Chapter 155

Ollie took a long moment to snap out of his daze. He truly hadn’t expected his fiancée to call off their engagement over something on the internet. Seeing his stunned expression, Lydia couldn’t help but ask, “Who called?”

“Marlene. She’s breaking off the engagement.”

Lydia was momentarily dumbfounded. “Huh? How did this happen! There aren’t any intimate photos of you and Sienna online, are there?” That was the best thing that came to her mind.

Ollir shook his head. “No.”

Lydia frowned in confusion. “Then why is she calling it off? It was Marlene who took a liking to you in the first place, and it was the Molina family that proposed the marriage.” They had been together for over two years, and both families had originally planned for their wedding next year.

He was equally puzzled. “She lashed out at me over the online rumors and then said she wanted to break up. But the to do with me.” Only Leon and Joshua’s photos had been exposed. More importantly, he and Sienna had never been as physically close as his younger brothers were with her.

Lydia thought for a moment before saying, “No, I need to ask Marlene.” The two families had always been on good terms and had business ties. If her husband found out Ollie had been dumped, he would surely be furious.

Lydia called Marlene. The call was quickly answered. “Marlene,” she greeted.

Lydia softened her tone, trying to sound warm and motherly. “I just spoke to Ollir. He said you’re breaking up with him. Did you two have a fight? I’ll make sure he makes it up to you.”

Marlene replied calmly. “We didn’t fight. I just don’t want to be with him anymore.”

Lydia’s brows knitted together. “Then can you…” She added, “I know Leon, Joshua, and the adopted user were a bar out of line in those photos.” She then explained, “But Ollie was never that close with Sienna. Please don’t misunderstand.”

There was a brief silence on the other end before Marlene fully spoke. “Since you insist on asking, I’ll be blunt. I do like Ollie, but we’ve been together for over two years, and he’s always kept me at arm’s length.”

“It’s true that he and Sienna weren’t as physically affectionate as Leon and Joshua, but they were still unnaturally close—so close that it didn’t seem like a normal brother-sister relationship. Every time I sat down to talk with Ollie, Sienna would always find some excuse to call him away. Then, in front of me, she would taunt how much Ollie doted on her and how important she was to him.”

Marlene’s tone grew angrier as she continued. “There were two times I nearly broke up with Ollie because of Sienna. One: I asked Ollie to accompany me to meet a close friend. He agreed, and I had already set up the meeting. But when I arrived at the Jenkins estate to pick him up, Sienna suddenly ‘accidentally’ fell and acted like she was in terrible pain. Ollie immediately carried her to the hospital, leaving me to meet my friend alone. And to save face, I even had to make up an excuse, telling my friend that Ollie had to deal with an urgent company matter.”

Marlene let out a cold laugh. “And then, this year on my birthday, I invited a lot of friends for a celebration. Otar brought… started joking, asking Ollie to kiss me and when we’d be getting married. Right at that moment, Sienna suddenly clutched her stomach and said she was having severe pain. Without hesitation, Ollie rushed to support her and took her to the hospital, leaving me humiliated in front of all my friends.”

Marlene then asked sharply, “Lydia, if it were you, what would you think? Do you really believe these are just coincidences? Every time something important happens, Sienna finds a way to call my fiancé away. To those who don’t know better, they’d think she was his…”

“And she is it that Phoebe never acted like that? She’s also an adopted sister, but she never tried to monopolize Ollie. In fact, when I had stomach problems, Phoebe personally made herbal medicine for me. I got along just fine with Phoebe, but with Sienna… it’s impossible.”

Lydia asked, “Why couldn’t you get…”

Matiere scoffed. “Because Sacunalus no shume. She treats my fiancé like he belongs to her.” She had tolerated it twice before because she genuinely liked Ollie and believed in their future. With the Jenkins family, Marlene started to see how overly indulgent Ollie’s brothers were toward Sienna. She had even reasoned with Ollie, urging him to recognize who his real sister was. Phoebe had a much more likable personality than Sienna. In private, she and Phoebe actually got along well. But with Sienna? Their personalities completely clashed.

At first, Marlene had tried to get along with her, thinking that since Ollie cherished Sienna so much, she should make an effort too. That she quickly realized—Sienna was the perfect blend of a white lotus and a green tea schemer. Every time she was around, she would flaunt her closeness with Ollie. She would make sure to highlight just how much Ollie adored her, how much he indulged her, as if to emphasize that Marlene—the actual fiancée—was insignificant. No one could tolerate that.

Marlene was a rich heiress herself, so she wasn’t about to let Sienna walk all over her. And yet, Lydia and Ollie had the audacity to be upset with her over it! She had fought with Ollie countless times because of Sienna, making her seem petty. But if Sienna had been more like Phoebe, she and Marlene could have gotten along just fine.

When she saw the online scandal, she felt absolutely disgusted. Back when she visited the Jenkins estate, she had seen Sienna act intimately with the brothers, but not that intimately. It meant that behind closed doors, things must have been even worse. Leon, Joshua, and Janar were exposed—did she really believe Ollie and Cain weren’t the same! She wasn’t that naive. Her friends had advised her—what kind of man was worth this drama? If she married Ollie, wouldn’t Sienna just need to make one phone call, and he’d drop everything to rush to her side? Even Phoebe had been forced out of the family. Marlene, who was merely a fiancée in an arranged marriage, would fare even worse. Madlene had everything—looks, background—she could easily find someone better. Even Phocle had once been childhood sweethearts with Reece, but because of Sienna, she had ruthlessly broken things off and tossed Reece aside like garbage.

Marlene saw no reason to keep a fiancé who had ambiguous ties with his adopted sister. She could just as easily toss Ollie aside like garbage too. So after discussing it with her parents, she had called Ollie to break off the engagement. She hadn’t planned on saying much, but Lydia just had to call and press the issue. Fine. If they wanted an explanation, she would lay it all out. After all, the ones who should be ashamed weren’t her—it was their precious son and his clingy adopted sister.

Sure enough, when Lydia heard everything, her face darkened. She had no idea that Sienna had been such a constant presence in Ollie and Marlene’s relationship. Tydia quickly defended, “I can guarantee that there’s nothing inappropriate between Ollie and Sienna.” She then tried to persuade her, “Marlene, I know you’re upset about the online scandal, but maybe you should think it over? Have you… your parents?”

Marlene didn’t hesitate. “I already did. They support my decision. So, I’m sorry, but this is final.”