Chapter 509

Liam's hand shot out without warning, sending Olivia tumbling down the marble staircase. Her body bounced against the hard edges, each impact leaving angry purple bruises. By the time she reached the bottom, her whimpers were barely audible through the pain.

Margaret lay gasping at the foot of the stairs before finally choking out, "Did Evelyn put you up to this? She promised you'd be mine! How dare she betray me like this? Doesn't she know who she's dealing with?" Liam's lips curled into a cruel smirk as he descended toward her.

She scrambled backward as he approached, genuine terror flashing in her eyes. "Am I just some prize to be handed between you two?"

Liam paused to light a cigarette, the flame illuminating his chiseled features. The smoke curled around his face like a sinister halo. That handsome exterior masked something far darker - a side he only showed to those who crossed him, never to his precious Olivia.

Margaret's nails dug into the carpet as she spat through clenched teeth, "I won't accept this! I knew you were mine from the moment we met in the rain. If Evelyn doesn't want you, why can't I have you? Don't be fooled - her indifference is just an act to keep other women away!"

Liam exhaled a cloud of smoke, cutting her off mid-rant. "Let me make this perfectly clear. My disgust for you has nothing to do with Evelyn. Even if she vanished tomorrow, I'd still find you utterly repulsive."

His words landed like physical blows.

Enraged, Margaret hissed, "You forget I have Alistair wrapped around my finger!"

Liam merely arched an eyebrow, unimpressed. "And? He's not my grandfather. Did you really think you could use that old man to control me?"

Margaret's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, her fingers twisting in the plush carpet. The truth was, her supposed "love" for Liam wasn't nearly as deep as she pretended.

She simply needed a powerful protector. Her recent scandals in Crestwood had frozen her accounts and gotten her expelled from Westfield University, effectively destroying her future.

Yet Margaret refused to accept responsibility. Since childhood, everyone had praised her brilliance, telling her she was destined for greatness.

There was a time when influential men whispered promises of glittering futures in her ear. She'd grown up believing the world owed her everything. Ruthless ambition had always been her compass - accumulating wealth and admiration through any means necessary.

Margaret's arrogance knew no bounds. Who was Evelyn Whitmore anyway? What did it matter if the girl had actual talent? Margaret would ensure history remembered her as the true heroine of this story. Evelyn was merely a pawn in her grand design.

But she hadn't accounted for Olivia Sinclair's arrival. Beautiful, brilliant, and impossibly wealthy, Olivia had effortlessly dismantled all Margaret's carefully laid plans. The injustice burned. Determined to rebuild her empire, Margaret sought powerful new alliances.

She remembered that first encounter with Liam vividly - tall and devastatingly handsome beneath his black umbrella in the storm, like some romantic hero sent by fate. She'd been certain they were meant to be. Yet despite her best efforts, she couldn't capture his attention. Now it was clear she'd never secure Liam's protection.

Margaret reasoned that if she could expose Olivia's weaknesses, she might at least secure temporary financial stability. But as someone who believed herself born to be the protagonist of every story, how could Margaret possibly accept living in Olivia's shadow?

Her bitter musings were interrupted by a voice from above. "How's everything going down there? Have you handled our little problem?" Olivia's melodic tones carried down the staircase.