The Day I Went Silent Chapter 17
At the banquet, glasses clinked amidst a sea of glamorous gowns and elegant guests.
Julian held his wine glass, his expression indifferent, his gaze drifting to nowhere in particular.
Oliver was also by his side, dressed in a little suit and vest, though his eyes were still red and swollen.
A few people nearby were whispering: “I heard the Sterlings’ eldest daughter died in that plane crash. How are they acting like nothing happened?
And they’re still throwing a birthday banquet?”
“Maybe losing a daughter doesn’t really affect them.”
“True, that Olivia was useless anyway. Kicked out after three years of marriage into the Vance family — if I were her parents, I’d find it humiliating too…”
Oliver tugged at Julian’s hem, his usually clear voice hoarse from crying: “Dad, is what they’re saying true?”
“Does no one like Mom?
Are Grandpa and Grandma not sad either?”
Chloe used to cry in front of him often, saying that Olivia came from a rich and powerful family and had a happy home, while she herself struggled bitterly and couldn’t compare to her in any way.
Oliver didn’t understand all that; he only knew that Chloe was pitiful and that Olivia had a better life than Chloe.
So he bullied Olivia relentlessly, just hoping to make Chloe a little happier.
Looking at it now, was Olivia not living a very happy life either? A flicker of emotion finally stirred in Julian’s eyes.
He actually found it strange too; Robert and Eleanor weren’t the type of people who didn’t care about their daughter.
But that didn’t stop him from stroking Oliver’s head and saying gently, “Perhaps.
It’s okay. As long as we remember her, as long as we love her, that’s enough.”
A sudden commotion rippled through the crowd.
The birthday honoree, Robert, arrived late, arm in arm with a young woman in a white evening gown.
The massive banquet hall fell into a dead silence, the guests’ eyes widening in shock.
The woman beside Robert was none other than Olivia, who had just returned from abroad.
She hadn’t attended such occasions in a long time, yet her etiquette remained impeccable, her posture elegant, a smile gracing her lips.
Gone was the exhaustion from her days as Mrs. Vance; she had reverted to the radiant Ms. Sterling.
Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds before whispers quickly broke out among the crowd.
“She’s not dead?”
“Then why was Mr. Vance acting like that, even hand-writing the funeral invitations…”
Robert coughed twice, offering the crowd a smile: “Thank you all for your concern. A few months ago, Olivia was indeed supposed to board that flight, but she had a last-minute change of plans…”
Everyone quickly caught his drift and said no more, simply smiling and saying Robert was blessed, and that being alive was more important than anything else.
The atmosphere gradually returned to normal, and Robert went off to socialize with his business partners as usual. Olivia breathed a sigh of relief, wanting to find a quiet corner to rest.
The next second, her wrist was seized by a tremendous force.
Without a word, Julian dragged Olivia forward, marching straight out of the banquet hall and stopping in a quiet corridor.
Olivia’s eyes widened, not understanding what kind of crazy fit he was throwing: “Mr. Vance… what are you doing.
Let go.”
“Mr. Vance?
You’re calling me Mr. Vance?”
Julian didn’t let go; instead, his grip tightened.
His expression was so dark he looked ready to devour her, squeezing the words out almost syllable by syllable: “Are you trying to drive me insane?”
Seeing him like this, Olivia actually felt the urge to laugh.
She tried to shake off his hand: “Let go, you’re hurting me.”
Hearing the word “hurting,” Julian subconsciously loosened his grip.
But his eyes remained fixed on Olivia, intense and greedy, as if staring at a lost treasure finally recovered.
Olivia rubbed her aching wrist. “Mr. Vance, we have nothing to do with each other anymore. What else should I call you if not Mr. Vance?”
“Do you still expect me to call you ‘brother’?”
“Olivia.”
Julian took a deep breath, reining in his emotions. “About the divorce certificate… I know you’re still angry, and I don’t blame you.
Let’s not talk about that right now.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you never got on that plane?
Why did you change your number?
Do you have any idea how worried I was about you.”
Olivia blinked, utterly baffled. “Why would you worry about me?
With me gone, wouldn’t there be no one left to get in the way of you and Chloe?”
“You two should have wanted me dead more than anyone else.”
The fire building up in Julian’s chest burned hotter and hotter.
He gradually tuned out Olivia’s voice, his eyes fixated solely on her mouth as it kept opening and closing.
Too disobedient.
He thought.
Far too disobedient. Not a single word she said was what he wanted to hear.
He wanted to shut that mouth.
And with that thought, he did exactly that.
He roughly pinned Olivia against the wall, ignoring her panicked expression, and leaned down to kiss her.