bChapter /b6

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“Keep your money for your husband, Mrs. Sherman,” Olivia said, her voice icy. “He’ll need it for those mistresses of his. bI /bhear they don’te cheap.”

“You-” Margaret choked on her rage. William’s bfists /bclenched so tight his knuckles turned white. If not for the crowd, he would’ve strangled her right there.

Everyone knew the truth. Margaret’s family had propped William up when he was nothing, securing their marriage.

But once he had power, he’d never looked twice at his in–faced wife, preferring younger, prettierpany. The whole elite circle whispered about it, but no one had the guts to say it aloud.

Until Olivia. One sentence was all it took to shatter the Sherman family’s carefully crafted illusion of a perfect family.

William’s jaw locked. ‘If I’d known she’d turn out like this,‘ he seethed, ‘I should’ve let her rot in that damnb!‘

The mood was tense, and everyone’s expressions were grim. Henry’s frown deepened. He’d clearly just found out all this. He pulled his arm free from Cheryl’s grasp.

Cheryl, who had only just returned, knew the truth behind everything. She couldn’t let Olivia keep talking, or her carefully nned reveal would be ruined.

“Mom, Dad, there’s no need to argue with Olivia,” she said with a practiced smile, forcing a tone of kindness. “Let’s go inside. We shouldn’t keep the Shea family waiting.”

Her gentle voice snapped William out of his anger. He quicklyposed himself, smoothing over his expression.

To keep up appearances, William turned to Olivia with a stern look. “If you’re struggling financially, just say so. I’m happy to help. But don’t go spreading lies to tarnish our reputation.”

He then took Margaret’s arm, sighing like a disappointed father. “And you, you’re too soft–hearted. This is what happens when kindness gets taken advantage of.”

Margaret flushed with humiliation and shot Olivia a venomous re. But with so many eyes on them, she forced a sad expression and nodded along.

Olivia tilted her head slightly, her piercing gaze fixed on them, cold and unsettling.

Margaret nearly lost herposure, ready tosh out, but Cheryl quickly pulled her aside. “Mom, she’s not worth it,” she whispered urgently. “Remember what’s important today. Don’t let something this small ruin everything.”

That snapped Margaret back to reality. She dabbed at nonexistent tears and sighed dramatically. “It’s heartbreaking. I only wanted to help, and this bis /bthe thanks bI /bget? I should’ve known better.”

Cheryl yed along seamlessly. “Mom, you’re right. Some people care more about their pride than honesty. If you offer cards, they’ll refuse just to bsave /bface.”

Olivia almostughed. ‘Are they seriously calling me a broke liar now?‘ She watched their little performance with cold

amusement.

Noticing Olivia’s silence, Cheryl stepped forward with a graceful bow. “Olivia, I’m sorry for my mother’s behavior. But if you refuse our help, then stop causing trouble for us. My mom is kind–hearted. She’s too trusting to see through your little gamesb.” /b

Her words were firm yet diplomatic, instantly swaying the crowd. The onlookers nced between Cheryl, the picture of

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poise, and Olivia’s indifferent bstance/bb. /bThe contrast couldn’t have been clearer.

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Olivia caught the thickyer of hypocrisy in Cheryl’s tone. She lifted her chin, lips curling into a knowing smirk, her sharp gaze cutting straight through the act.

For some reason, Cheryl felt a flicker of unease under that stare. She despised Olivia, yet that piercing look sent a chill down her spine.

She sneered inwardly, ‘Olivia’s acting bolder today, reckless and defiant. Since when? After living with my family for several years, does she really think she is some kind of nobledy now?‘

“Cheryl’s right,” Henry cut in, stepping forward. “People struggling often confuse pride with dignity. They mistake generosity for pity. It’s amon bw/b.”

His eyesnded on Olivia, brimming with disdain. “The Sherman family helped you. The least you could do is show some gratitude. Acting like this just makes you look petty.”

Olivia listened, then suddenly asked, “You’re Henry Evans, aren’t you?”

“That’s correct,” Henry replied, tilting his chin up slightly, his frown deepening.

“Sharp eye,” Cheryl added smoothly. “Mr. Evans is the director of Hirica Medical Group, as well as one of the most renowned doctors in the field. What exactly do you want?”

“No big deal,” Olivia said with an easy smile, nodding toward the street. “I read tarot, and your cards just came to me. Your family, the one who cuts corners and doesn’t know what she’s doing, almost got someone killed today.

“Right now, she’s begging for mercy on the ground. Why don’t you go see for yourself?”

Henry scoffed inwardly, ‘My only medical family is Natalie, a top graduate from Kingtonelle Medical University. No way she’s endangered a patient.‘

“You fool,” he spat. “How dare you spread such lies! The Evans family has practiced medicine for generations. We would never-”

Before he could finish, an elegantly dressed woman came rushing over in tears. “Henry, you need to check on Natalie immediately. She copsed and couldn’t move or speak. It’s like she’s possessed.”

Henry’s confident smile turned to stone.

A heavy silence fell over the crowd. His face burned with humiliation as he stormed off toward Natalie’s location.

“Oh, and one more advice for you,” Olivia called after him, waving casually. “Tonight, take the back roads home. Avoid the main streets.”

No one had ever dared disrespect Henry like this. He turned back to re at Olivia, his eyes promising this wasn’t over.

But Olivia couldn’t care less. “The Evans family had thising,‘ she thought. ‘Corrupting medical standards and undermining the entire healthcare system. Someone should’ve put a stop to them years ago.

“That so–called “top doctor” is nothing but a fraud, selling medical licenses to unqualified hacks and churning out generations of arrogant, ipetent practitioners.

‘If I don’t step in, they’ll keep using my reputation to drag the profession further into the gutter. Hirica doesn’t just need a new top doctor. It needs a reckoning.

Margaret, trailing behind Henry, hid a smug smile. “The Evans family dominates Hirica’s medical scene,‘ she sneered

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inwardly, ‘By making an enemy bof /btheir patriarch, Olivia has just destroyed any future she might have had in the city.

“Time for this country bumpkin to crawl back to the sticks where she belongs.

After they disappeared, Olivia turned to leave.

But William stepped in front of her, blocking her path. His face twisted with anger as he jabbed a finger at her. “We took care of you for years,” he shouted. “And this is how you repay us? You ungrateful brat, I shouldn’t have been so nice.”

Olivia’s gaze turned icy. The Sherman family had never shown her kindness. For years, they’d given her nothing but cold indifference, beatings, and curses. Living with them had been worse than the orphanage.

She had once hoped they could be family. But there was no love and only cruelty. And then William had sold her off, all for

money.

At the memory, the purple rose tattoo behind her ear throbbed. If not for them, she would never have suffered so much. Her head snapped up, her eyes burning with fury.

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