fantishu
CHAPTER 3
Laura stepped into the Sharpe mansion, spotting Olivia and her adoptive mom, Emma, chatting on the couch. Emma, in her prime, looked unusually radiant. It had to be the joy of having her real daughter back after years of searching.
Emma, in her forties but looking flawless, seemed unusually bright today. Laura had been with the Sharpe family for over ten years and had never seen her look so cheerful. It probably had to do with finding her real daughter. After all the searching, Olivia was finally back.
had
Olivia one missing as a child, and her parents, David and Emma, had spent more than a decade searching
tirelessly.
Their joy at reuniting with their daughter was palpable, and even Laura’s birthday celebration, which had been planned in her honor, had turned into a welcome-home-party for Olivia.NôvelDrama.Org owns © this.
To make up for lost time with Olivia, Emma was going all out. Every day, she took Olivia shopping for clothes and jewelry, determined to make her shine at the party.
Glancing up, Olivia saw Laura, dressed in a red dress, standing there quietly. Her bright eyes and perfect smile, without any makeup, looked stunning like a blooming rose.
Her face was exquisitely beautiful, illuminated by the sun, breathtaking in every way. Laura was always striking- especially in that red dress.
Olivia thought, ‘What an annoying woman! Didn’t I tell her to steer clear of red?’ Although she buried her jealousy deep down, a gentle smile formed on her lips.
“Hey, sis! Mom is helping me pick out some jewelry,” Olivia said, holding up a picture of some pieces just delivered from the jewelry store. She pointed to the main piece on the front page and asked, “What do you think? Is it pretty?”
In her past life, Laura had fallen for Olivia’s fake innocence. But at this moment, she felt somewhat disgusted.
Back then, she was too naive. When Olivia said Laura was prettier, Laura ditched all her favorite clothes, trying to make herself look dowdy and endure countless mockeries just to make Olivia happy.
This time, Laura vowed to never let that happen again. She was ready to reclaim everything they owned her.
Laura’s gaze drifted past the jewelry to its price, a smirk forming on her lips. “Over 17 million, huh? You sure are generous, Mom.”
Olivia couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Laura seemed completely transformed, exuding an air of cold-indifference that seeped from her demeanor to her eyes. Trying to stir the pot in front of Emma, she feigned innocence. “Laura, are you upset because we didn’t wait for you to pick out the jewelry?”
Emma couldn’t stand even a hint of Olivia feeling wronged Before Laura could respond, she shot back, “How much jewelry have we bought you over the years, Laura? Your sister has suffered a lot out there; can’t you just be a little nicer to her this time?”
“Mom, don’t be mad at Laura. It’s all my fault for being so caught up in the styles that I didn’t check the prices,”
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Olivia quickly waved her hands, her eyes sparkling with fake helplessness, pretending to be understanding. “It’s just too expensive, and I don’t even like it.”
Emma glanced at the price tag. 17 million wasn’t exactly cheap, but comparing it to the look of longing in her daughter’s eyes, a few million wasn’t too much after years of separation. “Don’t worry, we can afford it,” Emma said with a smile, pulling out her phone. “If you like it that much, I’ll have someone deliver it.”
“Mom, this is way too pricey!” Olivia insisted.
Emma flashed a knowing smile. “Relax, I have money.”
Before he died, Alistair had transferred 20% of the company shares to David as a way of thanking the Sharpe family for raising Laura. However, those shares wouldn’t take effect until Laura turned eighteen and signed for them.
This meant that the Sharpe family had to care for her properly, as the decision over the shares rested solely with Laura-a condition set by Alistair to keep the Sharpe family in check.
On top of that, Alistair had given David a card loaded with 700 million, designated as Laura’s personal assets when she came of age. Emma held onto that card all this time.
In the past, Laura thought that the Sharpe family had raised her for over a decade, and they should spend the money freely without a second thought.
But everything changed. Laura narrowed her eyes as she thought, ‘I will make them return every penny they spent from that 700 million.
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