Chapter 5

Olivia lazily sank into the sofa, her fingertips casually scrolling across her phone screen, completely unbothered by the tense atmosphere before her.

The moment Christopher spoke, she knew Robert had no room to negotiate. What was the rush?

Robert clenched his fists, his chest heaving as he looked at Christopher, his voice full of resentment. "Dad, why should I apologize to her! She's the one who did wrong. She made that video public at the engagement party. She almost ruined me!"

"Ruined you?" A faint trace of sarcasm curved Christopher's lips as his fingertips tapped lightly on his knee. "You cheated on your fiancée, tricked Olivia into getting engaged, and afterward not only refused to admit your mistake but also teamed up with Eleanor to sabotage her company. You think you did nothing wrong? Or have all those years I spent teaching you about 'responsibility' and 'respect' been wasted?"

The last few words Christopher spoke were extremely soft, yet they pierced Robert's heart like ice picks.

He immediately pressed his lips tight, not daring to argue back.

He knew Christopher's temper all too well. Once he spoke in that tone, it meant he was truly angry.

Back when Christopher first brought Robert home, he was just a pitiful child who'd had his inheritance stolen and whose biological father had become a vegetable. Christopher had been quite indulgent with him.

But that indulgence was never meant to be capital for him to run wild, relying on the Taylor family.

"But she acts so recklessly, leaving no room for anyone..." Robert tried to defend himself, but Christopher cut him off before he could finish.

"I actually think Ms. Smith did quite well." Christopher looked up, his gaze sweeping over Olivia with a hint of approval that was hard to detect.

"Otherwise, if she really married you, would she have to watch you keep mistresses while playing the decorative housewife at home?"

Olivia couldn't help but laugh.

She really hadn't expected words like "keep mistresses" to come from someone like Christopher, who had such an austere aura. The contrast was maxed out and particularly amusing.

Christopher glanced at her coolly, his eyes carrying a hint of warning that said "tone it down."

Olivia immediately pressed her lips together, but her shoulders still trembled uncontrollably, unable to hide her amusement.

Eleanor, who had long since dropped her earlier pitiful act, unconsciously fixed her gaze on Christopher.

This was the first time she'd seen this big shot up close.

Christopher had deep-set brow bones, a high nose bridge, and even his meticulously tied necktie exuded nobility. Though he was wrapped up tightly in his suit, he somehow had a restrained yet fatally attractive allure.

He was so much better than Robert, just looking at him made Eleanor's heartbeat irregular.

Noticing Eleanor's gaze, Olivia sneered inwardly. Too lazy to keep arguing with Robert, she waved her hand dismissively. "Forget the apology. I find it disgusting."

But Robert wasn't planning to let it go.

Seeing Olivia's somewhat dependent manner toward Christopher, an inexplicable anger surged in his heart. He stepped forward, grabbed her arm, and pulled her toward the door. "You're coming with me! This isn't over!"

Robert himself couldn't explain where this anger came from.

Was he angry that Olivia had ruined his engagement party, or was he angry at the look in her eyes when she gazed at Christopher—one filled with trust that he'd never seen before?

This out-of-control emotion made him just want to pull Olivia away from Christopher's side.

Olivia stumbled as he dragged her. Just as they left the private room, she suddenly shook off his hand with such force that Robert staggered back half a step.

She steadied herself against the wall, her eyes full of contempt. "Robert, can you stop being so childish? All you know is brute force. You really disgust me."

"I disgust you?"

These words stung Robert into a rage, his eyes instantly turning cold, his tone laced with venom.

"What right do you have to look down on me? You're just trying to seduce my dad, aren't you? Olivia, how can you be so cheap, having such thoughts just to latch onto a sugar daddy!"

Those words were like a dull knife, stabbing hard into Olivia's heart.

Looking at this, Robert, whom she once had some feelings for, she now felt nothing but disgust.

Before Robert could continue, Olivia raised her hand and slapped him. The crisp sound was particularly jarring in the hallway.

"The one who's really cheap is you!" Olivia's voice trembled but was exceptionally firm.

"You helped outsiders scheme against me, and now you dare slander me. Robert, let me tell you, stay out of my sight from now on, or I'll hit you every time I see you!"

Robert covered his face, looking at Olivia in disbelief.

In all his years, no one had dared lay a hand on him like this, let alone Olivia, whom he'd always thought was "docile and obedient."

Just as he was about to explode, he saw Olivia turn and walk away, her high heels clicking on the floor with each step, showing determination, without a trace of attachment.

Olivia returned home, kicked off her high heels, and collapsed on the bed, exhaustion washing over her instantly.

After being hassled by Robert all day, even her chance to discuss partnership terms with Christopher had been interrupted. Rubbing her throbbing temples, she felt nothing but irritation.

Right now, her company was waiting for funding to survive, and Robert and Eleanor refused to leave her alone.

Before she could sort out her thoughts, her phone started vibrating like crazy.

The moment she opened social media, the dense barrage of abusive messages almost made her think she'd clicked on the wrong account.

On the trending topics, a hashtag about Olivia being jealous of Eleanor was prominently displayed. Clicking in, it was full of press releases from marketing accounts. "Olivia, unable to marry Robert, jealous of Eleanor winning favor with a wealthy family, relentlessly bullies Eleanor."

In the comments section, Eleanor's fans were already in an uproar, flooding the feed with vile language.

[Liking someone else's boyfriend and then turning it around. Olivia, why do you love being a mistress so much?]

[Can't marry into a wealthy family yourself, so you ruin others. What a vicious mind!]

[Get out of our Eleanor's sight immediately!]

Even worse, someone had dug up Olivia's private phone number. Strange calls and messages kept coming, all full of unbearable curses.

Looking at the malice on her screen, Olivia's fingertips trembled slightly, but she didn't immediately fight back like she had during the day.

She knew that being impulsive now was useless. Eleanor wanted to provoke her into losing control so she could grab more leverage.

She took a deep breath and turned off her phone notifications, clenching her fists.

Eleanor wanted to destroy her with rumors, Robert wanted to force her to submit through suppression, but she, Olivia, had never been someone who gave up easily.

Early the next morning, Olivia opened her door to find a package outside. She was somewhat puzzled.

Taking it inside, the moment she opened it, Olivia's pupils constricted sharply.

Inside was a box containing a dead rat, threatening letters printed with blood-red words, and even a rusty fruit knife.

Olivia took a deep breath, suppressing her racing heartbeat, and called the police, not quite as calm as usual.

Back at the company, she contacted a lawyer, saved screenshots of all the abusive messages and marketing account press releases, and had her assistant trace the source of the articles.

Olivia sat at her desk, looking at the evidence files on her computer, her eyes cold. "Since you want to play, I'll play with you to the end. Just don't regret it."