Chapter 42
817 Words
Olivia's mind buzzed with what had just happened. It was incredible! With so many powerful and wealthy families and enterprises present, the Apex Group chose her. She couldn't help but wonder if Jonathan knew Elliott.
"Elliott is a colonel. He represents both the Yonderville military and the government. Whether it's due to regulations or the healthy development of the bidding process, he can't accept such gifts. If even a colonel could casually accept political donations from influential families in public, Yonderville would descend into chaos," Jonathan explained.
Olivia nodded. She found Jonathan's explanation reasonable. Business dealings requiring political oversight must be transparent. If gifts were involved, it would inevitably be seen as corruption. So, not giving gifts turned out to be the best option.
Jonathan sighed with relief. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Olivia about his identity. He was just afraid that it would be hard for Olivia to accept and could bring unnecessary trouble to both her and Ruby.
Moreover, he had a blood feud with the Stewart family and the four major families. Before avenging this grudge, he had to keep a low profile.
Half an hour later, the hall of the Harrison Villa was filled with core members.
"Grandpa, Jonathan is too arrogant. He demanded we send a luxury car for Olivia and I apologize to her and that little bastard. And he said..." Sophia's voice trailed off.
"Said what?!" Samuel asked angrily and slammed his cane on the floor with a resounding thud.
"He said you must personally invite them back," Sophia murmured.
Her words created an uproar in the hall.
"What? Mr. Samuel Harrison has to personally invite them back? This is outrageous!"
"Jonathan is just a piece of trash and a retired loser. How dare he meddle in our family's affairs! Mr. Harrison, you must not agree."
"I can't believe Olivia sides with Jonathan. We've raised her for over ten years, and she's repaying us with betrayal."
The hall was filled with furious shouts and curses.
Samuel, as the head of the family, had a sullen expression and interrupted, "Enough! Jagger, Olivia is your daughter. You handle this matter on my behalf."
Jagger hesitated. Just as he expected, Samuel didn't assign this task to Sophia. He agreed reluctantly, "Alright."
Sally, however, objected quickly, "Dad, Jonathan said that you must go personally. What if we fail?"
Declan snorted, "Sally, do you really want Dad to go invite Olivia? If Dad goes, it will utterly tarnish our family's reputation."
"Yes, don't be ridiculous," Maeve chimed in.
"But..." Sally wanted to argue, but Samuel shouted, "It's decided!"
With that, he left the hall.
After Samuel left, Declan said hypocritically, "Jagger, Olivia is your daughter. Try to persuade her and secure this cooperation, and you'll be the hero of the Harrison family. I believe in you, and so does Dad. You won't let us down, right?"
Jagger, knowing it was sarcasm, could only force a smile. "I'll try my best."
With that, Jagger took Sally and Chad to Olivia's villa.
This villa was designated for the exclusive use of Jonathan, a five-star general. It had been brought under the control of the Novaria military as a special military zone.
Jonathan had told Olivia that it was merely a friend's house, and the naive Olivia believed him.
Jagger, Sally, and Chad were stunned by the opulent villa. Sally and Chad kept looking around, amazed.
"Jagger, how does Olivia get to stay here? This high-end villa must cost at least a million dollars!" Sally exclaimed, her eyes glued to the luxurious villa.
Chad, holding his phone, shouted, "Mom, look at this. The price is a whopping ten million dollars! That's ten times the Harrison family's assets!"
"What?! Ten million dollars?! How does Olivia afford this? What has she done to live in such a luxurious villa?" Sally trembled with disbelief, her eyes filled with jealousy. She couldn't help but think how glorious and comfortable it would be if she and Chad could live here.
Jagger plodded forward silently. The three arrived at the main door.
Benjamin blocked their path and said coldly, "How did you get in here?"
Jagger, stunned by Benjamin's intimidating demeanor and terrifying gaze, stammered, "I... I came to see my daughter. Her name is Olivia Harrison."
Benjamin frowned and glanced at Sally and Chad. "Are you from the Harrison family?"
Sally immediately gave a flattering smile. "Yes, I'm her mother. Let her come out to see us."
But Benjamin coldly replied, "Sorry. She's not here. Leave!"
"No way. That b***h must be hiding from us. Bring her out. How could she live in such a good villa secretly?" Sally, thinking Benjamin was just a gatekeeper, shouted maliciously.
"Shut up!" Benjamin roared, his eyes filled with murderous intent. He slapped Sally across the face. "Do you know what this place is? How dare you shout here! Do you want to die?"
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