“Olivia, do you have to speak to your brother in that tone?” Bryce growled, unable to bear it any longer. A shadow of malice crossed his handsome face. “If it weren’t for the fact that you’re my sister, do you think we would have tolerated you for this long?”
He suddenly grabbed a fruit knife from the coffee table, glaring at Olivia with fierce eyes. “Do you not want to forgive your brother? Are you still hating me?”
“What are you doing?” Olivia stood up abruptly, shocked at Bryce’s madness. “Bryce, what are you talking about? Forgive or not forgive? We are siblings. Is it not okay if I don’t want to accept your gifts?”
“Put the knife down first!” Olivia glared at Bryce. “Are you crazy? What are you doing with that knife?”
“Take it! Accept the gift, and I’ll put the knife down!” Bryce’s eyes gleamed with madness. Olivia’s recent behavior had nearly driven him insane.
“But I really don’t want to accept such expensive gifts from you.” Olivia bit her lip in frustration. “Why don’t you go find a girlfriend? Why do you have to be so good to me? Have you ever thought that this isn’t what I want?”
“You won’t accept it, right?” Bryce didn’t listen to her explanation or care about her thoughts. He raised the fruit knife high and, with a swift motion, stabbed it into his own arm.
Blood gushed from the wound, instantly staining his white shirt red, a horrifying sight.
“Ah! What are you doing?” Olivia was on the verge of breaking down. “Are you out of your mind? What law says I have to accept your gifts? Who forces someone to accept gifts these days?”
She increasingly felt that her two brothers were simply lunatics.
Dexter grabbed Olivia’s hand, looking at her with obsession. “Olivia, look at what you’ve driven Bryce to. Bryce loves and spoils you so much, and this is how you treat him? Will you only be satisfied if Bryce goes insane?”
“We give you gifts because we love you and care about you.” Bryce seemed oblivious to the pain in his bleeding arm. “Olivia, don’t make us sad, okay?”
“Just accept the gift,” Dexter’s voice carried a hint of persuasion. “If you accept the gift, neither of us will be angry. Be good and listen. Whatever we have, you’ll have too.”
“I don’t want it! I don’t want it!” Olivia pushed Dexter away in anger. “Are you crazy? Both of you are insane! I’m going to tell Mom and Dad. I’ll buy the car I want myself; I don’t need you to give it to me!”
She turned to go upstairs, but Bryce, covered in blood, blocked her way. “Olivia, if you don’t accept it now, I’ll die right here in front of you. You’ve always wanted me dead, haven’t you? I’ll grant your wish now!”
With that, he raised the blood-stained fruit knife towards his chest. Olivia screamed in terror and covered her face with her hands. “Butler! Butler! Come quickly! Lucy, hurry!”
“Mom! Mom! Dad, Dad! My brother has gone mad!”
Her cries brought the busy servants rushing over.
When the old butler saw Bryce covered in blood, he was stunned and hurriedly shouted, “Call Madam and Sir immediately, Mr. Bryce is injured!”
Only then did Olivia realize that her parents were not home.
No wonder these brothers dared to be so reckless.
She angrily shouted, “Hurry up and take my brother to the hospital for treatment.”
She didn’t want to see these two terrifyingly paranoid brothers for another minute.
Every second spent with them was suffocating.
The Hogan family was in chaos.
Olivia retreated to her room in frustration. The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. With no other friends to confide in, she called Carley to vent.
“What? Your brother stabbed his own arm? Is he crazy?” Carley was shocked.
“They’re terrifying. They’re absolutely insane.” Olivia grew more agitated as she spoke. “I don’t know how to face them anymore. I want to move out.”
“Olivia, don’t be impulsive. Your brothers usually treat you well!” Carley tried to comfort her. “Maybe they were just in a bad mood today and lost control of their emotions. Besides, getting a car as a gift is great! If someone gave me two cars at once, I’d be jumping for joy.”
Olivia sighed. “I don’t know why, but I always feel repelled by my brothers’ company. You say they spoil me, but why don’t I feel that way? I feel trapped and uncomfortable. I have some money saved up; I’m planning to buy an apartment and move out.”
“Olivia, are you sure about this?” Carley was taken aback. “It’s not very safe for a girl to live alone… Besides, you’ve never lived on your own before.”
“Every beginning is difficult. I really don’t want to live under the same roof as my brothers anymore.” Olivia grew more depressed as she spoke. “Today he stabbed himself; who knows if next time he’ll stab me? I don’t want to live in such a terrifying environment. Help me find a good apartment near the company, preferably one that’s fully furnished so I can move in right away.”
“Alright, my brother knows a lot of people; I’ll ask him for help.” After hanging up the phone, Carley couldn’t help but tell Sylvia about what happened to Olivia.
Sylvia had been studying whether the purple crystal was the Puppet Crystal mentioned in her diary when she heard Carley’s story and couldn’t help but laugh. “Olivia is quite assertive now; who would have thought!”
“Sylvia, how can you joke about this? Seriously though, those Hogan brothers look respectable but act like lunatics,” Carley said, puzzled.
“If they were normal, would Olivia have developed depression before?” Sylvia said nonchalantly. “I know a residential area with good security measures and reasonable prices. I’ll send you the sales office information; it’s developed by Hipps Family’s real estate company. Take Olivia there and mention my name for a discount.”
“Wow! Sylvia, you’re amazing!” Carley was thrilled and showered Sylvia with praise. “I was going to ask my brother for help, but you’ve already solved it. You’re so kind and beautiful!”
The Hogan family villa was in chaos.
Luca and Mrs. Hogan returned from the hospital with Bryce and Dexter.
Mrs. Hogan looked grim throughout the journey. “What’s going on with you? Why did you self-harm? Olivia just recovered from depression not long ago; now you’re having some sort of manic episode? You’re almost thirty years old; can’t you be more rational?”
“Mom! Are you talking too much today?” Bryce glanced coldly at Mrs. Hogan. “I’m very annoyed.”
“Fine, you’ve grown up and become independent; your mother can’t say anything anymore?” Mrs. Hogan was furious and decided not to speak to her son anymore. “If you’re so capable, why didn’t you cripple or sever your arm?”
“Enough, stop arguing,” Luca pulled Mrs. Hogan aside. “The child’s emotional instability is our oversight.”
Mrs. Hogan glared at him angrily. “Oversight? What oversight? He’s not a minor!”
With that, she went straight upstairs and barged into Olivia’s room without knocking.
Olivia had been discussing apartments with Carley when she heard the commotion and got up from her bed. Seeing Mrs. Hogan, she asked, “Mom, why didn’t you knock?”
“Why should I knock before entering my daughter’s room? I’m your mother, not an enemy.” Mrs. Hogan’s mood worsened as she spoke angrily. “Tell me what happened today.”
Olivia knew exactly what she was asking about and put away her phone before looking at Mrs. Hogan thoughtfully. “Mom, I think my brothers should see a psychiatrist.”
“A psychiatrist? They just lost control of their emotions,” Mrs. Hogan immediately dismissed the idea. What a joke-if her sons saw a psychiatrist, how would they find girlfriends in the future? People might think they were crazy.
“Alright then, whatever you say.” Olivia didn’t argue further with Mrs. Hogan and resumed her conversation with Carley on her phone. “Carley, let’s take a day off tomorrow and go buy an apartment together-a two-bedroom one will do; I don’t have much money.”
“Okay, to avoid arousing suspicion from your family, I’ll wait for you at the supermarket near your house.”
“Alright.”
“Hey! I’m talking to you; why are you on your phone?” Mrs. Hogan was annoyed and tried to snatch Olivia’s phone away, but Olivia quickly hid it behind her back. “Mom, if my brothers keep acting like this, I can’t take it anymore.”
What hurt her most was that Mrs. Hogan hadn’t offered any comfort or understanding since entering the room; she only made excuses for her sons.
This only strengthened Olivia’s resolve to move out.
“Olivia, try to understand your brothers’ feelings too. You used to be very close with them before your memory loss changed your personality… It’s natural for them to struggle with that change,” Mrs. Hogan said earnestly. “Don’t blame them too much.”
What a joke-she was terrified out of her wits and was supposed to forgive and understand?
Who would understand her fragile heart?
Olivia used to think her parents loved her very much, but now… compared to her brothers, she felt like she didn’t matter as much as an adopted daughter.
She began planning how to live independently.
She had saved up around three million dollars-enough to buy a small two-bedroom apartment for about two million dollars since housing prices in Aettosa were high at around two million dollars for seventy or eighty square meters.