Chapter 3
I couldn't help but wonder what kind of parents let their daughter turn out like this?
"Lauren, just wait. You'll regret this. You'll pay for what you did today," Henry said coldly.
He shoved past me, face like ice, and took Noreen to sort out the adoption papers.
It seemed like Henry couldn't get the kid officially registered, so now he was stuck doing it himself.
What a joke.
With Henry holding her hand, Noreen kept glancing back at me, unable to look away until she saw me pick up Olivia and get into the Rolls-Royce with her.
"Olivia, are you ready? We're about to start a brand new, amazing life," I said, my voice full of excitement.
I took Olivia back to the villa, gave her a bath, and dressed her in cozy pajamas. Then we headed downstairs to enjoy a special kids' meal the chef had prepared for her.
I was worried she might not like it, but Olivia was a total champ. She dug in without a fuss, eating like she hadn't had a good meal in ages.
After dinner, I took her for a stroll in the garden to help her digest, then tucked her into bed for a good night's rest.
Before, I'd specially decorated the room as a pink princess suite to welcome Noreen.
There were several large wardrobes, and the jewelry alone filled up ten boxes.
The pastry chef I'd hired from Oruland wheeled a cart loaded with all sorts of exquisite treats right up to the bed.
Olivia's jaw dropped as soon as she stepped inside.
"Wow, this bed is huge," she exclaimed.
Water dripped from Olivia's dark as she squealed with excitement, then dove onto the huge bed, rolling around.
The servants couldn't help but smile fondly at her. Olivia's eyes were glued to the massive bed, oblivious to the fact that every single dress in this room was custom-made and worth a small fortune.
On the way back, I'd already had someone look into Noreen's background.
Turned out, the so-called female lead was actually Joan Parkins, the daughter of our previous maid.
Back in high school, Joan's mom asked me for help, saying their place was too far from school and it was making it hard for Joan to keep up with her classes.
I was feeling pretty lonely at the time, so I gladly let Joan move into the villa with me. We ate together and lived together, just like family.
I treated her like my closest friend, telling her everything, even how much I liked Henry.
But I never expected her to go after Henry behind my back or plotting together against me.
To them, I was a rich brat with more money than sense, and they were hell-bent on making sure their kid would end up with everything I owned.
Words appeared before me again.
[What's the big deal if the main leads had a kid? It's 2024 and one doesn't have to be married to have a baby. If Lauren really loves Henry, she should just take him, baggage and all.]
[Seriously, this is shady. Having a kid is fine, but dumping your kid on someone else and lying about it? That's trashy.]
[I swear, the morals in this story are so weird. Revenge plot? More like a whole family of ingrates.]
My chest heaved, and I couldn't calm down.
If I remembered right, Joan's mom got busted for stealing and was kicked out of our house back then.
There was also proof that Joan was mixed up in it too. But still, I gave her a generous payout so she could live comfortably.
"Joan, how could you stab me in the back?" I muttered aloud.
My fingers shook as I gripped my phone. "How could you do this to me?"
"Where is she?" a voice said suddenly.
Olivia was standing right behind me.
She looked up at me, her eyes icy and way too intense for a kid her age.
"I'll kill anyone who messes with you," Olivia said, her voice low and deadly serious.
She was so small, all skin and bones from years of going hungry.
And yet she reached out and gently brushed away the tear slipping down from the corner of my eye.
"You're crying. Tell me where the person who hurt you is," Olivia said, her voice gentle but determined.
In that instant, I decided I'd give everything for Olivia.
I crouched down and wrapped her in a tight hug.
"Baby, it's just you and me now. We've only got each other, so let's make our lives amazing and show everyone how strong we are," I said, my voice full of love and resolve.
*****
Olivia was six years old and had never even been to school. I told my assistant to get her into a great school ASAP.
To make sure the teachers and staff would treat Olivia like a VIP, I donated an entire building to the school.
Money was never a problem for me.
Whatever I could do, I'd make sure my girl got the best of everything.
Just my luck, on Olivia's very first day at school, I spotted Henry, holding Noreen's hand, in the auditorium.