No one expected Olivia to suddenly drop her glass.
The piercing sound startled everyone in the hall, and the eaters hiding in nooks and crannies to chat about gossip gathered around.
Ava dodged out of the way in time, and the glass smashed against her foot, splashing liquid almost all over the hem of her skirt in a woeful mess.
Emma reacted quickly, hastily yanking Ava to her side and making sure she wasn't hurt before glaring up at Olivia.
"What are you doing!"
Olivia met her reproachful gaze and tugged her lips into a small laugh, "What she lost was the earring my grandmother left me, wasn't it?"
"Yes."
Emma replies a little sheepishly that the earrings were left to Olivia by Olivia's grandmother and that she was actually going to keep them for Olivia, but Ava overheard them and really liked them.
Ava, the kid, rarely asked her for anything on her own accord, and since Ava liked the earrings so much, she gave them.
It's just a pair of earrings, nothing special, just expensive.
Knowing that Olivia was small-minded and calculating, she was planning to go to an auction one day and give Olivia a pair of jewelry that was more expensive than this as compensation.
So she didn't think she was in the wrong and thought Olivia was being a bit unreasonable.
"I'll buy you another more expensive one; those earrings are what I'm going to give to Ava; if you're mad at me, don't be mad at Ava."
"Buy one?"
Olivia frowned, her smile more sarcastic.
"That was left to me by my grandmother, and you're giving it to an adopted daughter. Are you entitled to it?"
"Olivia!" gasped Emma, breathing heavily.
Ava hates to hear the word "adopted daughter" and hasn't heard it in years, so she blushed when she heard the murmurs around her.
Olivia ignored Emma's warning and turned slightly sideways, her gaze falling straight on Liam, no more of the old nonsense, just a very soft question.
"I'm not lying; she did bump into me; I did see the earrings, Liam. Do you believe her, or do you believe me?"
The "she", naturally, is Sophia.
This is a question that Liam doesn't have to hesitate about at all.
Liam, before the age of twenty, would have believed Olivia unconditionally, and Liam, at twenty-five, would have favored Sophia even if he didn't think Olivia looked like she was lying at the moment.
He said, "Olivia, take it out and give Ava her earrings back."
He held Sophia's hand in a protective stance the entire time, "Apologies to Sophia again."
The spectators watching the scene around them stare in amazement, looking at the two still holding hands and then at the lone Olivia, their gossiping hearts instantly pulled full.
Geez!
What's the situation?
Aren't they getting married soon? Is Mr. Johnson's Family having an affair?
Olivia didn't expect Liam to expose Sophia at this point, but on reflection, it's no surprise.
Liam is a man who will rush for love, and when he loved her back in the day, he would have stood up for her and protected her regardless of the occasion when she was wronged.
Now Sophia is forced to undress, aggravated and in tears, and he loves her so much that he rushes out to defend her against all odds.
"Apologize--"
Olivia trails off, snatching champagne from a young guy next to her and slamming it towards Liam, the glass shattering at his feet.
After dropping the bottle, Olivia cocked her head.
"I'm sorry."
Crowd: "..."
Liam's face darkened and he didn't say a word, didn't move, only gazed sternly at Olivia, who didn't dodge or meet his gaze.
In the midst of the tense atmosphere, Nanny Mia came running over, holding a half-open brownish-red carved wooden box with a faint glimpse of translucent green.
The earrings were found. Said they were in the corner of the couch in Ava's room.
Ava slaps her forehead as if suddenly remembering and guiltily takes Olivia's arm.
"When Mom gave it to me, I was so happy I took it out and looked at it for a while and forgot to put it in.
"I didn't sleep well last night reading all night; my brain is not working well, Olivia; I'm sorry."
Looking at the overnight profile, no one doubts that statement.
Ava is a notorious workaholic, thirty years old, vice president of the Smith Group.
After all these years, Emma has not been in a relationship and spends her time on her work, Mr. and Mrs. Oliver. They feel very relieved and more than a little heartbroken.
That's why this birthday banquet is full of young talents that they have chosen by the thousands.
The earrings are found, Olivia is cleared of any suspicion, and she doesn't take her eyes off Liam.
"Hear that? It's Ava's own bad head; I didn't steal it... Liam, you've gotten bad in the head since you turned into a scumbag? Do I need to steal what I want?"
She glanced provocatively at Sophia and cursed by name.
"It's not like I'm as mean as Sophia, stealing other people's men."
As she said this, she craned her slender neck in a haughty manner.
Liam wasn't afraid of exposing Sophia's identity, nor was he afraid that harboring Sophia in this way would bring shame to her as his fiancée, so why should she save face for them?
Shame on her, so don't even have a face, let's all be ashamed together.
As the chatter around her grew louder, Sophia, her face pale and woeful from the phrase "stealing even from men," clutched at Liam's cuffs and turned back to look at him with tearful eyes.
Liam patted her hand soothingly before turning his head toward Olivia, "You're drunk."
He's angry, but he won't get into it with Olivia on this occasion, just with his voice lowered and his handsome face cold and hard enough for Olivia to see that his anger is already high.
He gestures for Olivia to talk to him outside.
As if she hadn't noticed, Olivia pulled her eyes back and snatched the box before Ava could reach for the pair of earrings.
Then, in front of everyone, remove your own earrings and put them in the box.
Ava tried to be as pleasant as possible, reminding, "Olivia, these earrings, mom already gave them to me, it's not appropriate for you to wear them like this, is it?"
Olivia continued, "It was left to me by my grandmother, and your foster mom had no business giving it to you.
"The only way you can take what's mine is if I don't want it, and if I don't agree, you're stealing."
In Ava's defense, Emma said, "This has nothing to do with Ava; I told you I was the one who was going to give it to her."
Olivia: "The earrings are Smith Family heirlooms, and Ava's just an adopted daughter... Did she make the family tree?
"A family heirloom you give to an outsider, and you're not afraid of the Smith Family's ancestors crawling out from underneath to find you."
The noblewoman who had befriended Emma stepped forward, "Olivia, how can you talk to your mother like that!"
Olivia swept her off her feet, "None of your business, get out!"
Noblewoman: "..."
The celebrity who was friends with Ava stepped forward, "Olivia, it's just an earring; how come Ava is your sister? Do you have to be so aggressive?"
Olivia: "Standing around, you too, get out!"
Celebrity: "..."
Olivia attacked her several times without discrimination, and Emma couldn't keep her face up and was already shaking with anger when Ava took hold of her and spoke kindly:
"Mom, forget it; Olivia can have it if she likes it; I don't want it."
Olivia sneers, "You don't want it? Is it your stuff? Who are you to say you don't want it?
"You set up this play tonight, didn't you, conspiring with Sophia to provoke me first, to force me to admit that Liam doesn't love me anymore, to make me recognize my place in the Smith Family.
"Fine, I'll satisfy you. I'm mad as hell, so what more do you want?
"Throw me out of the Smith family? I'll give you an idea: Elijah's divorced and just short of a daughter-in-law, and anyway, you guys-"
bang!
The heavy slap landed on Olivia's face, and Emma growled in anger.
"What are you babbling about? You're crazy to discredit your siblings like that!"
Olivia was more than crazy, she was literally trying to make things worse for everyone.
"If you dare to hit me again, do you believe I'll break the confidential news and Ava won't be able to get married for the rest of her life!"
Breaking news?
What kind of information?
The crowd of eaters stretched their ears almost instantly.
Only Liam frowned; he'd known Olivia since she was a child and knew her better than the next person.
The harder this girl feels inside, the louder she gets and the more she makes a scene, but not crazy like this.
It's not right. She's not right tonight.
The movement in the hall is too much; Oliver's father and son have been in the study to talk to someone, originally heard the movement is not real, though it is the following play happy; at this moment, he also finally hears that something is not right.
Liam looks at the father and son walking down the stairs and walks over to take Olivia's wrist.
"Come out with me."
Olivia looked at him steadily, her eyes already red, "Liam, I'm going to give you one last chance, really one last time."
Before Liam could understand what she meant, Olivia had shaken his hand off with force.
Then, to the astonishment of the crowd, he grabbed Sophia with one hand and Ava with the other and tugged them outside.
Sophia subconsciously struggles. Ava gives her a look, and Sophia goes quiet.
There is a pool in the yard.
Everyone knew that Olivia couldn't swim, and no one expected her to jump in herself after kicking both Ava and Sophia into the water.
In the water, Olivia heard four voices.
One was her own brother, Elijah, and the other was Ava.
One is her real dad, Oliver, shouting at Ava.
One is her own mom, Emma, shouting at Ava.
One is her fiancé, Liam, shouting at Sophia.
Before her vision completely blurred, she saw two people jump down first, Elijah hugging Ava and Liam hugging Sophia.
Once the four of them were on shore, Emma fumbled to wrap her cloak around Ava, and Liam, not caring about his own mess, held Sophia in his arms with residual fear.
Ava and Sophia both know how to swim.
They're afraid they'll be cold, but they forget that Olivia can't swim.
Olivia was rescued, naturally, and with so many people, someone could always see her struggling in the water.
A young man fished her out of the water and gentlemanly lent her his coat.
Liam calmed down after making sure Sophia was okay, he felt a gaze on him and twisted his head to look over, his body twitching.
Olivia sat soaked to the bone, her shoulders draped in a man's suit jacket, her long, slender lashes fluttering, her watery eyes staring straight at him.
There was no crying, no noise, a dead silence.
It's perverse.
In the past, Olivia would have been cursing by this point.
Liam thought about her words, "I'll give you one last chance," and suddenly felt that from this moment on, something was slipping away.
At first, he didn't know what it was.
Find out soon enough.
...
After this toss, the guests left of their own accord.
Olivia went to her room to shower and change, Ava took Sophia to her room, and Liam went to Elijah's room.
Later, a few people packed up and came down, and Sophia stayed in the room.
Oliver sees Olivia and gives her a scolding. He loves to save face, and tonight's events have cost him his face.
Olivia ignored his anger and went around, sitting on her ass on the single couch and taking her phone to send a message.
Liam's cell phone rings, and he subconsciously looks up at Olivia before picking it up to look at it.
[100]
Before he could respond, Olivia's voice rang out again.
"I'm not marrying Liam. The wedding is off."
Liam's head banged up, "What do you mean? The wedding is canceled?"
The Smith Family also looked at Olivia in unison, completely incredulous.
Only Ava quickly withdrew her gaze, absently ruffling her half-dried blow-dried hair, the corners of her lips tugging in a faint curve.
It seems to have worked.
Liam decided that Olivia was throwing another tantrum and scratched his hair in annoyance, "Olivia, you need to stop throwing tantrums."
Olivia took the hot tea handed to her by her nanny and gently shook it.
"Liam, I go away for five years, and when I come back, you tell me you're in love with Sophia and you want an annulment.
"I didn't want to let go, so I forced myself; I tried to tie you down with marriage, but you hurt me over and over again for Sophia.
"So I've decided that I'm going to give you a hundred chances, and if you hurt me once, I'll dock you a point.
"I'll resign myself to my fate if I finish deducting points before the wedding; in fact, I don't deduct every time I quarrel; I only deduct a point when you hurt me."
She pointed to his cell phone, pathos evident in her pretty, delicate features.
"But you see, even though I've let it go over and over again, the hundred points are still deducted.
"I'm perfectly sure now that you don't love me, and if you want to marry Sophia, you do it, and I'll make way for you."
Liam, also holding hot tea in his hand, froze slightly at those words from Olivia until the crisp slap rang out in the living room.
Olivia received another slap from Oliver, and now her face was symmetrical from side to side.
"You're the one who insisted on the engagement in the first place, and now you're saying it's canceled? The invitations went out, and now you're saying cancel the wedding. Does the Smith family have any face left?"
Oliver is in the study tonight talking business with someone who is not a very good one and is already in a bad mood, made worse by the jokes Olivia makes at a good birthday dinner.
This would fire up hearing that she was going to give up the Johnson Family marriage.
"You're so arrogant and bossy and bratty, what good family would dare to have you except Liam?
"Liam just said that Sophia, the one he won't marry, won't affect your position; what else do you want?
"Can't you just put up with it? You had a bad reputation to begin with since that incident at your high school ..."
The living room went eerily quiet for a moment when Oliver, mouthing off in his high rage, suddenly mentioned high school.
Emma reacted and was too late as she busied herself with tugging on his arm.
Olivia finished the hot tea in her hand and smashed her third cup of the night.
This time, on a rare occasion, no one spoke up, and even Oliver stopped speaking, chagrin on his face.
Olivia looked over at Liam like nothing was wrong, "The wedding is off, do you agree?"
Liam looked at her bloodless, expressionless face and took a slow, hushed breath:
"How do I agree? When I first wanted to cancel, you didn't agree.
"You had the audacity to go to my uncle; you are my uncle's benefactor; my uncle told me to marry you, Johnson Family; who dares to mess with my uncle?"
Without another word, Olivia took her phone and got up, giving Ava a thumbs-up before she left.
"You're good; I've finished the play with you tonight; you've accomplished your goal; you're very proud of yourself, aren't you?
"But I'm not happy."
It's cold and windy; Olivia goes out and calls Amelia, but the other person is off; she thinks about it and flips to another number and dials it; this time, it goes through.
"Olivia?"
The man's low voice was laced with surprise, obviously surprised.
Olivia had, "Amelia's cell phone was turned off, so I called you directly. Lucas, can you give me Noah-Johnson's cell phone number?"
In the quaint booth, Lucas-Williams inclined his head to look at the man next to him who was being toasted and was even more surprised.
"What do you want with him? Something wrong?"
Noah is Liam's uncle; uncle and nephew don't have a great relationship; Olivia likes Liam and has basically nothing to do with Noah.
"I want to call off the wedding with Liam."
Lucas is Noah's best friend, and there are no secrets between the two; Olivia has nothing to hide.
"Liam doesn't agree, and I'm trying to get him to help."
"Cancel the wedding?"
Lucas, thinking he'd misheard, asked again, was silent for a short while to be sure, and finally tsked, "That bastard Liam really isn't worth trusting."
He asks Olivia if she's in a hurry, and Olivia says yes.
Lucas covered his phone and elbowed the man next to him, "Smith·Olivia is breaking off her engagement to your nephew and wants to see you."
Noah's fingertips pause slightly, silent for a little while, and he sets down his glass, his low voice carrying a dull huskiness.
"Let her come."
Lucas gave Olivia an address.
"Noah and I have dinner here. It'll be over in about half an hour, so it's not too late for you to get here."