Olivia stood in the corner of the elevator, her face pale, looking like a lonely little animal.
“If it were just one, it would be fine… but there are two of you…”
“How can a woman be with two men at the same time?”
She couldn’t go against her moral principles and abandon societal norms. She simply couldn’t do it.
What would she become then?
A shameless woman.
If the world knew, if outsiders knew… if relatives and friends knew, if everyone in the Hogan family knew…
How would she face herself then?
The more she thought about it, the more terrified and uncomfortable she felt, and her face grew increasingly pale.
No…
It can’t be.
She had to stop these two crazy men. “Bryce, Dexter… what kind of women can’t you have? Why must you cling to me? I’m really not good… we’re family!”
She looked up, tears welling in her clear eyes. “Let me go, and let yourselves go. We really can’t be together.”
“But…” Dexter’s eyes flashed with a gentle obsession. “We just want to be with you. The three of us, never to be separated.”
The color drained from Olivia’s face, and her lips trembled. “You’re crazy, both of you!”
“We’re only crazy for you.” Bryce’s deep eyes fixed on her, his large hand gently cupping her small face. “So, Olivia, you can’t escape.”
Just as he was about to kiss her, the elevator doors suddenly opened. He had to let go of Olivia, and the three of them stepped out together.
At the same time, the doors of the adjacent elevator also opened.
Franklin and Sylvia walked out hand in hand. The three siblings didn’t expect to run into familiar faces.
Bryce politely greeted Franklin and his wife. “Mr. Maskelyne, Mrs. Maskelyne.”
Franklin nodded indifferently in response.
Sylvia’s gaze swept over the handsome faces of the two brothers before finally landing on Olivia. She walked over to the girl and gently took her small hand, as if afraid of scaring her. “How have you been lately? Are you feeling better?”
Olivia was half a head shorter than Sylvia, looking very petite. She looked up at Sylvia with a hint of nervousness and unease in her eyes.
She couldn’t help but think: Does she suspect my relationship with my two brothers? Does she find us disgusting? Dirty?
Does she think I’m a bad woman?
The pressure in her heart was immense, almost to the point of breaking down.
She suddenly shook off Sylvia’s hand and took two steps back. “No, I’m not, I’m not…”
Sylvia looked at her in astonishment. “What’s wrong?”
Olivia snapped back to reality. What had she just said? What had she done?
No…
Her face turned almost transparent white, and her red lips appeared even more vivid and heartbreaking.
“I… I…” Her small face was full of panic as she looked at Sylvia helplessly.
She could feel that Sylvia had no intention of harming her.
Her eyes darted around and finally landed on the man beside Sylvia. That man… was so handsome! His long, narrow eyes exuded a cold aura; his features were handsome and noble, radiating a strong sense of dignity.
Noticing her gaze, the Hogan brothers’ faces immediately showed displeasure. Bryce instinctively grabbed her arm. “Olivia, this is Mr. Maskelyne. When you were hospitalized last time, he accompanied Mrs. Maskelyne to visit you.”
Dexter added, “Yes, but unfortunately, you were unconscious at the time.”
So he’s Miss Andrews’ husband…
Olivia withdrew her gaze, but Franklin looked at her with a hint of scrutiny.
The same almond-shaped eyes as his mother’s… on Olivia’s face… gave off a sense of familiarity. But her current state was very similar to his mother’s back then…
Panic-stricken, at a loss, melancholic… he had heard she had depression…
Franklin’s heart suddenly felt a sharp pain.
At such a young age… what had she gone through?
Why did he feel heartache?
This… was too strange.
Franklin looked at Olivia with a hint of confusion.
The Hogan brothers felt an inexplicable sense of crisis.
They had always kept Olivia confined, rarely allowing her to interact with other men, especially outstanding ones.
Now seeing the usually indifferent man suddenly looking at Olivia for a few seconds, alarm bells rang in their hearts. Bryce instinctively pulled Olivia behind him without leaving any trace. “Mr. Maskelyne, we have some matters to attend to, so we’ll take our leave.”
Dexter also nodded at Franklin.
The three turned to leave. Before leaving, Olivia couldn’t help but glance back at Sylvia and Franklin again-such a perfect couple who could stand openly in the sunlight. How enviable…
She probably would never have such an opportunity in this lifetime…
“Sweetheart, you’re being naughty.”
Bryce’s suppressed voice sounded out. Olivia immediately withdrew her gaze and saw Bryce’s possessive handsome face twisted as he stared at her. “What? Have you taken a liking to Franklin?”
Olivia weakly refuted, “I haven’t…”
“You better not have. If you do, believe me, I have a hundred ways to make you wish for death over life and regret ever liking him.” Bryce’s face carried a smile, but his voice was threatening.
Olivia could only belong to the brothers!
No one could take her away, not even Franklin.
“Olivia, be good and don’t make your brothers angry, okay?” Dexter pinched Olivia’s nose gently. “Let’s go eat.”
Olivia was enveloped in deep despair.
Would she never escape this cage in her lifetime?
She followed the brothers like a puppet in utter despair, feeling desolate inside.
What could she do to break free?
Such pain… such pain…
Tears welled up in her eyes as she walked numbly forward… as if the road ahead had no end, with no light in sight-only darkness.
Sylvia watched Olivia’s numb and slender back and looked up at Franklin. “Aren’t those eyes exactly like mother’s?”
Franklin nodded. “But… I don’t have a sister. Besides, she’s about Carley’s age and at least five or six years younger than me.”
Sylvia smiled slightly. “Do you know all the members of mother’s family?”
Franklin immediately understood Sylvia’s implication. “You mean she might be my cousin?”
“It’s possible. She might be from mother’s side of the family. I heard she’s an adopted daughter of the Hogan family. Her background is unclear, and the Hogan family keeps it well-hidden.” Sylvia pondered for a moment. “Why don’t you do a DNA test with her?”
Franklin frowned slightly. “The Hogan family guards her so closely that obtaining a blood sample or hair from her might not be easy.”
“We can think of something.” Sylvia also noticed how tightly the Hogan brothers guarded Olivia, almost never leaving her side.
“Let’s go eat first. There’s no rush for this matter.” Franklin held her hand and walked towards their private room.
The Cloud Restaurant staff immediately greeted Sylvia and Franklin warmly upon seeing them. “Do you have a reservation?”
“The Tianling private room,” Franklin replied directly with the name of their reserved room.
The staff quickly led them inside. “Please follow me.”
Meanwhile, the Cloud Restaurant group chat was buzzing with activity. The lobby manager craned his neck to look at Sylvia’s back and quickly snapped a photo to post in the group chat.
“Hey, I think I saw our lady boss.”
“Isn’t that our lady boss?”
“By the way, did everyone get tested for compatibility?”
“Yes, we did.”
“Should we go say hello? Or maybe… offer them a free meal today?”
“Forget it; the lady boss doesn’t want others to know she’s our boss.”
“Alright then… I’ll just say we’re having a promotion today and they happen to be our 66th customer so it’s free?”
“You… do you think the lady boss won’t see through such a lame excuse?”
“Just pretend we don’t know her.” The chef ended the meaningless conversation with one sentence. “That’s what the lady boss wants most.”
“True enough; Cloud Restaurant is one of Aettosa’s top restaurants. Attracting too much attention will bring trouble…”
“Got it, got it-low profile, I understand.”
In an instant, the group chat fell silent again.
Inside the private room.
After ordering several signature dishes from the menu, Franklin handed it back to the waiter.
The waiter smiled and nodded. “Please wait a moment; your food will be served shortly.”
“This restaurant feels pretty good. It’s quite upscale in Aettosa; many celebrities come here to dine.” Franklin introduced it briefly to Sylvia. “The environment is nice too; I’ve heard the owner is quite mysterious.”
Sylvia took a sip of water and glanced out the window, nearly choking.
She quickly coughed twice and hesitated before speaking again. “Not that mysterious…”
Just as she was about to continue speaking, Franklin’s phone rang.
He answered with a displeased look on his face. “I’ve finished all my work; can’t I have some personal freedom? I don’t want to eat at the Presidential Palace; I want to eat outside.”
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now.”
It must have been the President calling-if not him directly, then probably his assistant.
But Sylvia couldn’t bring herself to say something like “he’s still your father” because she knew too well that everything Franklin had gone through was thanks to the President.
All his suffering and psychological issues stemmed from Tyrell and his wife as catalysts; but ultimately, it was the President who caused it all!
She reached out and held Franklin’s large hand. “Let’s eat.”
Franklin nodded. “Alright.”
He looked at her. “What were you about to say?”
Sylvia swallowed hard, unsure how to confess. “I…”