Third Person's POV
"The view here is amazing!" Sunny's face lit up with a smile.
"Yes, the scenery is beautiful and it's away from the city's hustle and bustle, making it perfect for living," Leo said as he stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and whispering into her ear.
Sunny slightly dodged his embrace, her hand instinctively resting on his broad palm. "Without you, I really don't know what I would have done. Leo, thank you for being so good to me. I don't know how to express my gratitude."
The next day, Patricia had Richard take her to the police station.
She was determined to interrogate Olivia herself, to ask her how she could have the heart to kill a man who loved her so much.
Olivia sat at a table, her once lustrous long hair now cut short to ear-length.
She looked haggard, her former radiance replaced by pessimism and exhaustion.
Richard escorted Patricia into the room. As soon as they entered, Patricia's emotions got the better of her, and she slapped Olivia across the face.
The female officers present were taken aback and didn't react in time, stunned by Patricia's imposing presence.
By the time they regained their senses, Olivia's pale cheek already bore a red handprint—a testament to the force of Patricia's slap.
"Patricia, please control your emotions and avoid physical actions," one of the female officers reminded her.
Patricia, seething with rage, glared at Olivia, who was cradling her injured cheek. "What's one slap to the murderer of my son? I've lost a child; she deserves this and worse!"
Olivia was facing Patricia for the first time.
Olivia endured the slap without resistance, her heart filled with genuine remorse and self-reproach.
"I'm sorry," Olivia whispered through the pain.
"Humph, save your crocodile tears. You venomous woman, you deserve every bit of heavenly punishment," Patricia spat, her grief and anger over her son's loss fueling her venom.
Richard stood beside Patricia, observing Olivia. It had been years since he'd last seen her. In his memory, Olivia was elegant and stunningly beautiful, but the woman before him now, approaching her forties, looked haggard and lacked the vitality of her youth.
Richard finally severed the connection between this woman and the beloved figure in his memory. No matter how much she resembled his past love, she could never compare to his goddess in purity and grace—not even a fraction.
Olivia lifted her head, her gaze filled with resentment as she locked eyes with Richard.
Richard's expression remained unchanged as he accepted the intense hatred in her eyes. He merely smiled faintly and said, "Olivia, now that you have a daughter of your own, you should understand the agony of losing a child. Patricia's slap was fueled by fury."
Richard's seemingly casual remark struck Olivia like a thunderbolt. She stiffened with fear, her pupils constricting in terror.
Was Richard warning her not to act rashly, lest she too experience the agony of losing her child? The wretched man—was she truly at his mercy?
Mentioning Olivia's daughter brought Patricia back to her senses, her fury somewhat abated. "Olivia, you're awfully scheming, using your daughter to ensnare my grandson. After destroying my son's life, you dare to target Leo? Let me tell you this—your daughter will never set foot in the Royal Pack. Abandon that fantasy now."
Hearing Patricia's words, Olivia's heart shattered. She suddenly knelt down, pleading through her tears, "Patricia, please understand. I never asked Sunny to pursue Leo. Their meeting was purely accidental. I beg you, don't tear them apart. I'm willing to pay for my sins with my life."
"Olivia, you're dreaming. Unless all the women in the world cease to exist, I'll never allow your daughter to marry my grandson. Snap out of it," Patricia said with finality, her disdain evident. Olivia's plea was met with cold rejection; she seemed oblivious to the absurdity of her request.
Olivia's face froze, her mind blank.
In the end, she had dragged her daughter into misery, proving herself an unfit mother.
Richard joined in with mockery, "Olivia, don't be naive. Leo is exceptional—how could he ever be matched with the daughter of a criminal? Accept your fate and stop clinging to illusions."
Olivia glared at Richard, suspecting he had deliberately brought Patricia here to condemn her.
The man was truly despicable.
"You're just waiting for me to be sentenced to death, aren't you? I won't get out of here alive," Patricia spat venomously before turning her back on Olivia and leaving.
Before departing, Richard shot Olivia a warning glance—r"esign yourself to fate, or your daughter's safety will be at risk."
A chill ran through Olivia. Clenching her fists, she swallowed her defiance.
In this world, power always dominated, and resistance was futile.