Everly sniffled, looking at Olivia in bewilderment. "The good news."Olivia slowly touched her tummy. As she lowered her gaze, her face was filled with gentleness."I'm pregnant.""What?"Everly almost choked on her saliva. "What about the bad news?""It's Ethan's child."It took a long time for Everly to digest this news. She gaped, unsure of what to say.After a long while of calming down, Everly finally spoke up. "So he chose to get married to Marina while you're pregnant? "Is there something wrong with him? Does he seriously have to get married to her?"Olivia shook her head. "He doesn't know that I'm pregnant. In reality, he doesn't even know that he slept with me.""So you did in vitro fertilization?" Everly blinked. "He's good-looking, yes, but he's not the only handsome man in this world."Why don't you broaden your horizons a little? You could've gotten a prettier baby."Olivia said, "Oh, come on. He was ill and feverish when he slept with me. He wasn't conscious
Under Everly's cover, Olivia entered the ultrasound room.On the surface, she was accompanying Everly to get an examination. But in reality, she was the person who lay on the bed and rolled up her clothes.The female middle-aged doctor was very gentle. "Don't worry, I'll examine the baby thoroughly for you."Smiling, Everly said, "We owe Calvin another favor now."The cold probe slid around the surface of her tummy. Olivia was both nervous and anxious.She had been in ill health for the past six months. She even had chemotherapy six months ago, so she didn't know if it would affect the child."Doctor, how's the child developing?"The doctor chuckled. "They're still too small, so I can't be sure yet. "Still, the gestational sac is at a normal size so far, and there are no signs of ectopic pregnancy. "Everything is normal, so don't worry too much.""Thank you, doctor.""You're welcome. Remember to maintain a good mood. Eat more vegetables and fruits, and take folic acid ev
If Everly were the one saying those things, she would look like she was spouting nonsense. It would all sound like lies.But when Olivia was the one saying it, it rang truer than solid cash.She had the air of a noble and elegant young lady. She looked like she came from a respected family, which was a far cry from the talkative Everly.Everly gave her good friend a thumbs up in her heart. She had to give it to Olivia, who had painted a good image of her in front of her boss right away."You're too kind, Ms. Fordham. I heard Hilton mention about you as well. As expected, seeing is believing."Ms. Fordham, you're such a noble character. It's hard to imagine someone as brash as Hilton would be friends with you."Everly glared at him. She didn't mind if he praised Olivia, but she would have none of his insults.Walking up to Olivia, the man extended his hand. "My name is Henry Synder. Nice to meet you."He had extended his right hand. Olivia glanced at him, feeling a little trou
There was a thud on the other end of the line as if something heavy had hit the ground. Then, Ethan's voice sounded in disbelief. "What did you just say? Pregnant?""She's taking folic acid. If she's not pregnant, why would she take something like that?"Ethan gritted his teeth. "Are you sure you're not seeing things?""Come on, I know I grew up overseas, but I can still read Arlandian. I know how to read folic acid."The call ended at that moment.Henry frowned. He wondered what had happened with Ethan, for Ethan didn't make sense these days.Everly dashed toward Olivia, stuffing the folic acid into the latter's hands. "Don't forget to add this to your vitamins.""Thanks.""No need for thanks. You have to give birth to a healthy baby, alright?" Everly patted Olivia on the shoulder.Olivia nodded. As if thinking of something, she asked, "No one saw you, right?""Don't worry, I'm very fast. This packaging is so fancy that dumb man won't understand what it is at all."Olivia
Olivia instinctively put her hand on her tummy. But then, she feared that Ethan would notice it, so she hastily retracted her hand.But her movements only attracted even more attention. Ethan saw all that.As he slowly walked toward her, Olivia's heartbeat quickened.When Ethan's hand touched her back, she felt as if everything just exploded. She had goosebumps all over her. Fear spread from the spot he touched to her entire body.She suppressed her panic, trying her best to look calm."What are you doing?""You seem to be scared of me, Liv."Olivia gulped. Then, she said in a cold voice, "It's disgust, not fear. Ethan, has anyone ever told you that you're annoying? "Since you're going to marry Marina soon, stop messing around with me!"Ethan slowly bent over, his authoritative air looming over Olivia.He whispered in Olivia's ear, "Liv, you're very nervous."It wasn't a question; it was a statement.A bead of sweat rolled down Olivia's forehead. Even she wasn't sure why
Ethan had only uttered one word, but Mona's knees went weak. Dropping to the floor, Mona said, "Mr. Miller, I'll tell! I'll tell you everything!"Ethan frowned, thinking that Mona gave in a little too soon. He hadn't even pressured her."Go ahead.""I felt that it was a pity to throw away the roses we trimmed from the garden, so I sold them at night for a dollar each."I didn't mean to be greedy. I just need money, and my grandmother has gotten sick, too. I'm sorry, Mr. Miller. I won't do that again."Ethan frowned even deeper. "That's what you wanted to say?"Mona wiped her tears. "There's more. I'll tell you everything. "When I was trimming the trees, my hand slipped, and I accidentally trimmed the heart shape into an apple."Mr. Miller, please don't question my work etiquette. I was just a little feverish that day."Holding his fingers against his forehead, Ethan had a look of annoyance on his face. "What nonsense are you talking about?"I'm asking you to tell me about
Mona gave Ethan a weird look. She could see that Ethan was being very considerate and nice toward Olivia recently.He was about to marry Marina, but everyone in the Manor of Roses could see that he was sincere toward Olivia.Mona was surprised that Ethan didn't even know about his wife's pregnancy symptoms."I heard from Ms. Fordham that she didn't have much experience back then. "The nausea lasted for three months, and the baby didn't seem to be developing well."In the early stages of pregnancy, women should get progesterone injections every day. "My mom got those injections, too, and she said it's very painful."But Ms. Fordham looked forward to that child very much. There wasn't any fetal heartbeat even after more than 40 days. "The doctor advised against keeping the child, asking her to get an abortion."But she begged the doctor to wait another week. She was terrified in those few days. "It was a good thing that she persevered. The fetal heartbeat was detected after
Ethan had heard many people say the same thing. They all wanted him to treat Olivia better. But in the end, he still forced Olivia into her current situation."Alright, I understand. She's wary of me, so she doesn't want me to know that she's pregnant. "You don't have to tell her anything; just take care of her."If there's something odd about her, just tell me. I will do my best to meet her needs in the Manor of Roses."Mona replied, "Understood, Mr. Miller. I knew that your love for Ms. Fordham was real."The simple-minded Mona didn't even realize that she had fully betrayed Olivia."You may leave now."After the door of the study closed, Ethan put a hand to his forehead. He dialed Chris Atkins' number with his other hand."Mr. Miller, did something happen to your wife this late at night?" Chris was already used to it by now. He knew that if Ethan called him, the matter would usually concern Olivia.Staring at the streetlights in the distance, Ethan was silent for a few
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