Chapter 476
Meanwhile, under the same sky, the mood inside the grand, European-style mansion was tense and uneasy. Olivia sat at the dining table with her parents, the silence between them almost suffocating.
Steven broke it first, his voice sharp as he stared at his phone. “How did those videos and photos from five years ago end up online?” The screen was filled with headlines calling Charlotte a lunatic and a murderer.
He’d worked so hard to bury that scandal, spent a fortune erasing every trace. If this blew up now, everyone would learn about his daughter’s dark past, and The Main Group’s upcoming financing deal could fall apart.
Elizabeth’s face tightened. She shot a nervous glance at Olivia, who looked perfectly relaxed, nibbling her toast as if nothing was wrong.
“I honestly don’t know,” Olivia replied, her tone innocent as she looked up. “Dad, maybe it’s one of our competitors. Maybe they dug up all this old dirt to ruin your financing.”
Back then, that story had been everywhere until Steven spent a ton of money wiping every mention of Charlotte off the internet.
“It wasn’t you?” Steven looked hard at Olivia, his suspicion obvious.
“No way.” Olivia pouted, trying to look hurt. “I swear, if I was the one who posted that stuff, I’d get hit by a car as soon as I walk out that door.”
Elizabeth snapped at her. “Don’t say things like that.”
“I’m not worried, because it wasn’t me,” Olivia insisted, her big eyes steady. “Dad, don’t you trust me?”
And technically, she wasn’t lying. She hadn’t posted the videos. That was all Melissa’s doing.
Olivia didn’t really know what happened between Melissa and Charlotte, but after seeing them at the gala, clearly at each other’s. throats, she’d taken a shot in the
dark. She never expected net
take the bait so quickly. Even if Charlotte fri
to find out who was
behind it, it would never come back
to her.
“Steven, you know what kind of person Olivia is,” Elizabeth said, trying to sound reasonable. “It could easily be a rival trying to wreck your deal. Besides, if Charlotte hadn’t made such a mess all those years ago, no one would have this kind of leverage over you.”
Steven thought about it and realized she had a point. Olivia didn’t have any reason to leak the videos. And honestly, this was all Charlotte’s fault anyway.
“This is blowing up online… It’s not going to be easy to make it go away,” Steven muttered, rubbing his forehead. He sounded exhausted. “If The Main Group’s financing falls through because of this, I won’t forgive her. By the way, has Jesse landed yet?”
“He should have,” Elizabeth answered, glancing at her watch. Her voice was casual. “I told him to call me once his plane landed.”
“And the doctors over there are sorted?” Steven’s concern shifted. Jesse had been dealing with
incontinence ever since someonet
spiked his drink at a bar two months ago. They’d seen every specialist they could find, but nothing helped This trip abroad was all about seeing one last doctor.
“Everything’s set up,” Elizabeth replied with a smile, though it didn’t quite reach her
eyes.
Steven assumed Jesse was
traveling for medical treatment, but
only Elizabeth and Olivia knew the real reason. This was about getting rid of Charlotte for good. With Jesse out of the way there’d be no one left; to contradict their story. Charlotte could fight all she wanted, but it would be pointless.
Once Charlotte was finished, Olivia wouldn’t have anyone standing in her way. Not when it came to school, and certainly not when it came to inheriting the company.
“That’s good,” Steven said, nodding. His voice turned heavy. “Jesse really suffered because of all this.”
Steven had cleaned up Charlotte’s mess once, and now he was dealing with it all over again. The frustration was written all over his face.