Olivia raised her gaze to meet eyes with Ethan, who was standing by the door.He hadn't changed into his pajamas before sleeping, so his shirt was crumpled with some undone buttons.He leaned against the door frame lazily. His disheveled hair didn't stop him from looking handsome as always.Olivia was feeling guilty. She wasn't able to completely cut ties with Ethan.In addition to his unappeased anger during the day, she thought of the people from the island and was scared."I-I couldn't sleep," she explained anxiously while he slowly came up to her.She was sitting on the floor, and the light cast his shadow over her.Judging from his clear eyes, he appeared to be sober. His dark eyes carried zero emotions, so she couldn't read his mood.Olivia hastily placed the documents into the safe while stammering on her words. "I was s-simply looking around."He held her wrist tightly.Her chest tightened, and her instincts prompted her to beg for mercy. "I was wrong. I shouldn't h
Olivia was stunned for a moment. When she finally pulled her senses back, she pushed Ethan away.The fact that he had touched another woman disgusted her. That was the sole reason behind her instinctive reaction.However, he held the back of her head and deepened the kiss, rendering her defiant action in vain.Frowning, she wanted to bite him only to find that he was pinching her cheeks.Men were inherently stronger than women when it came to strength. Thus, she had no choice but to yield to him.When Olivia thought she was going to suffocate to death, Ethan finally let her go.She glared at him with reddened eyes like an angry bunny.His eyes darkened. "What's wrong? Am I not allowed to touch you?"Before she could respond, he pinched her cheeks harder as he stared at her icily.Her brows knitted at his psychopathic acts.She attempted to pry his fingers off. "Release me! If you're sexually frustrated, you can go to Marina. She's your fiancée.""Olivia Fordham, it seems lik
"A deal?" Olivia looked at Ethan, confused.She had nothing to offer him, so how was she supposed to make a deal with him?The cramped space made it difficult for her to breathe. Even her back was sweating due to the heat.Ethan bent over slightly. The water droplets dripped on her cheek from his strand of hair, leaving a cold stain on it."Stay by my side, then I'll wipe the slate clean with the Fordham family," he proposed sternly.His proposal repeated in her head before she asked calmly while meeting his eyes, "Stay by your side as what?"He paused momentarily. "I can give you anything aside from the title of Mrs. Miller."She said clearly, "So you want me to be your mistress?"The disgraceful word displeased him.He kneaded his eyebrow while explaining, "Aside from a title, we can get along like how we did in the past.""The past …" She chuckled.Olivia was aware that she should be the meek party in order to win some favor for herself from the negotiation.However, his
Olivia shut her eyes. She was prepared for the slap, but the expected pain never came.By the time she opened her eyes, he walked away while holding the gray suit she had chosen.He slammed the door shut with a loud thud, leaving her alone in the room.She slid onto the floor as her knees became weak.A moment ago, she was so livid that she didn't realize she was sweating.Her body was trembling, too. But she didn't know if it was out of anger or fear.Ethan's gaze was so frightening that she thought she was never going to make it until tomorrow.It was her first time reprimanding him ever since they got together. She bet she was the first person to do that to him.She patted her chest. Her racing heartbeat wasn't able to calm down until now.A few minutes later, Madam Burgess rushed into the bedroom. Looking at Olivia's pale face, Madam Burgess sighed. "Mrs. Miller, what did you do? I've never seen Mr. Miller this angry before."Olivia finally regained her composure. She t
Madam Burgess, who noticed Olivia's pale face, quickly set her phone aside. "Madam Burgess, why are you reading that?"That picture is an eyesore. You should look at heartthrobs in entertainment to make your day."I heard that there's a newly debuted idol group called XO. The way they twist their waists is really hot."Olivia, who was in a bad mood, chuckled at that. "You know this kind of stuff?"Madam Burgess placed her hand on Olivia's shoulder. "Mrs. Miller, people can never be perfect."We learn what's right or wrong through mistakes. We shouldn't punish ourselves because of others' mistakes."Olivia was surprised to learn that Madam Burgess was actually on her side.Madam Burgess continued, "If Mr. Miller divorced you, he could divorce Marina in the future, too."Give yourself some time. It's—""I know. Prepare the ingredients. I'll make dinner tonight for tonight," interrupted Olivia, as she didn't want to hear the rest.Madam Burgess' eyes lit at her rare attempt to
No one knew Ethan's favorites better than Olivia. Thus, it should be easy to please him. The only tricky part was whether he would give her the chance.Back then, she had prepared dinner for him a few times as well.Each time, she waited until midnight. Yet, there was no sign of his return.He would give her the cold shoulder without batting an eye. No matter what she said, he wouldn't meet her.Olivia was testing the waters when she called Ethan. Apparently, he wasn't as cruel as he was before.After making dinner, she went to Miller Group by car.She was deeply absorbed in her thoughts while hugging the lunch boxes.The mastermind knew Ethan and Olivia's situation like the back of his hand. Hence, it was highly possible that he was an acquaintance of Ethan's.But who could it be?Kelvin and Brent clearly could not be the mastermind. Madam Burgess was out of the question because she wouldn't be able to keep things to herself.Could it be one of the workers in the Miller
The ashtray was heavy. It was difficult for Olivia to hold it with one hand.She wondered if the blood would splatter on her face if she flung it at Ethan.Her unconscious thoughts scared even herself, too.At that moment, Ethan looked back at her. They met each other's eyes.Before he could say anything, she asked, "Why did you smoke so much?"When he noticed the ashtray in her hand, the first thing that came to his mind was that Olivia was going to murder him with it.But her question nipped his suspicion.Ethan was wearing an indifferent expression. "Does that have anything to do with you?"His voice was full of disdain. She set the ashtray down. Next time, she'll use something sharp to finish him off.Suppressing her displeasure, Olivia tugged at the hem of his sleeve. "I … crossed the line this morning. I'm sorry."Ethan stared at her face, which appeared paler under the light. She came without makeup.Although she was pretty, she didn't look lively.It still softened
Olivia's burp was loud in the silent room before stillness inflated in the air.She didn't expect herself to give the game away that quickly.Feeling awkward, she looked at Ethan. "I can explain."She blurted that in the heat of the moment, making matters worse.She observed his expression carefully only to realize that his face was free from annoyance. Worry sat upon his brows instead.She thought, "Did I misread his expression? He resents me to his bones. Why would he be worried about me?""Have more if you're hungry." He gave her a spoonful.She was confused as she thought, "Does he think that I burp because I'm hungry?"In the end, Olivia was stuffed when the meal was actually made for Ethan."Enough. I'm full." She could feel her stomach bursting.He frowned. "You're all skin and bones. How could you eat only this little?"Then, he fed her another spoonful of lasagna. Her cheeks were puffed like a chipmunk.At this moment, a woman in spectacles opened the door. "Mr.
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