Chapter 34
After leaving the hospital, Olivia took a cab out to the prison. She topped up 1,000 dollars to Frank’s account to help him live a bit more comfortably inside.
Frank’s situation in prison was far from easy. Many people resented the wealthy. Seeing a once–prominent businessman fall from grace, some pitied him, but many more took pleasure in his downfall.
Some even went out of their way to kick him, as if it would somehow elevate their own sense of worth.
In his first month behind bars, Frank lost over twenty pounds. The man who had once exuded confidence had become timid and withdrawn.
Back then, Olivia had nothing, so he got no means to help Frank. It wasn’t until she married into the Wilson family, and the private creditors stopped harassing her day and night, that she could begin giving Frank some money each month.
Olivia thought as long as she held a little value, Frank at least wouldn’t be completely at the mercy of the wolves in there.
After topping up his account, Olivia applied for visitation. It was a quiet day with only a few visitors, so she soon waited for her turn.
Separated by a thick pane of glass, they sat in silence, staring at each other.
Frank’s eyes were hollow, devoid of life, like he had long since abandoned hope. He looked more like a ghost than a man.
Olivia’s voice wavered as she said, “Uncle Frank, please take care of yourself. I’ll find a way to get your sentence reduced.”
Frank forced a smile. “Don’t worry about me. Just take care of your grandfather and the others. My life is over.”
He knew all too well that sentence reduction was nearly impossible unless the debt to the banks was paid off in full. But that was a pipe dream.
He owed tens of billions of dollars. Repayment was out of the question. And even if, by some miracle, the money was paid back, that wouldn’t be enough to secure his freedom.
Frank was the legal representative of the company. When the scandal hit, those shareholders, who fabricated financial reports, colluded with corrupt officials, lied to banks, scammed investors and business partners, and then fled overseas with massive
amounts of cash.
All the blame and charges fell squarely on Frank’s shoulders.
Olivia was quiet for a long while before finally saying, “Don’t give up. As long as you’re still alive, there’s still hope. Everyone’s waiting for you to come home.
“Grandpa and the others were once locked up and humiliated too, but now they’re free again, and they’ve rebuilt the company. Trust me, things can get better.”
Frank buried his face in his hands and began to cry. If not for the fear that his death would completely shatter what little hope his family still clung to, he would’ve ended his life long ago.
He knew he was beyond saving, but maybe his family wasn’t. That thought was the only thing keeping him alive.
When Olivia stepped out of the prison, she looked up at the bright blue sky and felt like she couldn’t breathe. The weight on her chest was suffocating. She couldn’t see her future.
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Olivia thought, ‘That saying is Hight–when you can’t see the future, It’s usually because you’ve already seen what th
Even with the full backing of the Wilson family, the richest family in Hillbron, there was no way they could wipe clean the mou of debt the Kaur family had.
Their company had originally been valued at around 30 billion dollars. But corrupt shareholders, abusing their positions, had inflated its market value nearly tenfold by fabricating financial reports and colluding with shady departments.
Then they used the phony numbers to secure massive loans and funnel money out before vanishing overseas. They hadn’t just destroyed the Kaur family but also dragged down dozens of other companies and countless individuals with them.
In the immediate aftermath of the scandal, ten separate cases of debt–related livestreamed suicides and rooftop protests happened every day. The social impact had been catastrophic.
Everyone knew the Kaurs were victims too, but that didn’t matter. Frank, as the legal head of the company, was punished severely. The ones who didn’t flee also became convenient scapegoats for the public’s fury.
Still, even with her eyes wide open to a future filled with despair, Olivia had no other path. She could only keep walking one brutal step at a time.
She rubbed her sore eyes and turned her gaze back to the road. After hailing a cab, she headed back to the city.
Olivia didn’t go back to her home with Dylan. Instead, she went to her grandfather’s place.
After she married Dylan, Morgan helped them buy Kaur Manor back. So despite the crushing debt, at least they still had a place to live that felt like home.
As soon as Olivia stepped through the front door, her second aunt, Carol, greeted her with a beaming smile. “Oh, Ollie, you’re back.”
Debbie came trotting over but quickly pushed past Olivia, dashing to the entrance with bright, eager eyes. “Where’s Dylan? Didn’t he come with you?”
Olivia shook her head. “Nope. He’s busy with work. He doesn’t have time to come.”
Debbie’s face immediately turned gloomy. She scoffed and turned back toward the living room. “It’s not that he’s busy. He just doesn’t want to come back with you.
“You’re so useless. You’ve been married for three years and still haven’t won his heart. If I had been the one to marry him…”
“Debs, that’s enough,” Carol snapped, cutting her off sharply. Then Carol turned back to Olivia. “I’m so sorry, Ollie. You know Debs is always mischievous, always playing around.
“She didn’t mean it. Don’t take it to heart. Dylan’s got a massive company to run. It’s understandable that he’s busy.”
Olivia gave a light smile. “Debs isn’t wrong. I am really useless. Even if he weren’t busy, he wouldn’t have come with me.”
She had never hidden the truth about her/strained marriage with Dylan from her family. After all, deceiving Morgan was already exhausting enough, and to Olivia, there was no reason to burden herself with more lies.
And truthfully, what the Kaur family cared about was not whether she and Dylan loved each other, but whether her position in the Wilson family was stable, and how much benefit she could bring home.
Carol said, “Don’t say that. You and Dylan have been living together for three years. Maybe he didn’t love you at first, but after all
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this time, he must feel something for you, even if he hasn’t realized it yet.
“You need to keep trying, Ollie. Work on building a stronger bond with Dylan. Stop spending all your energy trying to please his grandfather. That old man doesn’t have many years left.
“Eventually, everything in the Wilson family will belong to Dylan. He’s the one you need to secure your position with
“Right now, Morgan is protecting you, but once he’s gone, no one will have your back. If Dylan decides to leave you for his mistress, what will you do?”
Carol was convinced the only path forward was to get Dylan’s favor. Only that way, after Morgan passed, would the Wilson family continue to support the Kaur family.
Every time Olivia returned home, Carol would find some way to drop hints, urging Olivia to get closer to Dylan.
In the past, Olivia always brushed it off. But now that her love for Dylan had long since withered, hearing this kind of talk only left a bitter taste in her mouth.
From behind his newspaper, Garrett lowered the pages and scolded, annoyed, “That’s enough. You always nag like this, and Ollie doesn’t want to come back. She’s not a child anymore. She knows what she’s doing. Stop making yourself so unwelcome.”
Carol glared at Garrett, but Garrett ignored her and turned to Olivia with a warm smile. “Ollie, just ignore her words. Don’t let it get to you. Do what makes you happy. Your grandfather’s meditating in the backyard. Go talk to him.”
Olivia nodded, set down the gift she brought, and headed toward the backyard.
No sooner had she walked away than Carol exploded in frustration. “Everything I say is for this family. What do you want? Go back to the way things were after the bankruptcy? Humiliated, mistreated, and powerless is what you wanna see, huh?”
Garrett’s voice was calm but firm. “But this isn’t all on Ollie’s shoulders. You know Dylan has a mistress. Ollie’s been enduring this
more do you want from her? She doesn’t owe this family anything.” sham of a marriage for three years for us. What r
Carol’s voice turned shrill. “She doesn’t? Of course she does! Her father abandoned her on Skull Island. Ee took her in and gave her a home. And don’t forget it was her father who helped bring down the Kaur family.
“We were humiliated because of him. He was one of the masterminds behind our ruin. She’s supposed to pay that debt back to us with everything, even her life.”
