The plane landed safely at its destination after over ten hours of flying. Olivia took off her sleeping mask and stretched her stiff limbs. Xylandia was halfway across the globe from Aldenvine, and its weather was the complete opposite. It was snowing heavily in Aldenvine, but it was warm in Grovale, the capital city of Xylandia. The ocean breeze brought in fresh air with it. Olivia felt refreshed as soon as she disembarked from the plane. At the entrance to the VIP channel, Brian, dressed in a black uniform, was already there to pick up Ethan and Olivia. "Welcome to Grovale, Mr. Miller."Brian's gaze turned to Olivia, and he sized her up. Then, he said slowly, "Welcome to Grovale, Ms Fordham."Olivia picked up on Brian's scrutiny. Her intuition told her that the man didn't like her much. But Olivia had nothing to prove to him. She nodded at him and walked off. Ethan looked at Brian disdainfully and said, "Something wrong with your eyes? I don't mind poking them out for you." B
Olivia had asked the same question a while back when she had just woken up. Back then, Olivia was a lost lamb, and she talked in a soft-spoken tone. Olivia had changed since. She was radiating confidence. She pursed her lips and added, "I don't mind if she doesn't like me. It's not like I'm going to marry her."Then, she walked out of the restaurant briskly. Ethan watched as Olivia left and fell into contemplation. Olivia could be so carefree when she wasn't bound by her children and family. Olivia had a spring in her step. It might be because she slept well on the plane or because she was in a good mood after arriving at a new location. Olivia was skipping like a child. Gone was the depressed demeanor that she had for the past year. When they walked past the shops that sold local snacks, Olivia would ask Ethan to buy her some of the snacks. The time was getting late, but Brian didn't dare to speak up. He didn't know what Olivia was trying to pull. Olivia thought she h
The Miller Residence was located in the suburban area of Grovale. It was a lovely place with mountains and rivers around. Lush vegetation covered every corner along the way to the residence.The city's lights were unique. Some resembled star-shaped light strings cascading from tall plants. There were also lights shaped like mushrooms, pumpkins, various small animals, and fairy lanterns.It was like Ethan and his company had wandered into a fantasy world rather than a typical city. By the time they arrived at the Miller Residence, it was already 8:00 pm.The Miller Residence was enormous. A garden surrounded it. It was hard to see in the dark, but one could discern the silhouettes of the pruned rose bushes at the roadside. There was a rich scent of flowers in the air. Birds flew away frantically as the car drove by. The villa possessed the unique style of this city. It was brightly lit from all sides. Olivia looked at it from afar. It was countless times bigger than the villa
Olivia was prepared for the worst. She was only there to introduce herself to Janice. If Janice didn't like her, she would just leave. Before Janice could speak, a familiar voice said, "Ms. Procter, has Ethan returned?"A familiar figure appeared from the corner of the second floor. It was Nikki, who they had met in Arlandia not long ago. Ethan could feel goosebumps all over his body when he heard Nikki's voice. His expression turned cold."What are you doing here?"Nikki quickly walked to Janice's side and held her hand tenderly. She said, "Ethan, I have been keeping Ms. Procter company these past two years." Olivia finally understood why she had been so cocky. So she had been currying favor with Janice. Nikki's trump card was Ethan's mother. What a plot twist. Olivia didn't feel jealous at all. She was still trying to guess what else Nikki had up her sleeve. She felt relieved that she had already eaten at the airport. Or else, she would probably have to starve now.
Before Olivia could make sense of the situation, Janice had already walked away, leaving Olivia confused. Olivia batted her eyes at Ethan and whispered, "What is your mother thinking?""Come try some authentic Grovale cuisine." Ethan didn't answer her question. Instead, he led her to the dining room. Janice was already seated when they entered. She glanced at their interlaced fingers, and her gaze froze momentarily. Nikki brought over a bowl of soup and saw Ethan pulling out a chair for Olivia. He sat down after Olivia took her seat. Then, he brought the appetizer, which was placed quite far away, before Olivia. If he was just putting on a show as a loving husband in public, why would he do it here when there were no outsiders?There was only one explanation. It was how the two of them interacted on a daily basis, like a regular couple. Looking back at herself, Nikki was trying to curry favor with Janice, but she ended up looking like a cook. She put the soup down and s
Olivia blushed. It was true she ordered a lot of food, but she didn't finish them all. She only took a few bites of each. But her stomach was tiny, and she was bloated after that. Janice rolled her eyes and said, "Don't eat if you're full. The Millers won't go bankrupt because you wasted some food. Even if they do go bankrupt, it will have nothing to do with us." Olivia was stunned. Janice was different from what she imagined. "Sorry, I thought …" Olivia wanted to come clean.Janice finished Olivia's sentence for her. "You thought I would be hard on you, and you won't get to eat much when you're here. So, you filled yourself up before you got here.""Yes, I'm sorry.""No need. I was planning to make things difficult for you."Olivia was at a loss for words. Why was Janice such a wild card? She didn't even know how to respond. "Truthfully, I also ate beforehand because I thought I would lose my appetite at the sight of you. So, if you're full, walk with me."Olivia couldn
Ethan looked at Janice with mild surprise. "I thought you didn't care about us. I didn't expect you to be so well-informed."Janice needed to raise her head slightly to meet Ethan's gaze. She felt a little emotional when she heard that. "You were still the little kid that chased after me in my mind. But you've grown so much."Janice raised her hand to touch Ethan's face, but she stopped midway. She had always had mixed feelings toward Ethan. In the beginning, she hoped that his birth would make the man come back to her. But, all she got was his cruel disregard. That was why she resented Ethan. She had never been a good mother to him. Even as he stood before her, she felt like she didn't know him at all. Janice withdrew her hand awkwardly with a disappointed expression. "You and Leia must detest me. I've never given the both of you any love." "What's the point of saying all this now? He didn't return to you, but you gave birth to his offspring anyway and became a laughings
If anyone else said those words, it would seem cruel or heartless. But, for a woman who threw her three-year-old son down the stairs, it was pretty tame. She didn't even care about her child, much less another person's. In a way, Janice was the same as Kenneth. They only cared about themselves and the one they loved. Nothing else mattered. Janice drew some hair back to her ear elegantly and said, "That kid, she started coming over every other day since two years ago. She would go on walks with me sometimes. "Other times, she would massage my feet. I saw she had nothing better to do, so I kept her around." Ethan was speechless. "I think you're the one who had nothing better to do."He knew his mother wasn't the ladylike type. She was more like a villain. For example, she did a lot of things to hurt the woman Kenneth loved in an attempt to win him back. Naturally, all she accomplished was push him further away, to the point where they got a divorce.She spent a long tim