Before Olivia could make sense of the situation, Janice had already walked away, leaving Olivia confused. Olivia batted her eyes at Ethan and whispered, "What is your mother thinking?""Come try some authentic Grovale cuisine." Ethan didn't answer her question. Instead, he led her to the dining room. Janice was already seated when they entered. She glanced at their interlaced fingers, and her gaze froze momentarily. Nikki brought over a bowl of soup and saw Ethan pulling out a chair for Olivia. He sat down after Olivia took her seat. Then, he brought the appetizer, which was placed quite far away, before Olivia. If he was just putting on a show as a loving husband in public, why would he do it here when there were no outsiders?There was only one explanation. It was how the two of them interacted on a daily basis, like a regular couple. Looking back at herself, Nikki was trying to curry favor with Janice, but she ended up looking like a cook. She put the soup down and s
Olivia blushed. It was true she ordered a lot of food, but she didn't finish them all. She only took a few bites of each. But her stomach was tiny, and she was bloated after that. Janice rolled her eyes and said, "Don't eat if you're full. The Millers won't go bankrupt because you wasted some food. Even if they do go bankrupt, it will have nothing to do with us." Olivia was stunned. Janice was different from what she imagined. "Sorry, I thought …" Olivia wanted to come clean.Janice finished Olivia's sentence for her. "You thought I would be hard on you, and you won't get to eat much when you're here. So, you filled yourself up before you got here.""Yes, I'm sorry.""No need. I was planning to make things difficult for you."Olivia was at a loss for words. Why was Janice such a wild card? She didn't even know how to respond. "Truthfully, I also ate beforehand because I thought I would lose my appetite at the sight of you. So, if you're full, walk with me."Olivia couldn
Ethan looked at Janice with mild surprise. "I thought you didn't care about us. I didn't expect you to be so well-informed."Janice needed to raise her head slightly to meet Ethan's gaze. She felt a little emotional when she heard that. "You were still the little kid that chased after me in my mind. But you've grown so much."Janice raised her hand to touch Ethan's face, but she stopped midway. She had always had mixed feelings toward Ethan. In the beginning, she hoped that his birth would make the man come back to her. But, all she got was his cruel disregard. That was why she resented Ethan. She had never been a good mother to him. Even as he stood before her, she felt like she didn't know him at all. Janice withdrew her hand awkwardly with a disappointed expression. "You and Leia must detest me. I've never given the both of you any love." "What's the point of saying all this now? He didn't return to you, but you gave birth to his offspring anyway and became a laughings
If anyone else said those words, it would seem cruel or heartless. But, for a woman who threw her three-year-old son down the stairs, it was pretty tame. She didn't even care about her child, much less another person's. In a way, Janice was the same as Kenneth. They only cared about themselves and the one they loved. Nothing else mattered. Janice drew some hair back to her ear elegantly and said, "That kid, she started coming over every other day since two years ago. She would go on walks with me sometimes. "Other times, she would massage my feet. I saw she had nothing better to do, so I kept her around." Ethan was speechless. "I think you're the one who had nothing better to do."He knew his mother wasn't the ladylike type. She was more like a villain. For example, she did a lot of things to hurt the woman Kenneth loved in an attempt to win him back. Naturally, all she accomplished was push him further away, to the point where they got a divorce.She spent a long tim
Ethan's gaze grew intense. "What else do you know?""Judging by your reaction. My guess was spot on. I don't mean anything by it. I just wanted to meet the two of you. But there's something I need to tell you. "People in our family are flawed. We're stubborn and dedicated. Once we fall in love with someone, it lasts for the rest of our lives. It's a double-edged sword."Janice said sincerely, "Both your father and I weren't able to teach you to love. Ethan, I don't want you to follow in my footsteps. "Love is never one-sided wishful thinking. My biggest regret was the things I did to your father. My actions caused permanent trauma to you and your sister." Her words seemed surreal to Ethan. He never imagined that Janice would say something like that. "I'll take good care of her."He paused before saying, "Since you know about Ms. Rosa, can you find something out for me? It's Liv's origins." "Oh?" Janice was surprised. "She isn't Jeff Fordham's daughter. Ms. Rosa is the on
Before meeting Janice, Olivia thought she would be a maniac. After their meeting, she realized she was wrong. Janice was just a poor woman who wasn't able to be with the man she loved. "You weren't stupid, just stubborn."Olivia didn't remember her past, but she was able to relate to Janice's emotions. It was like the same thing had happened to her in the past. "Those are the same thing. In the past, I had been a failure of a mother. Now that I'm older, I've thought things through. "You're luckier than me. You have all his love. You're the most suitable person to wear the bracelet." Olivia's eyes widened in surprise. "So you're not opposed to our relationship?""Why would I be? You're a match made in heaven. But there is something I need to tell you. "Ethan might be an outstanding person, but he grew up in our family. There are serious flaws in his personality. "Others might not be able to notice them. Only the people closest to him would be able to see these flaws."E
The meeting with her mother-in-law went smoother than Olivia expected. She kept staring at the pretty bracelet, which seemed to look prettier with age. She didn't put it on but was examining it closely. She subconsciously felt that the bracelet didn't belong to her. "Do you like it?" Ethan's voice suddenly came from behind her. Olivia jumped in fright. She was too focused on the bracelet and didn't notice Ethan coming in. "Yeah, it looks nice."Ethan picked up the bracelet and said gently, "I'll help you put it on."Olivia pulled her hand away reflexively and said, "Not right now. This is such a valuable piece. I should only wear it to important events. "I'm not in the habit of wearing jewelry, anyway. So I don't want to wear it now."Ethan was stunned, but he didn't call her out. "Okay, whatever you want."Although Olivia was with Ethan every day, she still didn't fall in love with him. She felt some affection for him, at best. Ethan even felt like Olivia was hidin
The following day, Olivia was awakened by the birds chirping outside. The warm sunlight shone on her bed. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the colorful birds perched on the pillars on the terrace outside. Some birds were chirping. Others were tending to their feathers. The sky was blue, and the world looked peaceful. As Olivia was rubbing her eyes, she recalled that she had moved to another country. The climate here was mild and perennially moist. The place was also filled with dense vegetation. It was entirely unlike the often dry and cold weather in Aldenvine.Olivia liked it here. She got out of bed and went to wash up. She felt like she was a princess living in a castle whenever she looked at her surroundings. When she opened the door, she was met with a row of smiling faces. "Good morning, Mrs. Miller."The hearty greeting took Olivia aback. She looked over and saw the maids that were cleaning the windows, mopping the floor, and trimming the flower bushes. The