Chapter 299: Paying Taxes Is an Honor

The next morning, Alexander opened his eyes to find Olivia staring at him, looking both annoyed and resigned.

“Do you realize your sleeping habits aren’t great?” Olivia said, glaring at him.

Alexander sat up slowly, raising an eyebrow.

“I didn’t know,” he replied calmly.

Olivia’s mouth twitched slightly. Alexander continued, “I suppose it’s because I’ve never shared a bed with anyone before.”

Olivia went silent. Since she had to sign a contract and collect her money that morning, she didn’t waste time arguing. She put on her coat and headed out the door.

At the meeting, Vance’s assistant handled the discussion about Olivia’s compensation from her former company. Olivia skimmed through the contract. Finding no issues, she signed it without hesitation and handed over her bank account details.

The assistant smiled politely. “All set, Ms. Carter. I’ll transfer the funds to your account right away. Please check your balance shortly.”

Not five minutes later, Olivia’s phone buzzed with a notification from her bank. Eagerly, she opened it, anticipating the near-billion-dollar deposit that would help her expand her wealth and continue her glorious single life. But when she saw the number, she froze.

“8 million?” she muttered, confused. Her account had already held over 3 million. With the settlement from her former company, the total should have been closer to one hundred million.

“Is something wrong, Ms. Carter?” the assistant asked, not noticing any issues.

“How much did you just transfer?” Olivia asked, narrowing her eyes.

The assistant reported the correct amount and even sent her the transaction record to confirm it. Olivia stared at the screen, baffled. The amount transferred was correct. But why had almost half of it disappeared after hitting her account?

Seeing her confusion, the assistant hesitated before speaking again. “Ms. Carter, this transfer is subject to taxes…”

“Taxes?” Olivia asked, stunned.

The assistant nodded.

“Yes, this income is subject to personal income tax as per the law.”

“How much tax?” Olivia asked, still trying to process the information.

“In this case, the tax rate is forty-five percent,” the assistant explained earnestly.

Olivia went silent again, her face blank.

“Forty-five percent?” she repeated weakly.

The assistant nodded sincerely.

At that moment, Olivia felt like she could physically hear her heart shattering.

The assistant, puzzled by Olivia’s devastated expression, finally asked, “Ms. Carter, is something wrong?”

Olivia silently slipped her bank card into her bag and said, “Paying taxes is an honor.”

The assistant was speechless.

Losing nearly half the money left Olivia feeling as though her soul had taken a blow. Staring at the million in her account, she sighed deeply. In my past life, I didn’t deal with this kind of money, so I never realized how harsh the taxes could be.

The road to wealth was still long and treacherous. Shaking off her disappointment, Olivia composed herself and left for her new company.

At Starlit Entertainment, Liliana sat in her office, staring at the stack of information about Olivia with a sour expression. Last night, Paul’s casual mention of the girl had left her certain—it was Olivia. Liliana had initially believed that the Kenneth family and Olivia would never cross paths. But now, the circumstances had proven otherwise, forcing her to act quickly to eliminate Olivia as the ticking time bomb she had become.