Chapter 504 Birthday Banquet, Oliver's Confession!
Octavius basked in the lingering pleasure, utterly at ease.
After their passion, Calliope went to take a bath. He leaned back against the headboard, smoking a cigarette and thinking about their recent encounter, feeling like he could go another round.
Reuniting after so long had given him a new spark.
Any guy would be thrilled!
After two cigarettes, Calliope came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a white bathrobe, still wet. Her body glistened with tiny water droplets, making her look even more irresistible.
As she applied her skincare products, her silhouette was even more captivating.
Octavius got out of bed and went over to her, unable to resist hugging her from behind. He had forgotten the humiliation and anger from the doctor's examination, now only finding her playful and adorable.
Resting his head on Calliope's fragrant shoulder, he tentatively asked, "Once you've had enough fun in Evergreen City, come back home, okay? You'll still be my wife, and you'll still be the queen among women."
Calliope meticulously applied her skincare products, sneering at her reflection in the mirror. "You really think that position is so desirable? I don't want to play cards with my husband's lovers. They flatter me to my face while secretly plotting to get into my husband's bed. It's utterly boring!"
She turned slightly and tapped Octavius's forehead.
"Why not enjoy the moment? Regain my freedom, find a young guy for a delightful journey. How wonderful and pleasant. Why should I stick with an unfaithful husband and be called a barren hen?"
Octavius pretended not to understand.
He kissed her cheek and whispered, "If anyone says that again, I'll shut them up myself."
Calliope wasn't buying it. "I'm afraid you wouldn't dare."
She lazily got up, adjusted her white bathrobe, looking ready for bed. Octavius naturally followed, wanting to lie down together or perhaps have another round in the morning.
Calliope rejected him.
Pointing to the bedroom door, she issued an eviction order: "I don't let men stay overnight here. If you want to spend the night, sleep in the guest room."
Octavius was stunned. "What did you say?"
Calliope replied, "You're no different from anyone else. I won't give you special treatment."
Octavius was furious.
So she really had a man in Evergreen City, which was why she was reluctant to reconcile with him. She had truly tasted a different kind of joy!
He had his pride and wouldn't stay to be her plaything.
Octavius gathered his clothes and belt, storming out, slamming the door behind him.
Calliope couldn't be bothered with him.
She slipped into bed, enjoying a good night's sleep. After a night of passion, she slept soundly.
Outside the bedroom, Octavius stared at the darkened room, feeling lost in the wind.
He swore to himself never to step foot in there again.
He and Calliope were done!
At one in the morning, Percival sent a car to pick him up. Seeing his boss's dejected state, Percival didn't dare utter a word or ask any questions.
In the shadowy car, Octavius sat in the back seat, still smoldering with anger, yet unable to resist reliving the intimacy they had just shared.
But his status and pride wouldn't allow him to give in to a woman so easily. After filing his report, he went back to Harmony City and stayed away from Calliope for quite a while.
Calliope didn't care at all.
She was busy organizing Sarah's birthday party. Since coming to Evergreen City, she had grown close to Sarah, so Octavius's brief affair was just a passing note for Calliope.
Sarah was surprised.
She thought Octavius would eventually return.
She asked Calliope what she thought.
Calliope was very nonchalant, "He thinks I have an exciting private life in Evergreen City, and I didn't bother to explain. We won't be together anyway! No point in explaining."
Sarah wholeheartedly agreed, believing Calliope deserved a better life.
In the blink of an eye, it was Sarah's birthday, and Elliot was a hundred days old.
Oliver rented out the entire Azure Palace Hotel to celebrate his wife's birthday.
Now, he was a powerful figure in Evergreen City.
That night, the place was filled with celebrities—even Felix showed up.Oliver remembered that phone call from years ago and still felt a pang of jealousy, almost starting a fight with Felix. Fortunately, both had reputations to uphold, so they begrudgingly kept the peace.
Nearby, Grace leaned against Henry, smiling faintly.
She had lost her memory,
But Henry remembered the time he fought Felix over Grace. Felix had boldly declared, "I like her." Just a few years later, Felix had fallen for Oliver's wife.
Henry asked Grace, "What do you think of them?"
After a moment, Grace replied, "Men are boys at heart, even to the end."
She then looked towards the center of the banquet hall, watching her brother gaze lovingly at his wife, holding their love's fruit, Elliot.
Grace's eyes welled up with joy.
Henry quietly held her hand.
In the center of the hall, Oliver held Elliot, his long fingers adorned with a platinum ring. Now, all of Evergreen City knew Oliver deeply loved his wife, and no one invited him to clubs anymore.
Beside him stood an easel draped with silk. This was the birthday gift Oliver had spent half a month preparing for Sarah. He lifted the cloth to reveal an oil painting: a gleaming camper van, its shadowy back seat, and a young couple—he in a blood-stained white shirt, gazing at the girl, who met his eyes with confusion and helplessness.It was their first meeting.
Sarah's eyes filled with tears as she looked at her husband, her voice choked, "Did you paint this?"
Oliver's gaze was deep.
After a moment, he nodded, then handed their son to the nanny.
He embraced his wife, and in front of hundreds of people, he tenderly confessed, "Sarah, I'm not a good husband. I've lied to you and pretended to be someone I'm not. But from now on, I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to you and our children, being the husband and father you deserve.
"I painted this in my spare time, thinking back to the day we first met, all those years ago. It really touched me. Sarah, what should I do? You're so wonderful, and I've made so many mistakes, but you still chose to love me.
"You'll always be Mrs. Windsor, the mother of our children. And I'll love you forever. Sarah, I love you!"
Through the floor-to-ceiling window, fireworks began to light up outside, champagne-gold roses blooming in the sky, enveloping them in a soft golden glow, making everything seem surreal.
The crowd surged around them.
In their world, it was as if no one else existed, only the sound of their hearts beating.
Moved to his core, Oliver kissed his wife with quiet reverence. All of creation could testify to his promise: a lifetime of love.
Oliver's confession ended, and Grogbert was hungry, so Sarah took him to the lounge.
In the midst of the chaos, there was a simple happiness.
That night, Oliver drank a bit, not enough to get drunk, but he shamelessly clung to his wife, wanting to enjoy their private world in a car.
Oliver's playful antics were almost unbearable.
Sarah had been busy caring for three children, neglecting him, so she complied.
Unexpectedly, as they left the hotel, they ran into Nicholas in the hallway.
Oliver narrowed his eyes slightly.
He had rented the entire hotel, so an encounter was unlikely.
He looked at Nicholas with indifference.
Nicholas did the same.
In the quiet, narrow hallway, it was a silent showdown.
Until the end, they didn't exchange a word, just brushed past each other, heading towards different lives.
In the parking lot, Sarah remained silent in the car.
Oliver leaned back in his seat, turned to look at her, his tone carrying a hint of mockery, "Lately, Nicholas has been opposing me openly and secretly."
Sarah looked at him.
Oliver gently held her hand, speaking softly, "As long as he doesn't play dirty, I won't bother with him."
"What if he does?"
Oliver chuckled, taking advantage of his slight intoxication to joke, "Then I'll teach him a lesson."
For months, they hadn't truly made love.
Back at the villa, Oliver dragged Sarah to the bedroom. They ran into a couple of servants on the way, and Sarah felt the need to hide, but Oliver reassured her, "It's perfectly natural for a couple like us to be intimate."
Sarah was speechless.
His lips moved to her ear, whispering seductively, "Why did you invite Felix tonight?"
"He's my friend; why shouldn't I invite him?"
Oliver laughed softly.
The next moment, she couldn't utter another word.
Tonight, love was like a tidal wave.
At the hotel, the air was devoid of lingering warmth, and Nicholas stood alone for a long time, analyzing his feelings for Sarah, wondering if it was love or hate.
He thought, perhaps it was both.
Nicholas left the hotel, driving through the quiet streets at night.
The neon lights flickered. The buses had stopped for the night, and only a few cars and taxis were left on the streets. Nicholas was bored and didn't feel like going home.
Stopping at a red light, he took out his phone to make plans.
His eyes flashed.
Nicholas's blood seemed to freeze and burn simultaneously because he saw Azalea.
She was walking alone on the street, carrying a bag.
She was thin but still young and beautiful.
Nicholas gripped the steering wheel, and in that moment, all memories of Azalea came flooding back—
"I like Mr. Moore."
"I want to be with Mr. Moore forever."
"I'm not the kind of person who deserves to talk about feelings. I've never truly loved you; it was just a game."
Nicholas scoffed.
Just a game.