Chapter 9

The roar of an engine caught their attention. Jasper, Sage, and Regina all looked over. Olivia met Jasper's gaze, which was filled with displeasure, through her car window. Olivia looked away coldly, treating the three of them as if they didn't exist. She stepped on the gas and sped past them, stirring up a sharp gust of wind. Regina was dumbstruck. Then, she stomped her foot and fumed. "She's completely out of control, Jasper. I'm going to tell Grandma so that she can see Olivia for who she really is!" With that, she stormed off. Noticing Sage's unmistakable disappointment, Jasper consoled her, "Latitude Games clearly don't know talent when they see it." Sage smiled sweetly. "Maybe there's been some misunderstanding. I'll try to ask Mr. Gray in person." She wasn't willing to give up. Latitude Games was a well-known game development company in the country, and its recent releases had all performed extremely well. Joining the company would be extremely beneficial to her personal development. Noticing his slight disapproval, she explained softly, "I don't want to rely on you for everything." Jasper's brows drew together. "Did someone say something?" "No." Sage shook her head. "I'm just indignant, and I want to get to the bottom of this." "Alright," he responded apathetically. "Elevia Games will always welcome you with open arms." Sage chuckled. "I know." … After dropping Sage off, Jasper returned home. Emilia immediately threw herself into his arms. "You're finally back, Dad!" "I am." His voice was flat as he lifted his hand to pull her away. "Your teacher told me there's a parent-child sports day next week." "I know!" Emilia bounced with excitement. "I want you and Sage to go with me!" Olivia was abroad on a business trip anyway. Even if she were around, Emilia had no desire to participate in it with her. Olivia was never good at games. Sage, on the other hand, was great at everything and played every game well. On top of that, Emilia hadn't seen her for days. So, she missed her sorely. Before he could respond, his phone rang. It was a call from home. He answered, and Lucinda's voice came through. "Gina told me she saw Liv today." "Yeah." "So, she's back from her business trip?" "Probably." "Probably? She's your wife, and she works at your company! Don't you know anything about where she is?" Jasper fell silent. "I can't communicate with you. Put Liv on the phone!" Lucinda snapped. "She's not here." "How can she not be home at this hour?" Jasper fell silent once again. It had been a while since he saw Olivia after he left the Young residence last time. There were no signs of her staying in her room upstairs either. Had he not seen her earlier that day, he would've assumed she had gone abroad on another business trip. Lucinda sighed. Jasper softened his tone and changed the subject. "Have you had dinner?" "Do you think I can still have dinner? Anger has made me lose all appetite!" He chuckled. Lucinda was well aware that among all her grandchildren, Jasper was the most stubborn. Given how things stood between him and Olivia, he had already made a big concession. If she pushed him any harder, it would only backfire. Hence, she eased up. "I'll leave it at that. I want the three of you over for dinner tomorrow night. I haven't seen my precious granddaughter in ages." Before he could respond, the call was cut off. Emilia's curiosity was piqued. "Who was that, Dad?" "Your great-grandmother." Remembering Lucinda's request, Jasper dialed Olivia's number. "She wants the three of us to go to Price Manor tomorrow night and have dinner with her." "What?" Emilia was dumbfounded. "Mom's back in the country?" Watching him nod, her little face scrunched up. Olivia hadn't called her for a while now, yet Emilia didn't miss her at all. If anything, she felt relieved because it gave her more time to talk to Sage. Now that Olivia was back, did that mean she would be attending the parent-child sports day too? Emilia felt crushed when she thought of that. Her voice was choked full of emotions as she said, "I don't want to participate in the sports day with Mom, Dad! Can you please not tell her about it?" Emilia had already promised her classmates that she would beat everyone and win first place. "Please." When he didn't respond, tears welled up in her eyes. "Pretty please, Dad!" Noticing she was about to cry, Jasper nodded. Emilia's face immediately lit up, and she chirped, "In that case, I'm going to tell Sage the good news right now!" … As soon as Olivia got back home, she buried herself in revising and polishing her optimization proposal. She quickly lost track of time. By the time her phone rang, it was completely dark outside. When she saw the caller ID, she froze. It was Jasper. In a heartbeat, realization dawned on her. He was probably calling about what happened earlier that day. In the past, she would've been overjoyed to receive his call. After answering it, she would be so careful not to upset him. Now, she just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. "Grandma wants us to have dinner at Price Manor tomorrow night." Jasper's voice was flat, and he sounded like he didn't want to continue the conversation. Olivia froze, as she hadn't expected the call to be about Lucinda. Then again, if he could refuse, he would never have called her. "Okay." Olivia wanted to refuse, but on second thought, she knew she wouldn't have many chances to dine with Lucinda after their divorce. Lucinda was the only one in the Price family who had ever been kind to her, so she didn't want to disappoint her. "I'll go on my own." In other words, she didn't want to go with Jasper and Emilia. "Alright." He didn't press further. After all, it would be rush hour at that time. It would save a lot of time and effort if they went separately. "If you're busy, have the driver pick Emi up." Right after saying that, she hung up on him. Jasper smiled as he listened to the beeping tone. Olivia was always the one listening to the line go dead. Now, it was his turn to get a taste of it. … Olivia was lost in thought when she heard a knock at the door. She rose from her seat and opened it. In the blink of an eye, a small figure that smelled of milk threw herself into her arms. "Olivia!" Instinctively, she held the little girl. "Korrie, you scared Olivia!" Olivia had not been staying here for long. The only people she knew were the mother and daughter next door, Hannah Wright and Korra Green. Olivia had stumbled upon Korra arguing with a group of boys the last time she went downstairs. The little girl's face had been flushed crimson. "I'm not stupid! I can beat it!" "No way! You don't even have a father. How are you supposed to win?" "Exactly! Our dads helped us win." "You're definitely not getting past it!" The boys kept talking over one another until tears filled the little girl's round eyes, yet she still lifted her chin stubbornly. "I'll definitely beat it!" Olivia couldn't bear to watch it anymore. The moment she walked over, the boys scattered. Korra was the only one who remained. She had her head down as she fiddled with her gaming console. Olivia took a look at the screen and saw that it was a competitive game. It was quite difficult for a child to play, so she said, "Let me teach you." From then on, as soon as Korra spotted her, she would stick to her like a little magnet. Even now, she looked at her with pure admiration. Olivia's heart melted. "Not at all. Korrie's so cute. How could she possibly scare me?" She was telling the truth. "I told you Olivia likes me, Mommy!" Korra's innocent voice rang out. "Mhm. I like Korrie the most," Olivia echoed. "Can you participate in the sports day with me, Olivia?" Olivia froze. Looking into her hopeful eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say no. So, she nodded in agreement.