Flashback (2): The Client

Olivia made a conscious effort to push her problems aside, determined to pretend that she had never stumbled upon Amelia's diary. She firmly believed that her relationship with Nicholas was strong, and there was no way she would let her younger sister take him away. After all, Nicholas only saw Amelia as a sister and had no romantic feelings for her.

"Lost in your thoughts again!" someone said from behind, startling Olivia. It was Lilly, her secretary, wearing a mischievous smile, seemingly ready to play a prank on her.

"Are you daydreaming about your handsome fiancé?" Lilly teased Olivia. "Don't worry, he's a loyal bookworm. An associate professor at Osaka University. You can trust that he won't cheat on you with other women there."

"Give me a break!" Olivia responded, clearly annoyed by the teasing.

"Focus on your work so that your father won't scold you again!" Lilly continued, assuming a lecturing tone. Olivia had recently been scolded by her father for losing a twenty-million-dollar project due to her careless presentation of a less appealing proposal.

Olivia snorted in frustration. "Sometimes I feel like I don't belong in this office job at all."

Lilly looked at Olivia with sympathy. She knew that Olivia actually wanted to be a fashion designer. However, her father forced her to work in the family company because Amelia, who had average intelligence, didn't understand Olivia's abilities and insisted on becoming a scientist. Olivia's father was afraid that there would be no one to inherit the business in the future.

On the other hand, the same situation was experienced by the Zhao family, Nicholas' family. Nicholas was the only child and he wanted to become a scientist, not a businessman like his father.

Therefore, the Wang family (Olivia's family) and the Zhao family, who had been close friends for a long time, wanted to unite their businesses through marriage. They hoped for many grandchildren from Olivia and Nicholas soon, to become the heirs of their businesses in the future, raising them to become militant entrepreneurs.

Nicholas' father was quite kind as he allowed his son to pursue a career in the field he loved. However, Olivia's father had a different character, making Olivia's life quite difficult.

"Cut it out! If you marry Nick and have a bunch of kids, your dad won't hold you back anymore. He'll be too busy grooming his grandkids to be future heirs," Lilly remarked, attempting to soothe Olivia's frustrations.

Olivia looked at her secretary and best friend with annoyance, finding Lilly's comment irritating. "Don't make it sound like I'd sacrifice my future children for personal ambitions."

"Enough! We have a meeting with Mr. Chen coming up. He's a potential investor for the electric car project on which we're partnering with the Zhao family's Elektra Motors. Let's not mess it up again," Lilly said firmly.

Olivia simply nodded, feeling disinterested in anything Lilly had to say. As she entered the meeting room, she came face to face with a familiar figure.

"Aaron?" Olivia gasped, her expression resembling that of seeing a ghost.

Meanwhile, Aaron Chen, the man in question, only wore a cynical smile—forced and cold. His face remained impassive as ice. "How have you been, Olive?"

Cold sweat ran down Olivia's back. Aaron was her and Nicholas' high school friend. As far as she could remember, his last name used to be Li. He also didn't come from a wealthy family.

Did his mother remarry? Or did something else happen?

Aaron... That man despised Olivia, never showing any friendly manner towards her. He didn't hesitate to be rude to Olivia, even when she was with Nicholas.

The memories of a dark past made Olivia feel small. She had a hunch that this project was bound to fail as well.

A pinch on Olivia's arm snapped her out of her reverie. She turned and found Lilly scolding her silently.

"Ah, Olivia, meet Mr. Simon Chen and his son. They've come all the way here to offer a hundred million dollar investment," Lilly interjected, attempting to smooth over the situation and hide her boss' dumbfoundedness.

"Shall we begin the presentation?" Mr. Simon Chen inquired, gesturing for them to proceed.

Olivia felt frozen in place. The memories of Aaron and his mistreatment flooded back, causing her to resign herself to giving a lackluster presentation, assuming it would inevitably be rejected.

However, to Olivia's astonishment, Simon decided to sign the contract right then and there. It was like a dream come true without putting much effort!

"What?" Olivia exclaimed, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging open. "You're not rejecting it?"

Olivia glanced at Aaron, her mind racing to make sense of the sudden turn of events. She quickly realized that this unexpected outcome was a stroke of good fortune. Before fully processing the situation, she knew she had to express her gratitude.

"Well, in that case, let's start by saying thank you," Olivia responded, her voice filled with genuine astonishment and gratitude.

Sensing Olivia's surprise, Simon suggested, "How about we celebrate tonight with a party?"

Lilly, eager to contribute, immediately chimed in, "We can take you to a nice restaurant."

But Simon had his own idea. He countered with a smirk, "I'd prefer a nightclub."

Olivia's mind was still reeling from the sudden turn of events, but she couldn't help feeling a surge of excitement. It seemed like this unexpected success was about to lead to a night of celebration and letting loose.

Afterward, Lilly engaged in conversation with Simon since Olivia still appeared frozen and clueless. The collaborative project had been signed, but she didn't seem happy at all.

When everyone had left the meeting room, Aaron approached Olivia and said, "Don't think too much about it. I only did this for the Zhao family's company. Don't overthink it!"