Chapter 134

"I will never have children in my life," Olive declared.

Olive let out a sweet laugh. "That's not true, ma'am."

"Olive, let's get down to business," Bounty said. "I've already flown to LA. I called to invite you to a dinner party. Can you squeeze some time out of your busy schedule?"

The dinner was the same one Pamela had been bragging about. Observing Pamela's reaction would be interesting, but Olive couldn't agree immediately; she needed Elvis's consent. "Thank you so much for your invitation, ma'am, but I can't give you a definite answer at the moment."

"I await your answer, my dear. You must come; otherwise, the entire dinner would be meaningless!" Bounty persuaded.

"Okay, ma'am. I'll be there," Olive agreed, and hung up.

She resumed studying the mandala flower, determined to find a cure for Elvis as soon as possible.

Soon it was six o'clock. School had closed for the day. Olive's phone rang. It was Elvis.

Olive answered in a sweet voice, "Hello, Mr. Augustine, are you done at work?"

"Yes, I'm finished. Just left the company. My Mrs. Augustine seems busier than me these days. Do you get paid for studying overtime?" Elvis teased in a low, magnetic voice.

Olive chuckled. She didn't intend to tell him about the mandala flower; experimenting with the poison was risky, and he would undoubtedly stop her.

"Mr. Augustine, why don't you come pick me up from school?"

"I can't right away. I want to go back to the Red Villa," Elvis replied.

"Heading home to see Grandma? I haven't seen Grandma in a while. Take me with you."

Elvis's right hand gripped the steering wheel, his left holding his phone. Tenderness filled his handsome eyebrows.

"I need to retrieve some documents, my darling. I'll pick you up in about an hour, so we can have dinner together," Elvis responded.

Olive nodded obediently. "Alright then, I want to eat seafood."

"Okay, I'll have my secretary inform the chef."

At the Red Villa, Bounty arrived early. Immediately after landing, she went straight to see her mother, the old lady Samantha.

In the living room, Bounty handed Mrs. Samantha a suitcase and a doll. Leaning over, she hugged her. "You've been so busy lately. It's so hard to see you," Bounty murmured, snuggling into the old lady's arms. The old lady dearly loved Bounty, who had inherited her youthful beauty and radiance.

The old lady touched Bounty's curly hair and smiled lovingly. "I want to stay here for a while. I want to stay with Elvis."

Elvis and Marvin were both Bounty's nephews. But at the mention of Elvis, Bounty's body froze. "Mother, you're always so partial. You don't have only one grandson. It's always about Elvis. How about Marvin? Have you ever cared about him? He's in LA, too."

"Really? Marvin is here too? Bounty, you know I'm not worried about Marvin because you've showered him with love."

Bounty slowly disengaged from the hug. "Mother, Marvin is different from Elvis. Marvin is the heir. The Augustine family legacy will be handed to him."

"And Elvis? You and I know he's not emotionally stable. Has his sleep disorder been solved? Of course not. The worse it gets, the more likely he'll become dangerous. I advise you to stay away from him."

Mrs. Samantha's face was expressionless. Bounty shifted on the sofa and asked, "So, what do you say?"

The old lady looked at Bounty. "Why would I want to go back to Canada, or the Imperial City as you call it? Elvis's father is a wealthy businessman. And Marvin? He's a young academician, only twenty. But Elvis? You all know his condition, but what have you done to help him?"

"Has his father fulfilled his responsibility? You're his aunt and a teacher; have you ever taught Elvis anything? Have you ever been interested in tutoring him? Marvin is in the medical field, saving lives. Has he ever thought about saving his own brother?" Mrs. Samantha fired angrily. "I don't need you to do anything for Elvis anymore, but please, don't make his condition worsen. You all gave up on that child. Why are you still concerned about his actions? Do you still want to send him to a psychiatric hospital?"

Bounty's face paled. She interrupted cruelly, "How is it my fault that woman gave birth to him? I haven't forgotten how she seduced my husband. I was seven months pregnant, I fell down the stairs and injured myself! I lost my child, and my uterus was damaged! That's why I can never conceive!" Bounty sobbed, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'm in my forties," she continued, "women my age have grown children, but I was deprived of motherhood. Have you ever pitied me?" Tears flowed relentlessly down Bounty's cheeks.

"Bounty..." Mrs. Samantha called tenderly.

A knock interrupted the sad atmosphere. Both women turned towards the door. Elvis stood at the entrance, tall and handsome in a black suit. The dim light obscured his face.

Bounty stiffened, quickly wiping away her tears.

Elvis walked in with steady steps. He smiled, "Aunt, why didn't you call me when you arrived in LA? I would have picked you up."