"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" The panicked shout accompanied by the banging on the door made Ignazio instantly shield Olivia behind his body. Olivia trembled behind Ignazio; she knew that voice too well, and it truly frightened her. Meanwhile, Ignazio was surprised by the unexpected morning visitor. "U-Uncle? What is Uncle doing here?" Ignazio asked, astonished, addressing his father's younger cousin. "Who's the person behind you, Ignazio?" The man turned back to Ignazio, asking in a low voice that sent shivers down the spines of both Ignazio and Olivia. "This... She..." "Don't hide her from me," his uncle ordered with clenched teeth. "Uncle... she..." Uncle Ignazio approached quickly, gripping Ignazio's arm and pulling him to stand so that the seventy-year-old man could see the person Ignazio was hiding. "How could..." the man asked, eyes wide with shock and glistening with tears. "I-I'm sorry, Grandpa. I beg your forgiveness," Olivia whispered. The girl lowered her gaze with tears
Olivia brought items that she considered important. She packed quickly, putting in her textbooks and her old clothes that she didn't really need to bother packing because they had been stored in the large suitcase her foster brother gave her a long time ago. She deliberately put those clothes back into the suitcase after Granny Claire bought her new ones when she decided to take on the job as an assistant at Kralligimiz. The reason Olivia did this was because she felt that her worn-out clothes didn't go well with the expensive branded clothes that Granny Claire bought for her. Just like her current feelings, feeling unworthy to be alongside Ignazio, whose level she believed was far above hers. Olivia struggled to pull the super-large suitcase. Her small body was not as strong as needed to carry a suitcase that was almost half her height. What was actually making the suitcase feel heavy for her to pull? The books inside that became a burden, or her heart, which was not entirely willi
A party meant a family gathering. And wouldn't that mean Olivia would meet Ignazio again? Or would he not attend the event? Olivia didn't want to think about it. Olivia had dinner in the main house, forced by Ivana. She initially refused to have dinner, claiming she didn't want to risk infecting other family members, but Ivana insisted, saying that Hanna and Liam Watkinson—Ivana's husband—wanted Olivia to be there and eat with them. Olivia lost her appetite even though her favorite foods were on the table. She only spoke when asked, afraid to speak and even to lift her head. Olivia felt guilty and embarrassed, especially towards her foster father who, at that time, didn't say anything and chose to listen to his granddaughter's story. After dinner, Olivia excused herself and returned to the back house. As she sat on a chair outside the house, the sound of footsteps approaching made Olivia tense. Adaline appeared with a hot mug in her hand, smiling and opening the wooden gate, stepp
Part 35"The days that passed felt so long and, one could say, boring. Ignazio's parents didn't talk much when they returned from vacation and realized that Olivia was no longer in their residence. This was in stark contrast to Gianna, who continuously questioned where Olivia was and when the girl would return.Ignazio couldn't provide an answer because he himself didn't know what to say. He even felt embarrassed to face his parents, although both of them didn't comment on anything and could only calm Gianna, explaining that Olivia now lived at Granny Gisna's house because Granny Gisna needed her."There's already Elara, why does Granny Adaline want Olivia too?" Gianna asked innocently."Because Olivia is Granny Adaline and Grandpa Altezza's granddaughter," came the response from Meizar, Ignazio's youngest brother, who came to their parents' residence for breakfast. Meizar's answer made Gianna upset to the point that the little girl pouted."Now, what about Lorraine? She's gone, and O
"So, Lorraine just left like that, and Olivia was suddenly pulled out of work by Uncle?" Zello asked as they gathered in the evening at the bar in Quirino Hotel.Luca sent a message in the group of male cousins, inviting them to gather after work. Only Rayyan and Meizar accepted Luca's invitation, while Geremia was absent due to work. Ignazio, despite not giving any response, attended because he needed to distract his mind."Damn right," Meizar replied curtly. "And I don't know where she is now," he continued, dropping his body onto the back of the sofa.Next to him, Rayyan, stirring his drink, chuckled at Meizar's response, making Meizar look at him with a cynical look.For some reason, Ignazio suspected that Rayyan was behind Lorraine's disappearance, and his cousin knew where Lorraine was but was unwilling to reveal it."But why did Dad pull Olivia out too?" Luca asked Rayyan. Rayyan answered his cousin with a shrug."Olivia is sick," Rayyan replied, causing Ignazio to tense up ins
OLIVIA WAS CONFUSED about how to spend her time. The house was quiet. Altezza was still actively working despite not being young anymore. And Adaline spent her free time visiting the foundation she managed, as well as orphanages and hospitals. Elara, Abigail Fulton's eldest daughter currently living with Altezza and Adaline, was busy with her studies. The only one currently unemployed was Olivia. Her siblings suggested that Olivia could follow Adaline by getting involved in the foundation. However, Adaline and Altezza said that Olivia should stop working for a while and take a break while considering whether she would change her class schedule or not. Because she was bored at home and had no activities—since there were no household chores for her to do—Olivia finally chose to visit Lorraine at her new workplace, Askim Elbise. Olivia felt that she needed someone to talk to, and Lorraine was the only close friend she had at the moment. A girl she trusted the most, who could keep secre
Olivia needed a job, and she knew her adoptive parents wouldn't allow her to return to work if it involved contact with Ignazio. Kralligimiz, Coskun, or Abrisam were clearly on her blacklist. Because all three companies were under the Antony Quirino family, Ignazio's father. But Olivia also couldn't go back to her old job with Luca or Zello. Because if she did, she would be cutting off the livelihood of others who had replaced her position. However, if Olivia wanted to work with Flavia, that would be different. Although Flavia was Ignazio's older sister, she and her husband lived in a different city from Ignazio's family. And Olivia was confident that the distance would be a consideration for her parents to allow her to go. What Olivia needed to think about now was how to communicate this to her parents. Clearly, she needed Falisha's help or her other siblings to ask for permission for her. "Are you sure you want to move?" Lorraine asked when they were alone on the upper floor of A
Olivia's decision to move to Kansas and work with Flavia turned out to be quite right. Ayla's Cake was incredibly busy, either due to orders or the constant stream of cafe visitors. So occupied was Olivia that she had no time for anything else, including thinking about Ignazio. Olivia went down to the kitchen and helped make cakes if the order was for a simple one she could handle. And if the order was for a luxurious cake, Olivia would head down to the cafe and act as a waitress, just as she used to do when working with Luca and Zello. Returning to the employee dorm—her deliberate choice to avoid staying at Falisha or Flavia's residence—she was too exhausted to do anything but lie down and couldn't muster the energy to think. However, now that she had to return to Manhattan for her studies, she felt nervous. Throughout the journey, she kept thinking about Ignazio, wondering how he would react if they met again, either by chance or not. Olivia leaned her shoulder and head against