Edge of love and hate

Chapter 4

Olivia lowered her head in embarrassment. This was her first encounter with Matthew since their breakup, and she hadn't expected Adrian to be here as well.

"Olivia Williams, the precious pearl of the Williams family, how unexpected to find you dancing here," Matt said. With a sudden pull, he drew Olivia onto his lap, one arm encircling her slender waist. His intense gaze remained fixed on her, unwavering, like a cheetah eyeing its captured prey.

Olivia's face flushed with shyness. "Matt, we've broken up. Please don't do this."

"What am I doing? I'm merely holding you gently. Some people have spent entire nights with you in hotel rooms, haven't they?" Matthew's lips drew closer to Olivia's, nearly kissing her.

"Hey now, the person in question hasn't confirmed anything. You can't believe everything those gossip rags write. Everyone knows New York journalists are masters of making mountains out of molehills," interjected a boy Olivia didn't recognize, speaking with a British accent. He wore a Saint Laurent suit, exuding casual elegance, his hair styled simply with gel, voluminous yet neat.

“Byron, mind your own business, the person involved hasn't spoken yet,” Matthew signaled with his eyes, and the British-accented boy immediately backed down, “Alright, alright, I just didn’t want you guys to ruin your brotherhood.”

Matt's gaze returned to Olivia. She wore a pink silk dress, her hair in an elegant bun, her décolletage exposed, revealing a swath of pale skin.

When they were together, Matt always thought of Olivia as a docile bunny, conservative and obedient, caring for him in every possible way. However, the easier a woman was to control, the less she was appreciated. Once, when he was in London for business and it snowed heavily, his flight back to New York was delayed. Olivia waited for him at the airport for fifteen hours without resting. When they met, her eyes were red, and she was holding a coffee for him. He didn’t even look at her, only feeling embarrassed by her disheveled appearance.

Matt's eyes were now fixed intently on Olivia. His deep-set eyes, high nose bridge, and hair gleaming platinum in the light accentuated his features.

Olivia gathered herself. "Matt, we've broken up. You're engaged to Dorothy now. You have no right to interfere in my affairs anymore."

"No right to interfere, you say?" Matt retorted. "I've paid a hefty sum for you tonight. Do you want me to tell your manager that you're not keeping me happy, that he needs to train you better?" As he spoke, his face grazed Olivia's neck, his pen gently caressing her collarbone. His breath, tinged with the scent of cigars, fell softly on Olivia's skin, familiar yet strange.

Olivia admitted to herself that for a moment, her heart wavered. But she remembered Matt's cruelty when he abandoned her. If she still harbored any lingering affection for this man, it would be utterly pathetic.

Olivia forced a polite smile and said, "Matt, thank you for inviting me here today, but I only sell my art, not my body."

"Wow," Matt chuckled. "So, with Adrian, it was voluntary then? You seduced him?"

"I..." Olivia was momentarily at a loss for words. "Matt, please respect my job. If you continue to cross my boundaries, I'll have to return your tip and suggest you find another girl to accompany you."

"Matthew, she was with you for two years. Don't you know her temperament by now?" Adrian suddenly spoke from the corner, his expression still cold and composed, revealing no emotion.

"My girl doesn't need your commentary," Matthew said, restraining his emotions.

"You're engaged to Dorothy now. Your woman is probably someone else, right Olivia?"

Matt said nothing, gripping his cigar tightly and extinguishing it forcefully in the ashtray.

Seeing this, Byron quickly called for the waiter to bring new cigars and lit one.

"Olivia, I'm Byron, Matt and Adrian's cousin. You dance well, and you're quite beautiful," Byron said.

"Byron, have you taken a liking to her too?" Matt's voice suddenly rose an octave, giving Adrian a meaningful glance. Frightened, Byron quickly fell silent.

The Roberts family had made their fortune in the shipping industry during Matthew's grandfather's generation. They had profited immensely during the late 1980s when Asian economies were on the rise and trade between Asia and the West was booming. The grandfather had three sons. Byron and Leonard were the children of the eldest son, Sheldon Roberts. Matthew and Adrian were the children of the third son, Patrick Robert. The second son was said to be a gay writer who enjoyed writing from a female perspective and had never married or had children.

Among all the Roberts family heirs, Matt was known to be the most ruthless, dominating the business world, helping the family secure connections and market share. Everyone in the company knew that this future CEO-to-be had a brutal, animalistic nature hidden behind a human face, possessing the cold-heartedness and two-faced charm typical of business elites. His younger brother Adrian, on the other hand, was more focused on medical research, seemingly indifferent to the outside world. There were recent rumors that Matthew and Adrian were secretly vying for the position of heir to their father's medical group, but outsiders couldn't confirm if this was true. On the surface, the two maintained the appearance of harmonious brothers. Matt fought openly, while Adrian maneuvered in the shadows. As for the twins Byron and Leonard, who were slightly older, they had been raised in England from a young age. Since their father had inherited their grandfather's shipping company early on and had written a will dividing the family assets equally between them, with each holding 50% of their father's shares, the brothers appeared to get along well, both displaying mild and modest temperaments. Of course, in the cutthroat business world, this might just be a facade.

Matt's accusation of "Have you taken a liking to her too?" made Byron quickly shut his mouth. He knew his cousin was notoriously ruthless and feared that a misspoken word might cause family strife.

"Of course not, I was merely objectively complimenting Matthew's good taste," Byron said.

This seemed to please Matt, who held Olivia even tighter. He wondered why he had never found her so appealing before. With a bit of alcohol in her system, her face was flushed, making her look like an alluring little kitten.

Matt despised forcing himself on women; for a man like him, having to coerce a woman was tantamount to admitting his own lack of charm. But for some reason, tonight he seemed to have lost his rationality, clinging tightly to Olivia as if afraid she might slip away. His right hand gripped her wrist firmly.

"It hurts," Olivia couldn't help but say. She was a bit scared, her chest rising and falling with nervous breaths.

Matt gently kissed Olivia's neck, the wet, soft lips touching her skin sent an electric current through her body.

Frightened, Olivia tried to push Matt away, but he held her even tighter. "Stop it!" Olivia struggled to push him away, almost shrieking.

Byron lowered his head, puffing on his cigar as if the situation didn't concern him. Leonard, who hadn't spoken, was busy flirting with the beauty in his arms.

"Manager, your girl is drunk. Get one who can hold her liquor better," Adrian stood up and opened the door of the private room, beckoning Justin to come in.

Justin, unaware of what had transpired, entered to find Olivia sprawled on Matt's lap, her clothes disheveled. Of course, he was used to such scenes.

However, when Adrian complained about Olivia's poor alcohol tolerance, Justin felt a bit angry. He apologized profusely, saying he'd bring someone more sensible, while pulling Olivia out of the room.

Adrian stood up, buttoning his suit jacket, and said, "Let's see what other beauty you have," following them out.

Matt, seeing this, couldn't say much and could only watch as Olivia left. He let out a soft grunt and took a sip of the whiskey on the table.

"Angry?" Byron asked, leaning in.

"Over a dancer? Impossible," Matthew replied, his expression composed as he exhaled a puff of smoke.

The temperature difference between inside and outside the private room was significant. As the cool outside air hit her, Olivia sobered up a bit and called an Uber.

"Thank you," Olivia said to Adrian.

"You're mistaken. I wasn't trying to help you," Adrian's expression remained cold. "I just saw that you couldn't hold your liquor and didn't want you making a fool of yourself."

"You..." Olivia felt a bit awkward.

"I had no intention of going against my brother for your sake. You're not that important to me," Adrian twisted the Chrome Hearts ring on his finger, looking coldly at Olivia.

"I see. Thank you anyway," Olivia thanked him and prepared to get into the taxi. As she was about to step into the car, Adrian's voice came from behind.

"And Miss Olivia Williams, some clothes, once taken off, are very difficult to put back on."

Olivia turned to look at Adrian, but he had already gone back into the club.

These words, how well she knew their truth. But her father was still in the hospital, waiting for the money that could save his life. In such dire straits, she couldn't afford to worry about propriety and shame. "Laugh at poverty, not at prostitution" - this was a principle that privileged, self-righteous young masters like Adrian would never understand.

"To Roberts Hospital," Olivia told the driver.