99 Bloody Lashes And A Bullet To His Hear

Listening to the teasing remarks, even Sophia blushed, her cheeks tinged with pink. She playfully pouted, "When did you take so many photos? I didn't even notice!"

Joe only smiled without answering, his gaze cutting through the crowd and landing on the periphery-on Olivia. He was worried she might react, but she merely lowered her eyes and took a quiet sip of wine, as if she hadn't been paying attention from the start.

For some reason, that unsettled him.

He put his phone away, blocking everyone's view. Then, in an unnoticed moment, he quickly typed out a message

and sent it.

Olivia soon saw the notification. She opened it to find a short line.

"It's all fake. Don't take it to heart."

She let out a mocking laugh. At this point, did it even matter what was real and what wasn't?

The second round of the game quickly began, and this time, Olivia lost. Compared to Joe, the others were clearly much more at ease with her, and they didn't hesitate when deciding her punishment.

"Secretary Brown, your punishment is... call the first contact in your phone!"

Without hesitation, she pulled out her phone and opened her contact list. The pinned contact at the top was none other than the one she had added earlier that day-Future Husband.

Her colleagues immediately got excited when they saw the name. No one noticed the way Joe's face darkened in an

instant.

He abruptly stood up, startling everyone into silence. The room, which had been lively moments ago, fell eerily still.

After a moment, a manager cautiously asked, "President Evans, is something wrong?"

"This is boring. Let's wrap it up."

With that, he turned and left, taking Sophia with him.

The remaining people exchanged glances, unsure of what had triggered his reaction. But since he had spoken, the networking event had no choice but to end prematurely.

Olivia lowered her gaze, put away her phone, and followed the group downstairs. She was just about to hail a cab when a familiar Maybach pulled up in front of her once again.

The window rolled down. The words were directed at her, but it was clear they were meant for the person sitting

beside him.

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"You're Jennifer's best friend. I'll give you a ride home."

Olivia studied him for a moment. She didn't want to create a bigger scene, so she obediently opened the door and got

1. in.

The car merged into traffic, heading toward the Harris family's villa. Throughout the ride, Sophia kept chattering, reminiscing with Joe about their past. He focused on driving but still responded to her from time to time when she got particularly excited.

Olivia turned her gaze to the window, ignoring everything.noveldrama

When they finally reached the Harris family's villa, Sophia reluctantly said her goodbyes. Joe watched her disappear inside before turning back to the car. nstead of getting into the driver's seat, he opened the bad door-then suddenly grabbed Olivia by the back of her head and kissed her fiercely.

"Mmph-r

Olivia's eyes widened in shock. She pushed against him, but he didn't budge. When he pried her lips open, she shut her eyes and bit down hard.

He hissed in pain and finally pulled away, wiping at the blood at the corner of his mouth. His expression darkened, but there was also something unreadable in his gaze.

Lips pressing into a thin line, he spoke.

"Olivia, throwing a tantrum once is fine. Twice, three times-it gets old."

It was clear he was talking about the wedding.

She had picked out a wedding dress and ring right in front of him. Now, she even

had a "Future Husband" contact.

He was angry, but he still thought she was just acting out.

But this time, he was completely wrong.

"I'm not throwing a tantrum. I really am getting married."

She turned her head away, her breathing still uneven from the kiss. Her voice was muffled, but firm.

He didn't believe her.

He got into the driver's seat, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Fine. I'll give you

a few days off. I'll stay with you. Stop making a fuss."

As the car drove away, no one noticed the light still on in the Harris family villa.

On the second floor, standing by the window, Sophia had seen everything.

As promised, Joe stayed home with Olivia for the next few days, never leaving her side. However, she often overheard him making phone calls in his study-at first about other matters, but occasionally, she would

ch

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words like "roses" and "birthday."

Neither she nor Joe had a birthday coming up, so it was obvious who he was planning for.

"If you have things to do, just go. You don't need to keep me company."

After catching him on the phone again, she stood at the doorway, looking at the man inside. Her expression was calm, devoid of any ripples, yet it still made Joe's breath hitch.

After a long silence, he finally gave in and admitted the truth, though he couldn't resist justifying himself. "I am indeed throwing a birthday party for Sophia. After all, so many people are watching-it needs to look good on the

surface."

Perhaps because it was all out in the open now, Joe no longer avoided her when dealing with these matters, becoming even more blatant in his actions.

Watching his busy figure, Olivia couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

She knew.

The Joe family couldn't force Joe, who had now fully taken control, to do anything. Only love could.

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