Chapter 5

Right then, a clear, bright voice rang out behind them, snapping Olivia out of her thoughts.

"Ced."

Olivia turned around on instinct and saw a young woman in a white dress, sporting a cute bob haircut. She walked toward them with a faint smile.

She acted as if she'd only just noticed Olivia when she got close. She looked at Cedric with a grin and said, "This must be your girlfriend, right? Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Only then did Cedric reach out to take Olivia's hand again. He held on tight and said with a faint smile, "Yeah. This is Olivia Reed, my girlfriend."

As he spoke, he looked over at Olivia. "Olivia, this is Kiana Smith. I met her when I was abroad."

"Nice to meet you, Olivia." Kiana reached her hand out to Olivia with a smile.

From the moment Kiana appeared, Olivia had felt a strange discomfort. Maybe it was just a woman's intuition, but that vague feeling made her dislike Kiana from the bottom of her heart. Still, for Cedric's sake, Olivia reached out and shook Kiana's hand.

The instant their palms touched, a sharp sting shot through Olivia's hand. She instinctively yanked it back. It was only a small movement, but Kiana reacted as if she'd been shoved hard. She staggered back several steps, and the heel of her stiletto twisted violently.

Cedric hurried forward and reached out to catch her. "Are you okay?"

Kiana quickly shook her head, but her eyes were already brimming with tears. "I'm fine, Ced. I've never been very likable since I was a kid. I've always known that."

Hearing that, Cedric frowned slightly and looked over at Olivia. "What's wrong with you?"

In the three years they'd been together, this was the first time Olivia had ever seen Cedric direct such a cold and sharp look at her. Whether he'd been sincere before or not, at least he'd always stood by her side in everything when he was with her.

Even with the incident with Paul, which had happened just moments earlier, he'd handled it perfectly on her behalf. But now, for Kiana's sake, he'd lost control for the first time. He couldn't even be bothered to hide the ice in his eyes.

The moment their gazes met, Olivia felt as if his stare had turned into a needle. It stabbed straight through her eyes and into her heart. The pain was so piercing that, for a second, she forgot how to breathe.

She lifted her hand, wanting to prove her innocence, but her palm was completely clean, save for a pinprick of red so small it was almost invisible.

She froze. She knew that if she said that the little red dot was where Kiana had jabbed her, that she'd only yanked her hand back because of the pain, that she hadn't pushed Kiana at all, Cedric wouldn't believe her.

In fact, the more she explained, the more it would sound like she was trying to shift the blame. It would make her out to be petty and insecure, as if she couldn't tolerate the presence of even a single female friend in his life.

A storm of emotion churned in her chest, but Olivia forced it all down and spoke gently instead. "I'm sorry, Ms. Smith. Are you okay? I just saw a bug fly past. I've been afraid of them since I was a kid, so I pulled my hand back on reflex. I really didn't mean to make you lose your footing."

Her eyes turned a little red as she spoke, and she looked up at Cedric, her gaze filled with wounded innocence. "I'm really sorry, Cedric. I can tell Ms. Smith is very important to you, but I honestly didn't do it on purpose."

Only then did Cedric realize how harsh his reaction had just been. He hurriedly said, "What are you talking about, silly? No one could ever be more important than you. It's just that Kiana has just returned from abroad. She's a guest. It wouldn't look too good if she got hurt because of my girlfriend, right?"

A faint chill flashed in Kiana's eyes when she heard the indulgent tone he used with Olivia, but her words were still gracious and considerate on the surface. "I'm not that fragile, Ced. We lived through much tougher days than this back when we were abroad. Twisting an ankle is nothing. I'll head in first to say hi to Noah and the others. I won't intrude on you two being lovey-dovey."

With that, she limped toward the private room.

Olivia quickly spoke up. "Ms. Smith twisted her ankle. We can't just ignore it. Cedric, you should take her to the hospital to have it checked. Injuries like this can get serious."

"It's fine. She can handle a little sprain herself," Cedric said, then looked at her seriously. "Right now, I'm only worried about you. Are you still upset? If you really feel uncomfortable here, we can just go home, okay?"

Olivia looked at him, taking note of how "considerate" he was. She asked softly, "Cedric, is it a buzzkill that I can never seem to fit in with your friends? If it's for you, I can try harder. Maybe things will get better if I spend more time with them. If Ms. Smith can get along with them, then I should be able to as well."

The moment the words left her lips, Cedric pulled her into his arms. "You don't need to compare yourself to anyone, silly. You're not the same as her. She's had to fight to survive since she was young—she grew up reading the room and adapting to the situation.

"You're different. You've always been the apple of Mr. Reed's eyes, and you're now my most precious treasure. You won't ever need to bend over backward to please anyone.

"If you can't get along with them, then don't. With me protecting and spoiling you, no one will dare say a single bad word about you."

His tone was still firm and full of emotion, but his words no longer moved Olivia. She only felt deep unease and resistance as she suddenly realized she'd never truly seen the man she loved for who he was.

She wasn't the type who liked to scheme, but that didn't mean she was stupid. These people in their social circle were experts at treating others according to status. Of course she knew that.

If Cedric truly loved her that much, there would be no such thing as a circle she couldn't fit into. By now, these people would have already adjusted to her preferences and reshaped this whole friend group into something she felt comfortable in.

The rosy filter of young love really could blind a person's judgment. If she hadn't overheard that phone call, she might still be making excuses for him even now, finding ways to rationalize everything.

For the past three years, Olivia had believed that having Cedric come back to her and treat her well was already a gift from the heavens. She'd been endlessly grateful and content. She'd dreamed about their future, about the bliss that would belong to them.

But in reality, he'd spent three years weaving a massive web and waiting for her to step into it. And then, without her noticing, he'd slowly tightened the net so he could watch her struggle and fall apart with nowhere to run.

To make matters worse, he hadn't waited alone for that moment to come. He'd invited an entire audience to watch, determined to drag her down into utter ruin.

The thought that the man she loved with all her heart had been plotting something like this all along filled her with a bone-deep fear and an indescribable hurt. But she also knew that if she exposed any cracks in her facade now, it would only push him to speed up his revenge.

When that happened, Janice would only take orders from him. That was why Olivia had to put up with this. She couldn't let even a sliver of her true feelings slip.

With that in mind, she deliberately softened her voice and said with a hint of cutesy coyness, "Cedric, you're the best. Then let's go, okay?"