Originally, rumors about Olivia being a mistress had always floated around, but she managed to suppress them over time. With her frequent public appearances alongside Scott Henry and Sophia’s low profile, few even knew what the real wife looked like. This emboldened Olivia, prompting her to spread the news herself.
It was a risky move, but if it worked, she’d secure her position as the Scott family’s leading lady. Olivia wasn’t getting any younger, and her career in the entertainment industry was stagnating. How could she afford not to be desperate? And yet, Sophia just wouldn’t agree to the divorce!
As they left the salon, Olivia’s assistant hesitated before speaking.
“Miss Olivia, we warned you to keep a low profile and wait this out, but you went ahead and released the wedding announcement.”
“I don’t have time to wait!” Olivia snapped.
What could she tell her assistant? Lately, her relationship with Scott Henry hasn’t been as perfect as it appeared. That, as if under some spell, he’d been returning to the Scott family home more often and even defending Sophia on occasion? This was not a good sign.
The assistant looked at her cautiously. “So, Miss Olivia, what’s the plan now?”
A dark glint flashed in Olivia’s eyes. “Sophia, just you wait.”
After Olivia left, Chloe came over to comfort Sophia. “Don’t let it get to you. If she didn’t still have a membership here, I’d have kicked her out ages ago.”
“I’m fine,” Sophia replied with a shrug.
“Oh, and Sophia, I finished drafting our business proposal. Let’s go with the profit split I mentioned—60% for you and 40% for me. My salons will handle all the promotion, and we’ll start selling sample packs at our counters to aim for a win-win between the salon and the product line!”
“Sounds good to me. Whatever you decide is fine,” Sophia replied.
Chloe was relieved. She valued Sophia’s friendship but believed that with business, it was best to lay everything out from the start. Unexpectedly, Sophia was as easygoing as ever, not fussing about the details.
Chloe smiled. “By the way, Sophia, we’re thinking of offering traditional herbal baths at the spa. Do you have a recipe that could benefit clients’ health?”
“Herbal baths?”
Sophia’s face lit up. She had plenty of unique, age-old beauty and wellness recipes up her sleeve. Some were handed down from her family in her past life, used by Queens in the palace, and others were her own inventions. She used them for everything, from facial care to bathing, never touching the chemical products on the market.
“I do!” Sophia thought for a moment. “But we haven’t registered a brand name yet. Will it be okay to launch these?”
“Shouldn’t be an issue. We already have some in-house products. As long as they work, our clients will love it!”
“Trust me, they’re effective! Slimming, beautifying, and revitalizing—it’ll all be taken care of with a bath.”
Even Nancy couldn’t help but be intrigued. “Really? Can a bath be that effective?”
Sophia nodded, amused. “I’ll bring a recipe tomorrow for you to try out yourself!”
That evening, back at home, the gossip about Olivia had already gone viral. Sophia informed Aaron about it, who promptly sent her a contact—a marketing agency that specialized in managing social media.
What a great lawyer!
Sophia signed up for a promotional package, and in no time, the agency had boosted her post on Facebook. Originally, the post already had around 7,000 shares, but with the agency’s help, it quickly surpassed 80,000, with thousands of comments pouring in. Soon, it was trending.
Ironically, there were now two trending topics featuring Olivia.
#Olivia’sMillionDollarEngagementRing and #OliviaIsAMistressAndUnmarried
Having these two hashtags side by side was a blatant slap in the face.
Sophia sipped her coffee with a smile as she watched her screen. She ought to thank Olivia. By flaunting her ring and wedding plans, Olivia had stirred up interest, making it that much easier for Sophia to get her negative press out to the public.
She hadn’t even finished her coffee when a loud knocking sounded at the door.
Sophia looked up. They’re here already? That was fast.
Opening the door, she found Scott Henry, Olivia, and Andrea all standing there, their faces stormy with anger.
“Sophia! Don’t you have any shame?” Olivia cried, pointing at her with mock tears. “Henry, she’s ruined me! My career is over! Now everyone thinks I’m a mistress! I’ll never recover from this!”
Sophia raised an eyebrow. “You are a mistress. Why would you need to ‘clear your name’? You think people are stupid?”
“Shut up! This is all your fault! Refusing to divorce!” Olivia sneered, flashing her diamond ring. “See this? Scott bought it for me! We’re getting married soon! Staying here won’t change a thing—I’m going to be his wife!”
“Oh, really?” Sophia replied with an air of indifference.
Sophia’s calm demeanor only fueled Olivia’s anger further. She turned to Andrea, pulling her into her act.
“Mom, tell Henry to throw her out! They ’re getting divorced, so why is she still living here?”
Andrea was also livid. She turned to the staff, barking orders, “You! All of you! Gather her things and throw them out! And throw her out with them! I won’t have her spreading rumors about my son!”
“Yes, ma’am!” A few staff members started to approach, ready to storm the room. But Sophia held up her phone, blocking their path. “Mom,” she said with a thin smile, “we are still legally mother and daughter-in-law, since Henry Scott and I aren’t divorced yet. Are you really so eager to throw me out?”
“Just leave!” Andrea spat. “This is the Scott family’s home! I said go, so you’re leaving!”
With that, she grabbed a few of Sophia’s belongings, tossing them down the stairs. Sophia’s medical kit was scattered across the floor.
Before Sophia could react, her gaze met a familiar pair of intense eyes from downstairs.
Scott Livinus stood at the foot of the staircase, his expression dark and his cold eyes trained intently on the scene.
“What are you standing around for? Get out! The Scott family house is no place for you…” Andrea’s voice trailed off as she caught sight of Scott Livinus approaching. Her face paled, and she forced a smile.
“Uncle… you’re back? I was just tidying up around here. You know, we can’t have freeloaders in the Scott family. Since we’re going through with the divorce, she has no reason to stay…”
