Chapter 459 Oliver's Hand in Azalea's Transformation
Oliver had expected Sarah to say she wouldn't initiate a kiss.
But a mature woman knew better. Tonight, she was soft and yielding, willing to surrender everything to him. In the bathtub filled with warm water, waves rippled like the ebb and flow of tides.
Oliver couldn't take his eyes off her face.
Her delicate features and smooth hair cascading over her shoulders made her look like the most enchanting siren. She embraced him as they kissed, offering him all her feminine tenderness.
Meanwhile, Matthew sat in his car, radiating cold fury.
Aaron kept trying to reason with him.
After a long silence, Matthew, Evergreen City's Business Association Chairman, finally forced out the words, "Oliver cannot be allowed to live."
Aaron's heart skipped a beat!
He wanted to speak but dared not say a word—Matthew was in a dangerous mood.
The black sedan slowly pulled into the Moore Mansion.
Matthew went straight to the basement.
Nicholas remained tied up, without food or water, looking utterly miserable.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up to see Matthew's murderous expression. Understanding the gravity of the situation, Nicholas immediately asked with a dark tone, "What have you done? Did you do something to Sarah?"
Matthew gave him a cold look, disgusted by his son's pathetic state.
He threw a stack of explicit photos at Nicholas's face.
"What have you become?"
The obscene images scattered everywhere. Nicholas's eyes bulged with horror as he saw them. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. "Where did you get these?"
"You have the audacity to ask?"
"Oliver brought these photos and threatened me to my face."
Matthew's face darkened. "Nicholas, I'm giving you three days to deal with this woman. Send her abroad or wherever—I won't stand by while she becomes leverage against you. She might even be Oliver's plant."
His voice grew colder, "Don't show mercy."
Nicholas tilted his head slightly. "I understand."
A slap landed across his face as Matthew raged. "You understand nothing!"
Nicholas left without even changing his clothes.
As he departed, he unknowingly disturbed Hestia.
As the car drove away, Hestia rushed out from the shadows, calling his name, "Nicholas! Nicholas!"
By chance, a driver was returning to the Moore Mansion.
Hestia immediately got into the car and pointed at the vehicle ahead: "Follow Nicholas's car."
The driver stepped on the gas and pursued.
After about thirty minutes, both cars entered a gated community. The driver remarked with surprise, "This is where wealthy men keep their mistresses. Why would Mr. Moore come here?"
Hestia felt a pang of anxiety.
She feigned composure. "Perhaps he's visiting a friend."
The driver said nothing more.
Nicholas parked and jumped out of his car.
He strode quickly toward the entrance.
Azalea was focused on painting at an easel. Her profile resembled Sarah's somewhat, and her artistic talent was why Nicholas had kept her close.
But if she was deliberately harming him...
Nicholas grabbed her wrist and threw her onto the sofa, then pinned her down.
He gripped her throat with deadly pressure.
"Was it his arrangement?"
Azalea's pupils dilated, her face turning purple.
Her limbs struggled desperately, but she couldn't break free from a grown man's grip. In another two minutes, she might suffocate.
Azalea slapped at him: "Who?... I don't know who."
Nicholas didn't believe her.
He squeezed harder, determined to force out the truth.
Suddenly, Azalea stopped struggling.
Tears filled her eyes, along with disappointment in him.
She looked at him with resignation, ready to die—just like when she would lie beside him with her hair spread across the pillow, saying, "Mr. Moore, I only have you. I can only trust you. I'm willing to give you everything."
His thousand affections, her promise of a lifetime.
Now he wanted her life!
In this moment, the defiance in her eyes strongly resembled Sarah's.
The woman who haunted his dreams.
At the doorway, Hestia stood frozen, watching everything unfold. She screamed, "Nicholas, how could you do this to me? You're supposed to take over the business association, and you've gone mad keeping a mistress!"
She rushed over and grabbed Azalea's hair.
"Hestia, have you lost your mind?"
Naturally, the man protected his mistress. Hestia hurled a vase at him, leaving Nicholas bleeding from his head.
Azalea, sheltered in Nicholas's arms, watched the couple's violent confrontation with an innocent expression, but her lips curled into a subtle, challenging smile.
In truth, she was Oliver's agent.
Two years ago, her mother needed medical expenses she couldn't afford. She had nowhere to turn.
Oliver gave her two million dollars.
He bought her loyalty!
Oliver had asked if she would work for him.
She agreed because she was tired of being poor.
So Oliver hired tutors for her to learn etiquette, makeup, flower arranging... even the painting that Nicholas adored was newly acquired... Over two years, Oliver spent millions turning Azalea into who she was today.