Chapter 186

Millie turned and saw Nicole, her mother.

She froze, uncertain of what to do.

The last time she had visited Nicole at the hotel,Nicole had asked her not to come again.

Over the years, Millie never quite knew how to approach her. Even though Nicole was her mother by blood, too much stood between them after James died.

After a pause, Millie spoke. "Mom."

Nicole glanced at her, gave a small nod, and stepped inside with a gift basket. She placed it on the bedside table.

"I'm here to see Ari," she said.

Millie nodded, pulled out a chair for her, and then turned to Ari, searching for a way to begin the conversation.

Before she could say anything, Ari called out brightly,her face lit by a cheerful smile. "Grandma!"

Nicole smiled back. "What a sweet girl!"

She began chatting with Ari, and Millie watched with a sense of disbelief.

She had never expected Nicole to come see Ari willingly.

After all, the mother and daughter had drifted apart after everything that had happened between them back then.

Ari laughed, clearly enjoying their talk.

When the conversation wound down, Nicole looked at Millie.

Millie understood and guided her to the smal balcony. Ari stayed behind, happily distracted with her toys.

From the balcony, they could still keep an eye on Ari while speaking privately.

"The adoption proceedings should be finalized soon," Nicole said.

Millie nodded. Her heart picked up pace, but she couldn't think of a response.

"I went to see him a few days ago," Nicole said after a moment.

Millie frowned. She knew who Nicole meant.Hayden.

The last time Millie herself had seen him was the day he was sent to prison.

Nicole went on. "I found out something. After thinking about it, I decided you should know."

"What is it?" Millie asked, puzzled.

"Brandon visited him twice lately. The first time was right before your divorce was about to be finalized.The second was on the day of Ari's surgery," Nicole said, watching Millie closely. "Have you really moved on from Brandon?"

Millie looked at her. Nicole's face still held faint traces of the beauty she once had,though hardship had softened them. This was the first time in a while she had said something that sounded like a mother speaking to her daughter.

Millie nodded. "I've moved on." She paused. "And I'm starting a new relationship."

Nicole didn't look surprised. "With Myron Elliott?"She must have seen something online.

"Yes," Millie replied.

Nicole gave a quiet nod.

"Do what feels right," she said. "I've told you what l came to say. I'll head back now."

Millie nodded and walked her to the door. After a moment's hesitation, she hurried to her bag, pulled out all the cash, removed her jewelry, and handed them to Nicole.

Nicole looked down at her hand, and then up at Millie.

Millie kept her head lowered and said nothing.

After a long pause, Nicole took the items without a word and walked away.

Millie watched her go.

This had always been their dynamic. Along with cash and jewelry, Millie had also given Nicole a card she occasionally topped up.①

Aside from the rift caused by Hayden's imprisonment, their relationship had remained distant.

Even so, Millie appreciated Nicole's help with the adoption paperwork.

Time moved quickly. Two more days passed.

Millie was having a meal with Ari when her phone buzzed.

A notification appeared. "Re-recorded version of 'Glimmer of Love' is released."

A re-recorded version?

Millie didn't know what had changed, so she tapped it open.

She saw the updated credits.

Before, it had read- "Glimmer of Love. Singer:Vivian. Lyrics: Vivian. CComposer:Vivian."

Now it said- "Glimmer of Love (Re-recorded Version). Singer: Vivian. Lyrics: Vivian / Eva.Composers: Vivian/Eva."①

There were only smnall changes. A few words in the lyrics. A brief shift in the composition.

The song still sounded much the same.

Millie found it amusing. What was Vivian trying to do?

Evans Entertainment had already completed the copyright registration to sue Vivian. The songwriting credit had been under Eva's name alone.

Everything related to the song-its performance data, Vivian's past statements, legal documents from Evans Entertainment-had been properly notarized and filed with the court. The evidence was secured.Even deleting anything wouldn't change that.Adding Eva's name now-did Vivian think that would somehow fix things?

They hadn't filed the lawsuit against Vivian earlier simply because they were waiting for the mini-series -Love of Vivian-to launch. A bigger payout was more likely after that. It had never been about lacking preparation.

Vivian posted a message on her social media. "The earlier version I recorded felt immature. It had many flaws. I've since trained with a vocal coach and created a re-recorded version. I hope everyone enjoys it."

Millie didn't care about the re-recording itself. What caught her attention was how Vivian planned to explain the new credits.

Clearly, she wasn't the only one curious. Online discussions had already begun.

"Who is Eva? Why is there a second name on the lyrics and composition?"

"| thought Vivian wrote it all herself. Who's this Eva?"

"Can someone explain why the credits changed?"

Someone eventually replied with an explanation.

"Eva is the musician who helped with the re-recording," the user wrote. "The changes are small.Just a few tweaks to the lyrics and composition. The new version was recorded at Evans Entertainment's place,and Eva works there."

With that, people seemed to understand.

"So Eva helped with the re-recording and Vivian added her to the credits? Vivian is so kind!"

The online conversation continued. Some thought Eva was taking advantage of the situation. Others praised Vivian for her generosity.

Millie was surprised by how people reacted.

The story made it sound like Vivian had done most of the work. Eva's name was there as a courtesy.

This spin worked in Vivian's favor. It painted her as gracious and uncompetitive.

A clever move, indeed.

Still, Vivian probably hadn't expected how prepared they really were.

Just then, the phone of Eva buzzed with a call.

It was Vivian calling.