Regretful Tears Won't Bring Her Back novel Chapter 121

"She admires you and has feelings for you. It's natural for her to feel hostility toward me. She simply bumped into me when she rushed over and said some half-hearted words. She ignored my contributions just to get closer to you in front of me. She has no real impact on me," Liesel continued.

"She's just a naive student. How could she possibly insult me? You're the one who's gone too far."

A sharp glint flashed in Liesel's cold eyes as she fixed her dissatisfied gaze on Jacob.

Jacob looked at her impassively and gave her space to explain.

Liesel seized the opportunity and calmly said, "You know everyone was watching her. They were waiting for her to be humiliated and forced to flee. They were waiting for her to be crushed by your disdain. Just as they expected, you responded with cold, harsh words. Maybe you don't care, and maybe she won't affect you, but your actions could ruin her life."

Vivian hadn't actually done anything wrong. She was bolder and more calculating than the others, but she hadn't crossed any lines. She didn't scheme or try any underhanded tricks.

She simply presented her impressive financial research and tried to connect with the person she admired. She was as straightforward as she could be.

"You're so harsh with her because you don't care about her. You can't empathize with her. You don't know what she'll face—or maybe you do, but you don't care."

Jacob's expression grew darker. "You should know I did it for you," he said.

Liesel slightly shook her head and replied, "No, you didn't do this for me. If you did, I can confidently tell you that she hasn't hurt or affected me. The person who has hurt me is your lover, Natalie. Everything about her hurts me."

She continued, "Her very existence hurts me. Her selfishness hurts me. Her hypocrisy, her greed, her constant competition—they all hurt me. It's Natalie who has been wounding me all this time.

To Liesel, what Vivian did today was inconsequential. It was laughable to think of hurting someone over such a small matter.

"This matter ends here," Liesel said. Her gaze fell on Vivian's name which was written on the cover page of the notebook.

"She's talented and will likely become one of my future employees. Don't harm someone I value."

She was defending Vivian.

Jacob's gaze remained cold, though a flicker of emotion stirred within their icy depths. He looked at the distant Liesel and swallowed hard. After a long silence, he finally said, "I won't do anything to her. You have my word."