Chapter 18
In the hotel room, Tyler gently held Olivia's face, and their eyes locked
onto each other.
He leaned in and kissed her lips, a kiss filled with an undeniable
intimacy. Their lips pressed together for a while, their breaths mingling
closely as they finally parted
That night, Olivia didn't return home. Mrs. Jones woke up twice during
the night, at 1 A.M. and AM, but Olivia was nowhere to be found.
Tyler's car only left the hotel the next day. He dropped her off at school
directly, and when she opened the car door to get out at the school
entrance, he reached out and took her hand. She froze instantly and
looked at him, uncertain.
âText me?â he asked.
She wasn't entirely sure what he meant by that, but after a moment, he
clarified, âI'll buy you some clothes.â
She pursed her lips and glanced at her current outfit, realizing that
wearing what she had on the night before was rather inappropriate
now. With her bag in hand, she nodded after some hesitation.
Only then did he release her hand, allowing her to step out of the car.
She hurriedly made her way inside the school.
Tyler, too, seemed a bit disheveled. He was dressed in the same shirt
and slacks as the previous day, and they were visibly wrinkled. It was a
rare sight to see him looking so unkempt.
When Olivia arrived at school, she received a bank transfer notification
on her phone. Pausing to check it, she saw that a significant amount of
money had been deposited from an unfamiliar account.
She gripped her phone, overwhelmed by the unexpected financial
windfall. She didnât need that much money right now. All she hoped
was that Tyler wouldn't reveal to her family that she had been working
at the hotel.
Looking at the unfamiliar account number, she decided to accept the
money for the time being and continued on her way to class.
In the evening, Olivia received a text message from Tyler asking, âAre
you done with school?â
She did not reply after reading the message.
A little while later, Tyler sent another text, âI'll wait for you at the school
entrance.â
Quickly after leaving the classroom, Olivia put her phone away. Sophie
approached her at that moment, saying, âYou're not working part-time
tonight, Olivia. Will you have dinner with me?â
Her heart raced with anxiety when she heard Sophie's voice, fearing
that Sophie would notice she was wearing the same clothes as
yesterday. Thankfully, Sophie seemed oblivious to her attire. Olivia
replied, âThere's... something I have to deal with at home. I have to go
now.â
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Sophie looked like she wanted to say more, but Olivia quickly left the
classroom.
When she arrived at the school entrance, she saw Tyler's car waiting
for her.
He had been busy with meetings all day, and exhaustion was evident
as he rubbed his temples while sitting in the car. Upon spotting Olivia,
he put his hand down.
She entered the car and settled into the passenger seat.
Tyler had changed his clothes and looked fresh again. He drove away
from the school.
She hesitated and then said, âActually... You donât have to buy me
clothes. I'll change at home.â
Ignoring her protest, Tyler continued driving and took her to a lingerie
store at the shopping mall. A shop assistant welcomed them as they
entered.
Olivia kept her eyes downcast and avoided looking at the merchandise.
Tyler, on the other hand, appeared as nonchalant as ever as he picked
up a white lace lingerie set and handed it to her, asking, "
What about this?"
In reality, Olivia rarely bought lingerie. Her mother had passed away
when she was young, and she hadn't received guidance about her
body when she moved in with the Jones family.
She had learned about such matters during puberty and in college.
Consequently, she hardly purchased lingerie, nor did she regularly
replace her old ones. She would wear the same sets for years until
they wore out.
Olivia hadn't expected Tyler to notice this detail about her. She felt
awkward and self-conscious standing in the lingerie store, as if she
were being scrutinized.
Tyler then said, âI'll wait for you outside. Go try this on.â
Blushing, Olivia gave a brief nod in response.
Chaber 19