Chapter 169 Discovered?
That was a large off-road car model with a removable cover on the bottom.
Olivia quickly walked over, opened the cover, put the pen refill inside, and snapped the cover back on. It looked just like normal.
After doing all that, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Mommy, I'm heading out!" Leo grabbed Jason's hand and said eagerly.
"Go ahead, be careful." Olivia touched her son's head, but her heart was full of worry.
She wasn't sure if letting Leo go out with Jason was a mistake.
But there was no other choice right now, so she had to take it one step at a time.
Jason took Leo out of the room. Before leaving, he glanced back at Olivia with a meaningful look.
Olivia closed the door and immediately started searching the room.
She remembered the maid who came in earlier had left her tablet in the living room.
The maid used it to note down requests. Maybe it could reach the outside world.
She hurried to the living room and spotted the tablet on the sofa.
Her heart leaped with joy. She grabbed the tablet and unlocked the screen.
Luckily, the maid had only a simple four-digit password. Olivia tried a few common ones and it worked.
She was eager to contact Emma, but right then, the doorbell rang.
Olivia jumped in fright, nearly dropping the tablet.
Who was back so soon?
Was it Jason and Leo?
No time to think. She quickly hid the tablet in the sofa crease and covered it with a cushion.
She opened the door. It was Jason, holding a kite.
"What's up?" Olivia asked, trying to stay calm. "Why are you back so fast?"
"Leo wants some snacks first. I came to grab them." Jason walked into the living room and glanced around.
Olivia's heart was in her throat, terrified he'd spot the tablet.
"Snacks are in that cabinet over there. Help yourself." She pointed to the corner cabinet to distract him.
But Jason didn't move. Instead, he sat on the edge of the sofa and fiddled with the cushion.
Sweat beaded on Olivia's palms, her heart pounding.
"The signal here is pretty bad," she said to make small talk. "I tried sending a message to a friend earlier and it wouldn't go through."
She wanted to test if they could contact the outside.
Jason looked up. "Yeah, the signal's unstable here. What, you got something urgent with a friend?"
"It's not urgent, just checking in." Olivia covered quickly.
Jason smiled and didn't ask more. He got up, grabbed snacks from the cabinet.
"I'll head back. Leo's waiting outside." He turned and left.
Once he was gone, Olivia pulled the tablet from the sofa and stuffed it into her bag.
That was too close. Almost caught.
Back in her room, she took out the tablet and tried to connect to the internet.
No matter what she did, it showed no signal.
Had Jason restricted the tablet?
She tried several more times, but no luck.
She felt disappointed. The hope she'd just found was gone.
Right then, she heard Leo's laughter from outside. She got even more anxious.
She couldn't just sit there anymore. She had to find a way out fast.
She thought of the maid. Maybe she could get help from her.
Perhaps bribe her to pass a message.
Decided, Olivia left the room.
She found the maid downstairs trimming flowers and plants in the yard.
"Hi." Olivia walked over politely.
The maid stopped and turned. "Ma'am, something wrong?"
"I want to pick some fresh flowers for Leo to decorate his room," Olivia said with a smile. "Can you keep watch so Jason doesn't see?"
She was afraid Jason would get suspicious. He was acting unstable.
The maid hesitated, looking unsure.
"I know it's a hassle," Olivia said. She pulled some cash from her wallet and slipped it into the maid's hand. "Just a little thank you."
The maid looked at the cash, then at Olivia, and finally nodded. "Okay, ma'am. I'll keep watch."
Olivia was thrilled and thanked her.
She grabbed a basket and pretended to pick flowers in the yard, but slipped to a quiet corner of the garden.
It was out of the way, so no one should see.
She pulled out the tablet and tried the network again.
This time, it picked up a weak public signal. Not great, but at least there was hope.
Her fingers shook from nerves as she opened WeChat and messaged Emma.
"I'm trapped by Jason in a mountain villa. Come save me and Leo!"
The message failed to send right away.
The signal was too weak.
Olivia tried several more times, but it still wouldn't go.
"Ma'am, Mr. Compson's coming!" the maid whispered from a distance.
Olivia quickly hid the tablet. She looked up and saw Jason heading their way.
She held up the flowers casually. "I picked some flowers to decorate Leo's room."
Jason walked up, smiling mildly, but his eyes were ice cold.
"These flowers do look nice," he said, but his gaze shifted to the maid. "But if some people stick their nose in where it doesn't belong, that won't end well."
It was a pointed remark. The maid's face went pale, and she bowed her head.
Olivia was startled. She knew Jason was warning the maid.
"Jason, what do you mean?" Olivia said, pretending to be mad. "She was just helping me out of kindness. How can you talk to her like that?"
"I'm just reminding her to stick to her job and not meddle," Jason said calmly, but with a threat. "Or she might lose it."
The maid looked terrified and white as a sheet. "Ma'am, I have things to do." She hurried off.
Olivia watched her go, feeling guilty.
It was all because of her that the maid got threatened.
"You're going too far!" Olivia glared at Jason. "It's just picking flowers. Why make such a fuss?"
"I just don't want anyone messing up our life," Jason said, looking at her. "Olivia, I only want to live happily with you and Leo. Why can't you get that?"
"This isn't the life I want!" Olivia shot back. "This is illegal kidnapping. I have the right to call the police!"
"Call the police?" Jason sneered. "It's so remote here. By the time they find us, we'll be long gone."
Olivia shook with anger but had no reply.
He was right. It was too remote. Police might not help.
"Okay, don't be mad," Jason said, reaching to touch her hair. She jerked away. "Let's go back. Leo's waiting."