Chapter 4 Awkward Reunions
Lucas was Olivia's boyfriend—former boyfriend now.
He was a guy with incredible charisma, someone Olivia had once pursued relentlessly. His long, elegant fingers moved with such grace when he played piano. It was breathtaking.
Olivia opened her phone's photo gallery, scrolling through pictures of her and Lucas together. There they were at the amusement park, at a concert, eating ice cream on Christmas Day, making wishes in front of the Christmas tree.
'Darling, one day I'll buy you the most beautiful piano in the world.'
'Then I'll use that piano to give a solo concert and announce our love to the world.'
As memories flooded back, tears welled in Olivia's eyes. But Lucas wasn't wealthy. He couldn't solve her current problems.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered, deleting every photo of Lucas from her phone.
Wiping away her tears, Olivia sent a message to Esme.
Olivia: [I'll be at the party tonight.]
After composing herself, she headed downstairs. She'd expected resistance from this strict family about going out, but surprisingly, Celeste barely acknowledged her.
"I'm taking Sweetie for a walk," Celeste said, glancing dismissively at Olivia. "You'd better come back early. Don't stay overnight anywhere—it would damage our family's reputation."
She waved her hand as if shooing away an annoying fly.
Olivia instinctively clenched her fists but maintained a smile on her face.
"I understand, Mother. I'll be back early," she said, walking toward the door with increasingly hurried steps.
Once outside the Howard Manor, she exhaled deeply in relief.
"Who do they think they are? Dragons guarding a golden throne?" Olivia flipped her middle finger toward the Manor.
After leaving, she hailed a taxi to meet Esme at their arranged location.
Azure Palace Hotel was one of the most luxurious hotels in Emerald city, featuring an elegant restaurant, comfortable rooms, and entertainment venues popular with young people.
Olivia arrived at the hotel and took the elevator to the floor where she had arranged to meet Esme.
When Olivia stepped out of the elevator, Esme immediately rushed over, giving her a big hug.
"Oh my God, look who's here! Our beautiful bride! Didn't bring your husband with you?" Esme peered behind Olivia, finding only an empty elevator.
"Come on, Esme, stop teasing me. You know my situation," Olivia said.
Her smile suddenly froze as she spotted a familiar face.
Lucas was leaning against the corridor wall in a casual white shirt, his gaze sweeping over to Olivia with a complicated expression.
Lucas walked toward her, his voice as gentle as always. "I thought you wouldn't come, or that you'd just send a text."
Olivia looked embarrassed. When she had broken up with him, she'd only managed to send a text message through her grief, ignoring all his calls afterward.
"Alright, I specially created this opportunity for you two to clear things up. We agreed today would be fun for everyone." Esme squeezed between them, taking both their hands and leading them into the private room.
Inside, their former classmates welcomed Olivia's arrival enthusiastically.
"I heard Olivia married Matthew. Her status is different from ours now."
"Olivia, we're still good friends, right? If I'm ever jobless, could you help me out?"
"Olivia, how's life with the Howards? Is their manor super luxurious? Do servants follow you everywhere, like medieval royalty?"
Everyone gathered around Olivia, curious about the Howard family, their eyes filled with envy. In their minds, marrying into a wealthy family guaranteed a wonderful life.
"The Howards do have a huge manor, and their lifestyle is good, but it's not extravagant like royalty..." Olivia answered awkwardly.
These people had no idea that the Howards were arrogant monsters, like they'd stepped out of the Middle Ages.
Living in that family made it hard to breathe.
Suddenly, someone looked at Olivia and asked a question that silenced everyone.
"Olivia, people are saying you broke up with Lucas for money and married Matthew because of that. Is it true?"
The room fell quiet. Everyone wore strange expressions. Though they'd all wondered this, saying it out loud seemed impolite.
The speaker was a guy wearing glasses, looking rather ordinary.
Lucas was about to open a beer when he heard the question. His finger paused on the tab.
Olivia's smile vanished. After two seconds of silence, she replied calmly, "Yes, I did it for the money. Money matters to me."
Lucas gripped his can so tightly that dents appeared in the aluminum.
The atmosphere turned awkward again. No one expected Olivia to admit it so frankly.
"Enough! What kind of jokes are these? We're here to party and have fun. Let's drink!" Esme passed Olivia a glass, trying to ease the tension.
Olivia took a sip, not wanting to continue the conversation.
"If it's about money, then if I become wealthy in the future, would you divorce him and marry me instead?" Lucas's question plunged the room back into silence.
Esme watched Lucas's affectionate gaze, a flash of jealousy crossing her eyes.
Olivia was stunned and didn't notice Esme's reaction.
Seeing Olivia's continued silence, Lucas seemed to understand. He tilted his head back, drained his beer, then crushed the can and tossed it onto the table.
As the atmosphere grew even more awkward, Esme quickly raised her glass and called out, "Today is Olivia's wedding celebration! Let's not talk about this. A toast to the bride!"
"Right, it's Olivia's wedding day. We should be happy."
"Let's toast to the bride!"
The classmates chimed in, raising their glasses. Olivia awkwardly lifted her empty glass.
After everyone drank, Olivia glanced at Lucas.
She wanted to tell him that her brother's condition couldn't be solved with just money. The Howard family controlled high-end medical resources, and her brother's rare disease required special medication only available at the Evergreen Hospital.
'Never mind. Let him hate me. Sometimes hatred makes it easier to move on than love.'
Olivia smiled self-mockingly. The scene before her seemed blurry. She thought it was from sadness and didn't pay much attention.
Meanwhile, outside Azure Palace Hotel, a luxury car pulled up. A tall, handsome man stepped out.
"Matthew! It's so hard to see you these days." A young man in a pink suit with slicked-back hair emerged from the entrance, two attractive women on his arms. Upon seeing Matthew, he pushed the women aside and moved to embrace him, but Matthew dodged.
"Don't touch me with those hands that have been all over women." Matthew said calmly, but with a hint of displeasure.
"Come on, you still haven't gotten over that condition? Even with your top-tier medical team? Poor you." Wesley Brown shrugged, waving the women away.
"Let's go. What you're looking for is upstairs. By the way, did you tell your family you're back in the country?"
"I changed my plans suddenly. Didn't tell anyone..." Matthew replied.