Chapter 5: Profound Truth

*Olivia*

“I’m doing just fine, Sweetheart,” he said.

“I’m glad to hear that,” I said against his chest.

“Rest assured that your old man will keep fighting so that he can live to see the day that Ethan O’Connell breaks down in tears after what he has coming.”

His eyes lit up, and he looked down at me. “I’ve decided that there will be a party tomorrow in honor of your homecoming, Olivia.”

My eyes widened. “No, Daddy, that’s really not necessary,” I said. “You need to recover!”

“Nonsense,” Dad said, looking stern again. “You all need to stop worrying about me and have some fun for me since I’m going to be stuck here for a little while. I won’t have my family rotting away just because I am temporarily out of commission.”

There was no arguing with that logic and I thought it would do my mother some good if she were distracted for a while with preparations for the party.

We laughed together and for that one moment, everything was just fine.

I didn’t really want to have a party. It felt wrong to get ready to celebrate when so much was happening. I felt like my world was unraveling as I thought about my father’s cancer on top of all of the financial struggles we were currently facing.

It ended up working, though. Mom was finally starting to seem more like herself as she quickly and efficiently prepared for the celebration.

I told myself to try and be excited as well. I would be seeing quite a few people I grew up with and some of my extended family members. This was a tough time for my whole family, but I had the power to have a good attitude about it and spin things in a positive light wherever possible.

It was going to be hard to smile the whole time with my father in the hospital awaiting his chemotherapy treatment, but I would try to have a good time for him. It was his one wish for me tonight, and I just had to do my best to grant it.

Before the party began, I turned to my closet to take out the new dress I had picked for tonight when something shiny caught my eye.

I turned toward my window and spotted the most special bracelet I had ever seen.

It wasn't valuable. Indeed, I wanted it before but couldn't get my hands on it.

I had forgotten all about it, even though it had been on my mind since I was a child. It was just a simple metal bracelet but it was from a cartoon I used to watch when I was little.

Byron often watched the show with me, so it held a special place in our relationship.

The gift giver was confirmed when I picked up the note.

“I’m really happy you’re home,” it read in Byron’s neat script. “No matter where you travel, know that this will always be your home. Love, Byron.”

I sucked in a breath when I was done reading, hugging the items. Just as quickly, I put them down on my dresser and turned my back to them.

Byron’s gesture touched me and made me happy very briefly. Everything I’ve been through in the last five years warned me to let go of that relationship. I couldn’t keep holding on to him if he was going to keep seeing me in a romantic way. I just couldn’t bring myself to feel that way about him.

He was my sweet and protective older brother, and that was all he would ever be to me.

I slowly got dressed and walked downstairs to find our home, all nicely decorated for the party.

As I entered the banquet hall, I couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of my parents’ home. My mom always enjoyed decorating since my parents loved to entertain, and it showed in the lavish room with its high ceilings and gold fixtures.

I grinned softly to myself, unable to fully comprehend this was the world I was brought up in. I knew how lucky I was to have found such kind people to adopt me who also just happened to be rich.

When I was growing up here, I took up many different hobbies. I was into field hockey for a while, then swimming the following year, and violin after that. None of these interests stuck around for very long, though. I was always looking for what was going to be next. Baking was my true love.

After making butter cookies, I put them on the kitchen counter. My little desserts looked so unassuming compared to the gifts that girls brought for my older brother.

I shook my head at the sheer desperation these girls showed before returning to the banquet hall. A crowd seemed to be forming.

I was about to ask someone what was going on when the doors got thrown open, revealing a beautiful woman pushing a cake into the room.

She had long, shimmering strawberry-blonde hair and a flawless figure. Her bright blue eyes shone as she smiled at everyone.

“Hey, squirt,” said Daniel, my brother’s good friend. He came up to stand beside me. He followed my gaze. “Yeah, your brother sure knows how to pick them, doesn’t he?”

I kept my eyes trained on the girl. That meant that she was the pop diva, Criella Fox.

What shocked me even more than Criella’s beauty was that she had already taken over my special role. I was usually the one who got to push the cake out during important holidays and celebrations.

I had to accept that my relationship with Byron couldn’t just go back to the way it was.

The scene further hardened my resolve that I didn’t belong here and that my home was now in Spain.

Byron met my gaze. I couldn’t avert my eyes fast enough before he nodded and gestured with his hand for me.

I had no choice but to obey. He put an arm around me, just like he used to when I was a little girl.

This was sparking a lot of fond memories for me. He used to share these wishes with me, and they were often about me, how he wanted to take me to see the world, and how he always wished for my happiness.

He convinced my parents to get me a cat one year even though our grandmother was allergic. That was a great birthday.

I looked up at him. “Thank you for throwing this party for me,” I said.

He reached out and ruffled my hair. “Of course, Vivi,” he said. His tone and face were gentle as he looked down at me. “I know it’s not your birthday, but you could still tell me your wishes.”

I forced a laugh. “I don’t have any at the moment,” I said, trying to make my voice casual.

Byron gave me that gentle smile that I grew up with and tapped me beneath my chin. “Hold on to those wishes whenever you get them,” he told me, his gaze soft. “I’m sure I can make them come true for you just like I used to.”

I nodded but then averted my gaze, knowing I had grown up and learned that not all wishes come true.

I badly needed some air, so I continued to turn around.

I said. “I’m going to go out to the garden for a little while.”

Byron nodded but then pinned me with a stern look. “Don’t stay out there too long,” he ordered. “It’s cold tonight, and you could get sick.”

The air in the garden was nice. I found a chair and sat down.

Just as I was about to take a sip of my drink, I heard several women nearby talking in hushed voices.

"That's her. You can hardly tell..."

"How could you possibly tell? Who would write 'shameless' on their face?"

"She looks quite innocent, though..."

"You're the innocent one! She's really calculating. Knowing she's an orphan and not well-received, she's been clinging to the Byron family all along. Whenever she gets a chance, she tries to latch onto Byron."

I pretended not to hear and turned to leave, but the woman in the red evening dress kept talking more and more. "

“Brother and sister having an incestuous relationship. That's really disgusting."

"Ah, Byron doesn't seem like that kind of person..."

"Do you know what kind of person he is? Otherwise, think about it. Why would he keep a little girl with no relatives around him? Maybe he has that kind of perversion..."

It had taken me years to learn not to care about other people's opinions, but I couldn't tolerate them talking about Byron in such a contemptuous and filthy tone.

I turned back, walked up to the twins, and looked at them calmly:

"What kind of perversion did you say my brother has?"

The woman who had been speaking in a strange, sarcastic tone just a moment ago now had a hint of guilt on her face.

There's nothing more embarrassing than being caught gossiping about someone behind their back and being questioned on the spot.

Soon, she changed her expression as quickly as turning the pages of a book and put on a friendly smile as if we were good sisters: "Olivia, long time no see. You've been away for so long. We've all missed you so much."

My eyes and brows were soft and clear, but when I looked at them, it was cold and indifferent. "If you missed me so much, why didn't you text me? Don't you have my number?"

The other woman tried to hide her embarrassment: "I thought you had changed your number." "If you had texted, you'd have known I didn't." I stared at her, not intending to let them off the hook. "You didn't finish what you were saying just now. Why did you stop?"

The woman looked rather sheepish: "I was just repeating what others said nonsense about..." Before she could finish her sentence, I walked up to them and warned them word by word. "Today is my brother's birthday. I don't want to spoil his mood, otherwise it wouldn't have been this simple. If you can't control your mouths, then shut them up."

My tone was neither harsh nor gentle, but my aura was cold and intimidating. "You're not welcome here. Please get out."

The two of them looked at me with stiff expressions, not daring to breathe.

Seeing that I was still staring at them, they had no choice but to leave in disgrace.

I had just walked a few steps when suddenly I met a pair of eyes.

I looked up. A person was leaning against the railing of the small wooden bridge stairs in the garden. Daemon looked as if he had just woken up.

The buttons of his grey silk shirt were loosely fastened, and his chiseled face looked sleepy and lazy. His eyes were full of amusement.

He had probably witnessed all the commotion just now. I looked at him. "Who would have thought Byron's sister could be so sharp-tongued."

My face heated and I hated how easily affected I was by his looks. His sleek suit accentuated his broad shoulders and chiseled chest.

Once I shook myself out of my initial shock, I was able to question why he was here. It was strange to see him show his face, considering he was my brother’s nemesis.