Olivia’s POV:
I was stunned. No, shocked to the core when an expensive looking man waited for me in the private visitor’s lounge in Bedford Women’s Correctional.
“Hello, Olivia.” His teeth were pearly white I swear they could’ve blinded me.
“Hi…I think you have the wrong Olivia…”
He chuckled. “No, I have the right Olivia. You’re Olivia Charleston, right?”
Damn, even his laughter sounded costly. Who is this man? I felt like a lump was blocking my throat so I nodded like a sea lion. With my orange outfit, I might pass as one. He motioned me to take the seat adjacent to his and sat down.
“My name is Harvey Brown. I’m Meredith’s lawyer and executioner.” He extended his hand and I took it but very gingerly. “I heard you’re a free woman tomorrow.”
“Meredith? She’s alive?” I realize that it was an inappropriate question and ignored everything he just said. “I am so sorry…it’s just that…the last time I saw her…she was being wheeled to an ambulance. They said it’s heart attack. I…I haven’t heard from her since…is she okay?”
Meredith is a lovely woman in her 70’s. In my five years inside the correctional, she became my closest friend. We became so close and I treated her like my mother---Meredith was already there way ahead of me. She wouldn’t disclose her case and wouldn’t talk about her family. And I did not press on.
“Unfortunately, no. She lived two months in the hospital and she made sure that this day would come, Olivia.”
“Excuse me?”
“Meredith is dead. It was a peaceful death, she knew it was coming.”
I gasped for breath, “no…”
“You’re a very lucky woman, Liv. She didn’t have anyone. Every time I visit her here, she would always joke that she had to be incarcerated to find a daughter. Did you know that Meredith named you her beneficiary? Though she had one nephew.”
“What?!”
That was how I became 200 million dollars richer plus assets before I left Bedford Women’s correctional. Harvey said I'm a billionaire now. Whoa. Before I went in----I was a nobody. I was my brother’s fallback guy. I took a fall for a crime he and his girlfriend committed. Paul and Miles came from a concert afterparty and hit a pedestrian who was on his way home from work. The family pressed charges because the victim died.
I shouldn’t concern myself with their troubles, but the problem is, Paul was using my car and when the police came, he told me it was me driving the car. Bam! Fifteen years in prison for Olivia Charleston. My sentence was lightened because I was a good inmate. Now that I come to think of it, I think Meredith had something to do with it.
My jaw almost dropped because Meredith would never pass as someone who owns a lot of properties and 200 million in cold cash. She didn’t even own anything luxurious inside and never complained of the hard bed or the unseasoned food.
After my release, the first thing I did was to call my father, eager to surprise him. But as soon as he heard my voice, he hung up. I thought something terrible had happened at home and rushed back.
Just as I reached the door, I overheard my now brother's wife, Miles, complaining, “Of all days, Olivia had to get out today, making me skip my prenatal check-up! Just to rush the transfer of property to Paul. She’s really annoying.”
My mother replied, “It's for everybody’s good. With her prison record, finding a job will be tough for Olivia. And getting married will be even tougher. She might just end up staying here and fighting you for the house.”
Miles snorted, “No. That can’t be. Let her rent a place. I'm not living with an ex-con!”
Listening to their conversation felt like a punch to the gut. My heart ached. My mother used to call me her little sweetheart and Miles----she always said she sees me as her own sister. How did things change just like that?
The door before me was the one I'd dreamed about for five long years. But now, standing in front of it felt like standing on the edge of a cliff. After taking a moment to compose myself, I finally knocked. It’s too late to back down now.
My mother, Naomi Charleston, opened the door, looking surprised. “L-liv, you're back? I was just about to send your dad to pick you up! My…you've lost weight. It must have been tough inside.”
If only I hadn't overheard their conversation, if only her concern had been genuine, how wonderful that would be. I managed a bittersweet smile, “No worries. There’s uber now.”
With that, I stepped inside.
Miles immediately rushed over and sprayed me with alcohol until the bottle was empty. Only then did she look at me. “Please, Liv…don’t take it the wrong way. I’m pregnant and who knows what virus you are carrying from prison?”
She told me not to overthink, but her disdain was written all over her face. It was obvious now that Miles despised me for being an ex-convict, but she must have forgotten why I was there for five years. I went to prison for her and my brother.
Without saying a word, I walked straight to my room. When I opened the door, I found it filled with clutter, and none of my belongings were in sight. “Mom, what happened here?”
She hesitated, looking uncomfortable. “Liv, you've been gone for so long, and the house is small with lots of stuff, and we don’t have storage…so we stored everything in your room.”
“What about my things?” I pressed.
My mother looked down. Her guilt was evident. “They're all gone.”
My heart sank again. “Mom, I was in prison, not dead. You know I'll come back. Was it necessary to clear out all my things?”
When my father, Peter Charleston, heard this from the sofa, he casually said, “Come on, Liv, Miles is pregnant and needs space for baby stuff. The house is cramped. Your things weren't needed anymore, so we got rid of them.”
His words hit me like a ton of bricks. All of a sudden, I felt alienated in my own home.
Olivia’s POV:“Okay…where am I supposed to stay?” I asked.My mother pulled out two hundred dollars and tossed it on the table carelessly as if she were giving money to a beggar. “Here, take this. Find a motel or rent a place. It's up to you.”I forced a bitter smile. “And what about Paul? What does he say about this?”Just then, Paul emerged from the bathroom. Without hesitation, he said, “Of course not. You're my sister. Of course, I'm on your side. If you want to stay here, I'll clear the room for you.”It seemed he still cared about me. I nodded with relief. “I’d like to stay for a while. I missed you guys.”But as soon as I said that, Paul’s expression froze. He stood there, looking at me, but made no move to clean the room. I stared back, puzzled. Did I say something offensive?At this time, Miles walked up to me, her voice sharp. “Olivia, have you lost your mind in prison? How can you be so inconsiderate? Can't you see how cramped the house is? Even if we clear out the room, it
Brandon’s POV:I am Aunt Meredith’s only family and I have high hopes for myself. My Aunt is a complicated person. She married three times and her wealth came from all the marriages that did not give her any children. To this day, she’s Meredith Walton. Her last marriage was lucrative.She was a Pembroke and wealthy in her own right before she married all the ridiculously wealthy men. Until this day, I had no idea how a woman who doesn't have an active social life managed to ensnare three of America's wealthiest. Aunt Meredith's conviction wasn't even disclosed to the public eye. Because she's freakishly wealthy and had connections everywhere---people assumed she was just chilling in one of her many properties in the tropics when, in fact, she was serving time in Bedford Women's Correctional.Her life was pretty scandalous too. But that’s beside the point. My main concern here is who takes over all her assets. Harvey Brown’s secretary smiled at me when I walked into his elegant office
Olivia’s POV:That night, I still couldn’t get that scene yesterday from my head. I have a feeling that it was going to live rent-free in my head from now on.Miles rubbing her belly and speaking to me mercilessly.My father talking as he put out his cigarette and said coldly, “Liv, you're grown up now. It's time you understood the importance of contributing to the family instead of causing trouble.”Each of their words felt like a sharp knife piercing my heart. Despite my overwhelming disappointment, my eyes welled up. I looked at them and said hoarsely, “No wonder you never visited me once during my five years in prison. I thought you were just too busy to see me. But now I see you only saw me as a moneymaker. You kicked me to the curb without hesitation the moment I couldn't make money anymore.”I tilted my head back, fighting to hold back my tears. Then, I asked, “So you're all determined to kick me out today?”“Yes!” They all replied without hesitation.Clearly, there was no room
Olivia’s POV:How I’ve waited for this moment!If not for their cold-heartedness, I might have been drained dry by them and eventually discarded. Their cruelty pushed me to become self-reliant.“Liv,” Miles’ energy shifted. She was now approaching me with her fake smile. “I-if this hotel is yours, why didn't you tell us earlier? Look at the misunderstanding we had just now. If you had told us you were the CEO, we could have happily celebrated your nephew’s celebration together.”Paul nodded repeatedly, as usual. “That’s true, Liv. You kept this a secret too well. Come on, let’s just have a nice family gathering today. You don't know how much we've missed you these past six months. Right, mom and dad?”I raised a brow. “Really? I remember you calling me names, you called me poor, and insisted on kicking me out. Before I forget, who slapped me and called security to throw me out? Oh. It was you. Dearest brother, your way of expressing your longing is certainly unique, isn't it? Damn, yo