Chapter 5
At noon, I lounged on the sofa, engrossed in a TV series, when a flurry of messages from Brittany began to pop up on my screen. Annoyed, I clicked on one and saw that she had sent multiple identical
messages.
[Olive, are you really going to break up with Landon? Then can I pursue Landon?]
The entire screen scrolled with her relentless inquiries. My good mood quickly soured, and my fingers felt heavy on the keyboard.
[It’s your freedom to chase whoever you want. Why are you asking me? Am I your mother?]
Almost immediately, she responded with a crying emoji.
[Olive, why are you so mean to Brit?]
I sighed, too exasperated to engage further,
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and promptly blocked and deleted her.
Half an hour later, Landon called again, his tone clipped. “Olive, what did you say to
Brit? Why do you have to involve her in our affairs?”
I was taken aback. “What did I say, Landon?”
He paused, seemingly surprised by my calmness. In the past, whenever he questioned me, I felt compelled to explain myself thoroughly, fearing that he might misunderstand my intentions.
But what was the use of being afraid? Landon’s heart was already biased against me. No matter how much I tried to prove myself, he would never believe me.
He pressed on, his voice heavy with frustration. “If you hadn‘ t said anything, why would Brit cry like that and resign?”
I couldn’t help but sneer. “Landon, everything requires evidence. Her crying is her problem, and her resignation is her
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choice. Am I some kind of scapegoat here? If it’s that serious, should we call the police to investigate?”
“Olive, how dare you talk to me like that?”
His sudden roar made my ears buzz. I wasn’t backing down, so I roared back at the phone. “Why shouldn’t I? Who do you think you are?”
“Landon, you mean nothing to me now.”
Just as I was about to hang up, his next words came out in a strained growl. “Olive, do you even realize what you’re saying? You don’t want to get married, right?”
He was actually trying to use this against me, a desperate attempt at emotional. blackmail.
I was so furious that I couldn’t help but laugh. “Landon, don’t you get it? I told you this morning that we broke up. Breakup! Do you understand?”
In the background, Brittany’s sobs broke
through. Landon, don’t blame Olive. It’s my fault. If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t be angry with you.”
Landon hurriedly reassured her. “Don” t say that. It has nothing to do with you. She just likes to throw tantrums. If she were half as sensible as you. I wouldn‘ the so exhausted all the time.”
T
I felt nauseous, as if I had swallowed a fly. Then why don’t you two just block me? Please, don‘ t bother me again, okay?”
This time, I hung up quickly and immediately blocked and deleted all of Landon’s contact information.
When my dad came home, he noticed my anger and quickly sat down beside me. “Daughter, what’s wrong? Who upset you this time?”
“It’s nothing, Dad. Just two wild dogs barking and interrupting my movie.”
“Watching a movie? It’s so boring to do that alone at home.”
Chapter 5
His eyes lit up, and he pulled out his phone to start tapping away.
A sudden dread washed over me. “Dad, what are you doing?”
He grinned mischievously and nudged me upstairs.
“Go upstairs, pack your things, and change your clothes. I’ve arranged for someone to take you to the movies,” my dad instructed, already making plans without my consent.
Reluctantly, I headed upstairs to change. Ten minutes later, I heard the roar of a motorcycle outside, followed by its abrupt silence as it parked in front of our yard.
“Henry, my brother!”
My dad called out in response, and I felt him tugging me down the stairs.
As I stepped outside, my gaze landed on the man leaning against the motorcycle,
shaking his hair back in a carefree manner.
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My breath caught in my throat, and I instinctively called out his name. “Eugene.”
He turned, flashing a sunny, handsome smile that made my heart flutter slightly. “Olive, Uncle Henry said you wanted to watch a movie, so I came to pick you up.”
I managed a reluctant smile.
In his effort to marry me off, my dad really didn’t hold back. I couldn’t believe he found someone like Eugene, a neighbor, to act as my escort. Didn‘ the worry that Eloise would come knocking at our door?
