Chapter 18
Seeing my silence, Seraphine cleared her throat.“7 PM. If you don’t come, you’ll only get 100 million.” Without waiting for a response, she hung up.
I lowered my phone, thoughtful. I recalled Sherry’s warning… What was Seraphine up to? She never liked me; she’d despised my background and prevented me from moving into the Shaw residence for four years. She was consistently cold and sarcastic whenever I visited her. Beyond that, she hadn’t done anything else. This meeting was likely a final attempt to insult me and finalize the compensation agreement.
I’d been considering whether to go or not, but an hour later, Gary sent me another message:“Ms. Frost, will you come?”
I pursed my lips. Why was he pressing me? I wish I could give the suit to the building manager and asked him to give it to Evan; after all, he lived upstairs.
Ignoring him would be bad, and offending Evan would be detrimental. Perhaps I should go there to return the suit and see Seraphine?
I replied to Gary: Fine, what time works?
He quickly replied:8 PM.
After applying light makeup and changing, I went to my parents‘ place. The Ocean Rose thing had made me aware of the stalking. There was a suspicious car outside the villa for the past few days, which confirmed my guess.
While I was driving, Julian called.“Are you napping?”
Hah, he was trying to set me up.
I scoffed.“Nah. Going to my parents‘ place.”
“To deliver the suit?”
“…Yes.” I glanced at the suit in the passenger seat.
Hearing no lies, Julian hung up, but he told his man to keep watching Olivia.
I arrived at my parents‘ house. They were retired university professors. My mother was surprised to see me at this hour.“Not working today?”
“I had a cold and took a day off.” I touched my throat, feigning a cough.
“You must take care of yourself. You’ve lost weight. Has Julian been treating you badly??” My mother touched my face. No matter how I tried to hide it, she could sense it.
“If he’s bad, I’ll ditch him.” I joked. My mother said nothing. I changed the subject.
I would tell them about the divorce only after it was finalized. I didn’t want them to worry.
After dinner, I changed clothes and left. I told my parents I had a meeting with a friend and would return later to spend the night.
In the elevator, wearing a mask and hat, I left the complex unseen.
I arrived at the hotel before 7 pm. The exterior was classic; the interior was understated elegance. I left the suit at reception and called Seraphine to inform her I’d arrived.
Someone came to fetch me, leading me through winding corridors to a room. I entered.
It was a tea room, fragrant with incense, tea, and jasmine. Seraphine, in a dark green silk cheongsam, sat regally.
“Sit.” She gestured with her chin.
12.24
< Chapter 18
“I thought we were here to sign the compensation agreement. Where is it?” I didn’t want to waste time.
“No rush. Have some tea; let’s chat.”
I raised an eyebrow, examining the teacup.“This isn’t poisoned, is it?”
She scoffed.“If you don’t trust me, put it down.”
I
put down the teacup.“Okay.”
Menu
I was sure she was probably about to launch into her obligatory lecture on my white–trash roots.
“Enough with the clichés. Aren’t you tired of that line? Let’s stop wasting time.” I interrupted.
She turned green with anger. Then, she produced the agreement. “Sign it.”
I picked it up, reading each page. The compensation clause could have fit on a single page; instead, it stretched over ten, filled with fluff. She was clearly trying to prevent me from scrutinizing it.
After a while, I calmly placed it down.“I need to review this with my lawyer. I’ll call you tomorrow at noon.”
“If there’s a problem, tell me; I’ll amend it.”
“Just because you say you’ll amend it, doesn’t mean you will. Why don’t I draft a new one?”
“Not happening.” Her face hardened.
I leaned back leisurely.“Didn’t you say you could amend it? What does that mean?”
“It means you must sign today before
you leave.”
I didn’t get angry. Feigning consideration, I said, “Let me call my lawyer. If she says it’s fine, I’ll sign immediately.” I stood up, taking the contract with me.
Leaving the room, I didn’t look back. I had a bad feeling about those clauses; some were particularly unsettling–for instance, if I had extramarital entanglement with another man before the divorce, the agreement would be void. It seemed innocuous but was deeply disturbing… I didn’t have an affair, but such things could be fabricated. I’d overestimated Seraphine’s conscience.
In the tea room, Seraphine called.“She’s gone, and she took the agreement. Rita, are you sure she won’t get my
money?”
“Don’t worry, Auntie. Everything is under control. The Shaws won’t lose a cent; and she won’t dare blackmail you
again.”
“That’s great, Rita. You’re so sweet.”
“Just leave it to me.”
Seraphine sipped her tea contentedly. The thought of announcing the Shaw–Crowe engagement at the charity gala the next night thrilled her. As for the agreement, well, she didn’t know Rita’s plan, nor did she care about what Rita would do to Olivia.
Rita was still holding her phone, her eyes filled with malice. This isn’t over, Olivia Frost!
< Chapter 19
