"Can you pass the phone to her? I want to speak with her myself."
"I'm sorry, Madam, but Miss Anne asked me not to disturb her. She said that if you need to discuss anything with her, you can text her directly."
Madison was silent for a moment.
"Okay. Thank you, Megan. Tell her to take care of herself."
She ended the call, her voice betraying her disappointment.
"What happened, Aunt? What did Sister say? Is she joining us?" Olivia asked, trying to hide her eagerness.
"No. She's busy right now. She won't be able to join us for the shopping."
Olivia's expression fell.
Why isn't she coming? I wanted her to see how she's going to lose everything that belongs to her.
She quickly composed herself and looked at Madison.
"But why?" she asked quietly. "Is she still angry with me because of my relationship with Jason?"
"No, Olivia. It's nothing like that. Anne is simply busy with work," Eva said, watching her carefully.
Olivia lowered her head.
"I understand. I suppose Sister has more important things to worry about."
She forced a small smile.
"I just wish things were different between us."
Before Madison could respond, a cold voice suddenly cut through the conversation.
"What happened, Olivia? Why do you look upset?"
Jason stood behind them, with Russ beside him.
Olivia quickly wiped the faint moisture from the corner of her eye and turned toward him.
"Nothing, Jason. I was just a little disappointed."
"Don't be upset, Olivia. You should be happy. You're getting engaged," Madison said, gently holding her hand.
"Yes, Olivia," Eva added. "I think you're misunderstanding Anne. She's not angry with you."
"Anne?" Jason's expression changed slightly.
His gaze shifted toward Madison.
"What about her?"
Before anyone could say anything, Olivia quickly spoke.
"Nothing, Jason. I wanted Sister to join us for shopping, but she said she was busy."
"Oh..." Jason frowned slightly. "But why are you asking her to join you? It's not like you're shopping for a wedding. You're only preparing for your engagement."
"I just wanted to spend some time with her," Olivia replied innocently. "You know how busy she is. I thought it might be good for us to spend some time together as sisters."
"If you already know she's busy, then why are you disturbing her?" Jason asked, his tone slightly irritated. "You can go shopping with Aunt Madison and your mother."
Olivia's smile remained, but her eyes briefly flickered with suspicion.
Anne... Anne... Every time her name comes up, he gets irritated. Does he still have feelings for her?
"Let's go, Olivia. We should get going," Eva said, sensing the growing tension.
"Yes, we're getting late." Madison turned to Eva. "Eva, didn't you once mention that your friend is well known for styling gowns? Is she available today?"
"I spoke to her this morning, but unfortunately, she's out of town right now," Eva replied.
"Then why don't we go to Imperial City Mall?" Olivia suggested, looking between Madison and Eva.
"All right. Let's go," Madison agreed.
Just as Madison and Eva were preparing to leave, Olivia walked over to Jason.
"Jason, why don't you join us for the shopping?"
"No. I have a meeting to attend. You girls can go ahead," Jason replied, gently moving his arm away when Olivia tried to hold it.
Olivia's smile stiffened for a moment.
"Olivia, have you informed your mother yet?" Madison asked.
"Oh, I forgot." Olivia lightly smacked her forehead. "Please wait a moment. I'll call her."
She stepped out of the living room with her phone.
Once Olivia was out of sight, Jason turned toward Eva.
"Mom, I'm heading out. If you need anything, just call me."
He took a silver card from his wallet and handed it to her.
"Take this. You might need it." Eva looked at the card curiously "What is this, Jason?"
"Just keep it with you. Use it if you need anything."
Before Eva could ask anything else, Jason turned and left the house.
A moment later, Olivia returned "Okay, we can go now. I called Mom. She'll meet us at the mall."
She looked around the room "Where did Jason go?"
"He had some work to take care of," Eva replied, slipping the silver card into her bag.
"Oh" For a brief moment, disappointment flashed across Olivia's face "Well, let's go."
The three women left the house and headed toward Imperial City Mall.
***
At Imperial City Mall
The family driver dropped Olivia, Eva, and Madison at the entrance of the mall, where Sophie, Olivia's biological mother, was already waiting for them.
The moment Olivia saw her mother, she hurried toward her and wrapped her arms around her.
"Mom! I missed you so much."
"Careful." Sophie gently pulled her away. "You're not a little girl anymore. Behave like a proper lady. And stop pulling on my coat. You'll ruin it."
"Sorry, Mom. I was just too excited to see you."
Olivia smiled brightly and took her mother's hand.
"You know, while you were out of town, Aunt Madison took such good care of me."
Sophie glanced toward Madison. Madison stood a short distance away, her expression polite but restrained. It was obvious that she had never been particularly fond of Sophie. Sophie, however, wore a pleasant smile.
"Thank you, Madison, for taking care of Olivia."
"There's no need to thank me," Madison replied with a faint smile. "Olivia is like a daughter to me. I've spent the past twenty years taking care of her while you were busy traveling."
The smile on Sophie's face remained, but her eyes hardened.
"Of course," she replied smoothly. "There's nothing to thank you for. After all, you've practically become her second mother." She paused deliberately.
"Though I suppose that's only natural when her own mother has been away so often."
Madison's expression tightened "And I suppose you've always been comfortable letting someone else do the work you should have been doing yourself."
Sophie's smile disappeared for a fraction of a second before returning "At least Olivia has never complained about it."