Ethan's expression looked extra serious under the glow of the fireflies.Licking her dry lips, Olivia asked softly, "Ethan, is Marina someone you fancied on a whim? Or is she your one true love?"Ethan chuckled in exasperation. "If she's my one true love, why would I marry you? Liv, do you not know how I feel about you?"He had hurt her, but he had also treated her well. If not, she wouldn't have hesitated to let go of him."So you fancied her on a whim just to provoke me?"It had been two years. Their marriage was already over, but she still wanted an explanation.Ethan embraced her. Olivia could hear him sighing next to her ear."Liv, I'll tell you everything between me and Marina, but not now. Can you trust me one last time?"As if fearing rejection, Ethan added, "Don't believe what the others said about Marina being my true love. To me, she's just a younger sister who grew up in my social circle. But …"He suddenly looked up. He locked eyes with Olivia, saying, "I do have
Glancing at Olivia's expression, Ethan continued, "Do you know about your mother's illness?""Yes, but I don't intend on donating my bone marrow to her.""Wise choice. Personally, I also don't want you to get involved with her anymore. "For the past few days, the Carltons put in a lot of effort into finding the perfect bone marrow, but they failed to do so. You're the only one they haven't tested."Olivia asked, "So you think the Carltons won't let me go?""They definitely won't. I know Chris' personality too well. You might be upset to hear this, but he truly loves your mother. He will stop at nothing if it means saving your mother."Ethan placed his hands on Olivia's shoulders while speaking earnestly. "Liv, there may be a lot of misunderstandings between us. I've hurt you before, but I sincerely want to protect you now."I'll send more men to look for your father. Just stay here and rest for a while, okay? I'll come back for you when I've settled everything."The sounds of
Chris reached out for Olivia just as Ethan had expected.Back when Olivia was about to die, the majority of the Carltons chose to let Marina live instead of her. Chris was the only one who didn't make a decision.Hence, Olivia didn't hang up. She said in a distanced and polite way, "Yes, it's me.""I knew it! You're still alive!"Chris sounded very excited. Fortunately, Olivia had asked someone to deliver the teddy phone watch. It was how they figured out that she was still alive.Chris only dialed her number to see if it would work. He didn't expect the call to go through."Mr. Carlton, I'm alive, but it doesn't mean that I will donate the bone marrow to your wife."Before he could speak, Olivia declined his reason for calling."Olivia, I want to talk with you.""I'm afraid that's not possible."Olivia lay on the reclining chair. She held a coconut in her hands, enjoying the comforting sea breeze. It felt like a warm hand caressing her cheek.She thought that even the sea b
Chris spoke animatedly, and he was wholly sincere about it. He didn't fake anything, and he even spoke as if he were there in person.But in the end, when Olivia provided him with such a response, he didn't know how to react.He still had many things to say, but now, they were stuck in his throat."Olivia, I'm saying all this sincerely. I'm not faking anything.""I know. That's why I didn't hang up."Chris was probably the only person with integrity in the Carlton family. Olivia didn't mock him. Instead, she politely listened to everything he had to say."Olivia, I forgot to tell you this. Donating bone marrow won't affect a healthy person. They will recover in about 10 days."It's not the same as donating kidneys, which can bring irreversible harm."Olivia replied, "Mr. Carlton, I learned medicine before. I understand everything you talked about.""Then …""I don't want to donate it."Chris sighed. "You won't be doing it for free. Just name your price. I can pay you no matt
Olivia plumped up rather quickly. She looked much better now.Even her stomach hadn't hurt for days.Time seemed to have paused on this island.There were many servants on the island. There were also more than ten chefs who made meals for her every day.There were 20 gardeners and several dozen servants who did odd jobs and housekeeping. Heck, there was even a doctor here.Many of them were old servants from the old and new Miller residences.Ethan could pamper her very well if he wanted to. To ease her loneliness, the old servants took care of her as if she were their own family.In reality, she wasn't bored on the island at all. Chickens, ducks, and geese were reared here. Olivia had also been busying herself with helping rabbits give birth. She would also collect eggs from the coop and shear the young lambs.She had once decided to roast one of the lambs. But then, the lamb kept bleating and following her. Hence, Olivia gave up her desire to eat a whole roasted lamb.Ever
Back then, Chloe thought that Olivia was just rambling nonsense. But it turned out that Olivia had enrolled in a medical school for real.Chloe didn't think much about it. She only thought that it was just some child's ranting.It was like how children talked about becoming teachers, astronauts, and firefighters.Now, when Chloe recalled Olivia's earnest little face, her heart ached as if it had been pierced.Lying on the bed, Chloe couldn't help but recall the many memories she had tossed away.She had this child by accident. From her pregnancy until childbirth, she never had any expectations of this child.Olivia didn't look like her or Jeff. So, Chloe felt even more distant from her.After Chloe had given birth, Jeff feared that it would disturb her rest, so he sent Olivia to a childcare center.Olivia had never drunk a drop of Chloe's breast milk. She was raised on baby formula.Fortunately, Olivia had been a healthy child. She rarely got sick when she was young.But Chlo
After kicking Chloe a few times, Marina still wasn't satisfied. So, she started hurling insults at Chloe. She was venting all the dissatisfaction she felt toward Chloe and Olivia.Chloe's face turned paler. Beads of sweat also appeared on her forehead. She didn't have the energy to argue anymore, so she could only hang her head.Marina kicked at Chloe with her toes. "Hey, quit pretending you're dead …"Just then, the door opened. Chris had gone home to wash up and change his clothes, then rushed back as soon as he could. He happened to witness the scene."What are you doing?" Chris roared like a furious lion.Marina was stunned at the spot. She said, "Dad, she fell on purpose! She just wants you to feel bad for her! Don't be tricked by her! She's—"Before she could finish speaking, Chris had helped Chloe up. When Chloe raised her head, blood streamed out of her nose.In an instant, her clothes were soaked with blood.Marina was startled as well. She thought that Chloe was playi
Marina wanted to rant very badly, but she was forced to hold her tongue. She had no idea since when Ethan refused to even utter a word to her."Ethan, didn't you see my face?"It was only then that Ethan looked up. He saw her red cheeks sporting clear handprints."Who hit you?""My dad.""Then I can't do anything about it." Upon returning to his seat, Ethan flipped open a folder.He couldn't possibly ask Chris to take responsibility, after all.His connections to the Carltons aside, Ethan respected Chris as a person.Seeing his nonchalance, Marina hastily ran toward him. "If Olivia got hurt, would you be this cold to her too?"Ethan wanted to say that Marina wasn't worthy enough to be compared to Olivia. But when he thought about the deceased Kurt, he chose not to say it.He simply said, "I'll ask Kelvin to send you to the hospital.""I am your fiancée!"Marina was upset with Ethan's half-hearted attitude. In the past, he was never intimate with her, but at least he was gen
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