Chapter 16 How Dare You Dodge?
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“The phone you gave me yesterday got smashed. I took it to a repair shop, but they said there’s no way to fix it. Lisa’s eyes were red, and her voice was a little choked. “I’m sorry, Peter, I really wanted to take good care of it”
Peter heard enough to piece things together.
He used to think that kids from wealthy families were born with a silver spoon in their mouths, getting whatever they wanted growing up and living a life full of happiness. But now…
“Peter, here’s the money for the phone.” Lisa placed the envelope Riley had given her into Peter’s hand. The rest, consider it à bit of compensation from me”
Peter’s wife had a chronic illness that requires expensive medication every month. Now that he had lost this job, who knew when he’d be able to find another one? After all, once the elite families found out he was fired by the Olsens, they probably wouldn’t hire him
With that money. Peter’s family could at least scrape by for a while.
“No, no, I can’t take your money!” Peter panicked, trying to push it back. “You should keep it for yourself!”
But Lisa firmly shoved it back into his hands and turned to leave.
Her lips pressed tighter and tighter until her teeth nearly broke the skin.
“What’s with that look?” Julius caught sight of her expression. “If you’re that heartbroken about it. I’ll just tell Mom and Dad to marry you off already.”
Lisa stared at him coldly,
It was the first time Julius had ever seen that kind of look on Lisa’s face. He froze for a moment before saying, “You”
“Move aside.” Lisa shoved past his shoulder and headed straight back to her room
“Dammit, she’s really getting out of line! Julius cursed under his breath, his face dark with anger. Just as he turned to go a her, his phone suddenly rang.
It was Irene calling.
“What?” Julius answered with an impatient tone. “Is there news about Alora Hill?”
after
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Irene said. “I asked around, he’s definitely not some big name using an alias. No buzz at all, so he’s most likely a newcomer.
“Did Riley’s studio sign him?”
“That’s the strange thing, Irene replied. “Riley’s studio hasn’t brought on any new talent.”
With someone as skilled as Alora, there’s no way Riley would just ignore them. Unless
“Could there be some bad blood between Riley and Alora?” A spark flashed in Julius’s eyes. “If that’s the case, this is the perfect chance for us!”
He spoke quickly, “Whatever it takes, we need to get Alora to sign with our studio! Let him name his price–once you track. him down, Tll handle the negotiation personally!”
Irene agreed and ended the call.
With that sudden turn of events, Julius completely forgot about confronting Lisa and hurried to the studio.
Tiffany’s birthday was coming up, and the entire Olsen household was busy preparing and cheerful.
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Chapter 16 How Dare You Dodge?
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Anything related to Tiffany was treated as a big deal in the Olsens, and her birthday was no exception. Every year, they threw her a lavish celebration, inviting all the elite figures of Arglonas. In Arglonas‘ high society, Tiffany was famously pampered- countless heiresses secretly, and not so secretly, envied her.
Still, no matter how grand the occasion, it usually had nothing to do with Lisa
Last year, during Tiffany’s birthday, Maggie thought Lisa was an embarrassment and didn’t even allow her to leave her room Even though Lisa had already been brought back into the family for nearly two years, many of Arglonas elite still didn’t know Lisa existed.
But this year, to everyone’s surprise, Maggie actually had someone deliver a gown to her.
“Ms. Tiffany’s orders, Oscar said, tossing the dress onto the floor. “She’s got a soft heart–kept pleading with Mrs. Olsen until she finally agreed to let you attend the birthday party. You should be thanking her.”
Lisa looked down at the dress. It seemed a bit worn, probably something Maggie had worn back in her younger days
Figures. It’s not like someone like me deserved anything new,
“I don’t want to go, Lisa said. “You don’t have to worry about me embarrassing you.”
“Hey!” Oscar snapped. “Ms. Lisa, don’t be so ungrateful. Do you think this is up to you now? You don’t get to decide whether you go or not
He snorted. “You’d better do as Mrs. Olsen says–or face the consequences.”
The door slammed shut with a deafening bang. Lisa took a deep breath, swallowed her anger, and picked up the gown.
Maggie naturally didn’t give her anything nice. The dress was practically an antique–easily a few decades old. The design was completely outdated, and several seams were already coming apart.
Lisa had to borrow a needle and thread to mend the clothes. Fortunately, she was skilled with her hands and quickly repaired the clothes, even adjusting them to fit her figure so they wouldn’t look ill–fitting when worn.
By the time she finished, the house was quiet and still. Lisa opened her door and, like always, headed to the kitchen to find something to eat.
There wasn’t much to eat in the kitchen that night, so Lisa ended up making herself plain pasta. She didn’t even dare crack an
gg into it–if Greta noticed one missing in the morning, she’d surely use it as an excuse to cause trouble.
She ate the bland pasta in silence, then cleaned up, and was just about to leave when someone else stepped into the kitchen.
“Lisa?” The person looked up. “What are you doing here this late?”
Lisa paused, caught off guard when she saw who it was,
It was the third brother, Ivan Olsen–a busy man who was rarely around, always tied up with surgeries or flying off to medical conferences. He’d likely only come back this time for Tiffany’s birthday.
“Ivan,” Lisa said. “I was just getting some water?
“Mm. Turn on the light,” he said coldly.
But if you listened carefully, his voice wasn’t as composed as it sounded. There was a slight tremble in it.
Lisa had good night vision, and with the moonlight pouring in, she had turned off the kitchen lights after cleaning up to avoid drawing attention. It wasn’t until Ivan spoke that she remembered–he seemed to have a fear of the dark.
Whenever he was home, the lights in his room stayed on all night.
It wasn’t something he was born with. Years ago, during a research trip, he’d been accidentally locked in a pitch–black room. If not for a kind stranger who found and freed him, he might not have made it out alive.
Ever since that incident, Ivan hadn’t been able to stand being alone in a dark room without enough light.
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10:08 AM
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Chapter 16 How Dare You Dodge?
Lisa quietly turned the lights back on, and then walked out without saying another word.
She returned to her room and didn’t think much of the moment. But the next morning, someone yanked off her blankets
and shouted her awake.
“Lisa” Maggie’s voice was so shrill it nearly pierced Lisa’s eardrums. “Tiffany begged me for your sake just yesterday, and this is how you repay her?”
Lisa opened her eyes to see Maggie’s face twisted in rage. Before she could utter a word, Maggie slapped her on the face.
Years of enduring abuse had honed Lisa’s reflexes–she instinctively tilted her head and dodged the slap. Maggie exploded, “How dare you dodge?! Guards! Drag her out this instant!”
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