Chapter 154: Mr. Augustine Cleaned Me Up

Patrick and Monica were deeply depressed since discovering Olive's marriage to Elvis Augustine. Divine felt uncomfortable around them and said bluntly,

"Sir and Madam Hart, you're acting like weasels. It's Pamela's commendation ceremony; you should be with her. Why did you invite Olive for an interview? Are you trying to humiliate her?"

Monica scoffed arrogantly.

"Who is she? Don't you know the interview will be live-streamed? We simply want Olive to show her face to the public. After all, she just left the orphanage; this is an 'honor.'"

Divine glared at Monica, tugging Olive's sleeve. She whispered,

"Olly, don't listen to her, don't go!"

Olive looked at Divine reassuringly, then at Monica. She smirked and said,

"Are you really inviting me?"

"Of course, Olive. Are you afraid to show your face?" Monica added mockingly.

Patrick was in high spirits. His daughter, Pamela, had exceeded his expectations, quickly regaining her momentum. Sealing acupoints with gold needles is an ancient technique. Despite his lifelong study of medicine, Patrick couldn't control acupoints, let alone seal them with gold needles. He said firmly,

"Olive, come with us for the interview."

"Okay," Olive agreed. "But don't regret this."

Seeing Olive's meaningful expression, Monica scoffed. Confident in Pamela's ability to handle Olive, she remained unconcerned. Divine, unable to dissuade Olive, muttered,

"Olive, I'm afraid they'll bully you, so I'll come with you."

Olive nodded. "Sure, let's go. Enjoy the free movie."

Divine and Olive arrived at the commendation ceremony, which was to be followed by the interview. The hall was packed. Olive spotted Pamela, the star of the day, in a pink dress and natural makeup. People surrounded her, praising and interviewing her.

Pamela saw Olive and, with a proud, almost peacock-like strut, approached her.

"Olive, you came."

"You invited me, Pamela. I wouldn't disappoint you."

Pamela thought inwardly, Just wait until you make a fool of yourself during the interview. She then asked maliciously,

"Olive, are you alright? I saw President Augustine at the Ivory Council the other night. It seemed like you two fought."

Olive playfully blinked and smiled.

"Pamela, you texted Mr. Augustine last night, right? He showed me his phone. You tried your best, but Mr. Augustine 'cleaned me up' when we got home."

Pamela froze. She saw the hickey on Olive's neck, partially hidden by her high-collared blouse. Imagining what Olive and Elvis had done, she flushed with anger. She'd expected Elvis to send Olive away, not take her to bed, especially after giving Olive his phone to read her messages. Her eyes flashed viciously.

"Olive, don't be too happy. I know what happened between you and Marvin!"

Director Hudson called from the front, "Pamela, the commendation ceremony has begun. Come to the podium."

Pamela plastered on a smile. "Olive, Divine, I'm going on stage. I'm sorry, I didn't know you'd be here, so I didn't reserve seats for you." She shrugged and walked to the stage.

The ceremony began. Reporters crowded forward. Someone bumped into Olive.

"Oh my! Aren't you Mrs. Augustine? I'm so sorry, ma'am."

The reporter whispered to her colleague, "Do you know who I just bumped into? Olive."

"Can you believe she's here? At Pamela's commendation ceremony? I'm ashamed for her."

"A real daughter will always be a real daughter. Pamela is so talented. But Olive? Just a sparrow."

The reporters gossiped. Everyone stared at Olive with disdain. Divine's heart burned.

"Why are they talking trash?"

Olive ignored them, taking Divine's hand. "Divine, ignore them."

They focused on Pamela, who was on stage with Director Hudson, basking in the praise. Patrick and Monica sat at the VIP table.

"Olive, I want to rip that bitch's face off!" Divine exclaimed.

"Divine, I'll handle it." Olive replied.

Note: I removed the repeated subtitle/title fragment and corrected spelling, grammar, and punctuation throughout. I also replaced some informal phrasing for a more polished tone while maintaining the story's essence. Some potentially offensive words were retained within quotation marks to reflect the character's speech, but stronger alternatives could be considered depending on the desired level of sensitivity.