"If it was money, this girl has lots of it. I was going to give it to you for free without any conditions. Darling, you understand that you might have been under pressure, but I sincerely worry about you!" Vivian huffed as she looked helplessly at her friend, who was driving too calmly.
"Of all the people out there, why did he have to pick you? Do you look that easy to bully?" Vivian grumbled as she pulled her hair frustratingly.
Seeing her friend so angry on her behalf, Briar felt very touched and warm.
Vivian was worried about how the world was going to treat her once the news was exposed. She was once worried about that as well, but now it no longer mattered. As long as the people she loved were on her side, must she worry about strangers?
Briar took a deep breath before turning her head to look briefly at Vivian as she said, "Dear, I understand your frustration, but it's already done. Thank you for worrying about me, but I will manage somehow!" before returning her gaze back to the road.
"How will you manage? Don't tell me you don't know how vile those people are?"
"Hehe, don't I have you? Will you let me drown in those people's spit when you are there?"
"You...!" Vivian speechlessly said as she pointed her finger at Briar, who didn't seem to be taking all this seriously.
Briar grinned teasingly at her friend saying, "Don't get too angry. You will have wrinkles at a young age, and that would be bad for you!"
"You have time to say that to me?"
"Yes, because you are my friend. Besides, don't you think that it's better for me to be his contract wife than some stranger? Do you want to see the kids I painstakingly raise to be mistreated by the new wife?" Briar shamelessly said her plan to brainwash her friend was taking into effect.
Upon hearing that, Vivian, who was about to chide her friend, halted her movements as those words sank in.
During the decade she had known her friend, she knew that she was serious about the kids. She knew that they called her second mother, and it was a joke that came to be with the way Briar treated the kids like their mother rather than a nanny.
Her love for the kids was something that she had envied badly. Thankfully, she became the other's best friend.
Having a stepmother was a very difficult thing for children to experience. She has both a stepmother and a stepfather. Thankfully, they don't live together. Despite not staying together, those two never liked her that much.
It is always hard for the children to deal with situations like that. If they happen to be unfortunate and get a greedy stepmother, then their lives would be doomed.
The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced.
It might be better to let Briar be the temporary mother. At least with her, she would never harm the kids like those venomous women. Was that what Mr. Meyer thought when he picked Briar to be his contracted wife?
If that was the case, then that man's brain was very calculative. No wonder why he was able to bring the MEYER CORPORATION to where it is today.
Briar, seeing Vivian quite like that, smiled triumphantly, knowing that the first step had been achieved. She just needed to continue speaking of the good things about Logan in front of her. That way, in the future, when she confesses that she likes him, Vivian won't freak out.
Where would Vivian find such a considerate friend like her?
Briar's shamelessness truly knew no bounds.
"I guess that makes sense. At least until the kids are of age, having someone who they know is much better than a stranger." What could Vivian say when she had analyzed the matter in such a manner?
Briar grinned as she winked at her friend.
"You see! It's not a bad thing. I get to keep my job, and continue being with the family and also, and I now have a lot of money to spend. Living a life without them, you and everyone else, I can't even imagine!" her voice lowered as she said that.
She was selfish; she knew about that, but who wasn't?
If a new woman was to be brought into the family after all the effort she had put in all these years to fend these leeches away from her man, wouldn't she be the first person to be kicked out?
Women were very scary detectives and their instincts, especially towards what they love.
No matter her disguise, she would be caught before she could do anything. No woman, despite whether the marriage is real or fake, would dare keep a woman who harbors thoughts about her husband.
If Selena hadn't died at that time, she would have been kicked out. Unfortunately, the poor soul lost before she could move a hand, so she won the last round.
If she were to get kicked out, how was she going to hang shamelessly on the family?
How was she going to take care of them and love them forever?
With the thought of some woman taking that away from her, Briar's hold on the steering wheel tightened as her eyes turned red for a moment before returning to normalcy.
"I just worry about your feelings. It will be disastrous if you fall for him. You know how much he loved his first wife!" after going around in circles, Vivian finally said what had bothered her from the very second she heard about the marriage.
Hearing the first wife's nonsense, Briar came out of her reverie as her eyes narrowed at how that woman was still being spoken about, even after being dead for six years.
These people, did they even know the real Selena?
If they knew, they wouldn't dare talk affectionately about her as if she was some angel!
However, that was a secret she was going to keep for as long as she could. Spilling it would mean opening Pandora's Box. How dare she mess with her life?
Briar faked a smile as she looked at her friend as if her thoughts weren't in turmoil and answered, "Who knows what will happen in the future? If I fall for him, it will only mean that he is being a good husband. You know when feelings come, you can't stop them just because you want to!" winking at the other, remembering her friend's love story.
When Vivian heard that, her face flushed as she recalled something as well.
"I guess that's true. Anyway, just be careful. I don't want you to get hurt," Vivian tiredly said, feeling the issue getting out of control.
She couldn't stop it, no matter what. In the contract, her friend couldn't initiate the divorce. If she dared to try, the damages were simply too high even for herself.
Since she is an adult, then just follow the contract. Besides the societal pressure, Mr. Meyer was a good catch. It would be nice if they fell in love for real.
That way, she would be Mr. Meyer's wife's best friend. Connections mattered nowadays, not that she wanted to use Briar.
It was a by-advantage of being associated with Briar if her contract husband and family truly accepted her.
She just hoped, above all else, though, that her friend would be happy no matter what.
And Briar hoped for the same.
With the story straightened out, the two friends began to chat freely about what had transpired in the time when Vivian wasn't around, and the more she listened, the more she smiled.
Although her friend had suffered greatly, she felt relieved that everything was fine at the house.
As long as her husband treated her well, what did she have to worry about?
Briar and Vivian visited the mall and strolled around buying this and that.
Although she purchased some clothes before, having a friend to help her buy more felt much more exciting.
Vivian was engaged and more knowledgeable about relationships. With her help, Briar managed to get some clothing she never thought would buy. However, when Vivian handed them over after buying them and wished her a happy marriage, she could only take them.
After receiving a blessing, why would she reject the gift?
Besides, even if she couldn't wear those now, there were still three years for her to do so.
In the process of buying her own clothes and lingerie, Briar didn't forget her reason for coming to the shopping in the first place. She needed to buy a present for Logan.
Logan's likes were few. He was a working addict, and very rich.
She couldn't buy him clothes. That man wore customized suits from one tailor he had used for years.
She loved bright colors, and he loved dark colors. Besides, buying clothes didn't feel right. As a result, when passing by a certain shop, her eyes light up.
Briar dragged Vivian into that shop and spent quite some time in there, dealing with the issue of the birthday gift.
When they left that shop, a smile was on her face and Vivian's eyes were filled with a complicated gaze.
"Darling, are you sure that this is right?" Vivian asked worriedly as they put the shopping bags into the boot.
Briar grinned at Vivian with a confident smile on her face and responded, "It won't go wrong. Trust me!"
"But_" Vivian wanted to say more, but Briar cut her off before she could and said, "I have been living with the man for over a decade. I won't mess this up, trust me!"
Vivian, hearing that confident tone, could only accept what was on the table and nodded her head, "Fine. It better work, otherwise ....." she didn't need to finish as they both understood what the consequences were.