Chapter 7

Olivia dug her fingers into her palms.

"Not enough?" Shannon pulled out a 20-dollar bill, acting as though she were doing Olivia a huge favor. "I'll give you another 20 dollars. That's 30 dollars in total."

Then she kept adding bills one by one until she had a total of 50 dollars. She held the bills between her fingers and waved them in Olivia's face.

"50 dollars. That's all you're getting. Don't be greedy, Olivia."

Olivia let out a chuckle. Before Shannon could even react, Olivia raised her hand and slapped her hard across the face.

The slap made Shannon's head snap to the side, and her cheek immediately began to swell. "You… How dare you hit me—"

Before Shannon could even finish, Olivia slapped her again.

"Ah!" Shannon's shriek echoed through the hallway.

In just a few seconds, her smug expression had vanished. Both her cheeks were red, swollen, and burning. The corner of her mouth was split, tiny beads of blood seeping from it. Her hair was a mess, and her makeup was completely ruined.

Shannon staggered backward, frantically raising her hands to protect her face. "Stop slapping me! I know what I did was wrong, okay!"

"Too late." Olivia raised her hand again.

"Stop!" Caleb strode over and seized her by the wrist. He gripped her so tight that it felt like he could crush her bones.

Shannon immediately threw herself into his arms, sobbing. "Caleb, it hurts so bad. You have to do something…"

"Olivia, you've gone too far." Caleb's expression was grim.

"Me? I've gone too far?" Tears welled up in Olivia's eyes, and her voice came out hoarse and broken.

"Caleb, did you steal my research on the new drug and give it all to Shannon?"

Silence hung in the air for a moment.

Caleb hesitated before speaking. His voice was so calm that it was almost cruel. "I did, but so what? Your team wouldn't have made such a breakthrough without my company's support. I have the right to decide what to do with the results.

"You don't get to complain. You hurt Shannon, so you have to face the consequences."

Caleb turned to his bodyguards and ordered coldly, "Hold her down."

Two bodyguards immediately stepped forward and restrained Olivia's arms.

"Let me go!" Olivia struggled, but to no avail.

The next moment, with countless employees looking on, the bodyguards forced Olivia down onto the cold, hard marble floor. All her dignity, pride, and composure were shattered in that moment.

"Stay down there until she forgives you."

The moment Caleb finished speaking, the bodyguards pressed down hard on the back of her neck, forcing her head down.

Once. Twice. Thrice…

They slammed her forehead against the floor over and over again. Every impact felt like torture.

Olivia's eyes turned red, and she couldn't stop the tears from falling. Humiliation and hatred welled up inside her, making it almost impossible to breathe.

After they slammed her head against the floor 20 times, Shannon finally tugged on Caleb's sleeve. "Caleb, forget it. Stop them. I won't hold it against Olivia anymore."

Caleb finally gestured for the bodyguards to release Olivia.

Olivia was completely drained. She lay limply on the floor, streaks of blood trickling down her forehead.

Caleb looked down at Olivia. She was a complete mess, yet she still refused to give in.

He pressed his thin lips together and said, "Behave yourself. Get some rest at home, and stop stirring up trouble. I'll be taking Shannon with me to the bidding event. All you need to do is be my wife."

With that, Caleb didn't look back at her and left with Shannon.

People passed by the hallway, whispering among themselves.

But Olivia didn't seem to have heard a thing until her phone pinged with a text message.

"Your divorce has been finalized. Your divorce certificate is ready for pickup."

Olivia suddenly let out a laugh. Ignoring the wound on her forehead, she went to see Gerald and Vivian.

Even when they saw the wound, they didn't ask about it. Instead, they looked at her in disdain. "Did you come here just to piss us off?"

"Let's not waste time. Hand over the money, and you can have the divorce certificate."

"Oh, whatever!" Gerald reluctantly made a call.

It wasn't until Olivia received a notification that the three billion dollars had been transferred to her account that she tossed the divorce certificate over to them.

Vivian glanced at it just to make sure everything was in order. With a smug smile, she warned Olivia, "From now on, stay as far away from here as possible. Don't ever show your face in front of Caleb and Shannon. Got it?"

"Got it." A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Olivia's lips, and a knowing look flickered in her eyes.

…

Three days later, the bidding event was held as scheduled. Caleb wore a sharp suit and looked imposing. Shannon sat next to him, her makeup perfectly done.

Gerald and Vivian texted Shannon.

"Shannon, we've already got a feast ready for you. We're waiting for you to come home so we can celebrate your winning the bid! We also have some good news for you!"

"Relax. You're so smart. We know you're going to make a name for yourself this time!"

Shannon's smile grew wider.

The lights gradually turned toward the stage, and the noisy hall fell silent.

The emcee stepped onto the stage with a microphone.

"After multiple rounds of rigorous evaluation by our panel of experts, we are ready to announce the winning company and project lead for the major new-drug commercialization project."

Everyone held their breath, their eyes turning toward Caleb and Shannon in the front row. They were waiting for the outcome they were certain was coming.

Olivia sat up straight, ready to rise and accept the applause.

Caleb was getting ready to take the stage as well.

The next moment, the emcee's clear voice rang out in the banquet hall. "The winning company is Robinson Group, and its project lead is none other than Olivia Gerber!"