Aware that Alan was testing the water, Olivia wore a bright smile. "If I'm deceived, I'll take it as a lesson. People wise up from experiences. I won't easily trust others anymore."He couldn't find anything off from her flawless face. The series of questions stopped as he began giving her a proper tour of the royal castle.They headed closer to Royal Hospital, where a field of herbs was planted. Flowers bloomed into vibrant colors."Falham, our national flower. Those bright petals can be taken as medicine after drying them. The fruits and stems can be eaten too."She hummed in response. "I've heard that, 60 years ago, an invasion caused havoc in Carathia, and soldiers filled the streets. "There was a drought, so the crops died. A lot of people went to the mountains to forage for vegetables. "Falham has a tenacious vitality. It lives through four seasons, and from the petals to the stems, it can be eaten. It sustained a lot of people through that drought. After that, it was b
Alan gave Marvin a kick in the shin. "Stop disturbing her and leave."The pain woke Marvin from his trance. "Sorry! I shall get out of your hair right away! Oh, Alan, why hasn't Dr. Ophelia clocked in for work yet?"No one in Royal Hospital knew what transpired last night. It pricked Olivia's guilty conscience because they truly saw her as a friend."Cut it out! Leave!" Alan urged.Once Marvin was far away from them, Alan turned to face Olivia. "Sorry about that.""It's fine. It's normal to take a person as someone else," she acknowledged and followed him.His brows furrowed. Despite the series of tests, Olivia didn't give the game away. Not even a hint!A pungent perfume permeated the air, reminding him of the distinctive herbal scent coming from Ophelia.Unfortunately, Olivia now gave off a floral scent.Perfume gained wide currency from women. Thus, he couldn't jump to conclusions simply because of a scent.The hospital director, Grant Tanner, welcomed Olivia in person u
Ethan could overhear the conversation. Olivia nudged him by the arm, whispering into his ear, "Henpecked by your wife, huh?""I gladly take that as a compliment." He pulled her into his embrace.His overt advances rendered her cheeks red while he was unbothered.His fingers pinched her cheek lightly. "Why are you still so shy? You're not a kid anymore."Olivia had always been shy when it came to this kind of thing.After all, they kept their relationship under the radar when they first got together. It was never disclosed publicly, so she couldn't get used to it in a short time.Wayne, who walked out of the room, watched the couple share sweet nothings. Ethan said something that made her blush.Wordlessly, Wayne withdrew himself from the crowd.Alan walked up to him and lowered his voice to report."I tested her. She's not Ophelia."Wayne bit a piece of cigarette, his eyes indecipherable. "Are you sure?""Yes. I tested her in many ways, but she didn't show any reflex rea
Ethan was so rough that he didn't even close the window.Keen-eyed, Wayne could see how Olivia was pinned with her hands raised over her head by Ethan from the tower.Red crept up her cheeks, and she craned her neck, all heated by Ethan's touch.He carried her to the bedroom. The night was still young for them.Wayne lit a cigarette. Ethan liked Olivia more than the rumors had it.Acting could be fake, but not the gaze. Ethan's eyes were smitten with love.It was 3:00 pm by the time Olivia woke up. The ruined dress on the floor elicited a frown between her brows. "It was such a pretty dress."Ethan, who smelled like mint after a bath, planted a kiss beneath her ear. "I'll buy you another one. You can buy as many as you fancy.""Really?""From now onward, my time is yours. Let's go. I'll take you to the capital."They changed from their tailored outfits into matching couple sets. He removed his mask. Then, they explored the exotic place with their hands intertwined.When
Ophelia approached Wayne with ulterior motives, but she genuinely saw him as a patient.She even prepared his medicine for him before disappearing. If she were cruel enough to him, he wouldn't have been this unresolved.Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Ophelia's face. Just where on earth did she go?The solemn sky somehow made Olivia restless.She was afraid that something would come up and they couldn't leave Carathia tomorrow.Ethan read through her mind and comforted her, "Don't worry, Liv. I'll take you out of here."It was a rare moment he didn't act up with his naughty hands today.His arms cloaked her with warmth, and sleepiness found its way to her. She closed her eyes, drifting into dreamland.Before the sky brightened, he pecked her cheek. "Liv, time to get up. Let's go home.""Home?" Olivia's eyes shot up as she sprang up from bed. Drowsiness vanished within seconds."Yup. We're going home." He caressed her cheek. "Don't worry. I'm by your side
Wayne dropped the bomb. Ethan could feel the swift change of emotion in Olivia as he squeezed her hand."Friend? I don't recall her having friends in Raka," Ethan replied calmly.She regained her composure. Even if Undecim was in Wayne's hands, betraying the organization was a big taboo in the line.Low-rank assassins might blurt out information under the pressure of threats, but Undecim was an S-rank. There was no way he wouldn't keep his lips tightly sealed.Well, she might've overestimated him, but he didn't know her true identity this whole time. She was cautious.They were partners twice for missions. Friends? They didn't come as close as that.Thus, how would Undecim know her relationship with Ethan?Olivia guessed that Wayne was playing a trick with her.In addition to Ophelia's MIA, Olivia's appearance alone was suspicious enough. As long as she boarded the plane, there was no second chance for Wayne to turn the table anymore.This was his last-ditch effort.As an
Olivia and even Wayne were taken aback by Linus' appearance. What was he doing here?He stood as the pillar of strength and a consoling figure in Arlandia. Why was he away from the country?Besides, Wayne couldn't understand what Linus meant by that, as he thought that Olivia was one of the Fordhams. Even though she was Ethan's ex-wife, the only powerful family she was acquainted with was the Miller family.Astonished, Olivia looked at Linus. "Mr. Linus, what brings you here?"He walked up to her and stroked her head. "I had to handle something, so I stopped by to see you. If I hadn't come over, I wouldn't have known that you were being bullied. Liv, is it this hard for you to mention that you're one of us?"Wayne asked, "She's…"Linus and Ethan stood side-by-side, protecting Olivia behind them. "She's my niece. My father plans to make an announcement soon, but this brat prefers a low-profile life. "Wayne Maxwell, do you think that my family would travel so far away just
That remark brightened Alan up. "You're right! Linus said he had something to handle here, but what is there in Carathia that needs his involvement?"He's obviously here to back Ms. Fordham up! If she's really clean, why would she need such an influential figure to side with her? There's something up with her."Too bad we have nothing to prove that she's Septem. She won't verify her identity out of will." His brows creased.Wayne watched the plane penetrate high up the air, his eyes deep. "Even if we discover that she's Septem, do you think we can do anything to her?"It was undeniable that Olivia had stolen his ring, but he honestly thought that it wasn't a huge casualty—aside from the fact that she played with his feelings.The ring self-destructed, but it wasn't difficult to make a new one anyway.Furthermore, his migraine got better, thanks to her. The good he gained outnumbered the losses!Even if Wayne proceeded with the investigation, there was no way he could lay a f
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