Chapter 177: However, I Like Her Very Much Too

Elvis didn't utter a word. He merely pursed his thin lips, silently opened the door, and left the Red Villa. His tall, straight figure quickly disappeared into the cold night.

Bounty retracted her gaze. Looking at Mrs. Samantha, she said, "Mom, I don't understand how Olive ended up marrying Elvis. I checked, and Olive married in place of her sister, right? But that doesn't add up. Mom, you've been in charge of the Augustine family for ages, and you love Elvis so much. Are you hiding something from us?"

Mrs. Samantha elegantly cut her steak, avoiding Bounty's gaze. "Bounty, since you already had someone investigate, why are you asking me? What else do you want to hear?"

Bounty shook her head. "Mom, are you blaming me for acting behind your back? You're too partial! You've always treated Elvis with so much love. I'm certain you planned this marriage. Even if I hadn't investigated, my brother and sister-in-law would have. And Mom, you know Olive is the girl Marvin fell in love with. He met her first…"

"Isn't it enough?" the old woman asked quietly.

"Mom, I…"

"Elvis has never taken anything from you. From the moment he left the Augustine family, he wanted nothing from them. Olive is his wife, his Mrs. Augustine. What do you think you're doing? You came to LA to destroy a happy marriage, and you're still so arrogant about it?"

Bounty, seeing Mrs. Samantha's unhappy, stern expression, remained silent.

Although Elvis had left the Augustine family seven years ago and wanted nothing from them, Alpha didn't care about his sick son. It was as if they had disowned each other. However, if Alpha's wife, Lily, hadn't seen Alpha's will, no one would have known that his vast business empire and foundations were bequeathed to Elvis. Of his two sons, Alpha chose Elvis as his successor.

Bounty knew that even ten years later, Joyce's unparalleled elegance lived on in her brother and ex-husband's memories. As she reminisced about Joyce's elegance, resentment surged in Bounty's heart.

"Mom, I'm sure this marriage was your plan. You knew about Olive before any of us. As a grandmother, the best thing you could give Elvis is a good wife, right?"

Mrs. Samantha, her eyes fixed on Bounty, put down her knife and fork. "Since you've already guessed, Bounty, you also know what my position is. I'm not betting on you or Elvis. I'm betting on Olive. You can try to take her away, but if you fail, I win!"

Having finished, Mrs. Samantha stood and left the dining room. Bounty sat stiffly, the dinner far from happy. She gathered her bag and left the Red Villa.

In the car, she called Marvin. News had broken online that Olive was the mysterious surgeon who'd worked with Marvin on the streets of Imperial.

The phone rang once and was answered. Marvin's cold, mellow voice sounded. "Aunt."

"Marvin, why didn't you tell me you liked Olive? I didn't expect her to be so stunning that both aunt and nephew would fall for her." Though Bounty's tone was reproachful, her fondness for Marvin was evident. She should have known the girl in Imperial was Olive!

Marvin was silent, then changed the subject. "Aunt, didn't you have dinner at Grandma's?"

Bounty sighed, tugging angrily at her phone. "It was awful. Your grandma is too partial!"

Bounty knew she lacked her mother's support and didn't want her grandsons further estranged.

"Grandma said even if you try to win Olive back, you'll fail," Bounty said disdainfully.

"How could we not win Olive's heart? If she knew what Elvis is really like, how terrifying he is, she'd leave him," Bounty added angrily.

"Aunt," Marvin said calmly. "Olive likes my brother very much."

Bounty was speechless. Unbelievably, she shook her head and asked, "Marvin, what do you mean? You're giving up?"

Marvin hesitated. Finally, his voice came, very slowly, "But I like her very much too. Obviously, I met her first."

At the Augustine Corporation, Elvis was holding a high-level meeting in the VIP conference room. The sales director presented the quarter's sales figures to the attentive executives. Everyone focused on the director except Elvis, who sat in the main seat, looking at his phone. He’d opened social media for the first time in a long while. The internet was abuzz. A post read, "Two years ago, Marvin and Olive performed an operation in Imperial." A picture of Marvin and Olive accompanied the post.