The Revenge Donna Hid for Two Decades Chapter 04

The Revenge Donna Hid for Two Decades Chapter 04

I was completely caught off guard by his sudden proposal.

He looked straight at me with a serious expression. “If all of this stubborn resistance is just your way of getting my attention, then I am willing to marry you. We could go register for marriage right this instant if you wish.”

I was left utterly speechless for quite a long while.

“I know my heart will most likely never fully belong to you, but I will faithfully fulfill every duty a devoted husband should.”

I could no longer hold back my irritation. “Show him out at once.”

“Cleo!” Julian frowned deeply. “Must you keep making things difficult for Vera and Vivian?”

“I said show him out!”

Julian wore an expression that clearly thought I had lost my senses, and was soon escorted out of the manor by my personal steward.

I pinched the bridge of my nose tiredly. “If anyone else comes begging to see me from now on, turn them away immediately without hesitation.”

Yet the very next day, one of my subordinates came to deliver another report. “Madam, there is a lady insisting on meeting you outside the gates. She claims to be your biological mother.”

Twenty years had passed, yet the cold indifference in my mother’s eyes remained completely unchanged.

She stepped inside and, just like all the previous visitors, first took in the magnificent scenery and lavish design of my custom-built manor with undisguised scrutiny.

After scanning every corner, she let out a disdainful cold snort. “You’ve truly spent all these years secretly building up your strength just to get back at everyone.”

I had no patience left for beating around the bush. “State your purpose directly if you have something to say.”

My mother fixed her gaze firmly on me. “You laid low for two whole decades solely to seek revenge today, didn’t you?”

I furrowed my brows in displeasure.

She stepped closer towards me. “You are still my own daughter after all. I know full well how much resentment you hold against me.”

Right after those words left her mouth, she knelt down straight on the floor right in front of me.

I stared at her in pure shock. “Mrs. Vance?”

“If kneeling before you can ease your anger, I will gladly do so.” She looked up at me softly. “I still prefer calling you by the name I gave you—Ivy.”

My outstretched hand froze mid-air. “Please address me as Cleo from now on. Ivy died a long time ago.”

Her eyes locked steadily onto mine. “Every single choice I made back then was entirely my own decision. I have never once regretted anything I did, but I am willing to take full responsibility for all my actions. I’m here today to sincerely apologize to you.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “You’re willing to humble yourself to such extremes all just for my younger sister’s sake.”

“Yes, I am.”

I slowly pulled my hand back to my side. “Mother, there has always been one question lingering in my mind all these years that I have never gotten an answer to. Will you finally be honest with me today?”

“Go ahead and ask.”

“You devote endless kindness and charity to countless impoverished children across the globe as a world-famous philanthropist.” My voice choked up with suppressed sorrow. “Why could you never treat your own two daughters fairly and equally?”

My mother fell dead silent on the spot.

I stared at her with tear-filled eyes. “I even secretly arranged for a paternity test once. I am your biological daughter too, am I not?”

My mother hung her head low in silence.

“Say something, Mother.”

“I’m truly sorry.” She lifted her head up again, her tone unwavering and resolute. “But I cannot bear to see Vera shed a single tear or suffer any sorrow.”

I let out a hollow, mocking laugh.

Was it acceptable for me to endure endless pain and grief just to keep her happy?

I rose to my feet coldly. “Please stand up. I will never forgive any of you for what you’ve done.”

“Ivy!”

I remained silent, staring at her with unyielding coldness.

“Cleo…” Her voice was filled with desperate pleading.

I turned to face the large floor-to-ceiling windows. “Show her out.”

Sadness slowly faded from my mother’s face, gradually morphing into deep bitterness, then eventually burning resentment and anger.

She slammed the manor doors shut loudly as she stormed away.

I watched her retreating figure silently through the window before giving my steward new instructions. “Arrange a grand blind date banquet for Theo as soon as possible. Invite all young ladies of fine moral character and suitable age from all walks of life, regardless of their family background and social status. Make sure Vivian is strictly excluded from the guest list.”

The grand blind date banquet was arranged in no time at all. Theo dressed himself in neat, elegant formal attire.

“Do you harbor any resentment toward me for keeping you apart from Vivian?”

“Not in the slightest.” Theo glanced around at all the young ladies gathered in the banquet hall. “I grew up relying solely on you all alone, Mother. I understand I should do my part to uphold our family’s reputation and interests.”

I smiled warmly at him. “I have never once expected you to carry such heavy responsibilities or enter into political marriages for the family’s benefit. You are free to choose whoever your heart truly loves, even if they come from an ordinary family with no prominent status.”

Theo looked over at me doubtfully. “As long as I truly like them?”

“That is exactly right.”

“Are you absolutely certain about this?”

“Without a single doubt. You can even choose someone who isn’t attending this banquet tonight if that’s who your heart desires.”

Hearing my words, Theo suddenly stood up and raised his arm high.

The towering two-tier champagne tower crashed to the ground in an instant, shattering into countless pieces all across the floor.

All the young ladies present screamed in fright and scrambled backward in panic, and splashes of wine even soaked my own clothes.

I lifted my head in shock, only to see Theo firmly clasping Vivian’s hand the moment she stepped through the banquet hall doors.

“I’m truly sorry, Mother. I know how deeply you dislike Vivian. But I have made up my mind, and I am going to marry her no matter what.”

Vivian looked down at me from above with triumphant arrogance, leaning her body intimately against Theo’s chest. “Sorry about that, Ma’am. It seems your words don’t hold all the final say after all~”