Chapter 321-330
Chapter 321
As Olivia and her group departed, Winona cast a gaze at the figures in front of her. She quietly lowered her eyes, and her glance was brimming with animosity.
Clarissa trembled slightly. Summoning her courage, she spoke, “Why bother comparing to her previous accomplishments? If she is capable, demonstrate it here and now. After all, Sketcher hasn’t touched a brush in years. Maybe she’s lost her touch and can’t even produce a complete painting anymore.”
Her words resonated with many present. The art of painting was akin to navigating against a flowing river; if one didn’t progress, they regressed. Observing how Olivia had dedicated herself to various endeavors for many years, conducting research and building connections with the wealthiest individuals, it was apparent that she had very little time for painting.
“Her present abilities might not even measure up to those of the examination candidates,” thought they. Even though everyone held this sentiment, they refrained from vocalizing it. Expressing such thoughts would be quite impolite, but it did bring a sense of relief to many.
Ozymandias didn’t depart. He remained in his position. Upon hearing Clarissa’s comments, he huffed, “You should be thankful that Olivia is showcasing her previous work. If she were to create one right now, your Ms. Manson might not even measure up to her.”
“Nonsense!” Clarissa couldn’t accept his statement. “Olivia hasn’t painted for many years. How could she have improved? Winona has been dedicated to the art world. Both at home and abroad, she has garnered recognition.”
Some individuals who believed they were impartial nodded in accord with Clarissa. They believed Ozymandias’s words were unfounded. “Ozymandias, we understand your loyalty to your elder sister, but you should substantiate your claims. You’re a budding artist with a degree of renown yourself. How can you utter baseless remarks?
“This could lead students to misinterpret and assume they can enhance their skills without diligent study and practice. Such thinking is misguided,” they added.
“Exactly! You mustn’t entertain such notions. It’s okay to favor Olivia, but making baseless claims is unacceptable.” The sentiment was echoed by the group, with many feeling Ozymandias’s comments had gone too far.
Sketcher was unquestionably exceptional in the past and produced a series of remarkable pieces, but that was five to six years ago.
After so many years without wielding a paintbrush and producing any new artwork, merely maintaining his prior level was an accomplishment in itself. How could he have possibly improved? Some even saw this as an attempt to diminish Winona’s talent.
It was excessive!
“That’s your perspective,” Ozymandias maintained a stoic expression. “I concede that art benefits from ongoing practice, but who decrees that you can’t make progress outside this field? On what grounds do you pass judgment on Olivia based on your personal beliefs? Just because you haven’t improved doesn’t imply that she won’t.”
Someone, clearly incensed, retorted, “You’re all talk. If she has got the skills, prove it with her artwork.” Upon Mrs. Liebsig’s return from bidding farewell to Olivia, she could already hear a tumultuous clamor from inside the building before stepping through the entrance.
She furrowed her brow and gently pushed the door open, inquiring, “What’s all the arguing about?” Mrs. Liebsig held a distinguished reputation. While she held a special regard for her disciples, she had consistently maintained fairness and objectivity when dealing with others.
Shortly after, someone approached Mrs. Liebsig and expressed a complaint about Ozymandias. “Mrs. Liebsig, Ozymandias was excessively boasting earlier. He asserted that Olivia’s art has remarkably improved, and Ms. Manson can’t even compare to her.”
14:57
Mrs. Liebsig fell silent.
Observing this, the individual who had filed the complaint cast a smug glance in Ozymandias’s direction and thought to themselves, “Just wait to face the criticism.”
Ultimately, Mrs. Liebsig’s subsequent statement was, “Indeed, that’s not far from the truth. Olivia’s artistic skills have shown remarkable progress. I would estimate that Ms. Manson’s abilities are perhaps only about 50% of Olivia’s.”
The moment she finished speaking, an astonished hush fell over the crowd.
The individual who had raised the complaint was left dumbfounded. He gazed at Mrs. Liebsig in bewilderment and asked, “Mrs. Liebsig, are you serious?”
“Why would I joke?” Mrs. Liebsig chuckled. “When it comes to Olivia’s artistry, it may not be distinguished compared to other works with strong artistic conceptions. However, Winona is learning from Olivia, making the comparison easier.”
Having said that, she lifted her chin and motioned to Ozymandias. “Bring that painting here.”
After delivering her directives, Mrs. Liebsig displayed a slight hint of embarrassment. “This is a portrait that Olivia created for my birthday celebration. I shouldn’t have displayed it, but there’s no harm in everyone having a look. It’s a valuable opportunity for me to expand my knowledge.” Ozymandias’s steps were swift, and it didn’t take long for him to present the portrait.
The crowd gathered to examine the portrait, and an immediate hush fell over them.
After a moment, someone suddenly exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, did you all notice? Mrs. Liebsig is smiling at me in the painting.
“That’s not accurate,” someone nearby countered. “She’s not smiling. She’s looking at someone with a serious expression.
“No, no,” another voice chimed in. “I believe she looks curious as if she’s examining me with interest.” The argument among them continued without resolution. Eventually, they swapped positions and fell into silence once again.
It turned out that this painting portrayed various expressions when viewed from different angles. This technique was utterly astonishing, truly at its zenith.
A profound silence lingered among everyone for a considerable duration.
Even Winona remained silent. She clenched her fingers tightly, as if she had endured a significant blow. Once Mrs. Liebsig came back, Ozymandias assisted her into the car and grumbled, “Mrs. Liebsig, why didn’t you allow me to take the other artwork?”
This painting was created by Olivia several years ago, but it wasn’t her most recent one. Her latest piece depicted the banquet that had been delivered just a few days ago. In it, everyone’s expressions were unique, each lost in their own thoughts. Every single detail was executed flawlessly.
Ozymandias genuinely believed that the painting was nearly as exceptional as a renowned masterpiece. Mrs. Liebsig shook her head and sighed. “The tallest tree in the forest eventually gets cut down. Olivia has other priorities. There’s no need to pursue excessive fame in the art world. Reputation is a double–edged sword; if it becomes too heavy, it can burden you.”
Ozymandias was still quite young and didn’t fully grasp the meaning of this statement. He just couldn’t help but feel a sense of regret. “Olivia was incredibly talented, so why had she chosen to abandon her art? “What a pity!”
As Winona departed, she radiated a melancholic aura. Prior to viewing Mrs. Liebsig’s portrait, she had been harboring some discontent and disdain towards Olivia, tinged with a subtle hint of jealousy. However, after seeing it, all she could feel was a profound sense of despair. There was no room for jealousy anymore.
The other person was slightly taller than her, but that didn’t stop her from feeling jealousy.
Ballinaire’s Missing Darling
However, when the other person far surpassed her and was perpetually inferior to her jealousy couldn’t find a foothold
All that remained was admiration and a sense of powerlessnesa
“How could this be!” Winona found it unbelievable. “Olivia was still so young. How could she possess sach an astonishing level of skills
“Could there truly exist such a prodigy in the world!”
“Winona?” Clarissa gazed at Winona attentively, refraining from speaking too loudly.
Winona shook her head. Tm alright”
She felt somewhat fatigued and wasn’t in the mood for conversation. Waving her hand, she leaned back against the car seat to rest.
Clarissa didn’t want to disturb Winona, in the retreated to a corner of the car and made a phone call
Clarissa’s body tensed, and her face displayed a profound are of shock
Winona noticed Clara a unual reaction. She opened her eyes and inquired, “What’s the matter?
Clarissa hastily cored. That examine was Dots, and the been arrested
“Was she really arrested Winona farrowed her bow and presed on “What else do you know This news alone didn’t seem mough to cun Clarisa. There had to be more to the story
“Alo” Clara nodded with enthusiasm. “There’s another crucial piece of news. You know how I’ve always been curious about whree Me Sullivan wee during that year he disappeared! It’s been a well–guarded secret, and I’ve been unable to uncover any information But, right after Mr. Sullivan a return from his disappearance, there was a numer that he was going to be engaged to Miss Turner. It caused quite a stir at the time. However, what ad is that the engagement between the two families never actually happened It was just a brief rumor Soon after Miss Turner went abroad
i
Clarissa swallowed hand and went on. “We had someone reach out to Miss Turner, and after a few inquiries, it became clear that Miss Turner is privy to where Mr. Sullivan went during that mysterious year of his disappearance. She even possesses knowledge about Andrew’s mother?”
“What did you say?” Winona exclaimed in excitement, sitting up
Clarissa was equally thrilled Olona, Miss Turner has already come back to the country, and should disembark the plane right away”
Send gift
Comment
Comment
Billionaire’s Missing Darling
+5 vouchers
However, when the other person far surpassed her and was perpetually inferior to her, jealousy couldn’t find a foothold.
All that remained was admiration and a sense of powerlessness.
“How could this be?” Winona found it unbelievable. “Olivia was still so young. How could she possess such an astonishing level of skill?
“Could there truly exist such a prodigy in the world?”
“Winona?” Clarissa gazed at Winona attentively, refraining from speaking too loudly.
Winona shook her head. “I’m alright.”
She felt somewhat fatigued and wasn’t in the mood for conversation. Waving her hand, she leaned back against the car seat to rest.
Clarissa didn’t want to disturb Winona, so she retreated to a corner of the car and made a phone call. Clarissa’s body tensed, and her face displayed a profound sense of shock.
Winona noticed Clarissa’s unusual reaction. She opened her eyes and inquired, ‘What’s the matter?” Clarissa hastily conveyed, “That examinee was Doris, and she’s been arrested.”
“Was she really arrested?” Winona furrowed her brow and pressed on, “What else do you know?” This news alone didn’t seem enough to stun Clarissa. There had to be more to the story.
“Also,” Clarissa nodded with enthusiasm. There’s another crucial piece of news. You know how I’ve always been curious about where Mr. Sullivan went during that year he disappeared? It’s been a well–guarded secret, and I’ve been unable to uncover any information. But, right after Mr. Sullivan’s return from his disappearance, there was a rumor that he was going to be engaged to Miss Turner. It caused quite a stir at the time. However, what’s odd is that the engagement between the two families never actually happened. It was just a brief rumor. Soon after, Miss Turner went abroad.
Clarissa swallowed hard and went on, “We had someone reach out to Miss Turner, and after a few inquiries, it’s become clear that Miss Turner is privy to where Mr. Sullivan went during that mysterious year of his disappearance. She even possesses knowledge about Andrew’s mother!”
“What did you say!” Winona exclaimed in excitement, sitting up.
Clarissa was equally thrilled. “Olivia, Miss Turner has already come back to the country, and should disembark the plane right away.
Send gift
Comment
Chapter 322
Margaret had just disembarked from her flight. Before she could head back to the Turner family, Winona intercepted her along the way.
Margaret felt somewhat helpless. “Winona, what’s the rush? I haven’t even had time to recover from the jet lag
As she spoke, she massaged her temples.
Margaret was the eldest daughter of the Turner family, one of the renowned evervale four great families. She was also the older sister of Ethan. While she and Daniel were not childhood friends, they were part of the same social circle and knew each other.
Winona remained silent for a while before responding.
She posed a question, “Margaret, were you aware that Daniel is engaged?”
“Is he engaged?”
Margaret’s hand, which had been massaging her temples, came to a halt. A hint of bewilderment briefly flickered across her initially composed countenance.
After a
pause, she smiled and replied, “Why wouldn’t I know? It’s been such a big spectacle that the whole world probably knows by now.”
Winona toyed with the pendant hanging from her phone with her fingertips and said casually, “Margaret, there’s no need to conceal it. I know you had a crush on Daniel as well. You admired him during your school days.”
Upon hearing this, Margaret didn’t display the nervousness and embarrassment that Winona had anticipated. Instead, she remained remarkably composed. She leaned back and settled into a comfortable position, gazing ahead in a trance. “Winona,” she mused, “what you’ve just mentioned is intriguing. Is having feelings for Daniel such an extraordinary matter?”
At this moment, she let out a chuckle. Her radiant countenance made it challenging to discern her inner thoughts.
This is quite ordinary, Margaret remarked. “In our school, at least eight out of ten girls had a soft spot for him. As for Sarah, she’s been sticking by you and Daniel. She keeps saying she wants to safeguard your relationship with Daniel forever. Does she dare to claim she feels nothing for him?”
“She simply thought it was unattainable, so she took a step back and assumed the role of a protector,” Margaret explained.
Margaret
was right.
“Back in those days, Daniel was incredibly charming. Who wouldn’t be drawn to him?” Margaret added with a fond smile.
With his striking looks and unbelievable intelligence, he had everyone captivated. Even the haughty young lady like Winona, who came from the Capital City, couldn’t resist his charm.
Back then, Daniel, at the age of 18 or 19, was as captivating as a sly fox. He’d narrow his eyes and steal the hearts of all the girls with just a sidelong glance.
“Who wouldn’t fall for such a young man?” Margaret concluded with a wistful smile.
Margaret had a crush on Daniel for an entire decade, from the age of 12 to 22.
When she was younger, Margaret had folded a paper crane herself and handed it to Daniel. She intentionally feigned indifference, as if what she had given was merely an ordinary gift.
Daniel, with his perpetually youthful appearance, blinked his long and slender eyes. He furrowed his brows slightly and fixed his gaze on her for a while. All of a sudden, he sneered, ‘Margaret, you’re not about to tell me you have a crush on me, are you?”
“Who said I like you? It’s just a birthday gift,” a young Margaret retorted, her face flushing with
13
assment. Despite her evident discomfort, she remained steadfast and refused to acknowledge her
Very well” Daniel nodded and pinched the paper crane between his slender fingers. Then, with a swift motion, he exerted force with both hands and tore the delicately folded paper crane into two, “You” A young Margaret’s eyes welled up with anger as she glared at him.
Daniel had already settled back into his seat. He closed his eyes, appearing drowsy.
He lazily waved his hand and spoke apathetically, “Don’t have feelings for me. I’m quite aloof. I can’t bring warmth to you. I’ll never develop affection for someone I’m not drawn to, no matter how much. effort you exert
These words made Margaret no longer dare to display even a hint of affection.
She concealed this love deep within her heart.
Marcaret believed that this crush would be buried with time and would never resurface. She didn’t
icipate that fate would offer her another opportunity.
Surprisingly, Daniel had taken the initiative to seek her out.
Dunng that period, the Sullivan family was entirely under Mr. Sullivan’s control, and Daniel seemed to be in a dire situation. If he hadn’t taken the initiative to locate her, Margaret might have believed that he had met an unfortunate fate.
Daniel proposed a collaboration with the Turner family to aid him and offered to relinquish 10% of the Sullivan family Pharmaceuticals‘ shares in return.
Margaret managed to control her racing heart and put forth a proposal. “Let’s get married. A marriage contract is the most steadfast form of collaboration. You’re aware that I can’t make decisions for the Turner family. It’s only when I become the Sullivan family’s young mistress that my father will wholeheartedly assist.”
Daniel was silent.
Margaret was aware that he had a girlfriend by his side. That girl was exceptionally beautiful and charming. She had even given birth to a healthy child for him.
But what was her worth? She was merely a girl from a humble village with limited means. Besides being a liability to Daniel, she wouldn’t offer him any assistance.
Margaret believed that with a bit of thought, she could easily displace his girlfriend.
Nonetheless, the present moment was not suitable.
Observing Daniel’s reluctance, Margaret proposed once more, “How about we stage a fake marriage?”
This time. Daniel consented. He pledged to offer her more than half of his assets after their simulated divorce. He even took her to personally explain the situation to his girlfriend.
His girlfriend, cradling their child and soothing him to sleep, had a touch of sorrow in her once–bright eyes. Even before Daniel could explain, she resolutely declined.
She remained unwilling to consent to either a genuine or a simulated marriage.
In short, her response was a resolute “No!”
There was absolutely no room for negotiation.
Margaret stood aside, gazing at Daniel’s girlfriend with a sense of pity.
“What an innocent young lady she was!
This world was far more complex than she had once believed. Love alone was insufficient for survival. In Daniel’s life, besides love, there were also ties and animosities.
“He yearned for retribution. He sought to reclaim all that the Sullivan family had bestowed upon him and return everything that Mr. Sullivan had granted him.
‘Daniel might console her at this juncture, but there would inevitably come a day when she would be emotionally and physically drained.”
Margaret believed that she didn’t need to take any action. All she had to do was wait.
Daniel would surely grow impatient with his dear girlfriend.
Yet, Margaret underestimated her girlfriend’s significance in Daniel’s heart.
Out of consideration for his unreasonable girlfriend, Daniel actually declined her proposal for a sham marriage.
Even to this day, she vividly recalled what Daniel had uttered, “She doesn’t want to. I don’t want her to be unhappy.”
Margaret fell silent.
Following that. Margaret took action.
She still felt remorse when she reminisced about it.
Margaret, lost in her reverie, only snapped back to reality when Winona nudged her.
She released a soft chuckle and then gazed at Winona with an expression of comprehension. “Winona, why are you seeking me out? Just speak your mind. No need to be indirect.”
Winona twiddled her fingers, hesitated for a moment, and inquired, “I want to know what transpired during the year Daniel vanished? And what occurred with Andrew?”
“Oh, that.” Margaret furrowed her brows and let out a sigh of relief. “I thought it was something major. Daniel’s disappearance had a cause. He was injured by Mr. Sullivan. He spent the year recovering. As for Andrew, his girlfriend gave birth to their child during that period.”
Upon hearing the word “girlfriend,” Winona’s heart constricted, and a heavy ache welled up within her. “Who is she?”
“Who?” Margaret arched her eyebrows and suddenly grinned. “Who else could it be? It’s Olivia Taylor.”
Send gift
Comment
Chapter 323
Winona Manson bit her lower lip, and her face suddenly turned pale.
She opened her mouth to say something, but her lips were trembling so badly that she couldn’t
word.
say a
Margaret Turner looked up and glanced at Winona. The corners of her mouth twitched and she wanted to laugh. However, after the corners of her mouth had curled up, she suddenly felt bitter.
What right did she have to mock others? Wasn’t she the same?
Margaret suddenly leaned back and covered her eyes to suppress the tears in her eyes. After a while, she said, “Winona, you’re too conceited.
“What makes you so sure that Daniel likes you? Back then, when he went after you, it was just for a bet.” Very few people knew about this, but Margaret had been paying attention to Daniel Sullivan and she happened to hear about it.
Daniel had always been a straightforward person. He didn’t like Winona. Even if it was because of the bet, he wouldn’t play with a woman’s feelings.
He had told Winona the truth straightforwardly and asked her directly if she was willing to cooperate with him by pretending to be his girlfriend.
He would do his best to fulfill his responsibility as a boyfriend and satisfy her to the greatest extent. That year, Daniel had said those words to Winona at the entrance of the female dormitory.
Margaret had happened to hear it.
At this moment, Winona had already recovered her wits. Her heart was still twitching uncomfortably, but her rationality had already returned.
She lowered her head and said calmly, “So what if it’s a bet? The beginning of a relationship is always strange and there are all kinds of reasons. But after interacting with each other, who could say for sure that there’s no truth in the relationship?”
This time, Margaret did not refute.
She was a little frustrated. She pinched her earlobes and said coldly, “Winona, I’ve already told you about Daniel’s situation. If there’s nothing else, let me alight. I have to go home.”
“Margaret.” Winona grabbed her hand and said with reluctance, “You haven’t finished the conversation with me. What’s going on with Olivia and Daniel? I want to know everything. Everything that happened.” Margaret frowned imperceptibly and was a little impatient. “Winona, on account of our past friendship, let me remind you not to fight for this. Daniel has a deep relationship with Olivia Taylor. Back then, for Olivia, he rejected the marriage proposal. Even if it would be a fake marriage, he was unwilling. He relied on himself and spent hundreds of times more effort to get the Sullivan family back.
“In order to wait for Olivia, he didn’t even have a female companion by his side for so many years. Even if he couldn’t see any hope and couldn’t find Olivia anywhere, he still insisted on waiting.”
Speaking of this, Margaret turned to Winona. “I’m sure you know better than me how stubborn he is. Why do you have to overestimate yourself? Why do you have to make things irreparable, to the point of ruining the friendship that you had since you were teenagers?”
This was what Margaret had learned from her own experience back then. Now, she gave this insight to Winona.
Back then, Margaret had thought that, with Olivia having left and not around, Daniel would take notice of her.
She had not been afraid. She had plenty of time and could wait for Daniel to change.
Even if Daniel’s heart had been a rock, she could still seep through it like water.
However, unfortunately, Daniel had been even more patient than her.
14:58
That unwavering love that remained consistent from beginning till end. Regardless of whether Olivia was there or not, she would still be the one he liked. It would not change in the slightest over time and space. Such deep affection had touched Margaret and made her terrified at the same time.
She had been touched by Daniel’s deep love and terrified that this deep love did not belong to her.
In the end, Margaret had given up. She admitted defeat. She could not win Daniel over through patience. Facing Margaret’s persuasion, Winona didn’t think much of it. Her gentle and charming face made it impossible to tell her emotions.
She was very stubborn and insisted that Margaret tell her what had happened back then.
Margaret was also stubborn and directly refused to do so.
Hence, halfway through the car trip, she asked Winona to stop the car, got out, and left.
Winona sat in the car and stared at Margaret’s back. At a glance, noone would be able to tell what she was thinking.
After a long time, she said, “Going home.”
After returning to the Manson family residence, Winona immediately went to look for her father and asked him if he could find a way to contact Zelen Grant. She had something to ask.
Jonny Manson only had one daughter, Winona, He doted on her very much. Hearing this, he nodded. “Sure. My relationship with Zelen is not bad, but you have to tell me why you’re looking for her.”
Winona hesitated for a moment and did not reveal the matter of Daniel. She only said that she wanted to understand Olivia.
“Dad.” Winona hugged her father’s arm and said coquettishly. “As the old saying goes, know yourself and the enemy, and you will win every battle. Although I have confidence in Daniel’s feelings, I can’t ignore the enemy.”
“Oh, you…” Jonny tapped his daughter’s nose but did not say anything.
He knew how his daughter felt about Daniel. For so many years, she had been unable to let go of this relationship. Now that Daniel was successful and had become the richest man in the country, there was no need to stop Winona from pursuing Daniel. He would fulfill his daughter’s wish.
Soon, Winona was able to contact Zelen. She first asked a lot of other questions, then pretended to inadvertently mention, “Olivia was pushed off a cliff by Gillian Dale? That was close. Gillian’s methods are really vicious.”
Zelen frowned. She didn’t like to mention this matter. It could be considered as a result of her negligence. If Olivia hadn’t returned on her own, this trial would have been considered a failure.
If she lost the candidate, even if she was the First Elder’s niece, she would be punished.
Winona seemed to be very curious about this matter. “After falling from such a high cliff, Olivia’s still unscathed. She’s really awesome.”
“How could she be unscathed?” Zelen still had lingering fears. “The people we had sent over searched for a year before we found out, after asking the villagers nearby, that Olivia had had a brain injury from the fall and had lain in bed in a vegetative state for a year. And not long after she woke up, she was discovered by the people we sent over.
“At that time, her memory had been a little incomplete and she could not remember many things. She only gradually recovered after two months of recuperation
“I see.” Winona nodded.
After that, she exchanged a few more words with Zelen before hanging up.
She sat on the sofa in a daze,
Margaret and Zelen’s explanations were completely different. Margaret had said that Olivia had been with Daniel that year and even given birth to Andrew Sullivan.
However, Zelen’s explanation was that Olivia had been in a coma for an entire year. Soon after she had.
a
woken up, she was brought back
Winona lowered her eyes and ran her fingertips across the table. Finally, she figured out a more reasonable hypothesis.
Back then, Olivia had not entered a coma. Instead, she had been with Daniel However, because of Margaret’s appearance, Olivia had been agitated. Hence, she had fainted and her memory got messed up Later, she was found by the people sent by Zelen
Yet… Winona still felt that something was wrong. If that had been the case, then what about the story told by the villager
After thinking for a long time, Winona still couldn’t figure it out
Forget it, I won’t think about it anymore!
She shook her head to get rid of the confusion in her mind, then traced her finger on the table
There were two things that should be true.
Firstly, Daniel’s feelings for Olivia.
Secondly, Olivia’s memory had indeed gotten messed up and she had not remembered Daniel at all Winona’s eyes flashed. There was a lot of room for maneuver
Send gift
ph
Comment
33
Chapter 324
At the Smith Family, Olivia had just sat down and read for a while when Elena Wayne came over and said, “Miss Taylor, some people from the Fulham family have come.”
“Hmm?” Olivia looked up calmly.
Elena explained, “Tucker and Talia Fulham, as well as Bettany Fulham’s stepmother, May, and…” She paused for a moment before continuing, “And your mentor from university, Kate Leach.”
Kate Leach?
Olivia could not help but smile.
The Fulham family was quite smart and knew how to look for people.
If Kate hadn’t come over, Olivia would definitely have refused to meet them.
Kate was Olivia’s mentor in university, who had taken great care of her, and the two of them got along quite well.
Since Kate was here, she would go down and meet her.
In the living room, Tucker and May sat at the side. Kate sat on a separate sofa. Only Talia sat in the corner, looking nervous and uneasy as if she had been bullied like a stress ball.
Before he came, Tucker had mentally prepared himself. He knew that Olivia would not let Bettany go so easily.
Speaking of Olivia, the more Tucker thought about it, the more regretful he became. He never would have thought that such a big shot like Olivia would be hidden in such a small town.
Young scientist, the head of the Smith family, fiancée of the richest man.
Any one of those titles, when presented, would make his hands and feet tremble. If it weren’t for the Dillon family giving him so many benefits, he wouldn’t have come at all.
Just as he was feeling apprehensive, he heard the sound of movement from upstairs. Tucker subconsciously looked up and saw Olivia walking down the stairs.
She was wearing simple home clothes. The loose and comfortable style complemented her exquisite and slender figure. The clothes on her body and the shoes on her feet could not be more ordinary, but she looked indescribably high–class and graceful in them.
Tucker only took a glance and quickly lowered his head. The aura exuded by the woman in front of him was too powerful, so much so that he had no choice but to lower his head.
It was strange. She was clearly the same person as the one from before, with the same face, but why did it feel completely different from when they were out in town?
Tucker could not figure it out.
The stepmother, May, also felt suppressed by Olivia’s aura, but she was slightly stronger than Tucker. Before she came, she had thought about how to make use of Kate and leverage Olivia’s reputation, to force the latter to hand over Bettany. However, now that she was intimidated by Olivia’s aura, May instantly changed her mind.
She was a very smart woman. She would not be stupid enough to fight head–on.
She got up
and sat beside Talia. She held Talia’s hand and just as she opened her mouth, tears streamed.
lock down her face, She began to act pitiful. “Ms. Taylor, I don’t know how we offended you. Why did you Bettant up?”
As she spoke, she tugged at Talia’s sleeve. “Bettany was raised painstakingly by her mother. They have a deep relationship with each other. Ms. Taylor, are you going to knowingly have the mother and daughter be separated?”
May spoke in a pitiful tone, like a poor village girl who had been bullied by the landlord. Her tone was timid and cowardly.
14
This made Kate feel terrible in her heart.
Before she came, she had always felt that there was a misunderstanding. Now, it seemed that no matter what misunderstanding it was, it was not right to let the mother and daughter be separated.
Kate looked at Olivia with a puzzled expression. “Olivia, why did you lock Bettany up?”
“Off” Olivia Taylor smiled. “I didn’t lock her
- up.
As she spoke, she turned around and instructed the servant, “Bring Bettany out.”
After a while, Bettany came over. She was silent, but when she saw Talia, her expression changed slightly.
Seeing this, Kate heaved a sigh of relief. “I knew it was a misunderstanding. Why would Olivia lock someone up for no reason?”
“Bettany.” Talia grabbed her hand. “Come back with me. Why are you so wayward? You’re already pregnant, yet you’re still running around. The Dillon family is so good. Why don’t you appreciate such a blessing?”
The more Talia spoke, the more upset she felt. In the beginning, she had indeed been not very happy about Bettany marrying into the Dillon family, as that Marcus Dillon was a cripple who had trouble walking by himself.
However, as time passed, the Dillon family bought her a house and other things. Every month, they would transfer a large sum of living expenses to her and even found someone to accompany her on a trip.
Talia felt that this was not bad after all. Moreover, Tucker was right. Marcus was the scion of an illustrious family and a top student from a famous foreign university. Her dear Bettany had not even attended high school, and her family background was not good. Even if Tucker had become rich later, it could not compare to the Dillon family.
Other than the issue of Marcus’s handicapped legs, there was no way in which Bettany would normally become worthy of Marcus.
As long as Bettany did not have such a high ambition and lived a steady life with Marcus, she would be able to enjoy endless blessings as the young mistress of the Dillon family.
Bettany looked at her mother, who had been with her for many years, and her heart ached. She wanted to say something, but she felt that it was useless.
Her mother could not understand her at all.
After a moment of silence, Bettany said in a low voice, “Mom, I don’t want to go back to the Dillon family. I want to stay.
“What?” Talia was shocked. “But the child, what about the child? Do you want it to have no father? Girl, why are you so insensible? Marcus treats you so well. In his family, you won’t have to worry about food or clothing. They have plenty of money. You’ve got yourself a home’s worth of treasure.”
Bettany pulled open her sleeve and showed her bruised arm to Talia. “Mom, look, these were all done to me by Marcus. There are more serious injuries elsewhere. Knowing this, do you still want me to go back?”
Talia was stunned for a moment. Her heart ached. She muttered in disbelief, “How could this be? Marcus is such a good boy. He knows how to be polite. He follows principles when he speaks and does things. Why would he hit someone?”
Talia’s expression was confused. After panicking for a while, she suddenly looked at Bettany and questioned. “Did you anger him?
“It must be like that!” Talia found the reason. “It must be because you’re insensible and always want to run. That’s why he hit you. If you’re obedient and serve your husband in peace, why would he hit you no reason?”
“Mom!” Bettany called out.
for
She was still indoors, yet she felt as if she was at the bottom of the cold sea. She did not understand why her mother was like this.
Billionaire’s Missing Darling
+5 vouchers
All along. Bettany knew that Talia was easily influenced by others. For so many years, she had helped her persevere. However, although Talia was weak, she had really loved and doted on Bettany.
How did it become like this?
Bettany couldn’t take it anymore. “What kind of mother are you? Your daughter was beaten up. Instead of feeling sorry for her, you think that your daughter did something wrong!”
Talia stammered. Then why didn’t he hit anyone else but you? Isn’t it because you did something wrong? It takes two hands to clap. Nothing happens for no reason in this world. Since he hit you, you must have provoked him.”
Hearing this, Bettany lowered her eyes weakly and sneered. “You’re right. It takes two hands to clap. There’s no such thing as hate for no reason in this world. Since I hate Marcus, there must be something wrong with him that provoked me.
Talia was dumbfounded.
After being stunned for a while, Talia covered her face and cried. “I can’t argue against you. You’ve grown up now and can speak well. You’re bullying me for my clumsy tongue. Boohoo, I’m your mother. Would I bring you harm? Why don’t you listen to me?”
This was her mother, whom Bettany had previously depended on in life, and vice versa. A deep sense of helplessness filled her heart.
201
Chapter 325
Talia was actually not a bad person. She was just timid and had a different mindset from Bettany. From Talia’s point of view, the Dillons were really a good family to marry into. They were hand. powerful, not lacking at all in the necessities of life and other material conditions. This was already very good. As for the psychological differences and Bettany’s own thoughts and feelings, “Talia didn’t care. She blamed everything on Bettany’s fussiness.
In the living room, “Talia was crying and Bettany was silent. The others, especially Kate, were restless and embarrassed.
Only Olivia sat on the sofa peacefully. She looked relaxed and did not seem to be affected.
However, she still frowned slightly.
This was because Talia’s crying was endless. It was really a waste of time.
She raised her eyes and looked at everyone. Then, she said calmly, I still have something to do. Please go
ahead.”
With that, she actually stood up and left.
Everyone was a little confused, especially Tucker and May, Before they came, they had imagined many situations, but without exception, they had all imagined how difficult Olivia would be and how she would not let Bettany go. They had thought of many ways to deal with her.
However, they had never thought that it would be like this.
She had actually not made to stop them at all.
Tucker and May looked at each other, dumbfounded,
Kate felt even more uneasy when she heard that. She had not expected Olivia to leave her here high and dry together with the Fulham family and not bother with the issue at all.
After saying that sentence, Olivia had stood up and left. She felt a little uncomfortable in her head and went straight to the bedroom to lie down and let the masseuse massage her head.
As for the people and situation in the living room, she had no intention of interfering
Even Elena was a little stunned. She followed Olivia to the bedroom and sat on a small stool at the side. She looked up at Olivia. “Miss Taylor, are you really not going to care about Bettany anymore!
“That Mrs. Fulham is really too much. What did she mean by it takes two hands to clap‘? Just listen to her, did that sound like something a mother would say? I want to go and slap her and ask her if that counts as a clap. The more Elena spoke, the angrier she became. She gritted her teeth in hatred.
Olivia closed her eyes and asked calmly, “Why should I care about Bettany?”
Elena was stunned by the question. After a while, she stammered, “You’ve helped Bettany so much. I thought, I thought…
At this point, Bettany scratched her head as the realization dawned on her.
To be honest, Bettany was no relation of Miss Taylor’s
“It’s not good for an outsider to drive a wedge between kin Olivia Taylor said. “How can I do that to at mother and daughter?”
At this point, Olivia suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Elena. She said in a serious tone, “The more capable a person is, the more power she has. The more she can’t use it casually. In this world, there are laws on the outside and moral constraints on the inside. There’s no need for me to rush out and act the part of a good person, and make some noble impartial judgment.”
Who could confidently say that they were impartial and objective and that their position would always be
neutral!
Hadnt the Grant family relied on their power to manipulate her life, causing her to separate from her
-vouchers
millionette’s Minune Pearling
parents and fall set with her sisters In the end, they even blamed her parents for being blind and biased and ale blamed her sisters for being selfish and jealous
They had put on a pretense of doing all this for her good.
No matter how her own life was going, whether she was poor or destitute, it was not a reason for others to
Therefore, Olivia was especially restrained. With her current achievements and status stabilized, she was even mere unwilling to readily interfere in other people’s matters.
She was not God She did not have the right to interfere in other people’s lives. She did not have the night
make decisions for others.
Those were all Bettany’s family matters. Bettany leave.
Volivia would only provide her with the greate, hould decide for herself whether to stay o
protection, nothing more.
In the living room downstairs, although Olivia had left, the butler. Roland Gibson, still made all the proper arrangements.
He found a room for Kate so that she could rest. He brought the crying Talia to wash up.
Tucker and May stayed in the guest room and had a discussion with each other in hushed voices.
“What should we do? May was anxious. The current situation is that Bettany isn’t leaving at all and we can’t forcefully the her up. Isn’t this situation unsolvable?”
Tucker also felt very helpless. “This Olivia is really amazing. Without even interfering in anything, she has put us in such a difficult situation.”
May thought quickly and hardened her heart after thinking for a while. In a while. I’ll get Talia to kneel down to Olivia and ery and beg her to let Bettany go. This way, not only can I morally blackmail her, but I can also make her annoyed.”
Tucker stroked his chin and felt that this was a good idea.
This group of people had stayed at the Smith family villa for quite a while. Olivia had finished with her massage and then started reading for a while, yet they still hadn’t left.
Roland went upstairs to ask for instructions. My lady, they want to see you and bid you farewell
Olivia nodded and went downstairs.
To the living room, Talia was still trying her best to persuade Bettany to go back with her. but Bettany was determined not to leave no matter what.
The more Talis tried to persuade her, the more despair she felt. She could not understand how her daughter, who had been fine previously, had become so stubborn. Could it be as her father had said just now, that she had been bewitched by Olivia?
Thinking of this, Talia could not help but shed two streams of tears.
She hated Olivia and felt that the latter was being a busybody. Her daughter had been living well in the Dillon family, so why did she have to get involved?
If it weren’t for Olivia, her daughter wouldn’t have become like this.
Talia blamed everything on Olivia. Then, she remembered what Tucker had said before.
He had said that the Smith family was powerful, so they could not retrieve Bettany by force. They could only beg and art pitiful. Kate was still here, so Olivia definitely had to care about her reputation. Tucker had asked Talia to kneel down and beg Olivia to let her daughter go back to her.
Prop Olivia upon the moral high ground.
Talta gathered her emotions in her heart and thought of how to cry and beg. Then, she suddenly pounced
Towards Olivia
She wanted to hug Olivia’s legs and cry.
Billionaire’s Missing Darling
+5 vouchers
However, before she could get close to Olivia, two bodyguards suddenly appeared from both sides and kicked her knee.
Before Talia realized what was going on, she heard her knee click.
She had a bone fracture!
Immediately after, another group of bodyguards rushed out into the living room. There were twenty to thirty of them, and they surrounded the Fulham family, their eyes vigilant.
The leader among them spoke in an extremely cold voice. “Who are you? How dare you ambush Miss Taylor!”
As he spoke, the bodyguards went forward and restrained Tucker, Talia and Even Kate was surrounded.
May.
For a moment, everyone was dumbfounded. They had not expected things to develop in this direction. Talia, with fracture in her knee, was in so much pain that her forehead was covered in cold sweat. Bettany hurriedly went forward and wanted to support her, but she was waved away by the bodyguard.
Bettany subconsciously looked at Olivia and wanted to plead for mercy. However, just as she opened her mouth, she was pulled back by Elena and commanded in a low voice, “Be quiet!”
Tyson Burton walked over to Talia’s side and interrogated, “Why did you attack Miss Taylor?”
Talia’s lips were pale from the pain. She shook her head in a panic. “I didn’t, I didn’t.”
Tyson frowned. “Then why did you rush over?”
Talia replied, “I want to kneel down and beg her.”
Tyson snorted. “You’re lying. How can you make up such a ridiculous lie? Why would you kneel down to Miss Taylor for no reason?”
After saying that, he turned to Olivia. “Miss Taylor, I’ll bring her back to the police station.”
Olivia nodded. “Treat her leg first.”
Send gift
Comment
Chapter 326
After Talia was taken away, Olivia sat on the sofa and looked at the Fulham couple whose faces were pale. “Have I given you some kind of wrong impression? You think the Dillon family is not to be trifled with, and ver 1. Olivia Taylor, is to be trifled with?
“If I had given you such an illusion, then I’ll tell you the truth now.” Olivia paused, playing with an orange with her fingertips. “Getting on my bad side is even worse for you than offending the Dillon family!”
As she spoke, she flicked her fingertips and threw the orange to the ground.
On cue, Elena stepped forward. She took out a fruit knife and cut the orange in half, even making an appropriate sound effect with her mouth. “Clatter.”
Slightly weirded out by Elena’s cartoonish antic, Olivia held her forehead.
Then she raised her hand and gestured at Elena. “Go to the back and wait.”
Elena’s head drooped. “Oh.”
“Oh, right.” Olivia thought of something and turned to look at Tucker. “The local police have already stepped in to investigate the fire in the Fulham family house. If it turns out to be related to you, you don’t have to be afraid of the Dillon family anymore. You can straightaway go hide in the local prison. It’s very
safe
Upon hearing this. Tucker’s expression turned cold. His face turned greenish white. “I know that you, the Smith family, are powerful. I also know that you’re the fiancée of the richest man, from the Sullivan family. Ms. Taylor, being so rich and powerful, why are you making things difficult for us, a small family?”
May wiped the tears on her face and turned to Kate with a bitter smile. “Kate, I’ve implicated you today. I originally wanted to make use of your relation with Ms. Taylor to meet her and bring the child back. I didn’t expect Ms. Taylor to have such a bad temper. Not only did she not let Bettany go, her mother’s leg and is putting Tucker into prison.
she even broke
“We just want to bring Bettany back. I didn’t expect things to turn out this way. Clearly, it’s a case of the one in power oppressing people. She’s rich and powerful, and our small family can do nothing but be bullied. There’s really no justice.”
This ability to distort the truth was very impressive.
The way Kate looked at Olivia became more and more complicated.
“Olivia, you…” Kate wanted to ask Olivia how she became like this, but she did not know how to start. She just let out a long sigh.
Elena, standing behind Olivia, was so angry that her face turned pale. She wished she could go up and beat May up.
She wanted to explain to Kate, but Olivia waved her hand and stopped her. “No need to explain. Olivia’s tone was indifferent. “No one with a brain would believe such a ridiculous and irrational distortion. Kate is a teacher at Ember University, a high–level intellectual, she will not be taken in.” Then, she looked at Kate and asked, “Teacher, was my analysis correct?”
Kate choked…
It was as though if she believed Tucker and May’s words, then she would be an idiot who could not differentiate right from wrong!
Olivia leaned against the sofa with a calm expression. Her tone was evenly paced. “Kate, I remember that you taught logic, right? Just nice, I can ask you for guidance. Tell me, what contradictory things did these
two say?
“Here’s some hints.” Olivia casually extended a finger. “Firstly, did I imprison Bettany and not let her go?” Kate thought for a moment and shook her head. “No, it was Bettany’s own decision to not leave.”
13
Olivia extended a second finger. “So why did Mrs. Fulham get kicked?”
Kate replied, “She attacked you.”
“No!” May panicked. ‘She clearly wanted to kneel down to you.”
Olivia asked, “How did you know that she was going to kneel down to me? Why would she kneel down to me?”
May felt very panicked. “It was of course to beg you to let Bettany go.”
“Alright.” Olivia retracted a finger. “Now, let’s return to the first question. Kate, please tell her, have I imprisoned Bettany?”
Kate was very cooperative. “No, Olivia didn’t imprison Bettany.”
“See.” Olivia’s tone was light and a little teasing. “Since I haven’t imprisoned her, who am I to let her go?” “Kate” Olivia now had three fingers extended. Thirdly, she talked about throwing Tucker into prison. Can I be so powerful as to command the prison? If Tucker did not set the fire, why would he be going in?” Kate completely understood and quickly nodded. “Yes, that’s right. If Tucker didn’t start the fire, why
afraid of? would the police arrest him? In that case, May, what are you
May was furious.
She shifted her gaze and wanted to say something, but Olivia had already completely lost patience. The amount of time wasted with these unimportant people was already reaching her limit.
She waved her hand. “Send these people out. Kate, leave too,”
After saying that, she turned to Bettany and said in a comforting tone, “Don’t worry, your mother’s leg will be fine. As long as it’s proven that she didn’t ambush me, she will be released soon.”
Bettany stammered. She wanted to say something, but when she saw Elena’s cold expression, she did not say anything.
She closed her eyes. Everything that had happened today was because of her. It was not easy for Olivia to still protect her.
How could she have the cheek to ask for more?
Things had been happening too quickly just now and she had not been able to react in time. Now that she thought about it carefully, she could guess her mother’s intentions. Her mother wanted to use begging to force Olivia to let her go.
It was her mother who had the idea first, and hence rightly deserved the suffering!
The Fulham family and Kate were quickly sent away. When they reached the entrance, Kate was s little confused.
Why had she been asked to leave too?
She subconsciously looked up at the butler and called out, “Roland, what’s up with Olivia?”
still a
Roland frowned. “Madam Leach, my lady only let you in because she respects you. But look at what you’ve done. You brought someone in without knowing the truth about the situation!”
Kate wanted to explain, “I hadn’t thought that much about it.”
“No, you’ve thought about it.” Roland’s eyes seemed to be able to see through people’s hearts. He stared at Kate coldly. “You’re a university teacher. I don’t believe that you don’t even know the basics of how to handle things. Bringing a stranger to a student’s house, and a stranger who has ill intentions towards the student, couldn’t you inform her first?
“I don’t believe that you don’t even have my lady’s number!”
Roland’s tone was firm. “At the end of the day, it can’t hide the fact that you’re here to cause trouble, no matter how you quibble! My lady respects you and lets you in, but respect is for people who deserve respect. Since you don’t know right from wrong and have bias, you’re not worthy of my lady’s respect. “Madam Leach, please leave this place!”
11.59
Kate’s face turned pale.
Like a wandering soul, she returned home and told her husband about this.
Her husband also disapproved of her actions and criticized her. “You should have informed Olivia in advance. You shouldn’t have brought those people over directly and made things difficult for her.”
Kate explained. “I really hadn’t thought too much about it. May is my cousin. She came to tell me that Bettany was being locked up by Olivia. That’s why I went.”
“Heh.” Her husband snorted. “Did you believe her nonsense? If Bettany really got locked up, why didn’t they call the police?”
Kate was at a loss for words.
After a while, she finally admitted her mistake and said in a low voice, “I’ll apologize to Olivia after a
while
“Why wait a while?” Her husband took out his phone. “Apologize now.”
Kate was a little embarrassed, but under her husband’s prodding gaze, she had no choice but to take the phone and call Olivia.
No one picked up.
After calling a few more times, Kate realized, “I’ve been blocked!”
This was too petty!
Kate was a little unhappy. She said angrily, “So be it. What’s the big deal? If she ignores me, I don’t want to bother with her. She’s already so arrogant after just making some achievements. If she falls in the future, I don’t believe that there won’t be a time when she comes begging to me.”
Her husband sighed. “Honey, you… Sigh…”
He started to say something, but the words died in his throat.
Kate was in charge of teaching in school, but her husband, Terrence Leach, was in the administrative office. He knew a little about Olivia’s identity. Although he didn’t know much, he could confirm that her identity was extraordinary.
Even the principal was very respectful to her.
Olivia had already resigned from the school’s teaching job and the experiment had stopped. Terrence had heard through the grapevine that Olivia’s identity was quite special and seemed to have relations with the Capitol Research Institute.
This was confidential information, so Terrence did not dare to tell his wife about it
He could only regret that he had missed the opportunity to befriend Olivia. He hoped that in the future, his wife would not regret what she had done today.
3/3
Chapter 327
Tucker and May were also brought to the police station, and subjected to examination and questioning. They were released after confirming that they had not gone to hurt Olivia.
May muttered, “She’s really causing trouble. How powerful is she? She’s actually so careful. She calls the police at the drop of a hat. Who would bother to hurt her?”
Tucker also felt that Olivia was too careful. She actually had so many bodyguards at home.
She was really afraid of death to the extreme!
However… Tucker thought about Tyson’s skills and was very envious. Although Olivia was too afraid of death and had hired so many bodyguards, to be honest, these bodyguards seemed to be quite skilled. All of them looked quite thin. They were not very tall, but their explosive power was extremely strong and they were extremely fast.
The moment that they had rushed out, Tucker had felt like he was watching a sci–fi movie. That speed was really too fast, as if they were flying.
“Honey.” Tucker turned to May. “Let’s hire a pair of bodyguards too, lest we get bullied too easily.” “Hiring bodyguards?” May was tempted. She thought back to that earlier scene in the Smith family villa. Olivia had been so awesome, casually defeating her enemies without needing to get riled up at all. With a casual wave of her hand, a team of bodyguards had appeared.
May also wanted to be this impressive.
“Alright.” May nodded. “Let’s hire some too. We’ll hire the same kind of bodyguards as those in Olivia’s house.”
Upon running out, Tucker encountered the Taylor family bodyguards who were driving back home in their car.
“Hey!” Tucker patted the car window. “How much does Olivia you pay a month for hiring you? I’ll double it. Come to my side.”
Eugene Brown, the captain of the Flying Eagle Special Forces, glanced at Tucker and smiled. “You can’t afford it.
With that, he stepped on the accelerator and the car shot away like an arrow.
Tucker looked at the vanishing back of the car and sighed. “They drive so well too. Fast yet stable. They’re really versatile.
He so wanted to own them himself!
Not long after, while Tucker was still lamenting here, he got arrested again.
This time, it was for arson.
The police had already found evidence that he had set fire to the house.
As for Talia, after being interrogated and confirming that she had no intention of hurting Olivia Taylor,
she was released.
Her left knee was fractured, and Olivia arranged for her to stay in a nearby hospital, and for caregivers to take care of her day and night. Bettany went to visit once and found that her mother was fine, so she stopped going over.
She stayed with Olivia to have her wrist treated in peace.
She was still pregnant. More precisely, she had been for a little more than a month. Before she decided whether to abort the child, Olivia would not give her any medication and only used silver needle acupuncture.
went
When that was done, Elena went up to her and asked, ‘Bettany, are you keeping this child?”
A look of confusion flashed across Bettany’s eyes. She did not know if she should keep the child.
13
Emotionally, she did not look forward to the child. In fact, she hated the child’s father. But Intellec
she knew that regardless of the fend between adults, the child was innocent.
Seeing how fragile Bettany was, Elena stopped asking and changed the topic. “What do you think Roland is doing?”
In the front hall, Roland was instructing the servants to pack up.
“Roland, are you going to throw away all these things?” Elena was curious,
Roland nodded. “Yes, they’re all old toys. My lady said to throw them away as they’re all useless now.
Elena felt that it was a pity. “These are all from Miss Taylor’s childhood. Wouldn’t it be nice to keep them as souvenirs?”
Bettany also looked over curiously and found a silver–white whistle necklace in a box. She looked up and asked Roland, “She doesn’t want this too?”
“My lady said so.”
Bettany liked this whistle very much. She hesitated for a moment and asked Roland, “Can you give it to me?”
Coincidentally, Olivia had come over. When she heard this, she nodded casually. “Take it.”
Bettany was very happy. She took the whistle and began fiddling with it.
Elena was puzzled. “It’s just an ordinary whistle.”
“I like it.” Bettany hung the whistle around her neck and tilted her head to ask Olivia, “Olivia, did you buy
this?”
Olivia looked at it carefully for a while before retrieving the memory fragment from a corner of her mind. “It seems like a little boy gave it to me.”
“Little boy?” Elena perked up at the prospect of gossip.
Olivia glanced at her and said, “It’s a little boy from the orphanage. I gave him a toy and he gave me a whistle in return.”
“Oh, it’s so meaningful.” Elena stared at the whistle on Bettany’s neck. She kept feeling that it was a pity to give it away. It might have been a special destiny for her to meet the little boy again with this whistle. Bettany also somehow began to feel that the whistle was very hot. She took it off and wanted to return it to Olivia.
However, before she could speak, Roland smiled and said, “It’s okay. Take it.”
As he spoke, he opened a box. It was filled with all kinds of little items. Roland introduced them, “These are all toys given to my lady by other little boys. And this is only one box. There are still two boxes upstairs. They’re not that precious,”
Bettany and Elena were instantly speechless.
Alright, if there was only one toy, it could still be considered destiny. If there were several boxes of toys, that destiny would not be worth much and could only be called ordinary.
Elena also picked one item up and said with a smile, “I’ll take one too. Maybe I’ll meet some grown–up boy out there. If I do become a couple with him, then Miss Taylor would be our matchmaker.”
After going back to the Manson family residence, Winona had pestered Margaret for a few days, but Margaret still did not tell her what had happened back then.
Margaret even gave her a warning: if she insisted and kept causing trouble, Margaret would tell Daniel.
Winona was so angry that her eyes suddenly turned cold.
After taking a few deep breaths to suppress her anger, she asked Margaret to meet her. “Let’s meet and talk. I have something important to tell you.”
“If there’s anything, let’s talk over the phone.” Margaret was unwilling to meet her.
Winona emphasized, “It’s very important. It cannot be said over the phone.”
Missing
Under Winona’s coaxing and pestering, Margaret finally agreed to meet.
The two of them found a quiet place to meet. After chatting for a while, Margaret’s face turned pale and she almost couldn’t hold the cup. “What did you say? Olivia is the wife of the future head of the Grant family?”
Winona nodded, “Yes, I’m not lying to you. You’ll see it in a few days. The Grant family will arrange for Olivia to inadvertently meet Mr. Alexander, so as to move their relationship forward.”
Margaret’s temples throbbed. She had never thought that things would be so complicated.
Winona looked at Margaret steadily, “Now you know why I insisted on separating them, right? If they were together, the Grant family would definitely deal with Daniel. Even if Daniel’s current strength cannot be underestimated, you should know how strong the Grant family is.”
“That Grant family?” Margaret pointed at the ceiling carefully.
Winona nodded, “Next year will be the year of changeover. Although the Book family is currently in the limelight, the head of the Watson family is already contacting the director of the Capitol Research Institute. Once the director supports the Grant family, the Book family has no chance of winning.”
Margaret bit her lower lip and hesitated. “Let me think about it.”
“Think about what? There’s no time!” Winona hated Margaret’s dawdling. She and Margaret had completely different personalities.
If she wanted something, she would fight for it without hesitation.
However, Margaret was different. This person was very tolerant. She could hold it in and let go after having a crush on someone for more than 20 years.
“Daniel is in the open, and the Grant family is in the shadows.” Winona squeezed the cup, “If you keep deliberating about it, the Grant family might take action. More importantly, the Grant family still doesn’t know that Andrew is Olivia’s child. If they do find out, they will definitely be extraordinarily angry. The young master’s wife, whom the Grant family had put in a lot of effort to groom for more than ten years, got snatched by someone else in the end and even had a child with that person. Even if Olivia were to lose the position of young master’s wife because of this, the First Elder and the others would still not let Daniel off.
“Now, the Sullivan family is quite withered. Andrew is still so young. No one can support the family business. Once something happens to Daniel, the assets under his name will be ownerless wealth. The Grant family can take the opportunity to pocket it.”
Margaret raised her eyes and looked at Winona. “If Daniel gets together with you, will that keep him safe? Can Andrew’s origin be hidden forever?”
Winona suddenly leaned closer and grabbed Margaret’s shoulder. She said firmly, ‘Of course. If I marry Daniel, then Daniel will basically be affiliated with the Grant family and become a source of money for them. Taking the Manson family into consideration, even though the Grant family might have some punishment in store for him, it won’t be too serious.
“Most importantly, if I’m with Daniel, I’ll find a way to send Andrew away so that his identity won’t be exposed.”
Send gift
Chapter 328
O +5 vouchers
The graphene project had always been the focus of competition among major companies in the Professor Corey, who was in charge of this project, was getting very annoyed.
country.
People would try to contact him in various ways every day. Even the vice dean, Jeremy Watson, would inquire about his intentions, whether openly or covertly.
Professor Corey was worried sick. He kept pestering Rebecca every day, wanting to contact the dean and ask her what she thought. He wanted to know who the dean was going to assign the project to, Rebecca was a professional. Since Professor Corey had come to ask her, she gave Olivia a call.
Olivia was performing acupuncture on Bettany Fulham. Bettany’s hand had already recovered a lot, and she would fully recover after one or two more acupuncture sessions.
Olivia had just put away the silver needles when she received a call from Rebecca.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
Rebecca told her about Professor Corey’s worries. Olivia’s frown became deeper the more she listened to Rebecca. By the end, her brows were almost furrowed into a knot.
Rebecca could feel Olivia’s intense aura even through the phone line.
Professor Corey did not even dare to breathe loudly. He secretly hated himself for being so stupid. He thought. “Why didn’t I call the dean earlier? Why did I take the liberty to do something like this?” He
put
his ear toward the phone, trying to hear the conversation better.
Rebecca glanced at him and wanted to explain the situation to Professor Corey.
However, before she could say anything, Olivia’s cold voice rang out from the other end of the line. “Isn’t there someone in charge of the industrialization of the project? Don’t bother me with such things in the future. You can decide for yourselves.
“Bother her?” Professor Corey thought.
He suspected that he had heard wrongly. The graphene project was a popular product that several large enterprises in the country and several aristocratic families were fighting over. Even the Grant family wanted to get involved, yet the dean did not care about the project at all.
After a moment of shock, Professor Corey figured it out.
He thought, “That’s expected. The graphene project might seem like a big project to the outside world, but there are several such projects in the research institute.
“The dean can’t possibly interfere with every single one of them, right?”
With this thought in mind, Professor Corey became more indifferent toward the project. He felt that there was no need to let his worry restrain him. He would just do things in a business–like manner and. follow the process.
However, there was something he had to report to the dean.
Professor Corey grabbed the phone. “Dean, the few big companies that have the ability to take over the graphene project are all in Evervale. I want to make a trip to Evervale
“Decide for yourself,” Olvia said. She then hung up.
At the Smith family villa, Bettany was relaxing her wrist happily. “Elena, my hands feel so flexible.” As she spoke, she took out a pen and casually drew two lines. Her hand did not tremble at all, and the lines were smooth.
Bettany was so surprised that she almost jumped up. “This is great, this is great. My hand is healed.” Elena was also happy for her. The two girls, who were of similar ages, hugged each other as they cried happy tears.
After they stabilized their emotions, Elena took a tissue and wiped Bettany’s tears as she asked, “Bettany,
14:50
Billionaire’s Missing Darling
are you going to acknowledge Mrs. Liebsig as your master?”
+5 vouchers
At the mention of Mrs. Liebsig, Bettany’s expression became excited and her heart thumped wildly. “Actually, Elena held her chin and suggested sincerely, “Actually, I think it’s better for you to acknowledge Miss Taylor as your master.”
“Olivia?” Bettany frowned, not understanding Elena. “Why do you say that? Shouldn’t the teacher be better than the disciple? Mrs. Liebsig is a famous artist in the country. I might become like Olivia if I become her disciple.”
Bettany admired Olivia. She was smart, beautiful, and good at drawing.
There was a drawing done by Olivia in front of her that Bettany had been tracing for a few days. Although her wrist was injured and she could not hold a pen, she had been drawing it in her heart. She would often ask Olivia for guidance on techniques.
She could draw now. Even if she couldn’t compare to Olivia, she would still be better than Winona.
Looking at the outstanding drawing in front of her, Bettany turned around and asked Elena, “Elena, do you think I can draw better than Olivia?”
Elena spread her hands. I don’t know.”
“You wouldn’t know, of course.” Bettany nodded and picked up her pen to start drawing. “Olivia said that I can draw now.”
Bettany loved drawing from the bottom of her heart. Once she was immersed in it, she would forget everything around her.
She drew one drawing after another, and she would ask Olivia for guidance when she had nothing to do. She had already drawn a room full of drawings by the time her wrist was completely fine.
One of the drawings was an imitation of Olivia’s drawing. Bettany examined it closely and felt that it was similar to the original drawing.
She took the drawing and ran to look for Olivia.
Olivia was browsing Twitter on the sofa. She looked up slightly when she saw Bettany coming over, her expression unchanged.
Bettany handed the drawing to Olivia and looked at her nervously and expectantly,
Olivia stopped moving her hand, which was holding the tablet computer, for a while and looked at Bettany inquiringly. Her gaze was deep and boundless. Her eyes were as deep and vast as the sea even though she was a little confused now.
Bettany pinched her fingers. While her eyes were filled with confidence, she could not help but feel nervous. “Olivia, what do you think of my drawing?”
“An evaluation?” Olivia thought.
Olivia lowered her gaze and looked at the drawing with a focused and serious expression.
After a while, she nodded and praised, “Very good.”
“Very good! Very good! Olivia said that my drawing is very good!” Bettany could not help but cheer in her
heart.
“W–what about compared to your original drawing?” she asked.
“It’s about 30% there,” Olivia answered.
“30%. Bettany thought.
The joy and smugness on Bettany’s face froze. After a long time, she awkwardly took her drawing back. She dejectedly carried the drawing back to her room. Only then did the coldness around her body dissipate.
Elena leaned against the door with a smile on her face. “Congratulations, Bettany. You already have 30% of Miss Taylor’s skills. You’ll definitely catch up to her in time.”
23
Billionaire’s Missing Darling
+5 vouchers
Bettany forced a smile and did not speak. She kept rubbing the drawing board with her fingertips. Sunlight shone through the window and onto her face, reflecting the determination on her originally gentle face.
Elena couldn’t tell what Bettany was feeling. She was overjoyed for Bettany. She really felt that Bettany was very impressive..
Winona had been drawing since elementary school and had been taught by a great teacher. She had also studied Olivia’s drawings for many years, yet she only reached 60% of Olivia’s standard. On the other hand, Bettany had purely been self–studying and relying completely on her talent. She had only been drawing for a few days, but she had already reached 30% of Olivia’s standard.
In time, she would definitely become an impressive artist.
Bettany’s expression improved a lot after she heard what Elena said. Then, she looked down and reflected on herself. She had been too anxious.
She had not even gotten her fundamentals down yet. Olivia was the well–known artist, “Sketcher, and anyone else would already be happy to have 30% of her standard. Yet, she was unhappy.
She should not feel that way,
Bettany wasn’t like this in the past. She simply liked to draw and do what she liked to do. However, after experiencing so much, she could no longer return to her original state of mind. She truly realized that the weak did not have rights in this world.
The Dillon family had imprisoned her because she had no power or influence and could not escape. However, Olivia could barge in and take her away, ignoring even the Dillon family and the Fulham family.
She was more powerful than the Dillon family since she was the head of the Smith family as well as the fiancée of the richest man in the country. She did not have to care about Marcus’s threats.
Bettany also wanted to be such a person. She could only control her fate if she had power. She wanted to be as cool and suave as Olivia and do whatever she wanted.
Send gift
Chapter 329
Although the Grant family had used all kinds of trials and methods to pick Alexandler’s wife, it was not purely based on appearance and ability. They also paid a lot of attention to the relationship between Alexander and his prospective wile.
After all, it the two of them did not have a good relationship, then she would pose a greater threat the more capable she was.
During this time, First Elder and the others had been studying how to create a chance encounter between Olivia and Alexander to promote their relationship.
The advisory team had come up with several plans and even researched the current popular idol drammas. They also invited many experts in relationships and psychology to form a relationship team. However, First Elder rejected all the plans they came up with as he felt that they were not good.
Zelen saw that First Elder was very troubled about this, so she suggested that Olivia should interact more with Alexander first. Then, they could analyze any follow–up actions based on their interactions. They had an entire team. They did not believe that they could not subdue a little girl like Olivia. First Elder nodded. Thus was the only thing they could do for now.
Then, the relationship team began to come up with plans for Olivia to encounter Alexander. A few of them were not good, and only one caught the First Elder’s eye.
Alexander had always had serious headaches, and sometimes, he would go crazy when he was in pain. Coincidentally, Olivia knew medicine,
The Smith family’s creed was to treat illnesses and save people. Olivia would definitely save Alexander if he fainted in front of her. This would create time for the two of them to be alone.
After determining the general plan, they began to study the details.
Olivia liked staying at home and rarely went out. However, she was a very responsible person. She would leave her home to visit the Smith family’s hospital every once in a while ever since she took over.
They were uncertain about when she visited last time, but they were now. It was the 3rd, 13th, and 23rd of every month.
It just so happened that tomorrow was the 3rd, Olivia had already set off for Layfield. They could stop. Olivia when she went back to rest at night.
They analyzed the map of Layfield. Olivia would return to her old family building behind the hospital to rest after her consultations. The building was not properly managed, and there were no street lamps in that area. It would be easier to do things in the dark.
They could get Alexander to block the path that Olivia had to take to return home.
They sent the plan to Alexander after it was finalized.
Alexander was wearing a satin shirt and leaning against the sofa. He had an indifferent gaze, but there was a hint of coldness in the depths of his eyes. He looked up and flipped through the proposal.
With a soft snort, he casually threw the proposal on the table.
Nonsense!” His slightly cold tone carried a hint of laziness. However, the power contained in it could not be underestimated.
Even First Elder’s legs went weak in front of Alexander. He thought to himself, “Alexander’s aura has ‘cally become stronger over the years.”
He took the proposal and flipped through it. He was about to tell the team to take the proposal back and edo it when Alexander on the other side suddenly agreed to the plan.
First Elder was stunned and subconsciously looked up.
Opposite him, there was no expression on Alexander’s face. First Elder could not see any emotion no natter how he looked at Alexander.
12
Billionaire’s Missing Darling
It was not appropriate for him to continue staring. He placed the proposal neatly on the table and stood. up to leave.
After First Elder left, Alexander looked up, reached out to pick up the proposal, and flipped through it
again.
He thought of the cold and alert woman that night and suddenly felt an itch in his heart.
Alexander, who had always been cold and self–possessed, rarely smiled.
A desire to conquer Olivia arose in his heart.
He thought, “It would not be a bad thing to be able to make that cold and indifferent face blush
“No matter how smart Olivia is, she is just a woman. With so many people analyzing her actions and controlling her emotions, it might not be long before she’s in
In Layheld.
On this day, Olivia ended her consultation at 8 p.m. as usual.
TITY
bed.
After the Smith family’s hospital became famous, many people would come because of its reputation. They would be busy until late at night almost every time they opened for consultations.
Olivia rubbed her aching temples and slowly walked toward the family building.
She had only taken two steps when she noticed a struggling figure in front of her.
Olivia stopped in her tracks while Tyson went over to check out the situation. After a while, he brought two people over. They were Alexander and Damian.
Olivia was a little surprised to see the two of them. “Why are you two here?”
Alexander’s face was pale and his entire body was pressed against Damian.
Damian glanced at Olivia and replied, “Mr. Alexander came to Layfield for something. Unfortunately, he developed a headache and needs to go to the hospital for acupuncture.”
“Headache?” Olivia frowned slightly and was about to go forward to check.
However, Alexander pushed her away. The man’s handsome face was covered in cold sweat. He was in so much pain that the veins on his forehead were bulging, but his tone was frighteningly cold. “Get lost, don’t touch me!”
These were the lines that the team had arranged for Alexander.
They were not going to rush things. If Alexander was too proactive, not only would it attract Olivia’s suspicion, but it would also reduce his charm.
After all, the more cold and handsome a man was, the more challenging it would be for a woman to
obtain him.
The team had analyzed that the more Alexander coldly rejected Olivia, the more unconvinced Olivia would be and insist on treating him.
Damian cooperated from the side. “Mr. Alexander’s headache is an old problem. I don’t know how many doctors we’ve hired but they can’t treat it. Ms. Taylor, don’t cause trouble.”
This was a provocation.
Everything went according to plan. Next, Olivia would want to treat Alexander.
And yet…
Something unexpected happened.
Olivia only replied with an “oh” before stepping back. She walked past the two of them and led the people behind her toward the building.
During this time, she did not even turn around.
Alexander and Damian were left in a mess in the cold wind.
When Olivia’s figure completely disappeared from the corridor, Damian came back to his senses and
looked at Alexander in a daze. His tone was confused. “Mr. Alexander, why did she act differently from
藝群
the analysis? The relationship team First Elder hired consisted of top experts in the industry. I don’t know how many behavioral analyses they have done, but their accuracy is very high. Why would this happen?” Damian was dumbfounded.
He thought. “Isn’t Olivia a doctor? Isn’t the Smith family supposed to save the dying and heal the injured? “How could she be so indifferent when she saw Mr. Alexander in so much pain and leave just like that?
“Does she have any sympathy at all?”
Unlike Damian’s confusion and resentment, Alexander lowered his head and curled his lower lip. A faint smile appeared at the corners of his eyes, blowing away the hot and humid night air like a breeze.
Olivia was very different from the investigation data.
Alexander turned around and looked up.
There were thousands of lights above his head. He wondered which one of them belonged to the Taylor family.
“What is she doing now?” Alexander thought, suddenly curious.
Upstairs.
Elena sat in front of Olivia and was very curious. “Miss Taylor, isn’t that man good–looking?
“Is he?” Olivia thought, “He seems rather ordinary and is nothing special.
“If I have to pick someone good–looking…
Olivia’s expression froze for a moment before a smile appeared at the corners of her eyes. “I think Daniel is the best–looking.”
Elena groaned as she thought, “What a disgusting act of love…”
Send gift
Comment
Chapter 830
They had to get down to business lens fremned and looked very worried “Miss Taylor, why do you thank the young master at the ram tanuly would come here for no reason? Is there a spiracy?” Olivia took out her phone and was about to call Daniel She did not even had up when she heard Elena’s question. She was unchferent and did not take Alexander’s actions to heart at all, he said, “You don’t have to pay attention to it. The Grant tannly is used to coming up with schemes. They don’t know what sincerity and magnarumy are. Then actions and goals are worlds apart Cressing their motives through their actions is an arduous and unewarsling thing”
Olivia had her own things to do and would not waste any more effort on the tant family.
Elena was still very worried. “That’s true, but you’re in the open while they’re in the duck. What if they plot against you?
Hearing this, Olivia smiled.
Her smile was magnanimous and contident. It was as if the Grant family’s schemes were childish tricks in her eyes, and that they were not worth mentioning at all. She even found it a little ridiculous. Sometimes, it is brawn over brain. No matter how many schemes and plots they come up with, they will not be able to achieve anything in front of absolute power”
With that, Olivia called Daniel
Daniel was still in the company.
le had a lot on his plate recently. Several companies had gotten into trouble at the same time. The eople in charge could not handle the situation at all and he had to do it himself.
ecently, he had been so busy that he did not even have time to sleep.
inona was also in the Sullivan family’s company. After Margaret told her what had happened, she anted to call Daniel and threaten him to agree to a few things.
therwise, she would tell Olivia everything. She would tell Olivia that Daniel had once thought of arrying someone else.
ack then. Olivia had lost control of her emotions, lost her memory, and left when she saw Daniel ming out of Margaret’s room in disheveled clothes in the morning.
Olivia remembered all of this, regardless of whether she was willing to forgive the current Daniel or t. there would definitely be a rift between them.
en that the two of them were about to get married, Daniel would never allow this to happen.
is was what Winona thought, but Margaret didn’t agree.
at’s too direct and crass.” Margaret said with a frown, “You have no idea how deep Daniel’s feelings for via are. He will definitely think of a way to deal with you if you threaten him so bluntly. At that time,
advantage will be gone and I’ll be implicated.”
Winona didn’t believe it.
ria was merely a good–looking woman.
ona didn’t think that the relationship between them was deep at all. Daniel might still love Olivia, but love between them was very fragile. After being separated for so many years, no matter how deep the tionship was, it would have faded with time.
reason why he was still willing to marry Olivia was partly because they still had some feelings for
other, and partly because of Andrew.
rall, Olivia was the child’s mother.
heard that Daniel cared a lot about this child.
ona immediately wanted to call Daniel and threaten him with this matter. Margaret couldn’t stop her
Billionaire’s Missing Darling
15 vouchers
Unfortunately, Daniel did not pick up the call even after Winona called seven or eight times in a row. She spent some effort and tried to contact Daniel’s secretary, Ellis. Only then did she find out that Daniel was in a meeting. It was an important theeting, and Dandel had passed his phone to Ellis. He would not answer any calls.
The meeting would not end until around 10 pan.
Winona was burning with anxiety. She couldn’t wait any longer and went straight to the Sullivan family’s
company.
However, no matter how anxious she was, she still dressed up carefully and touched up her makeup. “Margaret, how do you think I look?” Winona turned around and flaunted herself. Her heart was filled with anticipation and nervousnONS.
Margaret looked up at the exquisite and beautiful woman in front of her and nodded. She said honestly, “You’re gorgeous.”
Winona was very good–looking. She had a cold allure. Back then, she was considered a goddess in school.
Otherwise, no one would have made the bet and asked Daniel to woo her.
Winona was wearing a beautiful long dress that accentuated her figure. She wore a windbreaker on the outside, and its fiery red color seemed to light up the night, revealing her oppressive beauty.
She knew that Daniel liked such radiant colors. He had a great aesthetic taste and he especially liked to match colors. He had helped match many of Winona’s outfits back then.
Today, she especially wore these clothes that matched his aesthetic taste.
When Winona arrived at the company, Ellis didn’t even dare to breathe loudly when he saw such a cold and elegant woman.
He arranged for her to wait outside the conference room. He was very respectful and even instructed someone to pour her coffee. “Mr. Sullivan is having a meeting in the conference room. You will see him immediately after the meeting when he comes out.”
Winona nodded, satisfied.
She looked up at the time. It was 8:30 p.m. There was still an hour and a half before Daniel came out. Daniel would probably be very stunned when he came out and saw Winona like this.
Winona’s heart thumped a little faster, and she couldn’t help but look forward to it.
While she was in a daze, the phone in Ellis’s hand rang again. The ringtone was very special. It seemed to be a foreign song.
Winona wasn’t very good with that language, and the pitch of the song was quite low, so she couldn’t tell. At first, Winona thought that it was Ellis’s phone ringing. Just as she was about to praise him for his taste and having such a pleasant ringtone, she saw him walking toward the conference room with the phone. Winona’s heart skipped a beat. She suddenly realized that the phone belonged to Daniel.
Ellis didn’t turn around to look at Winona. He walked straight to the door of the conference room and knocked twice before entering.
After a while, he came out. His hand was empty when he came out. The phone was go
Winona licked her lower lip and asked Ellis, Who called just now?”
Ellis did not think about it and answered directly, “It was from Ms. Taylor.”
gone.
Olivia?” Winona frowned and questioned, “Didn’t you say that Daniel won’t answer any calls from inyone?”
Ellis nodded. “Yes.”
At this point, he paused and explained, “Ms. Taylor is special. She’s not anyone.”
All of a sudden, Winona’s face turned pale. She looked at Ellis as if she wanted to eat him alive.
Ellis was as still as a mountain. He still had that docile and slightly flattering look.
15 vouchers
Billionaire’s Missing Darling
Yet, he could ignore Winona’s minderous gaze and even asked her gently if she needed more coffee. “Ellis Wilson!” Winona cursed in her heart as she clenched her fists tightly.
IW
the site, Rowan was a little frightened by Winona’s appearance. She pulled Ellis to the side and whispered, “Why did you provoke her? She’s so scary. Do you think she will take revenge on you?” Ellis was calm and his tone was slightly cold. “Don’t worry about it. Whether it’s Ms. Taylor or Ms. Manson, this has nothing to do with us. We just have to do as Mr. Sullivan says.
Rowana nodded and did not say anything.
Daniel’s secretaries were all smart people. They were experts in knowing what to say or do.
They naturally knew how not to go too far.
In Rowana’s opinion, Winona was no better than Olivia. Daniel had been so busy during this time, and his meetings were always a race against time.
Despite such circumstances, he would tell his secretaries to inform him about anything regarding Olivia as soon as possible, no matter what he was doing.
Just this preferential treatment alone made Olivia miles ahead of Winona.
曲 Send gift
Comment