labels stick, and before you know it, that’s all people see when they talk about you. It’s just so unfair.