Circumstances

Seth struggled to find the right words. He did nothing but stare at his plate and fiddle with the food that he was eating. How did she get into this position if she had been a homeless child in the past? Rather than inquiring, he simply commented, "Your place looks nice." He had the intention of asking. Through his eyes, he surveyed the sitting room.

"Around thirteen years ago, it happened. At that time, I was 15 and had just begun tenth grade." Olivia commented, seemingly averting her gaze, while Seth attentively listened to her words. "Everything was coming together perfectly; I was pleased and thought nothing could bring me down. This man was the object of my ardent affection. In addition to being a friend of my brother, he worked as a professional tutor at our school." Despite a blank expression on her face and a lump in her throat, the softness in her voice revealed her identity. "Everything was perfect until that day, when it turned upside down." With a heavy sigh, she shook her head and scowled. "After that, I faced one problem after another, and running seemed like a better option, as I couldn't handle that life anymore."

Olivia revealed information about that period of her history for the first time in her life, even though she omitted certain details. At least she had disclosed something. Sharing her worries with another person seemed to alleviate their burden altogether. Seth may have been a little boy, but he was more than capable of understanding, and Olivia did not feel remorse for imparting this information to him. "Do you ever regret it?" Seth asked.

"Sometimes, life will put us in circumstances that completely change our lives. There is both good and bad. Those circumstances have the power to either break or build, and mine was the one that built me. I do not believe I would be where I am now if that scenario had not occurred; I am the person I am right now due to my history." She made a quick headshake and maintained eye contact with him. "What happened to me is something that I despise, and I would never wish that on anyone else, not even my greatest enemy. When life throws you a ball, you must catch it and decide what to do with it. You have the option to discard it or hold onto it tightly. My decision to flee followed the ball of fire that life flung at me. She spoke the words with a resolute tone and a thick sigh. "I do not feel any regret about leaving, as I would have committed suicide if I had stayed." However, I am sorry for the harm that I have caused to my loved ones; not only did my departure leave scars on myself, but it also left scars on many of my loved ones." Then, as she massaged her temples, she began to droop. "A longtime friend of mine assisted me in getting a passport and a plane ticket to London after I had left my house. I couldn't think of anywhere else where no one would find me, and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do there. The opportunity to finally visit London fulfilled a long-held dream of mine. I could maintain my standard of living for the first three months, but finally, I ran out of money, and before I knew it, I was out on the streets begging for food." When she thought of the dreaded past, she shook her head and let out a long sigh. "I stayed in the streets for about five months until someone came to rescue me." She spoke with a countenance devoid of any expression. "He placed me in an orphanage for an additional month before ultimately deciding to adopt me." It was because of him that I am currently attending school. The truth is that I owe that man my life, and I hate to admit it." After concluding, Olivia turned her gaze to Seth with a stern smile, only to find him sound asleep on the couch.

Olivia grabbed a blanket, wrapped it around him, then turned off the light and went to bed. The last thing on her mind was the predicament she had found herself in the previous night. Noah Jones.

****

The next day arrived quickly, and the routine remained unchanged. The first thing Olivia did when she woke up was shower, and then she instructed Seth to do the same thing before they ate cereal for breakfast. The rapid change overcame Seth, but he decided not to linger on it and instead chose to take pleasure in whatever was happening while it was still happening. In addition to wearing her peach nightgown and slippers, Olivia wrapped a white towel around her head. She had yet to dress herself. After finishing breakfast, she walked to her room to change her clothes and threw her empty bowl of cereal into the sink.

She examined all her work attire with a suspicious expression on her face. All her work attire appeared so intricate that nothing could help her in maintaining a low profile or feigning a dismal disposition. She had been staring and frowning for a considerable amount of time before she finally decided to wear a black suit, a white shirt, and short black heels that did not reveal too much about her identity. Her hair was a wet, curly mess, and there was no time to straighten it. She looked in the mirror and groaned at her appearance. She sighed and brushed her hair, letting the black curls add a touch of beauty to her stunning face. After that, she applied light makeup and a lipstick.

She took another look in the mirror before grabbing her handbag and rushing into the sitting room, where Seth had just finished cleaning their bowls. Before placing her phone in her handbag, she took it from the coffee table and examined the screen before putting it away. "Let's go." After saying this to Seth, they made a hasty exit from the apartment together.

During his stay at Jones's Enterprises, Noah Jones experienced severe mental instability. As he waited for his new personal assistant to arrive, he was busy walking up and down the hallways of his office. Even though it was already ten o'clock in the morning, Livvy Williams was nowhere to be seen, and work had begun around two hours earlier. "Who the hell does she think she is?" While his face turned red, he let out a bark.

Despite it being only the middle of the day, he was already experiencing a significant amount of anxiety.

Noah was a very special individual. By the time he left the office at seven o'clock in the evening, he would be perfectly groomed, with not a single hair out of place and not even a crease on his shirt. He would arrive at the office at seven in the morning. He had his hair tangled, his tie loose, and his sleeves folded to the middle of his arm.

"But this is good, right?" Zara inquired, her forehead creased and soiled with dirt. "Look at the positive aspect..." After sighing, she leaned forward and placed her hands on the desk. Noah looked at her with a focused gaze, wondering what was so remarkable about Livvy Williams's disregard for him. While standing behind his chair, he pressed the bridge of his nose with his finger. "You want to get rid of her sister through her, so why not take advantage of this opportunity?" "On the other hand, you also want to get revenge on her for humiliating you," she said in response to Noah's frown. Noah's expression changed before she proceeded. Despite Zara's reluctance, Noah's eyes became more resolute as he recalled the event. "If you want to exact your revenge, what could be a more practical approach than to smash her gorgeous face with a query? Take this as the initial step toward achieving your revenge and eliminating April Williams; it's a way to accomplish two goals simultaneously. She made the statement as she pulled her chair back and stood up.

Noah smirked. "Where would I be without you?" He asked.

"Nowhere, Jones, nowhere." With a knowing look, she put the chair back into place. "Just imagine her pretty face when you hand her the query." She wore a grin.

Noah wore a frown. He remarked, "She is not pretty."

In response, Zara rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Exactly, she is not pretty." According to her, she sighed. Zara said with a deadpan expression, "She is extremely attractive."

In a fraction of a second, Noah's eyes narrowed. "Get back to work." Even though he was visibly irritated by her remarks, Zara smiled at him with a smug expression.

"You are welcome." As she left the office, she strolled out with a smirk and a hip-swaying motion.

After exhaling, Noah sat down and sighed. He smirked deceitfully as he opened his laptop and began typing. He was working on something. A few seconds later, he stood up, walked to the location of his printer, and collected a piece of paper that he had just printed the moment before. "I can't wait to see the look on your pretty face, Livvy Williams."