An Old Woman's Present

Olivia blinked, momentarily lost in thought.

She then snorted and abruptly brushed Sebastian's hand away from her face.

"And who romanticise a lady's monthly cycle, young man?" Olivia taunted. "You must be a hopeless romantic. However, I should remind you that I am not interested in it," she added.

Although Olivia had not initially planned to reveal to the man before her that she wasn't the Jolene he knew, her decision to pretend as Jolene didn't mean she would tolerate any form of endearment from him.

In Olivia's past life, during her early training days in the Stone Cloud Clan, she experienced a love affair with a fellow colleague that ultimately ended in deception.

That had been her first and final experience with love.

The man had seduced her, and Olivia had been completely blinded by her feelings for him. However, the shocking truth surfaced later on.

Suspicion arose within Olivia when she discovered that he was a spy within the Stone Cloud Clan, originating from an antagonistic clan situated in a neighbouring village.

Sadly, Olivia realised her mistake only when it was too late.

Olivia realised that she was merely a part of "his mission," and her love for him had made his task disturbingly easy.

It took an unexpected turn when her mother overheard a forbidden conversation.

This then led to an assassin being dispatched to eliminate Olivia.

Olivia couldn't comprehend why she had become the target of espionage when her mother was the primary objective.

The lack of a clear answer only fueled Olivia's determination to exact brutal revenge on the man responsible.

In a gruesome manner, Olivia ensured that every person involved in her mother's death faced her wrath.

At an incredibly young age, Olivia grew exceptionally cold and distant.

Olivia withdrew from the real world and became disdainful of anyone attempting to get close to her.

Tragically, even YueYue, the young woman who eventually poisoned her, deceived Olivia.

The twist was that YueYue was actually her sister, despite them sharing different surnames due to YueYue's adoption.

Before the poisoning by YueYue and after Olivia eliminated her deceptive lover, Olivia earned a reputation as a potential psychopath.

This reputation stemmed from the particularly brutal manner in which Olivia's victims met their end, appearing as if she derived pleasure from their suffering.

Following her disposal of the deceitful lover, Olivia paralyzed him, showing no regard for their past intimate moments.

Olivia orchestrated a scenario where he had to watch as birds feasted on his own intestines.

Olivia left him in a state of near-death, where he longed for death but couldn't achieve it, as she had meticulously eliminated any option of escape, even preventing suicide by methodically removing that possibility.

Even the gruesome act of biting off his own tongue was taken from him, as she had severed it in a way that brought immense agony without allowing him to perish.

For Olivia, trust was a luxury, and if there was anyone she would be least inclined to trust, it would be a man.

Olivia expected nothing different from the man currently before her, fully prepared to fend off any suspicious behaviour.

However, Sebastian's response defied Olivia's expectations.

Sebastian's expression remained stern, a stark contrast to the words he uttered, "Within our contract, both parties are required to adhere to certain rules, and—" Sebastian paused momentarily, then continued, "But never mind, Miss Jolene. Considering your amnesia, there's no need to delve into this.

You won't recall our previous discussions. I'll provide you with a copy of the document to serve as a reminder. It's important to emphasise that you won't be able to nullify the contract agreement due to your current state of mind. Attempting to do so will result in consequences you'll need to bear."

Observing Jolene's detached demeanour, Sebastian felt compelled to clarify matters.

While Olivia wanted Sebastian to continue, he chose not to proceed.

In response, Olivia clenched her fist in frustration.

Olivia had been eager to gain insights into the relationship between this man and the body she now inhabited.

However, Olivia thoughts were interrupted by the repetition of a single word: 'Amnesia.'

'Is Jolene suffering from amnesia?'

'If that's the case, it might work in my favour. I can use this situation to learn about my new surroundings and perhaps find a way to return to Xi Village.'

Olivia wiped the blood from her face with the sleeve of her shirt, her gaze fixed blankly on the man before her.

With curiosity, Olivia questioned, "How does a contract agreement have anything to do with you being a hopeless romantic?"

Sebastian couldn't help but burst into laughter.

After a moment, Sebastian replied to Olivia, "You begged for some kindness, and being the compassionate soul that I am, I couldn't help but grant your request. Do you have any more questions?"

Feeling a sense of weariness in their conversation, as it hadn't yielded much information, Olivia sighed and remarked, "Are these men's clothes?"

Olivia glanced down at her current attire with a faint frown. "They're rather uncomfortable," she murmured.

Sebastian's gaze briefly fell upon Olivia's attire, and a small smile played on his lips.

Sebastian quickly averted his eyes when he realised Olivia might notice his gaze.

"Your clothes are in the other room," Sebastian informed her.

Upon hearing Sebastian's response, Olivia nodded, her expression remaining cold and devoid of emotion.

Thoughts about survival and finding a way back to her familiar world swirled in Olivia's mind.

As Olivia was about to step out of the "wardrobe room," she turned back to Sebastian and inquired, "Do you know where Xi Village is located?"

A perplexed look crossed Sebastian's face at Olivia's question.

"Xi Village?" Sebastian repeated, clearly puzzled.

Olivia exhaled heavily, observing the clueless expression on Sebastian's face, before nodding again.

'Just as I suspected. Xi Village must not be located anywhere near here. But I still need to find out where it is.'

Olivia had learned from her limited knowledge that transmigration does not happen to everyone.

Transmigration happens when the soul of a dying body is powerful enough to take over the soul of another dying body, which is too weak to endure on its own. And when the soul transmigrates, the body it transmigrates into is not very far from where the dying body is.

However, Olivia found the situation to be a bit contradictory to the idea of being in a different world.

'I should focus on understanding my surroundings first. This world might not be entirely alien to me, considering the person I encountered is human, much like myself. Even the body I've inhabited seems...'

Before Olivia could complete her thought, a knock at the door interrupted her.

Sebastian glanced at her before walking past, signalling for her to follow. As they exited the wardrobe room, another knock sounded.

"Who's there?" Sebastian inquired.

"It's me, Fifth Young Master."

Olivia blinked, realising that Sebastian was the fifth son of his family.

"Why are you here at this hour?" Sebastian questioned.

"Fifth Young Master, I've been instructed to inform you that someone is here to see Olivia."

Olivia's eyes widened in surprise.

Sebastian snorted in disbelief. "Who is Olivia? And why would you come to—"

"Fifth Young Master, she insists it's urgent and she'd regret it if she didn't give a gift to Olivia. She mentioned that Olivia helped her yesterday, and she wishes to offer something valuable in return. She's elderly and frail, and I'm concerned—"

Olivia looked at Sebastian with a questioning expression, silently communicating, "Aren't you going to let her in? You won't leave a dying old woman outside, will you?"

"I am curious to know what this gift is and who this 'Olivia' is. I'm quite certain there's no one else hidden in this villa," Sebastian replied to the person outside the door, his gaze avoiding Olivia's.

"Tell her to come in," he finally instructed, allowing the visitor to enter.