The comment brought Olivia back to reality. It was true that everything she saw and heard since she regained consciousness was trying to convince her that she and Ethan were in love and that Ethan loved her deeply. It was like a gift box perfectly wrapped with no imperfections on the outside. Even if the loss of her baby was an accident, what about her arm? Who injured her arm?When she was taking a bath, she noticed a lot of scars and wounds on her body. None of them were lethal. They were more like scratches, scrapes, or bruises. Her palms were calloused. She had a beautiful figure, but it wasn't the delicate, frail kind. Instead, she had a more athletic build. The wounds seemed to be recent, and she seemed to be someone who frequented the gym. Or else, she wouldn't be able to get such a build. All these things directly contradict Ethan's statement that she was a housewife. The most important thing was that the registered numbers in her phone consisted of Ethan and s
The following day, Olivia was woken up by the bright sunlight. She slowly opened her eyes. They were bright and pure like those of a newborn. "Did you sleep well?"Olivia met Ethan's smiling face and thought he was the most charming man in the world. Even though some might think it to be an exaggeration, Olivia believed that to be true for Ethan. Even as she looked at him so closely, she was amazed at how good-looking he was. No matter what angle she looked at him from, she couldn't find even the slightest imperfection. When he didn't smile, he was cold as ice. But when he did smile, his demeanor brightened up. Olivia replied, "Y-Yeah."In the past, she was constantly stressed and had trouble falling asleep. She would suffer from insomnia most nights. Even if she did manage to sleep, she would be plagued by nightmares. Last night, she had a nice dream and slept through the night. "That's great. Good morning, honey."Ethan leaned over and kissed her on the forehead lightly.
Olivia reflexively tried to move back, but she forgot there was an open wardrobe behind her. She had placed herself in an even smaller space. She pushed against Ethan's chest with both her arms and was blushing. Unfortunately, she couldn't get on her phone and ask the internet what she should do in this situation. Ethan tapped her lightly on the nose. "It's cold outside. You should wear more clothes." Then, he let go of her and moved away. Olivia was finally able to breathe fresh air again. She said, "Alright."She sighed in relief. She thought he had wanted to do something to her. Ethan moved out of the closet and said, "Breakfast is ready.""Okay, I'm coming."Olivia waited for her face to stop blushing before she headed downstairs frantically for breakfast. She went out with Ethan after the meal. Looking at the expensive car parked outside, Olivia gulped and asked, "Is this your car?" "It's yours too."Olivia got into the car nervously. It seemed like Ethan wasn't
What happened was completely different from what Olivia had thought. The things her father left her were indeed priceless to her, but they didn't really have any actual monetary value. So, the comments on her post were wrong. Ethan wasn't after her money. In that case, what could she have that a man like Ethan would covet?They stayed at the Fordham residence for a while longer, but Olivia couldn't remember anything. Before they left, Snowball followed Olivia out. She wanted to suggest bringing Snowball with her but stopped herself. It was like she subconsciously knew that Ethan didn't like cats. "What's wrong?"Olivia pointed to Snowball and asked, "Can I bring her with me?"Snowball was an old cat and didn't have long to live. Olivia wanted to stay with Snowball for the remainder of her lifespan. Ethan agreed readily, "Sure, I'll get someone to bring her home. Let's continue our date."Olivia pondered over his words. "So, this is a date?"Smiling, Ethan held her hand. "W
Olivia's heart skipped a beat when she heard that. Turning to look at Ethan, she said, "You shouldn't say things like that." Ethan looked into the distance and said calmly, "People die all the time. If I get into an accident …""Accidents don't happen that frequently. Stop saying things like that." Olivia felt gloomy. She didn't like the word "accident". She subconsciously placed a hand on her stomach. They spent the rest of the trip in silence. Ethan brought Olivia to the closest mall, and they went shopping. Then, they got some food and watched a movie like a normal couple. It was already past 9:00 pm when they finished the movie. Also, it was getting cold out. So, there weren't a lot of people on the streets.Shiny decorations were hung up everywhere, illuminating the drifting snowflakes. The scene looked very romantic. "Are you cold?" Ethan asked. "It's fine. The car is just a short walk away." Ethan noticed the misty breath she exhaled from her mouth. So, he took off
Olivia was disappointed that she missed on her first try. "It's okay, we still have plenty of chances.""Okay."Olivia tried throwing the ribbons a few more times. She was an athletic woman, so she had enough strength to throw the balls up high. But the balls either scraped the branches before falling, or they missed completely. She didn't even land one successfully after five tries. Olivia wondered if karma didn't allow her to land her ribbons on the tree because she didn't want it to happen. She wasn't worried because Ethan had five ribbons too. She figured it would be a simple task for a man. Olivia shrugged and said, "It's your turn."Ethan threw his first ribbon high up. It was clear he was aiming for the top of the tree. He threw it with just enough force and at the right angle. Strangely, the ribbon landed on a branch, but the ball slowly slid down.Olivia saw Ethan's expression turn cold. She quickly comforted him, saying, "It's just an accident. You'll get it next
Kelvin couldn't for the life of him understand how the tree could have gotten in Ethan's way. Did Ethan run into the tree while he was shopping? He didn't seem like someone so clumsy, nor did he seem like he would be so petty.Even a child wouldn't hold a grudge against a tree, right? Much less an adult. That didn't fit Ethan's personality. Kelvin had seen Ethan raze his enemies to the ground, but it was the first time they were doing that to a tree. Brent pulled Kelvin over to the side and whispered, "Just follow the orders you were given. Can't you see that Mr. Miller is in a bad mood? Everyone else is trying to avoid angering him, but here you are, making matters worse." "I was just curious. Mrs. Miller has already returned to him. He should be happy. Why would he come out so late at night just to uproot a tree?""Talk less, work more.""Alright, tell the men to start. I'm curious to see if the stories about the tree are real."Kelvin started to direct the excavator with
Everyone in the vicinity was dumbfounded. Ethan wasn't acting like himself. No one knew why he was so hung up on the tree. Amidst the crackling thunder, sparks flew from the chainsaw in Ethan's hands."Brent, look at that lightning. I'm so scared that it might strike Mr. Miller. Did Mrs. Miller upset him again?"Brent replied calmly, "I don't know if Mrs. Miller is the one who upset him. But only matters relating to Mrs. Miller can make Mr. Miller lose control like this. I'm worried about his current state of mind." "I know, right? Mr. Miller used to be so composed. His emotions were almost impossible to discern. However, after the series of incidents with Mrs. Miller, he has become mentally unstable. I fear that he might become like Mrs. Miller Senior …" "Mrs. Miller can still act as a calming influence when she's by his side. I'm worried he'll lose all reason if Mrs. Miller leaves him. The consequences would be unimaginable if he were to lose control completely."Kelvin furrow
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