Ethan finally had a good night's sleep. Their ordeal lasted until the wee hours of the morning, and they finally went to sleep after that. They woke up in the afternoon.When they woke up, they were holding each other tightly.Olivia was disoriented, and she felt like her body was breaking into two. Ethan even said before that he practiced moderation in everything.Back then, he would hold back no matter how strong his desire was. He would even plan the times he could do it every month.It was only now that Olivia realized how strong Ethan's determination was in the past. If he let himself loose, he would make it so that she couldn't even get off the bed.After so much toiling, their bodies had become quite sticky. She felt very uncomfortable because of that."The rain—"Before she could finish speaking, he swallowed up her voice.After another passionate kiss, Ethan finally let go of her. "Good morning, Liv."Ethan was in great spirits after what happened last night. He seeme
The fierce rippling of the water gradually calmed down.Blown by the wind, a flower on the branch gently landed on the surface of the water. Ethan casually scooped it up and put it in Olivia's hair.Olivia glanced at him with displeasure. Then, she skilfully gathered her hair and tied it into a bun."Let's leave as soon as we're done resting. The weather is nice today, so we should take the opportunity to walk as far as possible. You'll need at least a week to get out of this forest," Olivia reminded Ethan."Okay."Ethan brought along the fish he had caught last night. The fish would suffice as supplies for their next stop.After the two gathered their things, Ethan stood at the entrance of the cave with the large hiking backpack on his back.He turned around and glanced at the cave, seemingly a little reluctant to part with it.Olivia stood ahead of him, saying with a cold expression, "Come on, let's get going."It was only then that Ethan returned to his senses. "Let's go."
Olivia stared at Ethan. She thought that he would be mad, and she had already prepared herself for his outburst.Unexpectedly, Ethan sighed. "I see. So in the end, you just want to be a jerk, Liv."In the past, she had gotten too used to being bound. She didn't want to limit herself to any relationship anymore.If they were lovers, she didn't have to take responsibility, nor did she have to tell him anything. Most importantly, she would be able to leave whenever she had to.She didn't have to go through the trouble of discussing the past and the future with him either.It was only then that she realized how peaceful any relationship could be as soon as the responsibility was lifted.How the tables had turned! Ethan remembered back then that Marina insisted that he marry her, but he couldn't let Olivia go. He had once suggested that Olivia stay by his side as his lover.Unexpectedly, a few years after that, he was begging her to give him a place by her side.Even if Olivia were
The sounds of a helicopter rang out in the quiet fishing village. Ethan knew that Brent had arrived to pick Ethan up.But the yard didn't have a space wide enough for the helicopter to land. So, the helicopter was still circling the air, its pilot looking for the best place to land.Olivia bit Ethan's shoulder. "You jerk, it's not over yet.""Liv, you should know how long I can endure, unless …"Olivia recalled how loose Kelvin's mouth was. She just wanted it to end as soon as possible.Turning around, she took the initiative to wrap her arms around Ethan's neck. Biting his earlobe, she gasped lightly. "Ethan, hurry up …"…The helicopter landed on the small square, drawing so much attention that many came over to look. Kelvin hastily went to the farmhouse."How did Mr. Miller get here? Brent, this is the right place, right? You didn't make any mistakes, right?"Brent took off his sunglasses, replying with a cold expression, "No, I didn't.""Young men, who are you looking for
Olivia changed her clothes in the changing room at the airport beforehand. She put on a thick large cap and a mask. No one would be able to recognize her.After Ethan's return was made known, the cars that came to pick him up had formed a long line outside.Before they left the airport, Ethan looked longingly at Olivia. "Liv."Olivia crossed her arms. "Ethan, we've already made a promise to each other. Are you going back on your word now?""No, I just don't want to part with you.""Your position right now isn't stable enough yet. It's not safe for me to be by your side anyway. The best situation is to not let anyone know of my existence, right?"Olivia was more decisive than she used to be.Ethan knew that she was right, but he still felt reluctant to leave her."I know. I'm just—"Olivia suddenly took off her mask. Then, standing on her tiptoes, she planted a kiss on his lips. Ethan reached out, placing his hand on her waist and pulling her in to deepen the kiss.He had pain
Ethan returned to his and Olivia's marital home in the past. Ever since Olivia left, Ethan had moved back in. Everything was maintained the way it had been when she left back then.Ethan had also renovated the baby room from back then. Sometimes, he and Connor would stay here.Every day, Madam Burgess would place some beautiful bouquets on the dining table, awaiting the return of the lady of the house someday.Perhaps because Ethan knew that Olivia was also in this city, the empty house didn't seem that cold anymore.Brent eagerly followed Ethan to the study, reporting recent news to him.One of them caught Ethan's attention. "Did you just say that Golden Shark died? How?"Ethan couldn't possibly let Golden Shark go just like that, but before he could do anything about it, he received news that Golden Shark was done for.Brent showed Ethan the post on the dark web a month ago.In the post, Golden Shark's head stood out a lot. Also, the author of the post had tactics similar to
Olivia smiled. "We didn't get back together."Jack put on an expression that said, "Do I look like a fool to you?"Olivia shrugged. "Alright, fine. We're not remarrying, but we slept with each other.""You're quite honest about that.""I'm a normal woman too. Isn't it normal for me to have certain needs?" Olivia was a little simple and naive around Jack.Their relationship was more akin to siblings than lovers.Jack had helped her a lot through the years, and Olivia had already thought of him as a family member she could depend on.He said that his family was dead, and she didn't have family members either."It's surprising that he's willing to let you go.""He has no choice even if he's not willing to do it. The situation now isn't something he can control."Olivia sat down next to Jack. Then, she elbowed Jack in the chest. "What about you? You're old enough. Don't you have any needs in that aspect? How do you deal with them?"Jack gave her a sideways glance. Olivia raised
Olivia lay on the large bed of about 6.5 feet. A soft mattress cushioned her.Olivia had no idea if she was too excited or elated, but either way, she didn't feel like sleeping at all.She had been living with Ethan for the past few days, so she was already used to his warm embrace.After tossing and turning in bed for an hour, not only was Olivia not sleepy at all, but her mind was even clearer than before.Putting on a coat, Olivia grabbed the keys and went downstairs. She headed for the garage. Not long after, a stylish black coupe sped along the road.…After dealing with problems for the whole day, Ethan glanced at his watch. Rubbing his temples, he returned to his bedroom.He had just opened the door when he keenly sensed the faint alcohol scent in the room.Someone was here!Before he could make a move, a shadow leaped toward him from the darkness.As the familiar scent invaded Ethan's nostrils, surprise and joy colored his eyes. "Li—"The woman had already sealed his
Warren's pale face showed a hint of pleading. "Olivia, we've gotten to know each other better in the past two years. Have you ever loved me?"Hatred was evident in Olivia's cold eyes. "Never. I pray for your death every single second of my life.""I knew it." He smiled at that embittering answer. Karma had always been there. Another sound of a gunshot surprised the birds. A pool of blood splashed over the flowers. Warren stared at the picture on the gravestone. "Mona, I've returned everything that I owe you…"Olivia's gaze alternated between the two bodies. Her heart ached as she began crying. "It's finally over, Mona. Please rest in peace."She had been waiting for this day to come for too long. When the revenge was finally over, she felt hollow on the inside. …Yarrows reached their peak of beauty during the season, dancing along the wind. Willow was chasing after Zack, her bells ringing briskly. He teased, "You can't catch me!"After weaving a garland, Alicia bec
Warren was so blinded by love that he didn't realize that Olivia had spent the last two years setting this up.The moment he saw Olivia nestling in Ethan's arms, he knew that his identity had been exposed since the beginning.It was time to end all of this.Although the Fordham family had won the fight, they sustained heavy casualties. Brandon and Deborah, together with Jacqueline, had hurt and killed countless people. Quinn became a sacrifice, never waking up again despite her young age. Olivia placed a bouquet before Quinn's gravestone. "Rest in peace, Quinn. I'll take good care of the family. Don't worry."The breeze carried a leave before it landed on Olivia's shoulder, as though trying to respond to Olivia.Douglas reunited with the family, and Natalie was finally buried in peace. It was a private funeral, but Mason paid a visit. Mason and Douglas looked at each other. They were both important to Natalie, and they finally met each other after her death. With reddene
"Avery, what happened?" Olivia inquired.She had no clue what was happening and didn't dare to go anywhere close to Louis. The only person who she got close to was Avery."Stay away, Olivia! It's too dangerous!" Avery yelled worriedly. Louis shifted his gaze to Olivia. "My experiment is going to be successful soon. That's Natalie's descendant. She has Natalie's genes in her…"Olivia's eyes widened as she finally realized why Louis had been taking special care of her. Back then, she simply assumed that it was due to her health and talent, but it turned out that he had known her identity all along!The purpose of the human modification project was to resurrect Natalie! The thought of it gave her goosebumps.To think that he had made so many preparations just to resurrect Natalie…Even Olivia was deceived. She took the human modification project at face value; she didn't think much about it! "Let Natalie go, Louis. She's been gone for years. She could be watching us from up
Olivia arrived on the island. She noticed the change in the atmosphere this time around.It was the same old scenery, but the robots that once filled the island to the brim were gone. She expected to encounter some inspection robots upon arrival, but there weren't any.Ships were docking in lines by the seashore, and most of them belonged to private foreigner organizations and mercenaries. People were coming to the island!What happened?Was Louis in danger?Although Louis wished to transform her into a cyborg, she hoped he could live regardless. No matter what field it was, no one would come before an outstanding scientist like him. It would be a huge loss to lose him.Olivia grew worried. "Calm down, Liv. A lot of people came to the island, but I don't think it's a big issue for now," Ethan reminded her.He bet that the ships were loaded with ammunition. Still, the buildings on the island were intact, and nothing seemed to be destroyed. She disagreed, "No, there should
Mason and David had a long discussion by themselves. No one knew what they talked about.But it didn't matter because it was just an extra member joining the Fordham family anyway. That was it.On the other hand, Tatiana was a little worried. If the whole Fordham family were to be added to the family registry, would her children inherit less from the Heath family?Humans were born selfish. When the event actually came to pass, everyone would be thinking about their own benefit. However, the result of the discussion between David and Mason surprised everyone.Even though David wasn't acknowledged as one of the Fordhams, he wasn't planning to change his surname to Heath.He saw himself as a Fordham because his mother married Douglas.Nevertheless, he didn't mind his family being relatives with the Fordham family.Mason was a little disappointed, but he still respected David's decision because he knew how well Douglas treated David's family.Mason asked the Fordham family to sta
Olivia and the others returned to the Fordham family. Everything was going back on track under Avery's management. Sean's leg was recovering well. He could walk like a normal person, and he didn't have to pretend to be a cripple anymore. Troy would need more time to heal, but he was making progress.David clearly seemed better than he was before Olivia left. Everyone could still hardly believe that Jacqueline almost killed everyone in the family all by herself. When Olivia returned, David asked with concern, "Olivia, Avery said that you were cursed. How are you feeling right now?""Don't worry, Dad. I'm all better now. But we think that Jacqueline's dead in the sea," she assured.He hugged her. "It's alright. Your safety is all I hope for."It broke her heart to see how time had chipped away at his physique. It hadn't actually been that long since the family was in trouble. "Any news about Mom's whereabouts?" asked Olivia. "Avery found something, but he's still trying to
Alan brushed it over, but it was enough to leave Wendell in shock. Wendell imagined what kind of life Wayne had led before this. Growing up in a slum where all kinds of people lived… People like them had never really owned anything anyway, so they wouldn't feel the pain of loss…Ever since his wife passed away, Wendell didn't really care much about Alexander's upbringing. Wendell was merely generous when it came to spending money on Alexander. But once he reunited with his son, he realized how much it could hurt to be a parent. If that marriage arrangement was Wayne's wish, Wendell was hell-bent on making it happen.…Olivia was watching the sunset painting colors to the horizon by the seashore. Although Jacqueline was dead, Olivia didn't feel happy, not even one bit. So what if the mastermind was dead? The Fordham family was still in disarray, and no one knew where Shana was.Olivia sighed softly. "You're too young to be sighing like that." Wayne suddenly appeared next
Wendell felt helpless. He was seriously down on luck.Instead of his son, he thought that he had found himself a bossy superior. It was a heartfelt reunion after 30 years of separation, and yet the first thing Wayne talked about was an announcement about his marriage rather than expressing words of concern for his family. If it were any ordinary woman, Wendell wouldn't have minded it. But the person he insisted on marrying was none other than Olivia! She was a divorced woman with four kids!On top of that, Olivia's ex-husband was Wendell's nephew! The divorced couple was somewhat entangled with each other too.Ethan and Wayne were both dear to him. What should he do? Wendell was at his wit's end. Ignoring Wendell's dilemma, Wayne handed him a cigarette. But Wendell refused, "I quit it."Wayne lit a cigarette and squatted on the ground. Instead of a ruler of a land, he appeared more like a construction worker. Wendell massaged his forehead at that. How had his son grown
Wendell had been frail all his life. He never imagined that his biological son would have been missing for so many years. What surprised him more was that Wayne had grown up well despite hardships. Still, there seemed to be something off about this son of his.They were father and son who had been separated for years. Now that the truth was revealed, shouldn't they be hugging each other in tears of joy? Why did Wayne show no joy in reuniting with his father but seemed interested in his identity as the son of the Procter family—or more precisely, the marriage arrangement between the Procter family and the Fordham family?""Son, things are a bit complicated right now. We need to take our time to discuss this thoroughly—""Am I not your son?" Wayne's restless temperament was exactly the same as his mother's. There was no chance of dissuading him. There was only one thing in his head. He felt fortunate that he had run a background check on the ties between both families. Otherwise