Chapter 3 A Calculated Encounter
"What is all this nonsense?"
Olivia's eyes reflected the endless stream of messages on her screen. The more she read, the deeper her frown became, her finger scrolling so quickly it almost left a blur.
As she was grumbling, her phone rang.
A contact labeled "Darling Fiancé " flashed across the screen.
Olivia felt a sense of foreboding.
Sophie, sitting beside her, smiled knowingly, confirming her suspicion. "Yes, it's James."
Olivia immediately changed the contact name before answering.
"Hello."
"How long are you going to keep up this charade?"
"Stop with the tricks." James launched into a scolding the moment the call connected, adding. "Come to the company parking lot immediately. I need to see you."
His high-handed tone directly ignited Olivia's irritation. She rolled her eyes, responding without the slightest courtesy. "What's with all that barking? Not coming."
With that, she gave James no chance to reply and hung up.
"Who does he think he is?" Olivia muttered as she blocked his number. "What an absolute jerk!"
She had initially wanted to spend more time with James to see if it might trigger her memory.
But with his attitude, prolonged exposure might not recover her memories but give her a heart attack instead.
"Have you really changed?" Sophie turned her head to glance at Olivia, surprised by her fluid series of actions.
Though aware of Olivia's temporary amnesia, Sophie had assumed she was just angry and would forgive him once James placated her with some sweet talk. That was how it had always been before.
But this time, Olivia scoffed with disdain. "I don't know how I could have been so stupid, flattering him as usual, but now I won't be that foolish anymore. James can go to hell."
"I'm starving," she said in the next moment, her attention drawn to a restaurant they were passing.
She hadn't eaten since waking up by the pool, and after so much physical and mental exertion, she was famished.
"Let's eat then," Sophie replied.
Sophie redirected the car toward a restaurant they frequently visited.
As soon as they sat down, Sophie's phone began vibrating incessantly. After checking the new messages, she stood up saying, "You order first. I need to use the restroom."
"Any food preferences or allergies?" Olivia asked, her eyes not leaving the menu.
"I'm fine with anything. Choose whatever you like." Sophie concealed a fleeting strange look in her eyes as she walked away with hurried steps.
Once inside the bathroom, Sophie locked the door behind her before opening her phone.
Several messages from Isabella immediately appeared on the screen.
Sophie pressed her lips together, her expression darkening, but her reply remained polite: [I understand. Sorry, I was busy.]
"What took you so long? If you'd been any later, the food would have gone cold," Olivia said as Sophie returned to the table, immediately serving her some grilled salmon and roasted vegetables.
"Just handling some work matters," Sophie smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear with one hand while picking up her cutlery with the other.
After collecting her thoughts, she tentatively asked, "Olivia, what are you planning to do now?"
"What do you mean?" Olivia questioned, continuing to chew her food.
"If I remember correctly, you had a falling out with your family yesterday."
Sophie analyzed Olivia's situation. Though she was a Harper, a legitimate heiress, most of her assets were inherited from her late mother, primarily in real estate. Now that the Harper family had frozen her cards and wouldn't let her work, if she did nothing, she'd quickly run out of money.
"So, I still think you shouldn't avoid James. On the contrary, you should find ways to get close to him, then reclaim the money you've spent on him, plus some compensation for damages, and maybe even recover some memories along the way."
"You make a good point," Olivia conceded.
"Then I'll take you to see him after we finish eating."
"Alright."
Sophie took a sip of her coffee, observing Olivia's unguarded demeanor across from her, and pressed her lips together behind her cup once more.
When Olivia arrived, James was already waiting by his car.
Seeing her approach, he smiled confidently, as if certain she would come. "Get in. I'm in a hurry."
Olivia shuddered, forcing herself to fasten her seatbelt despite her discomfort, and asked, "Where are we going?"
'He's so creepy,' she thought, 'How did I ever like such a disgusting man?'
"Didn't you always want me to take you to those two new stores at Harmony Plaza? Today I'm giving you that opportunity."
James's tone was condescending. In his mind, no matter how badly he treated Olivia, he could always win her back with sweet talk, and she would console herself.
James had it all planned out. After reluctantly accompanying her shopping, he would take her to entertain Stephen Johnson over drinks. This would help Isabella secure a major deal, as Stephen had seen Olivia's photo and insisted on meeting her.
Little did he know that Olivia had already seen through his true nature.
Nevertheless, Olivia decided to play along with his scheme.
Suppressing her disgust, she adopted the affected tone from their chat history. "Baby, why are you being so nice to me today?"
As expected, James smiled knowingly and replied casually, "Nothing special, just need you to join Stephen and his associates for dinner later."
'A trap,' Olivia thought.
She didn't believe it would be as simple as just dinner.
After her persistent questioning, she discovered this jerk wanted her to help entertain clients to benefit her stepsister!
Olivia was furious, but on second thought, this could be a perfect opportunity to collect some interest on what he owed her.
"I'll go," she said.
"I knew you'd be reasonable."
James's hand hadn't even touched Olivia's head when she added, "But you'll pay me two million dollars as commission."
"Two million dollars?" His expression changed, repeating the amount in disbelief.
What shocked him wasn't the price but Olivia's sudden change in character.
How dare she demand payment this time?
"I'm putting myself out there for you, and you don't appreciate me at all." Olivia didn't hesitate, reaching for the car door. "No payment, no deal."
James quickly grabbed her hand. "Fine, I'll pay!"
"Transfer it now," Olivia insisted, maintaining her stern expression and following the principle that money in hand is money earned.
Despite his internal fury, James had no choice but to transfer the money on the spot.
After confirming the payment, Olivia decided not to spend any more time with him, asking him to take her directly to the restaurant.
Following the server's lead, they arrived at the private dining room.
"Mr. Johnson! It's such an honor to finally meet you!" James exclaimed as they entered.
The moment they entered the room, James flashed a sycophantic smile, greeting the man at the head of the table with excessive enthusiasm.
Stephen made no attempt to hide his interest, his eyes lighting up as they landed on Olivia, who entered a step behind James.
Olivia ignored the reactions of everyone in the room, walking straight to the dining table.
Isabella, sensing something was amiss, was about to speak when Olivia picked up a wine glass and announced loudly. "I'm in a hurry, so I'll skip the pleasantries. I'll drink a toast to express my respect first!"
With that, she downed the glass of wine in one go under everyone's watchful eyes.
In an instant, the previously lively private room fell silent enough to hear a pin drop, with varied expressions across all faces.
James was stunned by this display. "Olivia, what are you doing!"
"I have matters to attend to. I must leave!" Having achieved her goal, Olivia put down the glass and turned to leave.
Yes, she came solely to disrupt their plans.
James recovered quickly and pursued her out of the room.
The hallway stretched long before her, lined with doors on either side. To evade pursuit, Olivia didn't think twice—after turning a corner, she randomly pulled open a door and slipped inside!
"Olivia?" A somewhat familiar voice greeted her.