Chapter 3
Emily looked a bit uneasy and greeted, "Olivia."
Luna quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Hey, you're practically family now. Emily saw the news and got worried, so she came to check on you."
Olivia didn't say anything, just stared at Emily with an apologetic look.
She was engaged to Emily's brother, Chase Wilson, but the engagement was originally supposed to be Luna's.
Later, Luna claimed that Olivia wasn't married yet and it would be improper to break tradition, so the engagement fell to Olivia.
Aiden and Harper agreed without much objection.
The reason was simple: the Wilson family was good, but not that good.
They were more than suitable for Olivia, but for Luna, they felt it was a bit beneath her.
In the silence, Luna suddenly covered her mouth, as if she had just realized something. "By the way, what does Chase think about all this?"
She was asking Emily.
"Do you think Chase might have some thoughts about Olivia, given what happened? But Chase is a good guy. You should speak well of Olivia to him." Luna asked and answered her questions.
Both Olivia and Emily's faces darkened.
Seeing Olivia suffer always put Luna in a good mood, almost unable to hide her inner joy, but she still feigned regret. "If I had known, I wouldn't have let Mom and Dad give the engagement to Olivia. It seems like Olivia is reluctant. Does she have someone else in mind?"
Luna added, "After all, Olivia isn't the type to mess around."
That comment brought the atmosphere to a freezing point.
Olivia, seeing Emily's increasingly gloomy face, couldn't hold back anymore and stared at Luna. "Why were you just outside the bathroom?"
Olivia added, "That place is out of the way from anywhere you usually go. You didn't even know where I was last night. How could it be such a coincidence?"
Some things she could figure out on her own, but she wouldn't argue with Luna.
In her upbringing, she was taught that older sisters should always give way to their younger sisters.
Luna, who had been smug, suddenly changed her expression, looking a bit unpleasant but still unwilling to back down. She tore off her earlier pretense of concern for Olivia. "Do you have time to think about this now? Since it's a done deal, you should focus on calming Dad's anger."
Luna added, "And also how to explain to your fiancé and your future sister-in-law."
With that, she turned and left without a trace of reluctance.
Olivia felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. She turned to see Emily, who was still looking dejected, and explained, "Emily, you know I wouldn't take someone you like. I'll find a way to break off this engagement."
The usually cheerful Emily, who always followed her around, couldn't smile. She looked at Olivia with sorrow and finally just took out two tubes of ointment from her bag. "For your bruises. Take care."
Olivia said, "Emily..."
Emily didn't look back and left straight away.
Olivia sat in the dim room, her thoughts wandering.
In broad daylight, not a single ray of light could penetrate the room.
All the well-lit rooms were used by Luna as a study, a sunroom, or a collection room. The only room left for Olivia was this dark, almost storage-like space.
Olivia hadn't always been this miserable. It was only from a certain point in middle school that she often saw Luna crying and running into Aiden and Harper's arms, while she watched from a distance like an outsider.
Aiden and Harper said Luna was the younger sister and that Olivia, as the older sister, should take good care of her.
That was the first time since middle school that Aiden and Harper had spoken to Olivia so seriously, making her feel incredibly important, so she remembered it well.
For so many years, she had done her duty, adhering to the principle that an older sister should be accommodating. She took the blame for Luna, got beaten, and even worked part-time at a bar because Luna wanted to try it for fun. But after signing a contract, she was afraid it would get back to Aiden and Harper, so she had Olivia continue working in her place.
Up to this point, Olivia was grateful because it allowed her to earn a considerable extra income.
Everything at home was for Luna, and Luna's luxury items were never enough. Naturally, Olivia's allowance also became Luna's.
Almost the moment her allowance was deposited into Olivia's account, it would be transferred out.
For her twentieth birthday, Luna took a large sum of money under the pretense of celebrating together, without any discussion with Olivia afterward.
Olivia had gotten used to it, so she saved up the money she earned from part-time jobs to buy a bracelet she had long desired, as a gift to herself.
It was her only solace in her monotonous, struggling life.
She reached for her wrist, realizing it was empty.
Olivia was stunned. How could it be gone?
She hurriedly searched everywhere, but there was no trace of it.
After being kicked and then taking a cold shower, the cold and pain hit her all at once. Olivia took a few steps before fainting from the pain, using her last bit of strength to press the servant bell before passing out.
When she woke up again, it was already dark outside.
Olivia looked at the ceiling, realizing she was in bed.
At least she wasn't on the floor.
At least the servants had some conscience.
"Ms. Olivia Smith, have some porridge." The servant entered without knocking, having learned from Luna to disregard Olivia's privacy.
Olivia usually didn't bother with these things, so she nodded and asked, "Can you help me find something? It's a bracelet."
The servant refused outright, "I don't have time. I need to make chicken soup for Ms. Luna Smith."
Olivia instinctively glanced at her corn porridge, a smile tugging at her lips. "Is Luna the only master in this house?"
Normally, she wouldn't say such things, probably because she had just woken up and her mind wasn't clear.
The servant was also surprised, unsure of Olivia's attitude, and became more cautious. "You misunderstand. Ms. Luna Smith's soup is something Mrs. Harper Smith insists on every day. We can't delay it."
Olivia had heard about the soup before and had once stumbled upon it, seeing Harper's embarrassed face.
She couldn't stand that awkward look, so she pretended to be nonchalant, saying the Smith family could afford more than one bowl of chicken soup and that she would ask the servants to make it if she wanted some.
Now, Olivia suddenly remembered that and spoke before thinking. "Make me a bowl too. I caught a cold from the cold shower."
The servant visibly stiffened but still silently agreed and left.
Olivia closed her eyes, feeling exhausted.
Within two minutes, the door opened again. This time, Harper walked in quietly and said to Olivia, "If you want chicken soup, have the servants prepare it tomorrow. There's only enough for one today."
"I understand." Olivia didn't open her eyes, answering lazily.
The person by her bed seemed to stand there for a long time before leaving.
When she heard the door close again, Olivia had only one thought in her mind: it seemed the bracelet was lost for good.