Meanwhile, Olivia received a message from a stranger on her cell phone. It read, [More than ten men are waiting for you in room 2302. They were hired by Janet.]
Olivia was astonished. She typed on her phone: [Who are you?]
The stranger replied, [An hour ago, we were still together...]
It was him!
It was that man!
Olivia's hands were trembling slightly.
Another message popped onto the screen: [Think carefully about what I said last night and call me when you're ready.]
At the end of the message, there was a signature—[The Sniper].
She didn't know the word "sniper," so she searched the internet for its meaning.
This person had offered to help her get revenge. Was it possible that he also had a grudge against Freddie?
Who could it be?
Was he a business rival of Freddie's, or maybe an admirer of Janet's?
Feeling confused, Olivia closed her eyes and shook her head.
She was a woman without money, without looks, without anything. What value did she have in a plot?
The sky began to lighten, and the first rays of sunshine shone into the room.
The previous day's events were over now, and it could almost seem like it was all a bizarre nightmare that she could not wake up from.
The Sniper texted again: [On the nightstand, you will find a bank card with 150 thousand dollars on it. It's for you to spend. If that's not enough, just let me know.]
Olivia got angry and replied, [Mr. Sniper, are you trying to pay me off?]
[I know it's not much,] he replied. [I came over in a hurry last night and didn't bring much money with me. I'll make up for it later.]
Olivia smiled angrily and dialed the number in the message.
The phone rang once and was answered.
A man's low and hoarse voice asked, "Olivia?"
The single word sounded very alluring coming out of his mouth.
Even Freddie had always called her by her full name.
She hesitated for a second but quickly recovered. "Mr. Sniper," she said, "although I have no money, I still have my pride, and I can't agree to be kept by you. I appreciate your kindness, but we will treat last night as a regular one-night stand, and from now on, we will owe each other nothing."
The man chuckled and said, "You are heartless and intriguing."
"You—"
"Olivia, don't be in such a hurry to reject me. I know you better than you think. You need this money."
"I don't need your money. I won't use it."
Olivia's words were full of righteous conviction, but she did not know that life was about to find another way of slapping her in the face.
Just as she hung up the phone in anger, she received a call from the hospital.
"Miss, your uncle felt sick after receiving a phone call. Right now, he's in critical condition and needs immediate surgery. Please come over quickly!"
Olivia rushed to the hospital, and when she arrived, her older uncle was already in the operating room.
Extremely anxious, Olivia stopped a nurse and asked, "Excuse me, how is my uncle?"
The nurse said, "His condition was stable, but it worsened this morning after a phone call, and his blood pressure rose to 180. At this time, the doctors are trying to save him. Please rest assured they will do their best…"
The doctors will do their best to save him, but why did these words seem powerless in the face of a life-or-death situation?
Her uncle, David, had suffered a heart attack previously. He had been taking medication to recover, but his health had continued deteriorating.
He was the person that loved her the most.
Suddenly, a doctor in a white coat pushed open the operating room door. There were bloodstains on his clothes. He asked Olivia, "Are you a relative of David?"
"Yes. Doctor, how is my uncle?"
"The situation is critical, and we need to operate on him immediately." The doctor was sweating profusely. "We can't delay any longer."
Olivia nodded hurriedly. "Yes, do it! You have to treat him, doctor. Please save him."
"But the cost is…"
The cost of the operation cost was seventy-five thousand dollars, and Olivia had known that for some time.
Although she was the Chen family's daughter-in-law, she couldn't even take out thirty dollars from the bank, let alone seventy-five thousand.
Her uncle had been afraid that her mother-in-law would make things difficult for her, so he had put the treatment on hold. He had said traditional treatment methods were fine.
But the situation was urgent, and she had no other way out!
What use was dignity compared to her uncle's life? She must bow her head, completely disregard her pride, and beg the person she least wanted to speak to.
She found Freddie's number and dialed.
The phone rang for a long time before it connected.
Freddie asked in a cold voice, "Can't wait to get that divorce?"
Only then did she remember that they had an appointment at the courthouse today to register the divorce.
The time on her phone displayed 7:30. The courthouse didn't open until 9:00.
"Freddie…" She spoke with great difficulty. "Can you give me seventy-five thousand—"
"Ha!" Freddie snorted. "Do you regret it? Was the blank check I gave you yesterday not enough?"
"No, I—" The doctor was still urging, adding to her anxiety. "Freddie, I'm begging you. I only want seventy-five thousand dollars on account of us being husband and wife—"
Freddie interrupted her, saying, "Olivia, your insatiable greed is really disgusting."
From a distance, she heard the nurse's repeated urging. "Miss, please decide quickly. The patient won't be able to wait much longer!"
She gritted her teeth impatiently and forced out the words, "Freddie, it's fine if you say I'm disgusting or dissolute as long as you lend me seventy-five thousand dollars. I will try my best to make money and pay it back to you. My uncle is in critical condition. I never asked you for anything. This time, I'm begging you—"
"Is his situation still critical?"
Suddenly, it was Janet's voice on the phone. With a malicious tone, she asked, "Is he not dead yet?"
Olivia froze, "Where's Freddie? Why are you on the phone?"
Janet's voice was lazy and provocative as she said, "Freddie said he doesn't want to hear your voice, so he let me take over the call. You woke us up early in the morning with your phone. Freddie played with me all night and only went to bed early in the morning. We're so sleepy."
Olivia stiffened and said, "The two of you slept together last night?"
"Why not? I even slept in your bed, Olivia. In your bed and with your man. I've had a very comfortable time."
"Don't you have any shame?! I don't have time for this nonsense now. Give the phone back to Freddie!"
"Freddie said that if it weren't for the divorce, he wouldn't say another word to you," Janet said. "I heard everything. David needs surgery, and you want to ask for money, don't you?"
Olivia tried to control her emotions.
Her uncle was still waiting for the money to save his life, so she had to give in.
"Janet, your dad felt sick right after answering the phone in the morning. His condition is not good. Can you get Freddie to pay seventy-five thousand first? I can write an IOU."
"Sure," Janet chuckled, "but even if Freddie is willing, I won't let him pay—because it was me who called my father."
Olivia was shocked. "What did you tell him?" she asked.
"Nothing. I was only talking about you having a one-night stand with a man. Who would've thought that the old geezer wouldn't be able to accept such a thing and would end up going straight to the emergency room?"
She hung up the phone bitterly, almost shattering the screen when she pressed the "end call" button.
Olivia trembled with rage. This was the cousin she and her uncles had raised by living a frugal life!
Turned out, she was an ungrateful and greedy woman who ate people without spitting out their bones!
"Mrs. Chen," the nurse urged Olivia, "are we going to perform the surgery or not?"
Beep, beep, beep.
A text message came in.
[Have you thought about it? The Sniper]
Olivia squeezed the small card that she had placed in her bag earlier.
Without further hesitation, she took the card out, handed it to the nurse, and said, "Let's do it now! Where do I pay?"
The nurse took her to a desk where Olivia could pay for the procedure. The surgery ward door swung closed once again, and the words "In Surgery" were displayed in large, bright, red letters above the door.
She had taken seventy-five thousand from the card The Sniper had given her.
Olivia smiled bitterly. Ultimately, she had still sold herself out.
Her message alert sounded again. [I promise.]