Chapter 344
At the Hart residence, after Chris had a quick chat with Tyler, he went straight to see Olivia. Given the situation, he was both angry and feeling powerless. Sebastian was calling all the shots. He’d completely cut off the Hart family from any outside help. Catlin had reached out to her social circle, but no one was willing to assist the Hart family.
Chris approached Olivia’s closed door and could faintly hear her arguing loudly with someone inside. This time, he didn’t rush in like he did at the hospital. Instead, he pressed his ear to the door. Olivia had no idea he was there. Her voice was sharp and defiant. “Oh, you think I’m scared now? Let me tell you, I’m going to die. Go ahead and spill the beans. Just give me a quick end.”
She was really losing it. Stephanie was constantly pressuring her, and now the kidnapper’s threats were piling on top of the pain of her illness. She couldn’t understand why she deserved such punishment. All she wanted was to keep what she had, and she didn’t think that was wrong.
“The Harts treat you well, and you think they’d let you die? Don’t feed me nonsense. I want $500,000,” the kidnapper sneered, dismissing Olivia’s act. After all, she was known to be the most secure adopted daughter in Long Harbor.
Olivia’s heart sank even more when she heard the figure. “You’ve got to be kidding me. We already paid you off for that car accident. Now you’re trying to blackmail me?” Before the other person could respond, she continued, “Don’t forget – I wanted Stephanie dead back then. Did you do it?” Olivia’s voice rose, almost hysterical.
Olivia believed that if Stephanie had died in that accident, she wouldn’t be in this mess now. “I wanted Stephanie dead. You didn’t do it, but I still paid you. And now you’re trying to blackmail me?” she shouted.
Just then, the door burst open with a loud bang, slamming against the wall. Olivia was on the phone, but the noise startled her, cutting her off mid-sentence. She looked toward the doorway, her eyes widening in shock.
When Olivia’s eyes met Chris’s piercing gaze, her mind went into overdrive. Chris’s eyes narrowed, and a fierce look slowly spread across his face. Olivia felt like she couldn’t breathe, as if her blood had stopped, leaving her mind completely blank.
The kidnapper on the phone kept going, “I don’t care. I want 500 thousand. If you don’t cough it up this time, I’ll give Mr. Ashford the evidence of your plan to kill Stephanie. By the way, Mr. Ashford used to be engaged to Ms. Giovanni, right?” “I should let him know how you tried to kill his fiancée, and then let’s see if he still wants you—” Before he could finish, Olivia hung up in a panic.
Her eyes widened in fear as she looked at Chris, her lips trembling as she stammered, “Chris, I…” Her mind was in total chaos, and she couldn’t find the right words. Chris’s face said it all – he’d heard everything.
“It’s over…” The words kept flashing through Olivia’s mind. She took a deep, shaky breath and said, “Listen to me. It’s not what you think. You—” Chris looked at her with eyes like ice. The coldness in his gaze seemed to freeze the whole room. Before Olivia could finish, he turned away without a word, his disappointment and cold indifference hanging heavy in the air. The door slammed shut behind him.
As his footsteps faded away, Olivia felt a chill run through her, and her heart grew hollow. Downstairs, Catlin had calmed down and was planning her next move when she saw Chris coming down. She instinctively stood up and called out, “Chris.” But Chris ignored her completely and headed straight for the door, his presence radiating coldness.
Catlin froze, wondering what had happened. She glanced at the staircase, then hurried upstairs to find Olivia. Olivia was sitting on the bed, crying so hard that she could barely catch her breath. Catlin’s heart ached as she stepped closer. “Hey, what’s going on? What happened with Chris?” Olivia threw herself into Catlin’s arms. “Mom, Chris doesn’t want me anymore. He just left.” Catlin hugged her tightly. “Why would he do that?”