Chapter 5 Defiance

"Mr. Blake, must you leave?" Olivia asked anxiously as she saw the closing elevator doors reopen.

No one answered her.

When Alexander's figure completely disappeared from sight, Olivia felt a wave of panic.

She desperately tried to push away James's hand gripping her, but no matter how hard she tried, James held her tightly, refusing to let go.

"He's gone. You can stop pretending now," James said coldly, without any of his previous warmth. "What was that display at the dinner table? You not only embarrassed Isabella but also nearly angered Stephen, jeopardizing our partnership."

"Thankfully, Stephen merely thought you were nervous and forgave you. I've arranged everything. Tomorrow, you'll personally go to Stephen's villa to apologize."

James placed his hand on Olivia's face, gently pinching her cheek as his tone softened. "Be a good girl and listen. Remember, don't make tonight's mistake again."

"Understand?" he glanced at her threateningly, though his tone remained gentle.

If it weren't for Stephen's fondness for her, he wouldn't treat a woman who had sabotaged his plans so kindly.

"Get lost!" Olivia said harshly, forcefully slapping his hand away.

"That's a good girl. Tomorrow when you go to Stephen's villa..." James started automatically, satisfied to see her no longer struggling, showing clear submission. However, his brain only now registered what she had actually said. "Wait, what did you just say? Say it again?"

"I said get lost!" Olivia slapped James's hand away forcefully. She stared at him, enunciating each word. "I told you to get lost. Don't you understand?"

Seeing his shocked expression, she laughed coldly, pointing directly at his nose.

"James, you're truly shameless. Just to secure this deal for Isabella, you'd send your fiancée to someone else's bed! Does your family know about your pimping? It's disgusting!"

"You!"

Was this the same woman who had always tried to please him?

James flew into a rage. "What do you mean 'pimping'? Have you lost your mind?"

"Did I hit a nerve?" Olivia laughed. "Am I wrong? I think you'd make a better brothel owner!"

"You! You!" James's eyes bulged with fury. The greatest insult he could imagine was being pointed at and insulted by a woman, especially one who had once obeyed his every command.

He found the woman before him ridiculous. "You dare call yourself my fiancée? Let me tell you, if it weren't for our families' business partnership, I wouldn't have agreed to make you my fiancée. Isabella is the one I truly love! If you're smart, you'll step aside!"

"Deal. I'm happy to step aside. Let's break off our engagement!" Olivia responded without hesitation.

Strangely, hearing James say this didn't anger her; instead, she suddenly felt calm.

He laughed coldly, "Olivia, don't think I don't know your new trick."

When both soft and hard approaches failed, she switched to a tougher strategy, but all to attract his attention. Her simple heart—what could she think of beyond love and feelings?

"Jerk," Olivia muttered in disbelief, rolling her eyes as she turned to leave.

She had hoped to use his anger to end this troublesome engagement, but somehow, he twisted everything to be about his irresistible charm.

The man was delusional!

When Olivia angrily rushed out the door, she discovered it had started drizzling outside.

A car slowly drove by. Recognizing the familiar license plate, her eyes lit up, and she rushed into the rain without hesitation.

"Mr. Blake!"

Standing beside the car, she bent slightly, one hand covering her forehead to block the rain, the other gently tapping on the rear window, calling Alexander with urgency in her voice.

The window lowered slightly, revealing Alexander's exceptionally serious face.

"Ms. Harper, here's an umbrella."

Just as Olivia was about to speak, she found an elegant black umbrella sheltering her.

She turned around in confusion to find Simon standing behind her with a polite smile, courteously offering her the umbrella.

He had always been wary of this woman, and seeing her come out, he had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, as soon as she spotted Alexander's car, she ran toward it. This was clearly an attempt to use riding with Alexander as an excuse to seduce him again!

So he wisely offered this umbrella, hoping she would take the hint and leave.

Olivia accepted it with surprise, but she had no intention of leaving. She bent down and looked at Alexander pitifully. "Mr. Blake, my friend can't make it, and with the rain coming down so hard, I don't think I can get a cab. If you're headed my way, could you give me a ride?"

She looked up at him with pleading eyes, her wet hair clinging to her face, adding another captivating dimension to her already beautiful features.

"Hmm." Alexander cleared his throat and coldly averted his gaze.

Olivia's face lit up with a smile. "Thank you."

'Olivia has won again,' Simon thought unhappily as he handed her a blanket after she got into the car.

Olivia gave Sophie's address. She wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, the dry warmth gradually dispelling the chill brought by the rain.

Silence filled the car. Olivia tentatively spoke. "Mr. Blake, I really want to thank you for today."

"You're so kind. I never expected you would help me."

"Did I?" he asked.

Hearing his question, Olivia quickly explained that she might be dizzy from the alcohol and misunderstood something.

Inwardly, she found it strange—shouldn't she express gratitude?

They must have known each other for a very long time—otherwise, in her memory, he wouldn't still appear as a young college student. He seemed to always reach out to help her, despite his cold demeanor. Perhaps they had argued during their later interactions?

Causing him to now refuse to acknowledge that he was helping her.

But hadn't her thanks just now been an implicit olive branch? Why was he acting so strangely?

Alexander looked up at Olivia, his eyes revealing a hint of hesitation.

But he didn't respond, and the car fell silent again.

"Mr. Blake, I noticed you barely ate anything tonight. Was the restaurant not to your taste?"

Abandoning the previous topic, Olivia asked what she really wanted to know, as she needed to understand his preferences to avoid mistakes the next time she invited him to dinner.

"Do you have any food preferences or restrictions?"

She smiled brightly at Alexander, waiting for his response, her gaze innocent and curious.

"Ms. Harper, please have some water." Suddenly, a glass of water appeared before her.

Simon watched her cautiously, offering some snacks, "You look pale. Did you drink on an empty stomach? You should eat something first."

"Thank you."

After this interruption, Alexander didn't look at her again.

The car stopped at their destination.

Simon kindly reminded her. "Ms. Harper, we've arrived."

Opening the door, Olivia turned to Alexander and said, "Mr. Blake, thank you very much for your help tonight. As a token of my gratitude, may I treat you to dinner tomorrow?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Alexander's previously calm expression immediately darkened.

He looked directly at Olivia, his eyes revealing emotions she couldn't understand.