Chapter 7

Caleb had seen Olivia at her sharpest, most decisive, and most fearless. The hesitant woman before him at the moment was worlds apart from who she used to be. To put it bluntly, she even seemed a little insecure. That word didn't belong anywhere near Olivia, and the thought made Caleb uncomfortable. He had heard bits and pieces about Olivia's marriage to Jasper. Noticing that he wasn't attempting to comfort her and that his tone was solemn, she couldn't help but smile bitterly. Olivia genuinely wanted to go back, but she was terrified. The times had changed, and so had the audience. "I…" Noticing that she was still hesitating, his tone became even more earnest. "Olivia, your talent and imagination are on a completely different level from most people's. A temporary setback doesn't mean anything. "As long as you make up your mind, it's never too late to make a comeback. Remember that competition? You were the one all the judges wanted on their team." Olivia couldn't help but chuckle. "You're exaggerating. Harold wouldn't be pleased if he heard that." Right after saying that, she froze. Back then, almost all the judges had showered her designs with praise. Harold Hill was the only one who had stayed objective and pointed out her flaws. As the thought crossed her mind, she asked, "How's he doing?" "He's the same as ever. He's often rendered speechless from being annoyed by us." Olivia giggled as she remembered the days she spent bickering with Harold while under his mentorship. Caleb noticed the nostalgia in her eyes. "Come back." Her expression darkened. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded. "Okay." Olivia had been exposed to games since she was young—first as a player, then as a creator. The joy of creating was something only Caleb and their circle of friends truly understood. Because of Jasper, she lost her way for seven years and missed the fastest period of growth in the industry. If she joined them now, she would have to work twice as hard just to catch up. However, she wasn't afraid. So long as she was willing to put in the work, it was never too late. When she agreed, he asked, "When are you coming back to the company?" "In a couple of days. Let me cram a bit more first." Caleb didn't expect her to make up her mind so soon. He couldn't hide the joy that lit his eyes. "Awesome! I'm meeting a genius who just returned from overseas later. My team strongly recommended her. Apparently, her graduation project made quite a splash at her university. Care to join me?" Olivia had once created a game that garnered nationwide attention, after all. Even the core logic of the game used in this competition was strikingly similar to the one she designed back then. Caleb trusted her ability and judgment completely. However, she shook her head. "Forget it. I'm still out of my depth here. I won't play expert in front of a real one." Caleb could only drop the idea. Just then, the match began, and both of them turned their attention to the action on the screen. As a MOBA team-based competitive game, what mattered most was coordination and adaptability. "There's a flaw in the setup." Olivia frowned. "For a game like this to be fun, both parties need to start on equal footing. This…" She glanced at the nameplate before continuing, "Raccoon has already infiltrated its opponent's jungle right from the start. Even though the other team has already taken two towers, they'll still lose in the end." At that moment, the camera cut to the audience and focused on a young woman with a wolf sticker on her face. Her cheeks were flushed crimson as she cheered for the team that had just finished off another tower. Olivia could imagine how thrilled she was just from the way her mouth was wide open. Unfortunately, the outcome had been predetermined from the start, and the young lady was bound to be disappointed. Perhaps for contrast, the camera cut to another young woman who was wearing a colorful raccoon badge and an indifferent expression. Olivia frowned slightly when she saw her face. The next second, the screen switched to a huge banner advertisement. "Large-Scale 10v10 Fair Competitive Game." "This game isn't fair." Caleb couldn't help but remark, "No wonder even after all these years, Harold still sounds so regretful when he talks about you. You really do have what it takes to go up against him." This game had been out for a while, and this small tournament was intended as a promotional event. His team had tested it repeatedly since its launch, yet not a single person had noticed this flaw. Olivia disagreed, as she was well aware of Caleb's capabilities. "I'd rather not make a fool of myself in front of you." Caleb skipped the niceties and admitted, "This game was developed by one of our subsidiary companies." She was surprised. "Don't tell me you didn't notice that, Caleb." He scratched his nose. He couldn't exactly tell her that he had only licensed out the core logic and left the follow-up to the rest of his team. "That was my oversight." "After some adjustments, it should have huge market potential." A single match could host up to 20 players, and with social and shopping features planned down the line, nothing else currently on the market could compare to it. Caleb nodded. That was exactly why he had come over. "The company really needs you." Olivia didn't refuse this time. Her gaze landed on the raccoon. "That player is probably in the industry too. He's playing the game according to its logic, not with a player's mindset." After seeing this decisive side of Olivia for the first time in years, Caleb felt as though he had been transported back to their university days. "You really should've come back sooner." Olivia froze for a split second as a dull ache spread in her chest. A faint smile crept onto her face. "I think so too." Realizing he had said the wrong thing, he was about to apologize when his phone rang. "Yeah, the cafe outside is fine." After hanging up, he looked at Olivia apologetically. "It's fine. Didn't you say you have an appointment? Go." Not long after Caleb left, the match ended. As she had predicted, the raccoon led his team to victory. Olivia didn't stay for the award ceremony. She spun on her heel and walked out the way she had entered. Olivia had just seen Regina Price on the big screen. She hadn't expected to run into her here. "Gina," she called out. Regina didn't respond right away. Instead, she frowned at Olivia. "Aren't you supposed to be abroad? What are you doing here?" "I met up with a friend." "Oh," Regina responded coldly. What kind of friends could Olivia possibly have? Aside from her looks, there really was nothing special about her. When that thought crossed her mind, Regina asked, "Is your friend a man or a woman?" Olivia was caught off guard. "Forget it." Regina waved her hand. In any case, no one was aware that Olivia was the lady of the Price family. So, she couldn't embarrass them. Besides, her older brother, Jasper, didn't like Olivia. Hence, he wouldn't care about such matters. Regina continued, "Why didn't you tell me you were back? There's a bag that's only sold in Eldoria. I wanted you to bring one back for me." Olivia chuckled when she heard that. Over the years, she had helped her sister-in-law purchase all kinds of things. No matter how hard they were to obtain, she always managed to get her hands on them. She had queued from dawn to night on more than one occasion. Yet, she had never received a single word of appreciation, let alone a word of thanks. Olivia was treated worse than a personal shopper. Olivia had previously shown Regina the same affection she had shown Jasper. She told herself that Regina was just young and immature, so she never took her behavior to heart. However, now that she was about to divorce Jasper, there was no reason to keep putting her neck out. Hence, she didn't hold back. "You could buy 100 more bags, and you'd still be insufferable." After saying that and seeing how angry Regina was, Olivia felt as though a boulder had finally been lifted from her chest. It was better to settle things once and for all than to deal with Regina again in the future. Since she had already decided to return to work, Olivia didn't want to waste her time on pointless things. Her thoughts were still preoccupied with the issue she had just noticed, so she said, "If that's all you wanted to talk about, I'll get going." With that, she left without sparing Regina another glance. Regina could hardly believe her ears. Olivia, who used to bend over backward for her, had just insulted her for asking her to buy her a single bag! Plus, she walked away without even apologizing to her.