Ethan stared quietly at Olivia. She hadn't done anything out of the ordinary in the past few days.The most she did was spend long hours at the hospital a few days ago. Jeff was getting weaker by the day. It was only reasonable for Olivia to want to spend as much time with him as possible.For the past few days, she didn't go anywhere outside of the residential area. Everly didn't come over either.She was wearing a beige lace dress. The breeze caressed her face as flower petals danced around her. She was exceedingly beautiful.Ethan realized how gentle Olivia could be when she kept her distance from him.Olivia looked him in the eye from a distance away. She nodded in place of a greeting. Then, she left without even turning back.Ethan felt upset. He had made a decision and given her a promise, but he kept breaking his own rules for Olivia's sake.Seeing that she was about to leave, he stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.Olivia looked at him calmly, then sounded a warning.
The person standing at the door was none other than Chloe. She was once the person Olivia longed the most for, but now, even a glance at her hurt Olivia's heart.Ethan was simply getting engaged. But because of that, Olivia managed to meet all the people she didn't want to see in one go."Liv, just give me five minutes.""You're not getting even five seconds." Olivia's expression was cold.Coincidentally, a neighbor was leaving their house. Olivia didn't want to be criticized, so she had no choice but to open the door and let Chloe in.This was Chloe's first time coming to Olivia's house after returning to the country.If it were before, Olivia would've welcomed her with open arms. But today, she didn't do that. She changed her shoes calmly, then got a glass of water for herself. Her throat was dry."Go ahead."Chloe looked around her. The apartment wasn't too big. She could see the whole place in just a glance."Liv, I heard from Marina that she bought the Fordham residence f
Olivia didn't know how Chris managed to charm Chloe. She thought, "She's already so old, so how can she still be so naive?"She replied, "Why should I bless them? Marina is the reason I ended up like this today. I haven't even made her pay for what she's done to me, but I'm supposed to give her my blessing now? What's the logic behind this?"Chloe said, "I also heard about what happened between you two. Liv, what happened to your child was an accident."Marina also fell into the sea, and she almost ended up like you. But she was fortunate enough to have given birth to the child. You can't blame her."Olivia knew that Marina had been spinning tales in front of Chloe again.No matter what Marina said, Chloe would believe her and reprimand Olivia instead."Mrs. Carlton, your generosity knows no bounds. Have you considered doing charity work?"Chloe said in exasperation, "Liv, I'm sincerely inviting you to attend their engagement ceremony. What's with your attitude? Why are you stil
Olivia had also thought about talking to Ryan these days. She could continue the investigation through his case.But she feared that it might alert the mastermind, so she never took action.She didn't expect Ryan to reach out to her first.Olivia pressed the button to answer the call. "Hello, Ryan.""Ms. Fordham, where are you right now? You asked me to investigate Jodie, remember? I found something!"Ryan's voice sounded anxious, and there was no trace of him faking it.Olivia probed, "What is it?""Jodie's phone! But it's already broken. I remember you being interested, so I'm calling to ask if you want it.""I heard that her original home has been rented to someone else. Her body was found in the ocean. Where did the phone come from? If it's already broken, how can you be sure that it's Jodie's?"Olivia was smart, and she soon found the key point.Ryan thought that she would latch onto the clue without hesitation. He didn't expect her to figure out the flaw so soon.While
They weren't talking in person. But Olivia felt like the atmosphere between them was extremely awkward.Ethan's voice was filled with dissatisfaction. "Is that all you wanted to say?"She had already spoken, so it was too late to take back her words. Calming herself, Olivia said, "Yes. We're not strangers, after all. I feel like I should congratulate you on a day like this."Ethan gritted his teeth. "Thanks."With that, he hung up. Listening to the beeps coming from her phone, Olivia sighed helplessly.He was the one who was getting engaged, but he behaved as if she was forcing him to be engaged. He sounded so reluctant.She wouldn't tell Ethan about this, or it would ruin his engagement ceremony. Not just Marina, but even Chloe would annoy her to no end.Just then, Colin happened to call her. Olivia felt like she had seen the light."Colin.""Good morning, Olivia.""Can you come over and pick me up?" Olivia carefully asked for help."Of course. I'm already on my way. I'll b
Olivia woke up, regaining consciousness. She had a splitting headache. In the elevator, someone had covered her nose and mouth with a drugged handkerchief.The effects of the drug still lingered. Olivia felt weak and sore all over her body.Her eyes were covered with a thick piece of black cloth. She couldn't see any light at all.Her wrists and ankles were tightly bound as well. Tied up firmly, she couldn't move.She was trapped in a narrow space, and she could smell something rotting.She tried to feel around. She soon realized that she was squeezed tightly, and there wasn't much space for her to move around.Soon, she figured out where she was. She was in the trunk of a car.For some reason, she suddenly thought about how Jodie died.Jodie was strangled to death before getting tossed into the ocean. She was only discovered when her body was distorted from all the swelling."Is it my turn now?" Olivia wondered.She must have provoked the mastermind by working at Miller Grou
The cold air dispersed the moldy smell in the trunk. Olivia felt her mind getting a little clearer.She shouted anxiously on purpose, "Who are you? Let me go!"It was true that she was anxious, but she convinced herself to stay calm. Only by staying calm could she spot an opening.Ryan's familiar voice sounded. "Ms. Fordham, you've always wanted to know how Jodie died, right? Why don't I tell you myself?"Olivia felt another piece of rope hanging around her neck. Ryan's voice was no longer the gentlemanly voice he had when they first met.Instead, it sounded like a venomous snake hissing in her ear."She died from getting strangled, just like this. By the way, the expression on her face was just like yours before she died. She kept struggling with her limbs."She wanted to call for help with all her might, but she couldn't even form a complete sentence. She could only look at me in fear and despair. Then, she slowly lost her breath."In the darkness, Olivia's senses were sharpe
The person's voice was deliberately disguised so that it couldn't be distinguished. But when the person tilted Olivia's chin with their fingers, Olivia caught a faint scent of herbs. Olivia had only studied modern medicine, so she had little knowledge of herbal medicine. She wasn't able to tell what kind of herbs she was smelling or even if it was a mixture of several herbs. "Do you plan to kill me?" Olivia asked directly. "Your life is not in my hands." Olivia frowned, confused. She didn't understand what other motive the person would have for bringing her to a place like this. "What do you mean?" Olivia felt more uneasy after she learned that she wouldn't be killed. If they were keeping her alive, it would surely have something to do with Ethan."I'm already divorced from him. I have nothing now. What else do you want from me?" The person's fingers tightened around Olivia's chin. Olivia winced in pain, but she didn't make a sound. "You're a smart woman. I can see why h