Olivia had slept soundly the whole night. Although Mr. Sniper had exhausted her every night over the past few days, her sleep had been unexpectedly good.
But her biological clock had woken her up at around eight a.m.
Getting out of bed, she walked to the window and opened the curtains. Rays of morning sunlight flooded the room, warming it and brightening the start of the day.
Olivia noticed an unread text message from The Sniper on her phone.
[Are you cooking for me tonight?]
The suite had its own kitchen with a stove and a good collection of pots, pans, and utensils. She was surprised to find that the fridge had been filled to the brim with ingredients, including meat, eggs, and vegetables.
She didn't know if Mr. Sniper was busy right now and whether it would be inconvenient for him to receive a call. After a moment, she sent a quick reply by text: [What do you want to eat?]
A few seconds later, her phone beeped with a reply: [Make something you're good at.]
Olivia's cooking skills were pretty good. In the past few years, under her mother-in-law's harsh training, she had learned recipes for tons of dishes from all kinds of different cuisines.
[Is there anything you can't eat?] she texted.
[Nope.]
She put aside her phone and started cooking.
First, she prepared a nutritious meal for her uncle and took it to the hospital. She chatted with him for a while, and on the way back, she bought some extra groceries and essentials. It was afternoon by the time she got back to the suite.
A few of Mr. Sniper's shirts were dirty. She put them through the wash and hung them out on the clothesline on the balcony. Then she heard the phone ring.
Was he on his way back? She hadn't had time to prepare dinner yet.
She quickly dried her hands and picked up the ringing phone. Her good mood instantly evaporated when she saw the number displayed on the screen.
Freddie was calling her again.
She didn't want to answer, so she declined the call.
But he kept trying.
She took a deep breath and answered sharply, "Freddie, what do you want?"
"Olivia, it's me." It was Janet's voice on the other end.
Olivia tried to keep her voice indifferent as she asked, "Why are you calling me from Freddie's phone? Don't you have your own phone?"
"Freddie is my partner now," Janet answered. "I use his phone. What does that have to do with you?"
Did she call to show off? thought Olivia. Out loud, she said coldly, "Okay, it's none of my business. Just go live your great new life and stop harassing me. The same goes for Freddie too. Tell him not to bother me anymore."
Janet replied, "Please come over to the mansion."
"What for?"
"To sign the divorce agreement."
Olivia really didn't want to go back to the cage she had been trapped in for four years, and she especially didn't want to see those awful people she hated so much. But the divorce certificate needed to be signed, so she had to go.
Knowing she had to get back quickly so she could cook for Mr. Sniper, she gritted her teeth, ended the call with Janet, called a cab, and went straight to the Chen estate. She arrived in front of the villa half an hour later.
When she entered, she saw her mother-in-law peeling an orange for Janet to eat. "Janet," Brenda said, "you need to eat more fruit and get more vitamins. That way, the child will be smart."
Her fawning, flattering demeanor was completely different from her harsh and disapproving attitude toward Olivia.
Sure enough, upon seeing Olivia, Brenda's expression turned cold. "You still have the nerve to come here?" she asked.
Olivia wasn't in the mood to bother with her. She looked straight at Janet and asked, "Where's Freddie?"
Her mother-in-law stood up abruptly, pointed at the door, and said angrily, "Why are you still looking for my son? Get out of here!"
Olivia remained calm. "If I didn't have to sign the divorce agreement," she answered, "believe me, I never would have come back here."
Janet, pretending to be kind, gentle and affectionate, stood up slowly and came forward to hold Olivia's hand. "Olivia," she said, "don't be angry. Aunt Brenda is just being protective of me. You know I'm carrying Freddie's child; that's why she cares so much about me."
Olivia, feeling disgusted, thought, Is she really still trying to pretend ?
Hearing Janet say this, Brenda got even angrier. She pulled Janet toward herself to protect her, pointed right in Olivia's face, and said, "I don't ever want to see her again! I hate her! To be married for four years without even giving birth to a child—does she want to destroy our entire family with her own hands?!"
"Aunt Brenda," pleaded Janet, "calm down. It's not her fault that she can't have children. She wasn't doing it on purpose…"
"My dear Janet," replied Brenda, "why are you being so kind? She's abusing you, and you still want to speak up for her? I tell you, there are such cruel people in this world, worse than wolves. You treat her well, and she'll bite you in return! You silly child…"
What a farce, thought Olivia, feeling repulsed by the other two women.
"Look, your family issues don't concern me at all," Olivia interrupted. "Once I sign the divorce agreement, we'll have no connection with each other at all."
Brenda wanted to continue but was stopped by Janet, who smiled and said, "Freddie's not at home today. The paperwork is upstairs, in the bedroom. Follow me."
Olivia had lived in that house for four years.
She knew every corner, every floor tile.
She was the original mistress of that bedroom, but now the roles were reversed, and Janet was the one leading the way.
"Here it is," said Janet, picking up the bundle of documents and handing it to Olivia. "Take a look, and if you have no objections, sign the page that's marked."
Olivia skimmed through the documents a few times. The agreement didn't have many provisions; mainly, it emphasized that she didn't have any right to the Chen family's fortune.
Never mind, she thought. She had never thought of taking money from the Chen family anyway.
"Where's the pen?" asked Olivia.
Janet, sitting on the edge of the bed, nodded toward the desk beside her. "Just over there."
Olivia glanced at her, knowing she was deliberately making things as difficult as possible. She didn't want to drag things out any longer, so she walked over to the desk.
The pen was in the middle of the surface, sitting on top of a large, red wedding invitation.
She picked up the pen and signed her name. "I've signed. Are you satisfied now?"
Janet smiled, snatching the papers back and looking at the signature. "Yes," she said, "of course I'm satisfied. It's good that you thought things through. Freddie said that, as you couldn't have children, your marriage was worthless. He wanted to sue you for hundreds of thousands of dollars for emotional damage. I fought hard to make him change his mind. No matter what, we're sisters, and I couldn't bear to see you homeless and trying to pay off a debt like that."
Olivia sneered. "You expect me to thank you?"
"I saved you hundreds of thousands of dollars," answered Janet. "I would think you'd be thanking me."
Olivia replied sharply, "He wants money? Okay then, let Freddie ask me for it to my face. If he has the nerve to do it, I'll give it to him."
Every moment Olivia spent in that bedroom was upsetting her more. She didn't want to stay any longer, so she turned around to leave.
"Wait…" Janet said, stepping in front of her. "I forgot to tell you that Freddie and I are getting married next month."
Olivia tried to rise above it. "Whatever," she said. "It has nothing to do with me."
"You're my family, so of course it has something to do with you," Janet said as she deliberately held her stomach and stepped in front of Olivia again. "I remember you were a makeup artist before you got married. Why don't you do my makeup for the wedding? It'll save you having to give us cash or a gift."
Olivia laughed. "Aren't you afraid that I'll try to get back at you?"
"You wouldn't dare! I am the Chen family's treasure. If you dare to hurt me, Freddie will make you pay with your life, and when that happens, who will take care of David, still struggling in the hospital? Would you just leave him with no one, so he can starve to death?"
Olivia was furious. "Are you even human?" she asked incredulously. "That's your father you're talking about!"
"So what?" answered Janet. "He's just a poor, worthless security guard. He only gets paid three hundred dollars a month, not even enough for me to buy a decent outfit. It would've been better if he had died quickly so he wouldn't be around to shame me after I become Lady Chen."
Olivia slapped her in the face.
"Janet," she said through clenched teeth, "you listen to me carefully. From now on, Uncle David doesn't have a daughter. You just live your life as an obedient wife in a rich family. I'll take care of him!"
Olivia headed back toward the front door, determined to leave the Chen family home for the last time and leave behind all her resentments.
She thought bitterly, Brenda had it right. In this world, there are people crueler than wolves. You give them everything, and they turn around and bite you.
The slap she had given Janet had not been light. Even now, her palm was still numb.
Seeing Janet's red and swollen face, Brenda was so angry that she tried to lash out at Olivia. "You dare to hit her?" she said. "You dare to harm a member of this family?"
Olivia grabbed Brenda's raised hand and threw it aside, gritting her teeth. "If it weren't for my uncle, I wouldn't have stopped with just a slap."
"Well," said Brenda, "you are just a nasty piece of work, aren't you?"
Brenda hurled a string of curses and insults at Olivia, calling her a jinx, wishing that she would be hit by a car or struck by lightning and die, leaving no trace behind.
Olivia just smiled calmly and left.
**
By the time Olivia got back to the Hilton, it was getting dark. She got to work right away making the meal and setting the table.
Mr. Sniper didn't like lights, so she turned most of them off, leaving only a dim yellow glow over the dinner table. She'd set two places at the table neatly, with the dishes of freshly cooked food laid out between them.
The delicious aromas of the homemade food filled the air.
She heard the beep of the security system, and then Mr. Sniper opened the door.
She dimmed the final light and went to greet him. "You're back!" she said happily. "I didn't know what you'd like best, so I've made up a few of my favourites for you to try."
His strong arms drew her in and held her close to his broad, warm chest.
His voice came from above her head, gentle and affectionate, asking, "Has someone upset you?"
She sniffed and smiled. "No."
"Little liar, I can tell you've been crying today," Mr. Sniper said as he guided her over toward the bedroom.
Olivia struggled to find words before saying, "Let's eat first. The food will be cold later."
"No rush," Mr. Sniper said, pulling her to sit on his lap on the bed and gently lifting her chin. "Tell me first, who's been bullying you?"