Olivia didn't beat about the bush. "Grandpa, what are you going to do with Aunt Molly and Yale?"Mason gave her a fleeting glance. "Did you come as the middleman?""I'm a woman, and I've gone through a lot. Yale has indeed been involved in many awful deeds, but he did all those for Aunt Molly. Her body is weak to begin with. If they break up, I'm afraid…"Grabbing a paintbrush, Mason continued painting. "Do you know what I told the two men that night?""I can't read your mind.""I have two conditions for Yale. First, it's to cut ties with the Kingston family.""He has fulfilled that."A meaningful smile appeared across his lips. "How naive. To cut ties for real is easier said than done. Other than the blood running in their veins, it takes many other factors into account. Even if he wants to leave them for good, they won't grant his wish.""What's the second condition, then?" If the first was that difficult, the second one should be definitely on another level."Molly can marr
Olivia opposed Mason's suggestion without a second thought. "Grandpa, if I was interested in him, I wouldn't have run away from him. I don't plan on getting married again.""Fine." His eyes lost their glint to disappointment, but he didn't force her. "Alright, I won't force you. I just hope you can be happy every day. Don't forget about the party tomorrow. Do you like the gown?""Yes, it's pretty. I have a request about this, Grandpa. I don't wish for the kids to join.""You have a point. We have to protect the kids.""Grandpa, I don't know if that person would choose to make a move tomorrow or not. She hates me with her guts. She'll never miss the chance to kill me."Mason put his paintbrush down. "Don't you worry, child. Her appearance is exactly what I'm asking for. If she has the nerve to come, I'll make sure she won't be able to return in one piece. I've told Linus to tighten the security."She sighed. "It's highly possible that she's related to my real family. Grandpa, do y
Unlike Olivia, Molly wasn't in a good mood.Molly ran to Olivia. "Olivia, Yale didn't return last night. I don't feel good about this."Olivia knew exactly why Yale didn't return home. He didn't want to worry Molly with his appearance after getting beaten up by Gordon."New Year's coming soon. It's not just Yale; Ethan is busy too. Don't worry, Aunt Molly. Look at Uncle Linus. He works overtime every day, doesn't he?""But—""No buts. What you have to do now is get a good rest and get some skincare glow-up. Someone will come over at noon for your hairdo. You're the main character today. You should be all dolled up."Molly was older than Olivia by a few years, but she appeared like the younger one in front of Olivia. Olivia had to comfort her like the elder one."The guests are prominent figures. How could we let them see a haggard Ms. Heath? Before this, Krystal always looked at others with her nose up high, so you have to show them what you got. From today onward, you'll be Ms.
Compared to Molly's awkwardness, Olivia appeared rather relaxed.There were some familiar faces among the well-dressed guests. They were Jeff's old friends.The moment they saw Olivia, they were a tad puzzled. Although it had been years since they last met, they could recognize her at one glance."Olivia?" One of them approached her.Olivia had a deep impression of Tyrell Monroe. He had set up the Fordham family before.Jeff had invited Tyrell to his home for project discussions many times before, and they called themselves close friends.When the Fordham family was announced bankrupt, Olivia needed money to pay Jeff's hospital bills. The helpless Olivia reached out to Jeff's acquaintances one by one to borrow money.Forget about borrowing money, all of them rejected Olivia because they didn't have the nerve to offend the Miller family.Jeff's closest friend was Tyrell, so Olivia went to Tyrell's place with confidence, only to be shunned.Left with no choice, she knelt by the
Back then, the Fordham family was quite well-known in Aldenvine. Many pitied them when they suddenly announced bankruptcy.After that, Olivia disappeared as well. If no one brought the family up, everyone might've soon forgotten about the Fordhams.That family was the water cooler talk for a long while. It was a mystery how Jeff offended Ethan, leading to the Fordhams' downfall. It was a heart-wrenching story.People wouldn't bring this up on this occasion since they had to maintain their pride.However, Olivia's remarks had raised Tyrell's hackles. As someone who had retired from a high position, he was held with high regard everywhere he went. Now that Olivia had embarrassed him, he wished he could do something to regain his pride again.Considering how Jeff was someone beneath his station in the past, he perceived Olivia as a mere small fry.He simply assumed that she was all puffed up because of his initiative to approach her.The higher one climbed the ladder, the lower
In fact, Olivia would've forgotten about the issue if Tyrell hadn't brought it up.It was already in the past.She could understand his stance. He was simply protecting himself, so she had never thought of revenge.However, the Monroes had life so easy these years that they had forgotten what kind of place this was.Tyrell was now picking fault with her simply because she ignored his facade. Since he wasn't giving in, Olivia figured that there was no need for her to back down. "Uncle Tyrell, you were a member of the Bureau of Land and Resources when you first met my father. "Back then, you tried to earn favors from him because you wanted to climb higher. It was thanks to my father that you were able to become the head of the Municipal Planning Bureau."I don't wish for you to remember my father's goodwill. When my family went bankrupt and he was in the hospital in need of money for surgery, I visited your place. You were at home, but you chose to avoid me."I can understand t
Calista had never liked Olivia during their school days. Calista would make comparisons in everything they did.After discovering that Calvin liked Olivia, Calista took it further by putting herself at odds with Olivia.Calista joined Marina's side because she wanted to win Marina's favor.Back then, Olivia was aware that Calista and Marina had put their feet in their mouths.Still, even if it wasn't for Calista, someone else would've done it. Things would've ended up the same as long as Jeff learned about Chloe's death.The news of Calista's family's bankruptcy didn't make Olivia feel any better. But Olivia didn't make it worse for Calista either.Olivia later learned of Calvin's marriage, but she didn't show up for safety reasons.Calista and Calvin strode over with interlocked arms. She didn't wear the haughty expression she always did in the past. She looked more mature now.Neal's eyes showed contempt. "Other than the daughter of the fallen Fordham family, who else could s
"It's been a while." Olivia remembered the time Calvin helped her, hence the approachable attitude.Now that Olivia was so laid-back talking to others while ignoring the Monroes, Millie spouted meanly, "You do know a lot of men, Ms. Fordham. I wonder who you came with today."Olivia faintly smiled in response. "Why must I come with a man? Can't I come on my own? Are you perhaps self-projecting? You rely on man to climb higher and so you expect others to be the same."Millie noticed that Olivia came empty-handed. There wasn't a bag, let alone an invitation. "Are you here to catfish others? Ms. Fordham, do you know what kind of party this is?"The ladies began whispering to each other. Although the men kept quiet, their eyes on Olivia weren't friendly. "Who said that she doesn't have an invitation? She came with us. We were classmates." Calista stood up for Olivia.Olivia was slightly surprised to see Calista defending her.Still, it was a feeble statement to sell to the bystande