Olivia opposed Mason's suggestion without a second thought. "Grandpa, if I was interested in him, I wouldn't have run away from him. I don't plan on getting married again.""Fine." His eyes lost their glint to disappointment, but he didn't force her. "Alright, I won't force you. I just hope you can be happy every day. Don't forget about the party tomorrow. Do you like the gown?""Yes, it's pretty. I have a request about this, Grandpa. I don't wish for the kids to join.""You have a point. We have to protect the kids.""Grandpa, I don't know if that person would choose to make a move tomorrow or not. She hates me with her guts. She'll never miss the chance to kill me."Mason put his paintbrush down. "Don't you worry, child. Her appearance is exactly what I'm asking for. If she has the nerve to come, I'll make sure she won't be able to return in one piece. I've told Linus to tighten the security."She sighed. "It's highly possible that she's related to my real family. Grandpa, do y
Unlike Olivia, Molly wasn't in a good mood.Molly ran to Olivia. "Olivia, Yale didn't return last night. I don't feel good about this."Olivia knew exactly why Yale didn't return home. He didn't want to worry Molly with his appearance after getting beaten up by Gordon."New Year's coming soon. It's not just Yale; Ethan is busy too. Don't worry, Aunt Molly. Look at Uncle Linus. He works overtime every day, doesn't he?""But—""No buts. What you have to do now is get a good rest and get some skincare glow-up. Someone will come over at noon for your hairdo. You're the main character today. You should be all dolled up."Molly was older than Olivia by a few years, but she appeared like the younger one in front of Olivia. Olivia had to comfort her like the elder one."The guests are prominent figures. How could we let them see a haggard Ms. Heath? Before this, Krystal always looked at others with her nose up high, so you have to show them what you got. From today onward, you'll be Ms.
Compared to Molly's awkwardness, Olivia appeared rather relaxed.There were some familiar faces among the well-dressed guests. They were Jeff's old friends.The moment they saw Olivia, they were a tad puzzled. Although it had been years since they last met, they could recognize her at one glance."Olivia?" One of them approached her.Olivia had a deep impression of Tyrell Monroe. He had set up the Fordham family before.Jeff had invited Tyrell to his home for project discussions many times before, and they called themselves close friends.When the Fordham family was announced bankrupt, Olivia needed money to pay Jeff's hospital bills. The helpless Olivia reached out to Jeff's acquaintances one by one to borrow money.Forget about borrowing money, all of them rejected Olivia because they didn't have the nerve to offend the Miller family.Jeff's closest friend was Tyrell, so Olivia went to Tyrell's place with confidence, only to be shunned.Left with no choice, she knelt by the
Back then, the Fordham family was quite well-known in Aldenvine. Many pitied them when they suddenly announced bankruptcy.After that, Olivia disappeared as well. If no one brought the family up, everyone might've soon forgotten about the Fordhams.That family was the water cooler talk for a long while. It was a mystery how Jeff offended Ethan, leading to the Fordhams' downfall. It was a heart-wrenching story.People wouldn't bring this up on this occasion since they had to maintain their pride.However, Olivia's remarks had raised Tyrell's hackles. As someone who had retired from a high position, he was held with high regard everywhere he went. Now that Olivia had embarrassed him, he wished he could do something to regain his pride again.Considering how Jeff was someone beneath his station in the past, he perceived Olivia as a mere small fry.He simply assumed that she was all puffed up because of his initiative to approach her.The higher one climbed the ladder, the lower
In fact, Olivia would've forgotten about the issue if Tyrell hadn't brought it up.It was already in the past.She could understand his stance. He was simply protecting himself, so she had never thought of revenge.However, the Monroes had life so easy these years that they had forgotten what kind of place this was.Tyrell was now picking fault with her simply because she ignored his facade. Since he wasn't giving in, Olivia figured that there was no need for her to back down. "Uncle Tyrell, you were a member of the Bureau of Land and Resources when you first met my father. "Back then, you tried to earn favors from him because you wanted to climb higher. It was thanks to my father that you were able to become the head of the Municipal Planning Bureau."I don't wish for you to remember my father's goodwill. When my family went bankrupt and he was in the hospital in need of money for surgery, I visited your place. You were at home, but you chose to avoid me."I can understand t
Calista had never liked Olivia during their school days. Calista would make comparisons in everything they did.After discovering that Calvin liked Olivia, Calista took it further by putting herself at odds with Olivia.Calista joined Marina's side because she wanted to win Marina's favor.Back then, Olivia was aware that Calista and Marina had put their feet in their mouths.Still, even if it wasn't for Calista, someone else would've done it. Things would've ended up the same as long as Jeff learned about Chloe's death.The news of Calista's family's bankruptcy didn't make Olivia feel any better. But Olivia didn't make it worse for Calista either.Olivia later learned of Calvin's marriage, but she didn't show up for safety reasons.Calista and Calvin strode over with interlocked arms. She didn't wear the haughty expression she always did in the past. She looked more mature now.Neal's eyes showed contempt. "Other than the daughter of the fallen Fordham family, who else could s
"It's been a while." Olivia remembered the time Calvin helped her, hence the approachable attitude.Now that Olivia was so laid-back talking to others while ignoring the Monroes, Millie spouted meanly, "You do know a lot of men, Ms. Fordham. I wonder who you came with today."Olivia faintly smiled in response. "Why must I come with a man? Can't I come on my own? Are you perhaps self-projecting? You rely on man to climb higher and so you expect others to be the same."Millie noticed that Olivia came empty-handed. There wasn't a bag, let alone an invitation. "Are you here to catfish others? Ms. Fordham, do you know what kind of party this is?"The ladies began whispering to each other. Although the men kept quiet, their eyes on Olivia weren't friendly. "Who said that she doesn't have an invitation? She came with us. We were classmates." Calista stood up for Olivia.Olivia was slightly surprised to see Calista defending her.Still, it was a feeble statement to sell to the bystande
Mason waved his hand nonchalantly. "Relax, everyone."His gaze landed on Olivia, and he realized that she was the center of the limelight. "Did something happen?"Tyrell interrupted, saying, "It's nothing big. It's not worth bringing it up. Mr. Heath, don't you have good news to share with us?"Ethan's brows were slightly furrowed. When he came, he clearly saw some people pointing fingers at Olivia. However, he didn't say anything since Mason, someone elderly, was around. Ethan was mature enough to know how to behave.Mason first observed the crowd. Considering how everyone had taken an interest in Molly, he took the liberty to answer Tyrell.He beckoned her over, "Molly, come here."It was quite nerve-wracking for her. She noticed the Kingstons in the bunch. Their eyes no longer held disgust. As for the rest, the majority were strangers to her. Under those watching eyes, she clutched her dress nervously.Mason took the initiative to hold her hand. "New Year's is coming. Oth
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