Urban Romance

Olivia clutched the railing to keep herself upright. Her throat felt unbearably parched, like a fish out of water. It was so dry, and she was so thirsty… The intense thirst made her gasp for air.

However, that didn't do anything. Her heart hammered against her ribcage, and blood rushed through her veins as waves of heat and cold washed over her.

Her limbs no longer felt like her own. Olivia felt weak and boneless, as though she were nothing but a mass of scalding water. Gritting her teeth, she dragged herself toward the bedroom.

Just then, a ghostly voice sounded behind her. "Olivia. Olivia!"

The malice in Regina's voice made Olivia shudder. Panic pushed her forward, causing her to stumble.

For some reason, the manor was eerily empty, with not a single housekeeper in sight. There was no one she could turn to. The overwhelming sense of helplessness threatened to swallow her whole. 



Jasper lowered his gaze as he caught her. Her skin was scorching to the touch.

Even if he didn't like Olivia, he couldn't deny that she was beautiful. Her figure was flawless. Her pale skin was tinged with pink, and those alluring eyes of hers that were usually distant and cold were now glassy, the corners faintly red. At that moment, she looked pitiful. 

He curled his lips into a faint smile. "Didn't you say you wanted a divorce? So, what is this supposed to be?"

Olivia couldn't make out what he had said. All she knew was that his body felt cool and soothing against her unbearable heat. Instinctively, she leaned into his arms.

He wrapped an arm around her waist. Seven years of marriage made their bodies respond faster than their minds.

Even though her consciousness was hazy, she could still sense the change in Jasper. His gaze darkened as he lifted his hand to brush her earlobe. Th

The following day, Olivia arrived at Latitude Games as promised. 

Caleb was already there, waiting for her. The moment he saw her, he said, "Come on. I'll introduce you to the team."

Latitude Games had grown from a small company to where it was today. The founding team had changed several times, so she no longer recognized any of the employees there. "Okay."

As soon as they entered the conference room, all eyes were on them.

"This is the new partner I want to introduce, Olivia Young," Caleb announced.

The employees' reaction was lukewarm and almost indifferent.

Caleb's smile faded, and he looked a little displeased.

Olivia smiled at him to tell him that she didn't mind it. This was already a pleasant response to a partner who had appeared out of nowhere. After all, she had been through worse when she worked as a secretary at Price Corporation. 

She would never forget the day she was asked to go into the conference room to serve coffee, only to be cornered in the pantry by Mason after the clients left. Without saying a word, he poured the coffee over her head. 

"Since you like coffee so much, here—drink your fill! How many times have I told you that Mr. Sinclair only drinks juice?"

A crowd had gathered outside the door. Some of them were curious, while others pitied her. 

She spotted Jasper at a glance as he walked past behind the crowd. He glanced at her coldly and walked away without coming to a halt. He treated her worse than a stranger.

The hot coffee clung to her skin, and its bitter aroma filled her nostrils. Olivia dug her nails into her palms to keep her tears at bay, responding calmly, "It's my fault."

Later, she was told that she almost cost the company a 300-million-dollar deal due to her small mistake. 

Looking back on it now, she knew that it wasn't even possible. She was just a secretary. Yet, she became a pawn in the power struggle between two corporations.

Olivia was certain Jasper had seen through it yet had simply chosen to stand by and let her be humiliated.

…

"Have our standards for partners dropped this low, Mr. Gray?"

The tension in the room was palpable.

Caleb's brows knitted together. He was about to warn that employee, but Olivia stopped him.

She smiled faintly and motioned for her assistant, Avery Stewart, to distribute her revised optimization plan. "Please take a look at this. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."

Olivia had no interest in exchanging words when she could let her ability speak for itself. It was a waste of time, after all. 

The conference room fell silent in an instant. For a moment, there was only the soft rustle of pages turning.

After a while, someone piped up, "This jungle protection mechanism is brilliant!" With it, that loophole would be resolved.

Even Caleb hadn't expected Olivia to produce such a detailed, almost flawless proposal in such a short time. "If there are no other questions, let's get started!"

Everyone had already been itching to move. As soon as his words fell, they filed out one after another. The man who had challenged Olivia earlier left with a hardened expression.

Caleb smiled. "He's Sage's senior."

That explained the hostility. Olivia quickly caught on.

And right then, someone said, "Ms. Myers is here to see you, Mr. Gray."

Caleb took a look at Olivia. After she nodded, he said, "Let her in."

Sage hadn't expected to see Olivia here. She froze for a second before treating her as if she didn't exist. Looking straight at Caleb, she said, "I hope you'll judge my abilities through my work and not through someone else's words, Mr. Gray."

That was clearly aimed at Olivia.

Olivia couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile. Initially, she just assumed Sage didn't realize her behavior was a problem, but it turned out that she was well aware all along.

Caleb's voice was as cold as ice. "Are you implying that I have poor judgment, Ms. Myers?"

Sage faltered. "I hope you'll reconsider my application, Mr. Gray."

Latitude Games was a trendsetter in the gaming industry, and Sage didn't want to miss this opportunity. No matter what Olivia had done to cause Caleb to reject her, she believed that as long as he was willing to get to know her, she wouldn't let him down.

"Ms. Myers, you seem awfully confident." Olivia smiled. "Professional ability does come first at Latitude Games, but… character matters too."

In the blink of an eye, Sage's face flushed crimson, and she glared at Olivia. "I'm talking to Mr. Gray right now!"

In other words, Olivia had no right to interfere. 

"Ms. Young's words are my words," Caleb chimed in coldly.

With that, Sage stormed out of the conference room. Initially, she thought Caleb was level-headed. She hadn't expected him to let desire cloud his judgment and for him to fall for rumors. In that case, Latitude Games didn't deserve her.

Caleb glanced at Olivia. Noticing how calm and unfazed she looked, he felt relieved. Had he not known about this matter, he would have truly admired Jasper. After all, he was practically a legend in their circle.

Jasper earned his PhD before he turned 20. After returning from abroad, he founded several companies of his own, spanning industries like pharmaceuticals, entertainment, technology, and new energy. After taking over the Price family, he doubled the market value of Price Corporation.

He was not only an exceptional businessman but also strikingly handsome. Plenty of families in their circle wanted to marry their daughters to him.

He was dazzling and flawless. It was only natural that Olivia had fallen for him. Yet, whenever Caleb thought about the way Jasper treated Olivia and Sage's arrogant demeanor, his anger flared. 

Olivia had no idea about the thoughts going through Caleb's head. After a long day at work, she checked the time and got up to leave.

…

Olivia had just gotten out of her car after arriving at Price Manor when she heard some noise behind her. 

A black Lincoln slowly rolled to a stop in front of her. The door opened, and Emilia stepped out. She walked past Olivia as if she hadn't seen her. 

Olivia frowned. She had been deliberately distancing herself from Emilia lately. After all, Emilia was happier when she was with Sage. 

However, she didn't want to worry Lucinda that day. "Emi?"

Emilia stopped in her tracks and turned around. Her little face was tense as she said, "I don't want to talk to you, Mom!"

"Why?"

"Because you went too far. Sage really likes that company. She even cried!"

Olivia froze. She couldn't believe she had raised this child with her own hands. The way Emilia looked at her was as if she were her enemy. 

"Did Sage tell you that?" Olivia's voice became noticeably colder. 

She had never spoken to Emilia like that before. Emilia stiffened and panicked a little. For a moment, she fell silent.

Olivia already had her answer. Her anger faded into an almost unsettling calm.

Emilia only cared about Sage, and Olivia had already decided to make room for them. So, she refused to waste another ounce of her emotion on this.

"Emi, grown-ups' problems are complicated. I can't explain them to you right now. But if you stay mad at me, your great-grandma will worry when she notices."

Emilia clearly took her words to heart and held out her hand to Olivia. Olivia didn't want to take it, but to avoid trouble, she did anyway and led Emilia inside.

"Liv, you're here! Come sit," Lucinda said warmly.

The only seat left was beside Jasper. Olivia was well aware that Lucinda had saved it for her. So, she took the seat without sparing Jasper a glance.

Not long after, Lucinda kept hinting for Jasper to serve Olivia food. Yet, the man beside her didn't budge at all.

Olivia knew that Lucinda was trying to bring them together, hoping they could make things work. However, she had already decided to get a divorce, so she didn't want Lucinda exhausting herself over this. "I don't like these dishes anymore, Grandma."

Lucinda was caught off guard when she heard that. 

Olivia was well aware that Lucinda had caught on. So, she smiled and placed some food on her plate. "Eat this, Grandma. It's good for your health."

Regina had been holding herself back all night. "Drop the act," she sneered.

"Gina!" Lucinda warned. Her gaze darkened as she reminded her, "What did you promise me?"

Noticing that Lucinda was genuinely angry, Regina didn't dare argue anymore. Reluctantly, she rose from her seat, went to the dining room to get two glasses of juice, and walked up to Olivia. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been rude to you."

Olivia's eyes misted over. She knew Lucinda was deliberately standing up for her in front of everyone, forcing Regina to swallow her pride. Despite knowing Regina's apology wasn't sincere, she took the glass and drank it.

Regina watched her finish it. "Are you satisfied now, Grandma?"

Ignoring her, Lucinda said, "It's late. You three should stay the night."

Olivia was about to refuse when Jasper beat her to it. "Alright." 

Emilia followed the butler, Charles Anderson, upstairs. Her eyes were heavy with sleep.

Noticing that Lucinda was looking at her, Olivia had no choice but to nod. 

"Stay here. I need to talk to you." Lucinda stopped Jasper. 

Olivia paid them no mind and headed upstairs. Halfway up, her legs abruptly gave out, and a wave of heat surged from deep within her body. It threatened to swallow her whole.

Olivia clutched the railing to keep herself upright. Her throat felt unbearably parched, like a fish out of water. It was so dry, and she was so thirsty… The intense thirst made her gasp for air.

However, that didn't do anything. Her heart hammered against her ribcage, and blood rushed through her veins as waves of heat and cold washed over her.

Her limbs no longer felt like her own. Olivia felt weak and boneless, as though she were nothing but a mass of scalding water. Gritting her teeth, she dragged herself toward the bedroom.

Just then, a ghostly voice sounded behind her. "Olivia. Olivia!"

The malice in Regina's voice made Olivia shudder. Panic pushed her forward, causing her to stumble.

For some reason, the manor was eerily empty, with not a single housekeeper in sight. There was no one she could turn to. The overwhelming sense of helplessness threatened to swallow her whole. 

The sheer terror almost knocked her unconscious. Large beads of sweat seeped from her temples, and t

Chapter 11