Chapter 16: Shamelessness

After calming Isabella, Olivia was ready to drive home. However, as she approached her car, an unwelcome guest stood in her way.

James, with a smug look on his face, casually stroked the bright red hood of the car and then looked up at Olivia. He smirked, his tone mocking. “Olivia, is this car yours? You must be taking good care of that old man for him to let you drive such a nice ride.”

Olivia’s eyes bored into James with chilling coldness. James was the second son of the Carter family, Olivia’s younger brother. From the moment Olivia was brought back into the Carter family, James had never treated her with any respect. He’d insulted her to her face, calling her a country bumpkin, someone who would never amount to anything.

The first thing the Carter family did after receiving millions in dowry from the Wilson family was to buy James a two-million-dollar sports car. In her previous life, it was with that very car that James had run her down. James was the only one in the Carter family who didn’t know she was married to Alexander.

Olivia had a perverse sense that she owed James gratitude. She might never have known how disgusting her so-called family was if it weren’t for him. James, oblivious to the icy hatred in Olivia’s gaze, could only see the greed in his own eyes for the LaFerrari. The Carter family might spoil James, but their wealth couldn’t afford him a multimillion-dollar supercar. James had always wanted to be part of the elite circle that Lucas Thompson and Benjamin belonged to, but the Carter family wasn’t even in the same league as them. If he owned a million-dollar car, though, perhaps people wouldn’t be as judgmental of him.

“I’m going racing with some friends in a few days. Hand over the keys,” James demanded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

James knew exactly what Olivia was—a pushover. She’d always tried to please the family, desperate for their approval. As long as they showed her a bit of kindness, she’d come running, wagging her tail like a loyal dog. But Olivia didn’t even acknowledge him. Instead, she calmly opened the car door and sat in the driver’s seat, completely ignoring James’s demands.

James was stunned. He never expected Olivia to disregard him like this! She’d never refused him before. In the past, she’d always anticipated what he wanted and bought it for him without him even having to ask.

“Olivia, don’t push your luck! Do you want me to tell Mom and Dad and have them skin you alive?” James shouted, grabbing the car door and glaring at her. “Who do you think you are? I’m doing you a favor by asking for your car! Don’t think that just because you married some rich old man, you’ve turned into a high-society lady. With the way you look, it won’t be long before you’re begging us to take you in. But if you piss me off, you can forget about ever stepping foot in our house again!”

The words were familiar; James had said the same thing to Olivia in her previous life. Back then, she had genuinely considered the Carters her family, always trying to meet their demands. They had never treated her well, only pretending to care after she married Alexander. Olivia once believed that their belated affection was genuine and that they finally loved her. But now she knew just how disgusting they were.

Without a word, Olivia slammed the car door shut. Unprepared, James’s hand was caught in the door, causing him to break out in a cold sweat from the pain. Seeing that Olivia wasn’t going to give in, James stood in front of the car, pointing at her and screaming curses. “Olivia, are you out of your mind? Don’t think you’re untouchable just because you’ve got some man! Who do you think you are!”