No Wife, No Life Chapter 46

Harper shot her a cold look, a sly grin spreading across her face.

"You really think you're smarter than me? What do you have to compete with me?"

The door was open, and some employees had already caught wind of the drama. They stood back, watching, but no one dared to step in.

After all, it was Harper and Emily—both close to Alex. One word from either of them to Alex could mean trouble for anyone.

Still, whispers floated around as people tried to piece together what was going on.

"I heard Ms. Harper Orsini blocked her contract."

"That's not exactly personal revenge. The contract she signed was clearly problematic. What can someone like her do anyway? She's only good for sitting in an office, stamping papers. If she actually had to do real work, it would be a joke."

Emily had been with the company for a while now and hadn't done anything noteworthy. She just threw her weight around, relying on her position as the chief secretary.

"Yeah, if it weren't for Mr. Lavien backing her, how would she have gotten into the Lavien Group? With her education and background, she's not qualified. Someone like her should keep a low profile. Why make things difficult for Ms. Harper Orsini?"

Harper pressed her lips together and continued, "If you want to take my place and earn people's respect, show your abilities. Don't resort to such lowly tricks."

"Bullshit! When did I ever use lowly tricks?"

Emily was so furious her head was spinning, her whole body trembling.

She knew what people said about her. To them, she was just a pretty face brought in by Alex, all looks and no substance.

Their eyes always held contempt and disdain when they looked at her.

She wanted to prove herself. She finally had a chance and gave it her all, hoping to earn some respect. But Harper had crushed her efforts. Emily was livid.

"Alex doesn't like you. What does that have to do with me? Why are you holding a grudge and targeting me on purpose."

Suddenly, Harper stood up, walked around the desk, and faced her directly.

Their eyes locked, as if trying to burn each other with their gaze.

"Emily, this is a workplace. Do you really need to bring this up here?"

Her smile was mocking, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Fine. Let's clear the air. Do you know how your mother got Brad to sleep with her? Don't tell me it was true love. That's the biggest joke I've ever heard."

Emily's face changed, and she took a step back, her hands clenched tightly.

Her mother, Sable, had been a bar hostess. During a company event, Brad had requested Sable to serve drinks.

Taking advantage of his drunken state, Sable and Brad ended up sleeping together.

Afterward, Brad claimed he was overwhelmed with desire and acted roughly during sex.

That one-night stand resulted in Sable getting pregnant.

She used the pregnancy to threaten Brad, forcing him to divorce his wife and marry her.

Brad, who relied entirely on the Taylor family, wasn't stupid. There was no way he would divorce his wife for a bar hostess.

Sometimes, Brad would argue that Sable had planned the whole thing, drugging his drink.

Emily had always been haunted by this unclear drama. Thinking about it made Emily tremble slightly. How could she openly talk about it?

It was the last thing she wanted to face, the source of her deepest shame and inferiority.

But Harper wasn't done with her.

"As far as I know, he had more than one mistress at the time. There were plenty of women with better looks and backgrounds than your mother. Why do you think he chose her?"

Her words were sharp, each one hitting its mark.

"Don't you know what dirty machinations she used?"

Her eyes were cold, her smile mocking, pressing closer with each word.

"Did she teach you how to drug someone? Or did she give you the drugs to spike my drink at the Orsini Villa? Emily, if you want people to respect you, admit what you've done. Are you too cowardly to own up to it?"

Unable to help herself, Emily took another step back, her eyes darting around in panic, like someone caught doing something wrong.

"No, I didn't. Stop making things up."

Her voice lacked conviction, as if she had lost faith in herself.

Harper's smile grew wider, her eyes dancing with amusement, as if she were discussing something delightful.

"With your mom's background, who knows how many men she slept with."

She stared directly at Emily, her eyes full of disdain.

"Are you even sure you're Brad's daughter? Maybe a paternity test is in order."

Her tone was light but firm.

Her meaning was clear: Sable had slept with some man, had Emily, and then passed her off as Brad's daughter.

The employees watching from a distance lowered their heads, whispering among themselves.

A bar hostess's illegitimate child—how could that compare to the legitimate daughter of the Orsini family?

Especially since the Orsini Group was originally founded by Harper's mother, Alvina.

After Alvina's death, Brad took over the Taylor Group and renamed it the Orsini Group.

Emily's eyes blazed with anger. She clenched her fists, raising them high, wanting to slap Harper to death.

"Enough! Shut up!"

Harper caught her descending arm, her voice cold. "Can you silence the rumors?"

She forcefully pushed Emily's arm away. Emily stumbled back, hitting the doorframe before stopping.

"And by the way, the contract was blocked by Mr. Lavien. If you have a problem, take it up with him. This isn't a place for your nonsense."

She turned, sat back at her desk, and casually sipped her coffee.

"Remember, this is a professional setting. Mind your manners. Calling him Alex all the time is inappropriate."

Emily was so angry she nearly fainted. She glared at Harper, then roughly pushed through the gathered employees and stormed out.

She went straight to the CEO's office, not bothering to knock, and burst in.

Her eyes were red, and she quickly approached Alex, her voice trembling. "Alex!"

She only managed to say his name before tears started falling.

Alex frowned, looking up at her coldly. "What's wrong?"

"Alex, do you still like Harper? Do you not like me anymore? If that's the case, I can leave. I'll give the position back to Harper. It's fine."

Alex's expression darkened, a hint of gloom in his eyes.

"What are you trying to say?"