It was so ludicrous, I almost smiled. “Honey, you
love him? Go for it. I’m not stopping you. Isn’t
that what you wanted? Should I throw you a
party?”
Just as I was about to tell her to get lost, Ethan
appeared, protectively placing himself between
us, glaring at me. “Olivia,” he said to Summer,
his voice soft. “Are you okay? Did she hurt
you?”
“I’m fine,” Summer whimpered. “I just wanted to
talk to Olivia. Don’t worry, Ethan, she wouldn’t
hurt me.”
They were both blaming each other, trying to
make themselves look innocent. It reminded me
of college, when we’d skipped class to go on a
trip. Ethan had started working at his family’s
company, and he was stressed. So I’d
suggested a getaway. Our parents caught us.
They demanded to know whose idea it was. I
was about to take the blame when Ethan
pointed at me. “Olivia made me do it.” The
<
hadn’t blamed him. It was my fault, after all.
Now, I realized he just didn’t care enough about me to protect me.
“I have nothing to say to either of you,” I said
coldly. “She’s the one throwing herself at you. Now, get out of my way.”
I walked to the elevator. When the doors closed,
I glanced back. They were gone.
Back in my office, my assistant brought in a proposal for a new amusement park. I’d planned to partner with Ethan. Now, I reconsidered. He always took the lion’s share of the profits, using our ventures to prove himself to the board, especially with his uncle returning to the company. Now? I didn’t owe him anything. “Find
a different partner for this,” I told my assistant. “Put out feelers. Anyone interested can submit a proposal.”
She stared at me, stunned. “But… I thought we
<
were partnering with Carter Corp?”
“Not anymore. For anything. Explore other
options. We don’t need them.”
“But… you and Mr. Carter are getting
married…”
“We broke up,” I said simply.
Word travels fast in business. It’s all alliances
and rivalries. She understood. “Right. I’ll get on
- it. Oh, I got a message from Summer earlier.
She… she wanted to know if we’d forgotten to
send her allowance.”
“Block her number. We’re done with her.”
Later, my assistant told me she’d seen a
familiar handbag for sale online, on a
secondhand marketplace app. “If I didn’t know
better, Ms. Hayes, I’d think you were selling
your stuff.”
<
Ethan, apparently, had been quite thorough in his equal–opportunity gifting. Everything he gave me, he gave to Summer. People in our
circle found Summer’s account, joking that I
must be short on cash. I posted a video to my
social media, showcasing a donation I’d made.
I’d sold everything Ethan had ever given me and
donated the money to various rural charities, in
my name. I’d even received an award for it.
The comments exploded. “Wait, that girl on the
marketplace app… isn’t you? How does she
have all your stuff? Some of those are limited
edition!”
“Yeah, that diamond necklace… I tried to buy
that! There were only two! She’s selling it
secondhand? Sketchy.”
I didn’t respond. But they reposted my donation
video, praising my generosity. It felt good, even
if it was just social media flattery.
<
LUTTUI
Summer. “Why are you selling Olivia’s gifts?”
“She hates me!” Summer cried. “She stopped
sending money! I have nothing! My family needs
to eat!”
Ethan, ever the white knight, gave her money
and told her to delete the listings. They were
gone when I checked.
