Many have heard of the great elder's achievements but not many have seen him.
Olivia is part of the many who have heard of his achievements but have not seen him — "Well, maybe his back view on the news."
On coming down the stairs, Olivia's heart couldn't stop pondering hard. One of her lifelong dreams has always been "seeing a business tycoon," and she knew studying business administration and finance was the beginning of fulfilling that dream. The death of her mother during her final college days really dealt a blow to her dream. This could be considered one of her many failures in life.
Now, having the privilege to see the Great Elder of the Bradford family felt like a dying dream coming to life. Well, even though the marriage was not what she wanted, the revival of her life's dream was some compensation.
With all these thoughts in mind, Olivia got to the dining table and saw a middle-aged man sitting with his phone to his ear, receiving a call.
She thought she was having breakfast with the Great Elder — why was she seeing a middle-aged man? Olivia thought.
She looked around to check for any white-haired man hiding somewhere in the room. Not seeing her imagined version of the Great Elder anywhere, she had to admit that the Bradford genes were really something to brag about. If she remembered correctly, the Great Elder should be at least seventy years old, and yet he still looked this young.
WOW!!!!! She exclaimed in her heart while bowing her head, feeling amused.
Still lost in her own world, she heard a cold voice: "Sit."Immediately, she raised her head and saw a fine-looking man staring at her — more like looking for flaws.
"Eat," the Great Elder said after the maids had served the dishes.
They both ate their meals in silence, which wasn't a surprise to Olivia, because she knew big families had etiquette she had to abide by. She really missed having breakfast with her friends. It was never this quiet, she thought.
After breakfast, Olivia fidgeted with her fingers because she didn't know what to do next. All the words she had planned to say when she met a famous business tycoon couldn't be said in this situation. She was sitting in front of her husband's grandfather, and she was in the position of his granddaughter-in-law, not a business administration student. She was weeping inside because the situation felt so awkward.
"I heard you are a business admin student," the Great Elder asked, breaking the long silence after breakfast.
"Yes, I am, sir," Olivia replied promptly, her back straightened as if she were a school student talking to her principal.
"That's good. Are you done with college?" the Great Elder asked in a monotonous voice.
"No, sir. I am in my final year. Just a few months left," she answered.
"Okay. Since you are not done, you can continue with your studies. You can also live in your school hostel if you want. Lastly, you can tell the butler anything you need, and if you seek an audience with me, you can come to my villa — it is behind the mountain." After saying this string of words, the Great Elder stood up and left the dining hall.
Olivia heaved a breath of relief after the Great Elder left the hall.
"He said I can live in my college hostel, right?" Olivia asked herself this question aloud.
"Yes, second mistress," a friendly maid replied while standing behind her.
On hearing the confirmation, Olivia laughed with happiness. She thought she was going to be caged like those female leads in the novels her friends told her about, but reality turned out to be different. I can choose not to stay here. With happiness inside of her, Olivia didn't even realize that the Great Elder hadn't spoken about her marriage, nor had he said anything about her husband.
As soon as Olivia got back to her room, she began packing her bags — she didn't want to stay in this isolated mansion. After she was done, she changed into a simple pair of jean trousers and a plain white shirt, with white sneakers. She pulled her hair into a messy bun and dragged her suitcase out of the room.
"Second young miss, let me help with the bag," a maid said, taking the bag from her hands.
Outside the mansion, a driver was already waiting for her. She got into the car and told the driver the direction of her college.
On the way there, she called her friends and told them she had a surprise for them and that they should all be in the hostel.
It didn't take long for the car to arrive in front of the college, and Olivia got down and dragged her suitcase along with her.
The last time I entered this college I was single. Now I am a married woman, Olivia thought in a mocking tone, a small smile on her face.
"Here comes your surprise!!!" Olivia shouted on getting to the hostel door.
"Oli!" her three roommates, who were also her friends, shouted while jumping to hug her.
"I thought we were not going to see you again," one of her friends, Sophia, said while shedding tears.
"Likewise," another girl, also named Isabelle, said while hugging the both of them together.
"Alright, alright, crybabies, I am fine. Look at me," Olivia said, laughing, a single line of tears in her eyes.
"At least you still know how to joke," Tommie, the last girl in the room, spoke while smacking her back.
"Hey, can't you be a little nicer?" Olivia said, feigning a smile.
"Nice? Me? Looks like your marriage has affected your brain," Tommie said.
After the whole drama, the girls sat Olivia down.
"I was so shocked when you told me you were getting married. I feel like stabbing your father," Sophia said, fuming mad.
"Same, same," the two girls also added.
"Now tell us what happened, without leaving out any details, and who you got married to," Tommie said.
"Well… I got home that day after a call from you-know-who, and I was told I was getting married the next day. Just to make it clear, I was arrested in my own so-called house by my stepmother," Olivia said, without much emotion in her voice. She realized it didn't hurt as much anymore when she spoke about her so-called family. "After that, I was forced to the registry for my marriage, and then here I am — a married woman," Olivia said playfully.
"How are you saying this without much care, as if it isn't your marriage?" Issa said with a pained look.
"You know crying or being sad won't fix anything. At least I am allowed out of the house," Olivia said with a shrug.
"Okay, but who did you get married to?" Tommie asked.
"Second Bradford," Olivia said without much care.
"Se-se… second Bradford… like, the same Bradford family?" Sophia said.
"The richest in Asia and the rest!!!!!" Issa continued.
"Yes," Olivia replied.
"Well, the marriage isn't that bad, I guess," Issa said, smiling.
"Not bad?! You must be joking," Tommie said, not smiling at all. She continued, "She got married to the second Bradford. Do you know what my family says about the second Bradford?"
"What?" the two girls asked in unison.
"They say he's a special child — meaning he's an imbecile who doesn't have any brains," Tommie replied with a hushed voice.
"Really?!" both girls exclaimed. Olivia just sat by their side, listening to what Tommie was saying about the man she married.
"Do you want to hear another massive thing my father always says about the Bradford second son?" Tommie said, suspense in her voice.
"Well… they say he is a…" Tommie stopped, staring at all the girls. Well, she was an art student and knew how to build ambiance.
"He is a what?!" Issa asked eagerly.
"P.E.R.V.E.R.T," Tommie said, laying emphasis on each word.
"The f—" all the girls, including Olivia, shouted