The Mysterious Billionaire and His Substitute Bride (Ethan and Janet)

"A spare? Bullshit! Miss Turner had always been the best to me, and only me!" Vivian didn't even look at the document. She cursed Janet, eyes fiery with rage.

Janet could sense Vivian was on the verge of breaking down and was amused. "Talk once you've read it."

In front of Vivian were numerous photographs of orphans, as well as group photos of them with Charis. There were gifts she was way too familiar with. Dolls, dresses, and building models. All were the same as she had received before. Even the content of the letters sent by Charis was almost identical, only the receiver's name was different. These letters were just cheap copies.

"It's impossible. It's impossible. These are falsified. The photos were edited. You are lying to me. You..."

Janet raised her hand and slapped across Vivian's face.

The sound of the slap boomed in the room, so loud that it extinguished Vivian's agitation.

Vivian turned her face to the other side due to the force. Pulling her trembling hand away, Janet sat and said, "I hope that wakes you up. Charis treated those orphans nicely not because she cared. She simply wanted them to work for her. You are just the most naive one. Some children were smart enough to notice the weirdness and gradually distanced themselves from Charis. You were the only one who kept getting closer to her."

Jeremy's words suddenly echoed in her mind. Charis was not a simple woman. She could even

poison Brandon to erase his memory so that he would stay with her.

Vivian's eyes became bloodshot. She warily eyed the documents Janet brought and then suddenly shouted violently.

Vivian looked feral, as though she had lost her mind. Watching her outburst made Janet sneer. "The one helping you should have known this for a long time, yet they hid the truth from you. They're also using you. Now you can't even protect yourself. Do you still want to cover for them?"

Even Johanna was able to investigate it for Janet, which meant this information wasn't hard to find.

"Did anyone order you to do all those things or not?" Janet's voice raised. She pounded the table.

Vivian's head hung, hiding half her face in the shadow. "Yes," she mumbled, seemingly in a trance. "Who gave you the orders?" Janet asked, fully invested now. Her efforts were paying off.

No response came from Vivian. Either she didn't hear it or didn't desire to speak at all.

"Vivian! Speak up!" Janet got up, about to walk over to Vivian when the door suddenly opened.

"Mrs. Larson, will you excuse me?" the woman sad in a dignified voice. Pushing past Janet, she made her way to Vivian and slapped her in the face.

Both Janet and Vivian were stunned.

It was Catherine.

Surprise was written all over Vivian's face. She looked at Janet helplessly. "Why is my mother here? You told them, didn't you? You vicious bitch!"

"I didn't..." Janet was as clueless as Vivian. What was going on?

Just then, a calm and elegant voice registered from the door. It was Johanna! "I'm the one who informed the Turners. How dare you call my daughter a bitch? I'll cut off your tongue!"

The discontented look on her face made Johanna's aura more imposing. She walked inside, like a tigress ready to pounce on an enemy. No wonder she once managed to dominate the business world at Barnes.

Janet wasn't expecting to see her mother here. She felt embarrassed and helpless all at once. "Mom, you didn't have to get involved in this. Didn't I say that I would handle it myself?"

"I'm just worried about you." Johanna held her daughter's arm, shielding her away with her body. Her eyes then zeroed in on Vivian, sharp and taunting. "I won't allow anyone to hurt my daughter. Vivian, I hope you know you went against one of the oldest families in Barnes and not just Janet."

"You..." Vivian's teeth dug into her lip. She swallowed back the words she wanted to say. Janet and Johanna looked so intimate it made her stomach churn. A rush of emotions mixed inside her, one of them being jealousy.

"Mom? How dare you call me mom? Hearing you call me that made me sick!" Anger took over Catherine, overshadowing her usual elegance.

She felt exploited by Vivian and it intensified the anger and remorse that was filling her chest. "You could have had a loving family. Luke and I had treated you like our own blood. Yet, you fooled us. And I wouldn't have known any of it if not for Johanna. You kept us in the dark this whole time!"