CHAPTER 161: THE TRAP

He had missed her—and she was never coming back.

He couldn’t stop wondering: if he had held on just a little longer back then, would everything have turned out differently?

"Don’t worry. I’ll treat Sophia like my own daughter. From now on, I’ll stand where you once stood and protect her. She’s a good girl. I want her to be happy. I want her, someday, to finally untie the knot in her heart. Aurora..."

His eyes grew red.

"I miss you... so much."

She had been all his youth, and now, in middle age, all of his memories.

He leaned his head against the tombstone and closed his eyes.

Not far away, a graceful figure quietly turned and left.

...

It had already been three days.

When Olivia saw Ethan, hope flashed desperately in her eyes.

"Ethan, you have to get me out of here! I can’t stay in this place!"

Ethan crossed one leg over the other, hands resting casually on his knee, saying nothing.

"Ethan, what’s that supposed to mean? You’re not willing to save me?"

In just three days, Olivia’s face had grown thinner, and her emotions had completely shifted.

"Olivia, it’s not that I won’t save you. It’s that I can’t."

"You’re lying! If you wanted to, you could pull me out immediately!"

Olivia refused to let go, but Ethan leaned forward, eyes narrowing.

"Do you really not understand what you’re up against? This is Sophia we’re talking about. I thought you people were just greedy for money—but you actually dared to go after her life. As long as she refuses to drop the charges, there is absolutely nothing I can do for you."

"No! If you just try, I can still get out! Ethan, you’re all I have left..."

Ethan narrowed his eyes, his grandfather’s words replaying in his mind:

As long as you marry Olivia—even if she ends up in prison—every asset of the Morgan family can be transferred into your name.

"Ethan, what are you thinking? Do you not love me anymore?"

"Olivia, I’ll definitely get you out. But I’m thinking about something."

"What?"

He hesitated.

"Your entire family—your dad, your mom, and you—you’re all in here now. The only one outside with Morgan blood... is Sophia. So if she manages to clean up the Morgan Group’s reputation, everything in the future will belong to her."

Olivia’s brows furrowed tightly.

"No. Impossible. That’s my inheritance. I won’t hand it to her!"

"Olivia, I’m not trying to upset you—but that’s the reality. All of you are locked up. You have zero control. But Sophia is different. She’s outside, she can pull every string, and you’ve already seen what she’s capable of. Her fake death stunt? That was just to send all of you in here."

Olivia’s face went pale.

Everything he said made sense.

Everything Sophia had done... was to take back what she’d lost—everything that had been stolen from her.

This was revenge.

Olivia, her mother, and her father had bullied Sophia for years, never treating her as real family.

Even the "good relationship" they once pretended to have was nothing but an act.

"Dad won’t agree to this," Olivia whispered.

"What does Morgan Uncle’s agreement matter now? Don’t forget—you, your dad, and your mom are all in prison. Sophia is outside, free to turn the entire city upside down."

Olivia thought carefully—and realized it was true.

"What should I do?"

"Olivia... I do have a solution. But I don’t know if you’ll trust me."

"What solution?"

"Marriage."

Ethan finally revealed his true motive.

Everything he had said earlier was nothing more than groundwork for what he was about to propose.

"What did you just say? You want to marry me? Are you serious?"

Olivia was stunned. She had long wanted to marry the man in front of her.

But she wasn’t brainless—proposing marriage in a crisis like this was enough to make anyone suspicious.

"Olivia, I already told you—everything depends on whether you trust me. If you don’t, then forget it. But this is the only solution I can think of right now. As long as you marry me, I can take control of the Morgan Group—legitimately."

Olivia frowned slightly.

If they got married, Ethan would have every legal right to control the Morgan Group.

And once they got out one day, the company would naturally return to her.

But...

Some things don’t just disappear because you want them to.

Ethan had betrayed her before.

Even if they reconciled later, she couldn’t help thinking about it.

"Ethan, I think..."

"Your expression says it all—you don’t want to agree. It’s fine. It was just a suggestion. Whether you accept it or not, that’s entirely up to you."

Ethan acted as if he were being generous.

Olivia hesitated again.

Ethan didn’t look like he was lying.

And besides, even if they got married, he wouldn’t have a reason to trick her.

"Ethan, it’s not what you think. It’s not that I won’t agree... but my dad is stubborn. You know that, right?"

She pushed all the responsibility onto Andrew.

Her father had experience—he wouldn’t harm her.

"If you truly want to marry me, then you need to get my father’s approval."

"Olivia... does that mean you’re saying yes?"

She hesitated, but eventually nodded.

Right now, even her mom’s godfather was unreliable.

He had sworn everything would go perfectly, yet Sophia had survived anyway.

She finally realized—depending on others was worse than depending on herself.

Ethan had even offered his own rib for her nose surgery. She believed he meant what he said.

So...

She was willing to give him a chance.

"Alright. I’ll speak to your father. Once there’s a result, you’ll be the first to know. Don’t worry—I won’t lie to you. You trust me so much. I’ll definitely treat you well."

"Okay. I trust you, Ethan. You’re all I have... don’t abandon me."

Her relationship with Aiden was tangled and messy.

But she could never let Ethan find out.

"Just wait for me. Once everything’s settled, I’ll get you out of here."

Olivia nodded with a soft smile.

After a seemingly tender goodbye, Ethan walked out.

The moment he was out of her sight, a smirk spread across his face.

All those two weeks he spent taking care of her abroad...

Finally, she believed him.

Grandpa was right—a man who doesn’t look out for himself deserves the heavens’ punishment.

Olivia having an affair? Did she really think he didn’t know?

A woman like her—he wouldn’t want even if she were handed to him for free.

Since she wasn’t his in the first place, why should he be polite?

Olivia, don’t hate me.

Everything happening now—you all brought it on yourselves.

And once the Morgan Group is in my hands, I’ll make sure you have a comfortable fallback.