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
Ethan's gaze grew intense. "What else do you know?""Judging by your reaction. My guess was spot on. I don't mean anything by it. I just wanted to meet the two of you. But there's something I need to tell you. "People in our family are flawed. We're stubborn and dedicated. Once we fall in love with someone, it lasts for the rest of our lives. It's a double-edged sword."Janice said sincerely, "Both your father and I weren't able to teach you to love. Ethan, I don't want you to follow in my footsteps. "Love is never one-sided wishful thinking. My biggest regret was the things I did to your father. My actions caused permanent trauma to you and your sister." Her words seemed surreal to Ethan. He never imagined that Janice would say something like that. "I'll take good care of her."He paused before saying, "Since you know about Ms. Rosa, can you find something out for me? It's Liv's origins." "Oh?" Janice was surprised. "She isn't Jeff Fordham's daughter. Ms. Rosa is the on
Before meeting Janice, Olivia thought she would be a maniac. After their meeting, she realized she was wrong. Janice was just a poor woman who wasn't able to be with the man she loved. "You weren't stupid, just stubborn."Olivia didn't remember her past, but she was able to relate to Janice's emotions. It was like the same thing had happened to her in the past. "Those are the same thing. In the past, I had been a failure of a mother. Now that I'm older, I've thought things through. "You're luckier than me. You have all his love. You're the most suitable person to wear the bracelet." Olivia's eyes widened in surprise. "So you're not opposed to our relationship?""Why would I be? You're a match made in heaven. But there is something I need to tell you. "Ethan might be an outstanding person, but he grew up in our family. There are serious flaws in his personality. "Others might not be able to notice them. Only the people closest to him would be able to see these flaws."E
The meeting with her mother-in-law went smoother than Olivia expected. She kept staring at the pretty bracelet, which seemed to look prettier with age. She didn't put it on but was examining it closely. She subconsciously felt that the bracelet didn't belong to her. "Do you like it?" Ethan's voice suddenly came from behind her. Olivia jumped in fright. She was too focused on the bracelet and didn't notice Ethan coming in. "Yeah, it looks nice."Ethan picked up the bracelet and said gently, "I'll help you put it on."Olivia pulled her hand away reflexively and said, "Not right now. This is such a valuable piece. I should only wear it to important events. "I'm not in the habit of wearing jewelry, anyway. So I don't want to wear it now."Ethan was stunned, but he didn't call her out. "Okay, whatever you want."Although Olivia was with Ethan every day, she still didn't fall in love with him. She felt some affection for him, at best. Ethan even felt like Olivia was hidin
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