Setting Him Free

My parents and I stayed silent in our seats and waited for our moment. It wasn't until the waiter walked up to me and told me that the dishes had been served that everyone else at the table remembered us.

Simon looked around the private club. The club was located in the city center. The hallways were decorated with a priceless, personal art collection, and the patrons were people of influence. Even the most understated crystal chandelier here came with a six-figure price tag.

He turned his gaze to me and sneered, "I take it that you're the host of this family gathering, Olivia. I didn't think you could afford even a slice of cake here with your measly paycheck. What, did you get a fat bribe at the hospital and are now trying to show off to the family?"

I rolled my eyes and ignored Simon. I took my card and footed the bill at the counter. On my way to the counter, I got a call from Aaron. He told me that he would be late and wanted me to play nice with my family until he arrived.

I smiled and talked to him for a while longer before returning to the lounge. However, I had only just reached the door of the lounge when Simon accosted me.

He eyed me contemptuously from head to toe before tossing a wad of cash at my feet. "It won't do you any good to burden yourself for the sake of pride. Take the money and pay the bill. Think of it as a kind gesture from an old friend."

I nudged the money toward him and drawled, "I don't need the money, and this isn't enough to—"

"Oh, cut the crap, will you? I know how much you make at the hospital. When we divorced, I told you to quit your job. It's hard labor at a cheap cost. Is there any point to it?"

I rolled my eyes at him in exasperation.

Simon's online image as a man who held art above everything else crumbled at that moment. He was only after money. My family knew this, yet none of them had the nerve or the standing to point out the truth.

I didn't want to waste my breath on Simon, so I made to brush past him into the lounge.

I had only taken two steps when I ran into Yasmin. She linked arms with Simon and said in a high-pitched voice, "Honey, would you mind showing some of your art to the family?"

Simon pinched her cheek affectionately and agreed.

I was about to open the lounge door when Yasmin stopped me. "Olive, I hope you've given up any foolish thoughts you have about Simon. He's my husband now and your cousin-in-law, for that matter.

"I know you set this dinner up just to get close to us. It's your fault that you're living a sorry life. If you think we'll take pity on you and help you out just because you and I are cousins, you're wrong! Also, scheming doesn't become you. If anything, it makes us hate you even more."

I raised my brow and did not try speaking up for myself. Instead, I said, "Very well."

She and Simon were indeed a match made in heaven. They shared the same sick thrill of deluding themselves and putting words in others' mouths. If only they knew how little everyone thought of them.

I certainly couldn't care less about them.

When Simon and Yasmin left the lounge, the family finally turned their attention to me and my parents. My uncle, Charles Olsen, was the first one to speak. "Joan, Peter, are we celebrating something? What's with the sudden party?"

Mom and Dad exchanged a knowing look before they reached for my hand. "We have good news to share with the family."

I was about to speak when the lounge door was thrown open. Yasmin stormed up to me and hissed, "Did you destroy Simon's painting? That painting was meant for an auction, and it cost at least five million dollars!"

Simon entered the lounge with his painting in hand, glaring at me. "And here I thought that you couldn't afford a meal here and offered you money to help you out! Is this how you repay me? By going to the front desk and destroying my painting? How low will you stoop, Olivia?"

My gaze fell on the painting in question. I saw that black splotches had ruined it, disrupting the harmonious blend of bright, vivid colors.

I stared at Yasmin's and Simon's angry faces, annoyance bubbling up within me. "I've never seen that painting before. Instead of accusing me of something I didn't do, why don't you make better use of your time and check the security footage?"

I was tired after a long day of work, and all I wanted was to break the good news to the family so I could go home.

Yasmin sneered at my suggestion. "Simon and I have bodyguards escorting us wherever we go, and we left the painting at the front desk. You were the only one who went to the counter to settle the bill, so you must have ruined the painting!"

Panic colored my relatives' faces as they turned to me and prompted, "Apologize to Yasmin and get this over with, Olive. You were the only one who went out. We're family. I'm sure she won't hold this against you."

"That's right, Olivia. We're talking about five million dollars here! How will you afford the damages if Yasmin insists on making you pay? Just say that you're sorry."

Yasmin raised her chin and said arrogantly, "Because you're my cousin, I can let you off for two million dollars, but only if you get on your knees and apologize."

Simon set the painting down and hissed through gritted teeth, "Just apologize, and we'll let this incident slide, Olivia. If not, we'll see you in court."

I pinched the space between my brows and countered tiredly, "I told you that I had nothing to do with this. If you don't believe me, call the cops."

The commotion in the lounge had the waiters checking in on us, but they didn't have time to pay us any attention. They stood by the door and respectfully greeted the man who had just entered the lounge.

As the voices in the lounge rose to a clamor, I was suddenly pulled into a man's warm embrace.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?"