Chapter 90
“Mac”
A shaky laugh escaped my lips, a sound choked off by disbelief. On the other end of the phone, Yao Wuge’s frantic voice pierced through the quiet. “You’re laughing? How can you laugh?! The Shaw family is pinning everything on you to clear’s name! Can you believe this?!““Show them that same fire you had at the charity gala, and smack them down!““Take down those bastards!” She even swore. This was the epitome of sweet, elegant, and soft–spoken charm in Chicago the ultimate socialite.
I scoffed, a bitter self–deprecating laugh. “Aren’t you worried she’s telling the truth? There’s so much evidence, it’s all
irrefutable.”
“Bullshit!” Yao Wuge declared, her voice sharp.“I, Yao Wuge, will stake my life on it–you, Olivia, are not that kind of person! Everyone in this circle knows what a snake is. Before, I was jealous of you. I thought Julian was hot, sexy, and devoted–a total catch. But since he got tangled up with her, it’s like he fell into a septic tank–the stench is unbearable, and all his charm has vanished.” She launched into a full–blown rant.“And that whole ‘childhood sweetheart‘ thing from ten years ago? Good heavens, they might as well announce they were soulmates in a past life!” Back when she met me, Julian and I were inseparable. He cherished me like the apple of his eye. We weren’t exactly close friends, more like mutually beneficial acquaintances, always putting on a show of exaggerated warmth and fake camaraderie. But when my life hit rock bottom, and everyone shunned me, she was the one who reached out. I’ll never forget sitting in the snow, utterly hopeless, dialing one number after another, until she answered my desperate call, giving me a lifeline. Whether she could actually help me or not didn’t matter…a helping hand in a blizzard is a hand you trust forever.
I listened quietly to her tirade, saying nothing.
Yao Wuge’s voice became urgent.“Why aren’t you saying anything? If you’re scared of them, I’ll go expose their ugly faces!”
I cut her off.“Don’t you dare get involved!” I let out a long sigh from the depths of my lungs.“I can handle this myself. Thank you for sticking up for me. Believing in me…that’s enough.” My problems had already dragged my parents, Sherry, and Evan down. I couldn’t let it affect anyone else.
Yao Wuge hesitated, opening her mouth to offer her help again, but the words wouldn’t come. What could she possibly do against the Shaw and Gu families?“You’re too smart for your own good,” she grumbled.“You wouldn’t even let me try to help you.”
I smiled faintly.“I appreciate the offer. Just watch from the sidelines.”
“You’re so damn stubborn,” she said, then hung up.
The facade of composure I had maintained crumbled the second she hung up. For the next hour, my phone was constantly ringing. I was grateful my parents hadn’t called yet; they probably didn’t know, but they would soon… The thought of their disappointment and sadness cut me like a knife.
I clenched my fists, consumed by anger. I hated myself for not listening to them, for letting love cloud my judgment, for my terrible regret… I wished I could erase the memory.
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