Chapter 14: Seeing Marvin with Olive

Hearing the name "Olive," Bounty was stunned. "Marvin, do you know Olive?" she asked. "Yes," Marvin replied. "The talented medical student I mentioned—Olive. Aunt wants to introduce you both."

"Aunt, I'll be there soon!" Marvin hung up.

Bounty put away her phone. She suspected Marvin and Olive were old acquaintances; otherwise, she couldn't explain his sudden interest in appearing.

Olive sipped her red wine. Pamela approached, her face gloomy. After staring at Olive, she asked, "Olive, how did you meet the principal? Are you hiding something from me?"

Olive understood Pamela's feelings. Medicine and education were Pamela's sole measures of success and worth. Without them, Pamela felt useless.

"Pamela," Olive said calmly, "what do you care? Enjoy what you have. Because I will take everything you treasure and let you experience what I went through ten years ago."

Pamela's heart sank. Olive knew the principal. This felt like only the beginning of worse things to come.

Bounty called out, "Olive, come over here!"

Olive quickly set down her goblet. "I'm sorry, sis," she mumbled to Pamela. "I have to go."

Olive joined Bounty, who took her hand and left. Pamela watched them go, consumed by jealousy. Bounty hadn't even glanced at her; her attention was solely on Olive. Pamela hated being ignored, feeling she lived only in Olive and North's shadow.

On their way, Olive asked curiously, "Principal, are you taking me to meet your important guest?"

Bounty nodded.

Olive looked up and saw a tall, handsome young man—the man who often slept at the Ivory Council! Marvin wore a white shirt, a basketball jacket neatly folded in his hand.

Olive's eyelashes fluttered. She hadn't expected the mysterious guest to be Marvin.

Marvin saw Olive. He found her pretty and adorable. She stared at him in surprise. Two years earlier, in the Imperial City, they had treated a severely bleeding patient. During the treatment, their fingers had intertwined while pressing on the patient's chest for an X-ray.

Therefore, when Olive appeared at the Ivory Council, Marvin recognized her immediately. The masked girl from his memory had grown into a dazzling young woman. He had searched for her for a year. Just as his deadline approached and he was about to return to the Imperial City, she appeared.

Marvin stepped forward. Olive stared, surprised. "It's you? Did you give Greg's 'Greater Doctor' to me? You really helped me that day. I wanted to thank you, but you'd left."

"No need to thank me," Marvin replied calmly.

Bounty approached, confused. "Wait, you two know each other? Marvin, do you know Olive?"

"Marvin? Is that your name?" Olive asked, adding, "I'm just now learning your name, despite being colleagues."

"Olive, you're studying at the Ivory Council? Then you and Marvin must be connected! I wanted to introduce you both tonight."

"Really, Principal? I can't believe Marvin's here. He really likes to sleep," Olive said playfully.

Bounty hit Marvin playfully on the back. "You child! How can you sleep so much? You've made a bad impression on Olive!"

Olive was surprised by Bounty's action. Bounty apologized with a smile. She'd noticed Marvin's gaze on Olive.

"Olive, Marvin isn't sleepy. He was probably bored. Marvin's already an academician in Canada since he was twenty," Bounty explained, trying to improve his image.

Olive was stunned. She'd met older academicians, and while the dean was relatively young, Marvin was the youngest she'd ever seen. She'd initially thought he was wasting his time at the Ivory Council.

"Oh, my bad. I'll be more careful with my words," Olive apologized.

Marvin smiled faintly. She didn't remember him; otherwise, she'd know they were well-matched.

Elvis arrived last, immediately becoming the center of attention. As he turned, he stopped, his eyes falling on Marvin and Olive, who were conversing.