THE WAITRESS WHO STOPPED A MILLIONAIRE FROM SLAPPING AN OLD LADY

CHAPTER 5: THE HEIRESS WHO DID NOT BELONG TO THIS FAMILY
Olivia Sterling had never really felt comfortable in the family mansion.
The property spanned several acres in Lake Forest.
Its limestone walls, immaculate gardens, and towering windows reflected a wealth accumulated over generations.
Everything was beautiful.
Everything was controlled.
By the time she was eighteen, Olivia had already traveled across Europe, attended prestigious private schools, and appeared on the cover of magazines alongside her mother.
She owned jewelry worth several hundred thousand dollars.
She had a car that she rarely drive.
Her dressing room was large enough to hold an entire apartment.
However, she had notIt was never allowed to make a significant decision without Victoria’s approval.
After the gala, restrictions had worsened.
His mother had confiscated his phone.

His grandfather had ordered increased security around the property.
The driver refused to drive her anywhere.
Even the domestic workers avoided answering his questions.
Olivia sat at her desk, gazing at photographs of Emma Carter.
The waitress had been on the front page of all the major Chicago newspapers.
His confrontation with Victoria had gone viral.
Millions of people had watched the video.
Some considered Emma a heroine.
Others criticized the millionaire guests who stood still while Victoria threatened a helpless old lady.
Olivia barely paid attention to this public debate.
She was mostly looking at Emma’s face.
The resemblance was impossible to ignore.
The eyes.
The chin.
The mouth.
The small mark under the eyebrow.
Olivia opened a photograph of herself taken at sixteen.
Then she placed it next to Emma’s.

For a moment, she felt like she was looking at an older version of herself.
A noise was heard at the door.
Victoria entered.
His face looked exhausted.
“My darling.”
Olivia closed her computer.
“Why are there guards outside my room?”
Victoria hesitated.
“Your grandfather is worried about your safety.”
“Why?”
“Because of what happened at the gala.”
Olivia stared at her.
“Why did you try to hit that old lady?”
Victoria’s expression changed.
“Olivia… “
I’m serious.
Victoria looked away.
“She provoked me.”
Olivia frowned.
“How?”
“She said something cruel.”
“What did she say?”
Victoria did not answer.
Olivia stood up.
“Mom, why does Emma Carter look so much like me?”
Victoria froze.
The silence that followed was more revealing than any answer.
Olivia felt her stomach contract.
“Mom?”
Victoria walked to the window.

“A lot of people look the same.”
Olivia opened her computer again.
She turned the screen.
Emma’s photograph appeared.
Victoria’s face lost all its color.
Olivia whispered,
“Have I been adopted?”
Victoria’s lips trembled.
“Where did you hear that?”
Olivia approached.
“Answer me.”
Victoria began to cry.
Olivia felt as if the ground was disappearing under her feet.
“Mom…
Victoria covered her face.
“My darling…
Olivia stepped back.
“No.”
Victoria reached out to her.
“Please.”
“Have I been adopted?”
Victoria lowered her hands.
“Yes.”
Olivia held her breath.
For eighteen years, she had believed Victoria to be her biological mother.
All his childhood memories suddenly became uncertain.
Family portraits.
Birthdays.
The stories about the traits she inherited from her parents.
Everything now seemed different.
“Who is my real mother?”
Victoria swallowed.

“Grace Carter.”
Olivia looked at her.
“Is she alive?”
Victoria began to tremble.
“I don’t know.”
“Where did you find me?”
Victoria looked at the closed door.
Then she whispered,
“Your grandfather brought you home.”
Olivia felt nauseous.
“What?”
“He told me your mother was dead.”
“Did you believe it?”
Victoria cried even harder.
“I wanted to believe it.”
Olivia stared at her.
“Why?”
“Because the doctors told me I would never be able to have children.”
Victoria’s voice broke.
“Your grandfather told me that he had arranged a private adoption.”
Olivia looked at Emma’s photograph.
“Does she know that?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Is it my sister?”
Victoria closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
Oliviburst into tears.
For the first time in her life, she had a real explanation for this loneliness that she had never been able to understand.
She had not imagined the distance that separated her from her family.
She had been torn from another family.
Olivia walked to the door.
“I’m going to find her.”
Victoria grabbed her by the arm.
“No!”
Olivia pulled away.
“Let me go.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I understand enough.”
Victoria’s voice became desperate.
“If your grandfather finds out that you know the truth, he may never let you out of this house again.”
Olivia stood still.
Suddenly, a voice rings out from the door.
“That’s right.”
Jonathan Sterling came on.
Her silver hair was neatly styled.
His navy blue suit was impeccable.
His expression was terribly calm.
He looked at Olivia.
“Pack a suitcase.”
She stepped back.
“Why?”
“You’re going to go to a safe place.”
“Where?”
Jonathan smiled.