CHAPTER 416: CHAPTER 416: FRAGILE

Olivia froze. For a moment, she couldn’t even speak. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her heart filled with emotion. She wanted to cry but held herself back.

After a few seconds, she patted Aurora’s back gently and pulled away.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly. "This is too expensive. I can’t accept it."

Aurora widened her eyes playfully and said, "Too late. I already spent ten million dollars on it. If you don’t accept it, I’ll be doomed."

Olivia sighed and massaged her temples. She could tell from Aurora’s expression that she was exaggerating, probably just to make her laugh.

A small smile appeared on her lips. "You’re such a drama queen," she said softly.

Aurora chuckled. "I’m not a drama queen. I’m just telling the truth. If you don’t use it, all this... the studio, the gallery... will go to waste."

Olivia shook her head but couldn’t stop smiling. Her heart felt warm. "Thank you," she said finally, her voice soft.

Aurora’s smile brightened. "You’re welcome," she said warmly.

Olivia began exploring the studio, walking from corner to corner. Every detail showed thought and care.

The lighting was perfect, the paint smelled fresh, and the tools were arranged neatly. It felt like a dream come true.

While Olivia was exploring, Aurora’s phone buzzed. She looked down and saw a message from the bank... she had received twenty million dollars.

Her eyes widened slightly. "What?" she whispered to herself.

She stared at the message for a few seconds, then frowned in confusion.

’Could it be that her rebate system had started working again?’

The last time she had tried using it, she didn’t get any returns. Back then, she had transferred ten billion dollars to Spencer but received nothing.

She had assumed that the system had stopped working after reaching a limit. But now, it seemed like something had changed.

Aurora thought about it for a moment, but didn’t let her curiosity distract her.

She slid her phone back into her pocket and continued observing Olivia, who was now standing in front of the large canvas, running her fingers lightly over the wooden frame.

Aurora smiled softly. She was happy to see her sister so full of joy.

A few minutes later, Olivia came down from the stairs, her face glowing with excitement. "Aurora," she said with a bright smile, "I love this place."

Aurora’s eyes softened. "Then I’m happy," she replied.

Before she could say more, Olivia walked up to her and hugged her tightly. "Someday," Olivia whispered, "I will repay you for all of this."

Aurora raised an eyebrow and gently patted her sister’s back. "Repay me?" she said. "I still haven’t repaid you for giving me your bone marrow."

Before she could finish, Olivia quickly pulled back and said, "Don’t mention that again. I don’t like hearing about it."

Aurora paused and looked at her sister for a moment. Then, with a small smile, she said, "That’s how I feel every time you talk about repaying me for money."

Olivia went quiet. Her lips pressed together as she thought about Aurora’s words. After a moment, she spoke softly.

"I really don’t need this much money. I did what I did because I wanted to. I never expected you to return anything."

Aurora smiled, her expression gentle. "I know," she said.

"But there are things I want to give you... things I want to do for you and for our family. So please, accept it."

Olivia teared up before nodding.

..............

Eleanor sat inside the quiet café, her eyes fixed on the glass window.

The sunlight outside was warm and bright, reflecting softly on the glass.

Across the street, she could see Theodore standing near the filming set, and the director was giving him instructions. His calm and focused face made him look even more handsome under the golden rays.

Eleanor’s lips pressed into a pout as she crossed her arms and sighed.

"System," she muttered under her breath, "explain to me how this is possible. From what I know, Theodore was supposed to love me endlessly. How did his favorability suddenly drop to nine percent?"

The voice of the system echoed in her mind, calm and emotionless.

[There seems to be a deviation. I have already reported it to the admin. The issue will soon be handled, and the data corrected. Please remain patient.]

Eleanor’s eyes narrowed. "It better be fixed," she said with a cold tone. "If not, I will have to take drastic measures myself."

The system stayed quiet for a moment before replying,

[There is no need for unnecessary measures. The system will guide you. I already have a plan that can help increase Theodore’s favorability again.]

Eleanor’s mood lightened a bit. "Good," she said, tapping her fingers on the table. "Then tell me the plan. I’ll do whatever it takes."

A few seconds later, a small notification popped up in her mind, showing her the steps.

As she read the plan, her lips slowly curved into a small, confident smile. "Perfect," she whispered.

She stood up, fixed her hair, and looked into the reflection on the glass wall. "Let’s do this." With that, she left the café and walked toward the shooting site.

The moment she arrived near the location, two bodyguards stepped in her way. "Miss," one of them said politely but firmly, "this area is off-limits. You can’t go in without permission."

Eleanor blinked her eyes innocently and said in a soft tone, "Oh, but I know Theodore. I just need to see him for a few minutes."

The bodyguards exchanged a look. One of them frowned.

"Miss, since morning, more than twenty girls have come here saying they know Mr. Theodore. We can’t let you in just because you said so."

Eleanor’s expression turned serious.

"You don’t have to believe me," she said gently, "but if you just ask him whether he knows someone named Eleanor, you’ll understand I’m not lying."

Her words made one of the guards a little uneasy. He shifted his position but still shook his head.

"We can’t disturb Mr. Theodore during work."

Eleanor sighed dramatically, her eyes filling with tears. "Please," she said softly, "I really have something important to tell him."

But before she could finish, one of the bodyguards suddenly pushed her away impatiently. Eleanor lost her balance and fell to the ground. Her hands hit the pavement, and she winced in pain.

The guards looked down at her with clear irritation. One of them muttered under his breath, "Another crazy fan. Disgusting."

Eleanor’s eyes turned red. Tears started falling as she sat there on the ground, looking small and pitiful.

At that moment, a firm voice came from behind the guards. "What’s going on here?"

The guards froze immediately.

They turned around to see Theodore standing a few meters away, his sharp eyes fixed on them. His tone was calm but cold.

"Sir," one of the guards said quickly, "this girl said she knows you. We were just handling it."

Theodore frowned. "Handling it?"

His gaze moved past them and fell on Eleanor, who was sitting on the ground, wiping her tears.

The moment he saw her face clearly, his heart trembled slightly. "Eleanor?" he said softly.

Eleanor looked up, her face wet with tears.

She slowly stood up and took out a small package from her bag. Her voice trembled slightly as she said, "I brought this for you."

Theodore looked at the package, and his expression changed instantly.

Inside the box were cookies...the same cookies Eleanor used to give him in the past.

He remembered the days when they had arguments, and after they made up, she would always bake him these cookies as a peace gift.

Eleanor extended her hand, holding the package toward him.

"I came here by myself," she said softly. "I just wanted to give these to you. I thought maybe... we could start over."

Theodore looked at her for a long time, his eyes unreadable.

For a brief second, his hand twitched, as if he wanted to take the cookies, but he quickly looked away. "You shouldn’t have come here," he said coldly.

Eleanor’s heart ached at his words, but before she could react, she heard the familiar sound inside her mind.

Ding!

[Theodore’s favorability has increased to 22%] the system said.

Eleanor’s lips twitched upward. She couldn’t help the small smile that spread across her face. "So it’s working," she thought proudly.

Even though Theodore didn’t show much emotion, she knew that the memories of those cookies had touched something deep inside him.

Not to mention, he must have felt guilty after seeing her pushed and hurt by his own bodyguards.

She looked at him with hopeful eyes, waiting for him to say something more, but Theodore just turned away.

"Go home, Eleanor," he said, and then he started walking back toward the set.

Her smile faded a little. She watched his back as he walked away, her chest tight with pain.

After a few seconds, she let out a long sigh and slowly brushed the dust off her dress. She picked up her bag, adjusted her hair, and turned to leave.

From behind, Theodore stopped for a moment. His body stiffened slightly as he turned his head.