Chapter 4 4

"Lillian, look at this wonderful daughter of yours!"

Lillian had originally thought her father-in-law, Old Master Yeqi Vance, was calling with good news, but all she received was his thunderous, furious voice. He proceeded to recount the entire counterfeit cosmetics scandal to her in excruciating detail.

Lillian’s face turned green the moment she hung up. She immediately stormed toward Olivia’s bedroom and shrieked, "Olivia Vance, get out here right now!"

"Mom, what is it now?" Olivia was busy on the phone trying to find a solution for the company’s crisis. Hearing Lillian’s roar, she had no choice but to hang up and walk out of her room.

"Olivia Vance, are you trying to kill me? Such a massive scandal involving counterfeit products, and you’re acting like everything is fine!" Lillian fumed.

Hearing the commotion, Ethan also frowned and stepped out of the kitchen.

Realizing she could no longer hide it, Olivia explained, "Mom, I just didn't want you and Dad to worry."

Lillian wasn't in the mood for excuses. She slapped her thigh and began wailing like a common shrew. "Oh, why was I cursed with such an incompetent daughter? And on top of that, you’re tied to this penniless loser!"

"It’s because of this useless, spineless jinx that bad luck keeps hitting our family one after another!" Lillian eventually turned her venom back toward Ethan.

"Mom, this is a business matter. What does it have to do with him?!" Olivia snapped. Ethan had just left the hospital and hadn't fully recovered; she didn't want to cause more trouble, so she spoke up in his defense.

"I wish he had died out there!" Lillian screamed. "If it weren't for him, would our family be in this state? Would your father and I have been kicked out of the corporation? Would you have been demoted from Vice Chair to managing a failing cosmetics company? And now this happens—I want to see how you solve it!"

After Lillian finished her tirade, the couple stomped back into their bedroom in a rage. The living room was left to Olivia and Ethan, and the atmosphere turned heavy and suffocating.

"Are... are you okay?" Ethan asked softly.

"I’m fine..." Olivia replied curtly.

Ethan said nothing more. He walked to the bathroom, filled a basin with warm water, and placed it at Olivia’s feet. "You’ve had a long day. Soak your feet and try to relax."

Olivia had expected Ethan to be furious after being insulted so viciously, but seeing him bring her water to wash her feet caught her off guard. Instead of being touched, her frustration boiled over, and she lashed out at him.

"Are you really this spineless?"

"Are you even a man? Do you have no pride at all?"

"I’m truly done with you. No wonder you’ve accomplished absolutely nothing in over two years."

In the face of her outburst, Ethan slowly stood up and sat on the sofa, his eyes locked onto hers.

"First, she is your mother. Since we are married, it is my duty to respect her."

"Second, we have a contract. I remember the terms clearly; once I signed, I agreed to be obedient to you and your family, regardless of what happens. I am simply following the rules of our agreement."

"Third... as for whether I am a man or not, I don’t decide that. You do."

Olivia’s face flushed a deep crimson at his last remark. In a fit of rage and embarrassment, she kicked the basin over, splashing water everywhere. "You... you’re a bastard! A complete scoundrel!"

She stormed back into her room, leaving Ethan to let out a helpless, bitter smile. He picked up a cloth, knelt on the floor, and began to wipe up the spilled water.

Back in her room, Olivia lay on her bed, feeling a wave of nausea whenever she thought of Ethan’s face. What stung the most was the realization that he seemingly had no feelings for her beyond that "contract," which left her with an unsettling, indescribable ache in her chest.

Between the company’s crisis and Ethan’s coldness, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. To make matters worse, she received a text informing her of an emergency family meeting the next morning. A dark premonition told her that trouble was brewing.

The next morning, Ethan woke up early and prepared breakfast for the family. Even so, he didn't escape Lillian’s wrath.

"Can't you cook without making so much noise?" she snapped. "And another thing—you two are going to process your divorce papers this morning!"

Ethan’s expression shifted slightly. He gave Lillian a cold look; honestly, if she weren't Olivia’s mother, he would have slapped this vain, petty woman long ago.

"Whether we divorce or not isn't up to you," Ethan said calmly. "If Olivia says she wants a divorce, I won't linger for a second."

He turned his gaze toward Olivia. Though she had applied light makeup, it couldn't hide the dark circles under her eyes. It was clear she hadn't slept well.

"Olivia, did you hear that? What is there to hold on to with this loser? Go and get the divorce papers settled!"

"Why are you just standing there?" Olivia ignored her mother and shouted at Ethan. "Take me to the company. My car is being serviced."

The electric scooter wasn't as comfortable as a car, but it was efficient in avoiding traffic. Soon, Ethan pulled up at the company headquarters with Olivia. She adjusted her hair and clothes and hurried inside, with Ethan following close behind.

"Look at that. Who’s that guy following Manager Olivia?"

"He looks so shabby. Those clothes look like they came from a flea market..."

"Shh, don't talk so loud. That’s her husband, Ethan."

"Wait, is that the live-in son-in-law everyone talks about?"

"Truly, a toad eating swan meat. Look at how pathetic he looks—how could he possibly be a match for Manager Olivia?"

Whispers followed them through the lobby. Ethan was long used to such talk and ignored them, but Olivia’s face darkened with anger. She turned and snapped at the employees, "Is everyone idle? Don't you have work to do?"

The area went silent instantly.

Once they entered the elevator, the gossip started up again outside.

"Did you know? That Ethan guy is just some poor kid from the countryside. No idea how he managed to cling to Olivia."

"The guy is a total failure with zero ambition. For the last two years, he’s been nothing more than Olivia’s lapdog."

Olivia and Ethan exited the elevator and headed straight for the conference room. When they walked in, they found it already crowded. Every eye in the room turned toward them with shock and disdain.

"Olivia Vance, why on earth did you bring this loser in here?"

The speaker was Yara Vance, Olivia’s cousin, who was roughly the same age and had always been her bitter rival.