Ch. 286..290: Trapped in a Secret Marriage with a Dangerous Billionaire Chapter 286-290

Chapter 286: Olivia Fires Off at Ivy

If there was something else Olivia hated much, it was being compared with Aurora.

Now, their Aunt’s statement had just reminded how of the time their father pitted them against each other. Although that didn’t set up the rivalry, but it actually ignited something deeper from within Olivia.

Olivia thought Stephanie was trying to do something similar.

"Mum, I think having a good reputation should come from a character change and not just using a product to cover up the mistakes. Everything isn’t about PR," Ivy said, suddenly chipping her opinion into the conversation.

It was a bold move, as well as a big mistake because now, how could Olivia let her off after finding for someone to vent her anger on?

Ivy just handed herself over without knowing.

Olivia pointed a finger at her and said through gritted teeth, "Now, you shut your mouth and keep your ugly self out of my matter!"

"Do I look ugly in your eyes?" Ivy fumed as her chest heaved up and down in quick succession.

"Ivy, that’s your reality, so swallow it up just the way your mother is making me swallow mine!" Olivia stated, as a matter of fact, without caring about offending anyone.

Ivy’s face turned ugly. She looked at everyone at the table, seeking for their defence, but when she noticed that no one was going to help her, she got furious.

"Mum!" she called, directing her frustration at her.

But instead of defending her, Stephanie said to her, "You should really keep your mouth off Olivia’s matter. It’s not your business."

Ivy was disappointed at her mother for drumming her support for Olivia against her. She felt displeased and embarrassed, especially in front of Aurora and Nene.

In her mind, Ivy thought that everyone at the table was an enabler of Olivia’s horrible character because how could someone say such ugly words to someone else and not be reprimanded for them?

"Eat," Damien added more vegetables to Ivy’s plate and motioned for her to fill her stomach first. Of course, he didn’t support her move against Olivia.

Even he didn’t speak up about her matter and only listened from the side, so what made her think she could chime in?

Ivy greeted her teeth and went back to eating.

On the other hand, Aurora finished her glass of wine. And seeing that, Nene quickly poured some water into an empty glass before setting it in front of her.

The two women exchanged glances for a moment, with Aurora looking a bit confused.

Nene knew Aurora had totally forgotten about the baby with the argument and drama at the dining table and drank a little too much wine. This was the reason she placed a glass of water in front of her so she could use it dilute the wine.

Although Aurora didn’t understand Nene’s objective at the time, she grabbed the glass of water and drank until almost everything was gone.

Fortunately, no other drama or words were exchanged for the rest of the dining time. And as soon as Olivia finished eating, she got up and pushed her seat with the back of her knees.

"Thank you, for the delicious dinner. I hope you all have a good night sleep when I get one," Olivia said with a smile as her gaze took in everyone’s reaction.

Satisfied with her remarks and the reactions she got, she turned and walked away.

"She has a long way to go." Stephanie let out a sigh as she put down her cutlery and used the napkin to dab the corner of her lips gently. "But her cause is understandable."

Aurora finally stopped eating and faced Stephanie. "Aunt, had she ever gone to visit her mother since the arrest?"

"She tried a couple of times, but of course she wasn’t allowed with the reason that Stella had to be tried in court first. But since the first trial, she hasn’t made any attempt to visit," Stephanie replied.

Aurora slowly nodded. She didn’t know the reason for her sudden interest in Olivia and how she was taking everything currently going around her. In the end, she still had to blame it on her pregnancy.

As the maids cleared the plates and brought in cups of chocolate drinks to warm up their bodies because of the cold weather, Ivy regained her vibrant spirit.

"Sister Aurora, can I get an invitation to your house?" Ivy boldly asked with a sweet smile on her lips. She was trying to gain Aurora’s favour, and she fawned over her.

"You will get one when there’s a special occasion," Aurora answered smoothly, not wanting to indulge in unnecessary bonding.

She wasn’t so close to Ivy as to invite her over to her house, knowing full well that Xander’s secret identity must remain covered.

Aurora didn’t trust anyone, and she didn’t have time to spend with anyone and try to build a relationship with them.

One, she was pregnant, and that comes with a lot of swirling hormones she couldn’t handle most of the time. Two, she held an important position at Vintage Cellar, so she had a handful of daily tasks to take care of.

Three, she wasn’t really a social person. And four, she had a charity organisation project she was working on, and a husband she had to take care of.

With all these tasks making her life busy, where would she get the time to build another relationship?

Besides, she didn’t want to bring her cousins into her personal life. If they were really genuine about building a relationship with her, it would be best for everyone involved to take a slow and steady approach.

Ivy was disappointed by Aurora’s lack of enthusiasm, but of course, she couldn’t do anything about it.

Nene felt a faint vibration on her wrist and immediately lifted her arm to examine her smart wristwatch. It was a timer reminder.

Almost immediately, Nene leaned in to Aurora and whispered to her that it was time to leave. Aurora nodded in understanding and turned her attention to Stephanie.

"Aunt, I will take my leave now. Thank you for the food. It’s beautiful to have a harmonious gathering as a family once in a while."

Aurora hinted at the importance of maintaining peace in the family. She hoped Stephanie understood the subtle reminder and took it to heart.

Chapter 287: Owen Phones Xander

After Aurora left with Nene, Ivy couldn’t stop talking about her out of admiration.

"Aunty Stella didn’t treat Aurora well; now see how the tables have turned. She married into one of the big families in Wing City, and she’s now living a wealthy life."

"Someone like her would still be furious that Aurora is still alive and doing well," Damien added.

It seemed like everyone in the Swift family knew how wicked and mean Stella was to Aurora to the extent of knowing how deepest intent.

Ivy chuckled, agreeing with her brother’s statement. "Even Olivia would never be happy about that. She cornered her boyfriend, remember? In the end, she still dumped the same man she snatched. What was the use of snatching him in the first place?"

Ivy just couldn’t understand this. Olivia had made a painstaking effort to get Owen, and not even a year after the marriage, they went their separate ways.

Also, their divorce battle was one of the easiest and fastest she had ever heard him history. But the truth remains that the Judge played the biggest role in quickening the process. Without it, the case would have gone on for up to two years.

Stephanie finally spoke after listening to her children’s conversation. "For her, whatever Aurora has, looks good. She wants to take hold of everything."

"Then, unintentionally, Aurora is her role model since she wants everything she has," Damien stated after analyzing the situation.

There were no two ways about it. If Olivia couldn’t think for herself and plan ahead but instead resorted to looking up to Aurora and relying on everything coming her way as a yardstick, then Aurora was her role model indeed.

If only Olivia had been present to hear all this, she would have verbally finished both mother and children. But at the same time, she would have been so furious that she would have been forced to confront herself.

With all her pride, she would never accept looking up to Aurora. It would be easier for her to go crazy than to tolerate those words.

***

Over the course of a few days, Olivia painfully managed to sell her prized Hermes bags. The two bags weren’t enough, obviously, so she had to add a few pieces of jewellery to them. And guess the first piece of Jewellery she remembered to sell?

Naturally, it had to be the engagement ring and the wedding ring that Owen had slipped onto her fingers when their love was at its height.

Olivia hadn’t even thought twice before grabbing the diamond rings from the red velvet box where she had left them.

As she examined the rings in her hands, she berated Owen for giving her cheap rings, the value of which she couldn’t even afford to cover the damages she had incurred.

Since Olivia’s expensive items had depreciated due to her regular usage, she still needed to transfer some cash from her bank account to make up the total amount required.

Fortunately for her, she emerged from that frustratingly hectic phase and arranged a meeting with her lawyer at a private location to hand over the cheque, along with a message for Owen.

"Tell that bastard that there’s a special place waiting in hell for him."

And how could Mr. Perkins deliver that message? He completely omitted it when he met Yolanda, Owen’s lawyer, as it wasn’t ethical.

When the cheque finally got into Owen’s hands, he flicked it with his fingers, a smirk stretching across his face.

"I thought you wouldn’t do it. Loser. You can never win this game against me." He chuckled to himself in sheer victory at having taught Olivia a small lesson.

While laughing to himself, he suddenly remembered his uncle, Xander, and became eternally grateful to him for cutting him off from the family business and inheritance; otherwise, Olivia would have done him dirty.

"That greedy bitch would have gotten a lot more than this apartment even if the Judge had still awarded the 20% for alimony."

For the first time since Xander stripped him of his inheritance, Owen saluted him for actually doing that to him.

He would have probably had a cardiac arrest and be given a permanent bed at the hospital if Olivia had managed to get something more than that two-bedroom apartment in the heart of town.

Satisfied that he actually didn’t lose out completely to Olivia’s schemes, he turned his attention back to his lawyer.

"Where is the document for the penthouse?"

In the next few seconds, Attorney Yolanda dipped her hand into her bag, brought out the transfer documents, and placed them on the table along with a blue pen.

Due to the speciality of this case, she had to travel to the Scott Family’s main residence for her meeting with Owen.

These days, Owen hardly stepped out of the house if it wasn’t to a private sitting or gathering. The last time he left the house, he was attacked by a swarm of reporters that suddenly cornered him at the gym he recently joined.

And it was all because of Stella’s murder case.

The reporters had kept addressing Stella as his ex-mother-in-law, which had shamed him to the core apartment from the anger that swirled him.

Thankfully, his bodyguards came to his rescue on time before he could punch a reporter in the face for his bold claims.

Owen read through the transfer of property documents. He took his time, as if he were looking for a mistake that could somehow favour Olivia.

The man didn’t want to take any risk, even in its slightest form.

At long last, he signed the documents and pushed them back to his lawyer. "Only hand them over to Ms. Swift after two weeks."

Attorney Yolanda took over the document and slipped it inside her bag. "Let’s hope no complaints are made against you before then."

"Then, make it a week. After all, Olivia did take her sweet time before providing this money." Owen stated, intending to punish Olivia with every given opportunity.

As soon as his lawyer left, Owen picked up his phone and searched through his contact list until he stopped at the name, ’Uncle Alex’. He allowed his finger to hover over the screen before getting the courage to dial it.

---

At the other end, Xander was taking a walk with Aurora in the garden and was talking about how they could plant more trees with their children in the next few years when Owen’s call came in, immediately interrupting the conversation.

Xander excused himself as he stopped talking and dipped his hand into his front pants pocket to take out his phone. As soon as his gaze landed on the caller ID, he stopped right in his tracks.

Aurora stopped walking as well, with curiosity laced in her tone. She saw the way his brows furrowed and cocked her head to the side. "Who is that?"

The next moment, Xander turned his phone screen to her so she could see for herself.

"Your nephew-in-law. Who knows what he’s calling for," he mumbled before swiping his finger across the screen to take the call.

"Good evening, Uncle!" Owen’s excited tone cut through the silence almost immediately.

"Evening," Xander replied curtly, expecting Owen to cut to the chase without him asking.

Luckily for Owen, he knew his uncle’s personality very well and quickly mentioned the reason he called.

"Uncle, I called to thank you for cutting me off the family’s inheritance. If you hadn’t done that, I would have had to pay Olivia a lot as alimony after the court granted her 20% of everything in my name."

Xander exchanged looks with Aurora, who almost couldn’t hide her smile. First, she was baffled with Owen’s reasoning, but on a second note, she found it funny that he was afraid of Olivia and couldn’t help reacting.

"I see," Xander replied with a lack of enthusiasm. He was eager to end the call and continue this peaceful evening walk with his precious wife.

And as if sensing the hint of impatience from the other end, Owen dared to make a request.

"Uncle, you’ve just saved my life in a way with what you did for me. And on this note, I would like to request an invitation to your private residence to thank you personally."

Aurora almost stumbled at the stone path when she heard that result.

On the other hand, Xander lowered his phone for a moment to glance at his caller ID properly before placing the phone back to his ear.

He truly wondered if Owen was still mentally sound because what kind of request was that?

"Owen, you are not permitted to step foot into my house," Xander said with finality in his tone, leaving no room for pleas and opinions.

After making his decision clear to him, he pressed the red icon and slipped his phone back into his pants pocket. Next, he took Aurora’s hand and resumed their walk.

Chapter 288: Less Than Her Expectance

Chapter TWO HUNDRED & EIGHTY-EIGHT:

"Owen wants to visit?" Aurora asked in disbelief as a few thoughts crossed her mind, amongst which she actually wondered if Owen ever considered that he might bump into her if he visited.

The last time she checked, Owen had looked so small in her presence to the extent of trying to avoid her.

So, she reflected on their last encounter, pondering if his guts had been restored.

"Mmm," Xander hummed with his gaze ahead. "He wanted to come over and thank me personally for cutting him off our family’s inheritance as Olivia would have ripped him off if not for it."

Aurora didn’t say anything, but she couldn’t help wondering about Xander’s thoughts. She was interested in the reason he refused his nephew. Therefore, he asked him about it directly.

"Does that young man look responsible enough to come into my abode?" Xander inquired.

Aurora shook her head. "You can be so ruthless with your words."

A few minutes later, they arrived at the flower in-house glass garden and went in to water the flowers. Xander used this opportunity to mention his last mission.

He briefly stated only the important part that Aurora should hear and left out the details.

Instantly, Aurora’s mood was ruined. The secret missions meant that Xander would disappear for days or weeks. And she didn’t think she was ready for that.

She could remember how lonely she felt without him the last time he went on a big mission. That was the period she suffered so much and needed him the most, but he couldn’t be there for her.

Aurora didn’t want to experience anything like that again. She dreaded it, but how could she stop him?

It was impossible.

With what happened with the spy in their basement the other day, him refusing to move him, Aurora didn’t dare attempt to put him in the spot again because he would win.

And him winning meant that she would lose. And she hated that state of feeling unimportant and neglected. It could lead to depression, anger and resentment. Therefore, she wanted a healthy state of mind.

"How dangerous will it be?" Aurora left the minor stuff and asked a very concerning question as she lowered the water jug.

"Very," Xander answered truthfully, but almost immediately, he added, "Every mission is dangerous because it concerns National security."

He tried to put her at ease by attempting to divert her attention into thinking the danger he had just mentioned had nothing to do with life. But how could he fool her?

Aurora finally set the water jug down and fixed her entire attention on him. "The last time you were on your big mission, you came back with a bullet wound. What am I supposed to think of this new one? The worst?"

"Don’t think that way." Xander frowned. He quickly set his water jug down and placed his palms on her shoulders. Then he looked into her eyes, brewing with concern. "I wanted to hide an honest conversation with you. I know you are right to be worried about me, but don’t make me regret it."

Xander didn’t know how best to communicate his thoughts other than adding a little layer of threat.

He didn’t want her thinking too much as it wasn’t his intention. Also, he didn’t want to lie to her ever again, so he was being careful here as well.

A deep sigh escaped Aurora’s lips. Since he put his words that way, she couldn’t go on laying her complaints and concerns out for him. But that didn’t mean she was done with that conversation.

---

~One Week Later~

After waiting for what felt like centuries, Olivia finally received the transfer document for her alimony.

Sitting across from Yolanda, Owen’s lawyer, her eyes shone brightly as she watched her pass the documents to her own (Olivia) lawyer, who was sitting right next to her.

Attorney Perkins grabbed the documents and went through every page before handing it to Olivia, who had been expectant.

"Anything missing?" She asked, looking relieved that she didn’t have to go through that few-paged stack.

"No, Miss," her lawyer replied and set the document in front of her before handing her a pen. "You can take a look at it yourself before going ahead to sign it."

Olivia actually thought twice before picking up the document. She ignored the details written down and went straight to the most important aspect to her: Owen’s signature.

As soon as she saw it, a triumphant smile bloomed on her face. At least that bastard didn’t send the documents over without signing them. She would have gone to confront him if he did that.

Without wasting time, Olivia picked up the pen and wrote her signature before dropping it. Smiling, she asked her lawyer about the perks she was getting from the divorce.

"Mr. Owen Scott has given you his penthouse in the heart of the city," he said as Attorney Yolanda started packing her stuff inside her big, brown leather bag.

"And?" Olivia probed. She geared up to listen to the list of items she was going to receive, only to be told that the penthouse was the only thing she was getting.

"How can that be?!" Olivia screeched as her gaze darted from one lawyer to the other, waiting to be told it was a bad joke. Sadly, none of that happened.

Mr. Perkins confirmed that, truly, the penthouse was all she would ever get.

Olivia argued about how Owen owned a lot of properties and was only giving her an apartment out of everything.

"I wasn’t the one who ruled that he give me something he owned. The court did that in my favour! Is he going to deceive them now?"

Olivia continued with her accusations about Owen’s deceit and meant it. And if any outsider should overhear her statement, they would think she was right.

In the end, Attorney Yolanda, who should have been on her way before Olivia broke out about the ’injustice’ that Owen had done to her, took it upon herself to explain just to clear the air.

Yolanda hated Olivia and her guts, but she had to do her duty as a lawyer; otherwise, she would have left without caring if Olivia raised down the building with her voice or not.

Chapter 289: Olivia Takes Out Her Frustration on her Mother

"Miss Swift, do you think my client, Mr. Owen Scott, dares to deceive the court?" Attorney Yolanda asked with her straight gaze burrowing into Olivia’s eyes.

"Why not?!" Olivia retorted, looking mad. "I know that man better than anyone. I was the one married to him, not you or the court!"

For all she knew, Owen was a big bastard who was ready to do anything to cheat her off the things she deserved.

Yolanda scoffed inwardly. She blamed herself for asking that question, giving Olivia the chance to answer, and showing off her ignorance once again.

"Miss Swift, it would be only in your best interest to accept this as the truth. The court reviewed every property and inheritance in my clients’ name before approving for this penthouse to be awarded to you," Yolanda said, and without taking more than a second break, she continued,

"Perhaps, did you forget that my client was cut from his family’s inheritance? Therefore, he now has nothing much to his name?"

Olivia rolled her eyes and slammed her palm on the table. "I’m sure that Scumbag client of yours planned this situation ahead and asked his family to cut him off in time."

Olivia couldn’t help but think the worst with confidence. She was so furious that she had to create a narrative around this particular situation internationally.

Owen had left a big crack in her life that she could never see any of his steps as innocent. She would always think of the worst of him.

"Well, it’s your choice to believe whatever you want. This is a reminder that the court awarded you only 20% of my client’s property. If you have any problems with that, you can take the matter up with them."

After saying her piece, Yolanda picked up her bag and left without even acknowledging Attorney Perkins.

It wouldn’t even be a surprise if she looked down on him for choosing to represent the emotionally unstable woman named Olivia Swift.

Without anyone from Owen’s side to heap blame on, Olivia turned to her poor lawyer, who looked quite fed up with her and her troubles.

He tried to make her understand one more time that he was part of the review committee, that he had gone through everything in Owen’s name, and that he didn’t shortchange her, but she refused to listen.

Instead, she tried to turn her frustration on him.

Mr. Perkins, likewise, grabbed his things and excused himself. He hoped that he would never have anything to do with Olivia again.

And for the sake of his sanity, he prayed that there wouldn’t be an issue concerning this one divorce case that would require him to represent Olivia again.

The deal should be over now.

Olivia was truly frustrated and furious with everything going on in her life. Her suspicion of Owen never ends; instead, it brings up other impeding resentments she has stored in her heart: her mother.

So, from the private restaurant, Olivia decided to go straight to visit her mother in the station where she was temporarily being held. This time around, she was granted reception after filling out some paperwork.

A policeman in uniform escorted Olivia to a room and asked her to wait for a while, and then he left.

Olivia looked around the ugly room she was brought into and scrunched her nose. She didn’t fancy it one bit and hoped that nothing would ever bring her there again, whether as a visitor, or a prisoner.

Uncomfortable with her environment, Olivia dipped her hand into her bag and took out a bottle of perfume. She sprayed some of its contents on her wrists before moving the bottle to her neckline. After two puffs, she returned the bottle to her bag.

Three minutes later, Stella, who looked nothing like the old Mrs. Swift, was led into the room, her hands bound with a cuff.

As soon as she saw Olivia, the corners of her eyes crinkled.

"Olivia!" she walked over to the table in quick steps, happy to see her daughter. With everything she was feeling, she expected Olivia to be on her feet to at least give her a hug, but she remained unmoving, her gaze emotionless.

As soon as Stella noticed that shift, her excitement died down.

"My baby won’t even smile or stand up to hug her mother?" Stella asked as the policemen who brought her into the room made her sit down across from Olivia before leaving.

Olivia let her gaze take in this new version of her mother and felt every negative emotion attack her all at once. That was not a good situation to be.

How the mighty has fallen.

There were streaks of disobedient grey strands sticking out of Stella’s messy hair. Then, Olivia’s gaze fell on her uniform and observed how bogus and dirty it was.

"Who is your baby?" she finally retorted as her dark gaze fell on her mother’s face.

Stella slowly nodded in acceptance of her daughter’s rejection. "You are mad at me. And you have every right to be. I made a mistake. I wronged you in the worst possible way."

"Don’t forget to add the fact that you ruined my life to the list, amongst others," Olivia said sharply with venom dripping in her tone.

She hadn’t come to see how her mother was doing. She had another goal in mind: to vent her frustrations out on her. And she was just getting started.

"I know." Stella didn’t deny it. Her eyes turned teary. Seeing Olivia’s hand on the table, she tried to reach it, but as if she read her mind, she withdrew it and finished out the bottle of perfume from her bag.

Olivia positioned it towards her and released two puffs in the air. "Don’t they give you all a bath here?"

Stella felt damaged by that statement. She couldn’t believe that her own daughter, whom she had raised and pampered with her own hands, would one day sit before her and make such harsh statements to mock her condition.

She was appalled.

On the other hand, Olivia couldn’t give a fuck about damaging anyone’s emotions. She slipped the perfume bottle inside her bag and turned her attention back to her mother.

"You killed Dad on the night of my wedding. Tell me why you did that?" she demanded, her eyes blazing with fire.

Chapter 290: Righting Her Wrong from Prison

It’s not like Olivia didn’t know her mother was after Aurora and not her father. She clearly knew this fact but couldn’t help being furious about something else.

Why did her mother choose the night of her wedding of all days to attempt the assassination?

Somewhere in her mind, Olivia was thinking that her mother’s atrocities might have been what jinxed her marriage and turned it beyond repair.

"You know it was a mistake. Do you think I’m that crazy to kill your father?" Stella asked, looking distorted. "Aurora was my target." Suddenly, she lowered her voice and continued discreetly, "How was I to know the waiter would leave her and kill off your father?"

Olivia immediately slapped her hand on the table. She glared at her and said without mercy, "How did you even think of killing anyone at my wedding? Did you not for once consider that you might jinx my marriage? You kept going after Aurora head-on without thinking of the bigger picture. Now, see what you’ve done! You ruined everything, including my life."

Stella’s lips parted a few times. She was looking for an opportunity to speak, but Olivia wouldn’t give her one. Not until she is done.

"To think that I still have to suffer for your mistakes! Everyone is calling me a murderer’s daughter. I am the one receiving the brunt end of your actions. I can’t go out without a disguise for fear of being pounced on by the paparazzi and cursed by netizens! The high society is ostracizing me. I don’t have any friends. And I don’t have peace!"

Olivia said the last part with pure hatred. Her emotion wasn’t mistaken; she was being truthful here, even though she meant to hurt her mother with her words.

Her life had changed for the worst since her mother’s arrest made it to the internet. And she has since been forced to face the ridicule.

The worst part of Olivia’s situation was that people she felt she was better than had the guts to talk down on her whenever they wanted without fear.

If she were to ask who or what gave them that confidence, her mother would be the right answer.

"I’m so sorry, Olivia. I didn’t mean to hurt you, and I never will," Stella pleaded as tears formed in her eyes. She felt guilty for putting her beloved child in such a tight spot.

If Olivia hadn’t mentioned everything she was going through right now, she wouldn’t have known the extent of her suffering. And for that, she was very sorry.

"How do you think I would intentionally bring you harm?" Stella asked, almost in a pleading tone.

"Yet you could think of killing someone at my wedding. How else wouldn’t you think of harming me intentionally?" Olivia retorted with malice.

No matter how much her mother tried to explain to her, Olivia thought she wasn’t considerate. She let her goal of getting rid of Aurora blind her from thinking straight.

Teaching Aurora a lesson had always been a priority for her, while other things came second. And given how much invested and determined Stella was while plotting against Aurora, it was possible that she didn’t consider a lot of things before acting.

She had probably only thought that her daughter’s wedding would be a good opportunity to strike Aurora once and for all without thinking of the damage it would do her daughter in return.

"Mum, I will never forgive you for this. I regret that you are my mother, and I will trade you for anything!" Olivia spat angrily without missing a beat.

"Olivia," Stella called out softly as a sharp pain hit her chest. She was hurt and wished to get out of it. She hadn’t seen this conversation coming.

Instead, when she saw Olivia had come to see her, she thought of guilt-tricking her for not visiting her since she was taken into police custody. Who knew a much more important matter awaited her?

"Don’t call my name," Olivia warned. She wasn’t about to let her mother play the victim here when the mess she left her in kept escalating. "Dad put you and Aunt in charge of the house and the family. With you half gone, she had already brought her children to live with her. What do you think would happen when you receive your sentencing? She will definitely send them to Vintage Cellar next. And this is all because you didn’t think well before executing your plans!"

Stella was completely stunned at this new revelation. She hadn’t had the opportunity to think about the consequences of her actions in this direction.

Anger, frustration, regret and every other negative emotion swirled inside of her.

Stella clenched her fingers into fists on the table.

"She is going to try and take control over everything your father has, both the house and the company," Stella mumbled to herself as her gaze strayed towards the wall behind Olivia. "Your father must be looking down at her in regret."

"Just like he’s doing with you," Olivia retorted without reservation. She wasn’t going to let her mother paint anyone else black without first admitting that she was in the wrong.

Stella paused at Olivia’s sudden statement. She was stunned and almost forgot what she was going to say next.

The silence between the mother and daughter stretched for almost a minute before Stella broke it, afraid that Olivia would pick up her bag and leave.

"Olivia, dear, your mother is going to right every wrong. I promise you that."

"Where are you going to stay to right every wrong?" Olivia asked, looking genuinely interested. "From prison?"

Stella held her gaze for a moment before replying, "Yes." She hadn’t accepted to go to prison, but there was something far more important she wanted to let Olivia know, and she couldn’t do that if they continued to argue.

Olivia straightened her back and clasped her fingers together. "Really? Please enlighten me. I really want to know how you will be able to do anything from prison, something you couldn’t achieve when you had your freedom."