Ethan's brows furrowed tightly. "Which city?""Mrs. Durst can't remember. She said that she wandered along the streets all the way from her hometown. She didn't have a place to go in mind. "She followed others wandering around. I heard that her city was close to the sea.""The country was tangled with wars over 60 years ago. Every military troop attacked everywhere to claim territories. There were countless bandits, too. "The people formed organizations themselves to make riots. That period was chaotic. The place names kept changing. This alone won't be able to get us to the right place.""It's alright. Take your time. I am happy enough to be able to meet Mrs. Durst. It can be considered as a guide from God. Who knows? She might be able to recall more things one day.""Liv, it is true that we have leads. But you have to be mentally prepared. Even if you resemble Ms. Nat—the person Mrs. Durst served—it is possible that this is a mere coincidence. "It's common for people to loo
Ethan reclined on the leather couch, slightly raising his head.He looked exhausted. Judging from his shut eyes, he seemed to be asleep.Olivia spared him a glance, and she didn't wake him up. She sat opposite him silently instead, casually taking a programming book.It was only when a cold wind came through the window that Ethan slowly woke up.Gazing at the cold scenery, he reckoned that it was going to snow soon.The light in the room was brightly lit, contradicting the somber sky outside.There were fresh flowers, which were brought over this morning, placed on the table. They were trimmed into lovely and graceful arrangements, giving off a faint, fresh scent.The apartment finally felt like home.However, no matter how wholesome the interior design was, it couldn't mend the relationship between Ethan and Olivia.Previously, only the weather outside would be described as cold; now, their relationship itself had turned cold, too.Back in the past, she would definitely
Olivia went out on the day of the first snow.She initially thought that the excessive training would worsen her illness, but it seemed like her stomach hadn't caused her trouble since before she got pregnant.Although she didn't know what was going on with the tumor, she was certain that her condition was stable. It didn't spread over her body, which was the best-case scenario for her.It had been almost a year since she last went shopping or enjoyed life.Olivia stood before the most famous shopping center. She could see a career woman in heels from afar. Wearing a wool coat over her, the woman strode over with hurried steps.She stood under a large billboard and looked around until she heard a familiar voice. "Eve."Everly turned to look back at Olivia, who was standing nearby in a black wool coat.The latter's hair, which was tied up, was longer than before. A pair of simple earrings hung on her earlobes.She still looked beautiful.Olivia was like a sunflower in the p
Surprised, Everly held Olivia's hand. "Farewell? Where are you going?""Don't worry. I simply wanna go somewhere to get some rest."Everly couldn't feel a sense of energy from Olivia's all-black outfit. Olivia was giving off an aloof demeanor.Everly figured that Olivia might want to get some fresh air."Are you going to be gone for a long time?""Yeah, probably.""Well, it's not bad to leave this saddening place." The positive Everly didn't even know how to comfort Olivia. What Olivia experienced wasn't something that could be placated with mere words.Converting anger and resentment into appetite might help, so Everly ordered a lot of expensive dishes."Eat. Have this caviar to your heart's content. You don't have to hold yourself back. I'm loaded with cash."Olivia smiled. "Speak softer. People might think that you're a rich lady who lacks foresight.""So what? I became rich with my capabilities. Liv, honestly speaking, I've always wanted to be successful and become some
The next morning, Olivia entered Jeff's room one last time. She stared at the bedridden man, who was skin and bone.His muscles had shrunken, and his face was haggard.The pungent smell of medicine lingered in the air.Olivia didn't have the courage to enter the room before this.She was aware that the day she made up her mind would be the day she bid farewell.Thick layers of snow filled the yard after a snowy night.Olivia drew the thick curtains to open the window, letting the sunlight and wind in."Dad, I bet it's been a long time since you last got some fresh air outside. It's winter again. It's snowing."Although Olivia's right hand wasn't as sensitive as her left hand, she could make simple movements with it.She scooped the snow and began molding it into a snow rabbit."I remember you'd always have snow fights and build a snowman with me in the yard whenever it snowed. Your craftsmanship is always on point. "I once said that when you're old, I will push you in a whe
Marina, who was sitting in a wheelchair, watched Ethan hold an umbrella for Olivia from afar. He was standing while Olivia was kneeling. They somehow looked like a match made in heaven standing before the snowy background.Marina had asked him about Jeff's whereabouts many times, but he didn't tell her anything.It was only this morning that she received news about Jeff's death.She couldn't even see Jeff in his last moments or send him off for the one last time. She thought that Jeff didn't know that her biological daughter was her until his last day.Ethan was cruel, but he told her that this was her karma.But Marina didn't know what she did wrong.She was kept in the dark for so many years. In the end, she killed her parents with her bare hands. It pricked her guilty conscience day and night.During those days when she first returned to the country, she thought she was the happiest person in the world. She had a harmonious family, a loving mother, and a protective Etha
Olivia stopped in her tracks to turn to look at Marina after hearing her despairing voice.Marina didn't care about the housekeeper, who was trying to help her up. She was so stubborn that she wanted to crawl toward Ethan.Her helpless and pitiful state reminded Olivia of her past. Olivia had once pleaded with Ethan not to divorce her.She now realized how pitiful she seemed at that time."Are you going to let her be?" Olivia crossed her arms, assuming that Ethan ignored Marina because he was considering her emotions. "You don't have to mind me. It doesn't bother me."Ethan was hurt to hear that. He held Olivia's hand. "Liv, I have never loved Marina. I said I was going to marry her because I wanted to repay a favor."She sneered. "And that repayment requires you to have sex with her? Interesting.""Liv, Connor's actually—" When he was going to blurt that out, he closed his eyes only to recall the night he rescued Olivia from the sea. She almost died at that time, and it bro
Volt Peak Mountain was also called the Isle of Hell. It was formed with five islands.Like a waste disposal center, it accepted prisoners who were on death row, slaves …It was more like a demon-nurturing vessel and a colosseum. To survive there, one had to run and fight nonstop.It was a compulsory stage of experience for every special agent in the world.According to the rules, the first-round candidates would be sent to the four surrounding islands randomly. There, they would start their wildlife survival game.Ninety percent of the candidates would be eliminated within three months. The remaining candidates would be sent to the main island, where the top three candidates would battle their way out of it.After passing the test, those three people would be sold off at a high price.They could become a senior security guard at the national defense, a special agent of a secret organization, or a skillful assassin in a mercenary organization.Olivia knew that most of the winnin
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