Chapter 20 Stealing Her Things
Jack spoke in a light tone, "Olivia, several board members are insisting that you come back to work. They believe you're the biggest guarantee for the project's success."
Olivia was taken aback. She hadn't expected the board to fight to keep her in this job. "What did Luca say about it?"
He probably wouldn't let her return, since that would mean he'd have to remove Windy from her position.
Jack explained, "Luca has agreed to let you return as the General Manager of the Project Department, reporting directly to him. He also promised to cover the losses out of his own pocket, but Windy will still remain his secretary."
Olivia gripped her phone tightly, feeling far from happy.
The position she got was indeed a core power role in the company. Usually, only trusted insiders from the Vettel family were put in charge of major projects. After the divorce, she was the only one left who wasn't part of the family.
That kind of trust was hard to come by.
But she knew Luca too well. Giving her such an important job and putting her in charge of the top department was just his way of caving to pressure from the board—he had no choice but to compromise. Luca still wouldn't review the security footage to see who was really behind everything. He'd rather pay for the losses himself than expose Windy.
Olivia closed her eyes for a moment, suddenly feeling sick.
Jack asked kindly, "Are you okay with this arrangement? Do you want to come back?"
She couldn't refuse. There were team members in the Project Department she had personally mentored, and major projects she'd invested so much time and energy in that were now at a crucial point.
Even with her heart feeling numb and empty, she couldn't stand to see her hard work fall apart or let her team miss out on chances for advancement just because she walked away.
"Please let the board know that I agree to the arrangement. As soon as I'm feeling better, I'll come back to work and make sure everything stays on track."
After hanging up the phone, Olivia felt utterly exhausted.
But Jason had told her she needed to rest and avoid getting too emotional. So she immediately put down her phone and lay back on the bed to rest.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed when the phone by her pillow suddenly buzzed with a notification, followed by two sharp alarm sounds.
Olivia's eyes snapped open.
That sound…
It was the alert from the surveillance camera in her bedroom, signaling that someone had intruded inside!
The system automatically recognized familiar faces, so it wouldn't alarm if Luca or the house staff entered.
Olivia quickly grabbed her phone and opened the live feed from the camera.
The person who had broken into her room was Windy.
Olivia frowned as she watched, not understanding what this woman was up to.
In the footage, Windy looked around to make sure no one was there, then walked over to Olivia's dressing table and started rummaging through it.
Her movements were quick, as if she had a specific target in mind.
Soon, she picked up a jewelry box from the corner of a drawer.
Olivia sat up straight immediately.
Inside that box was a beautifully designed necklace with a yellow diamond.
Olivia adored that necklace, which was worth three million dollars. After she bought it, she couldn't bring herself to take it off and wore it all the time.
Windy took the necklace out, showing no trace of guilt. She sat at the dressing table, holding it up to the mirror and admiring it.
She smiled with satisfaction, then casually slipped the necklace into her handbag and left the bedroom.
Olivia clutched her phone, her palms sweating with anger. She couldn't tolerate Windy breaking into her bedroom and stealing something so dear to her. Without hesitation, she dialed Luca's number.
The phone rang a few times before he picked up.
"Olivia, what's wrong?" Luca's voice came through, tinged with irritation at the interruption. After a full day of board meetings and a pile of unfinished work, he was in a terrible mood.
"Luca, Windy took a necklace from my room," Olivia said, trying to keep her anger in check. "Tell her to bring it back right now!"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end. "What necklace?"
"The yellow diamond one. I often wear it to family gatherings. I've sent the surveillance footage to your phone."
Olivia hung up and immediately forwarded the video clip to him.
Ten minutes passed, and Luca still hadn't replied.
She figured he was probably still busy with meetings.
Half an hour later, Luca finally called back.
"Olivia, I'll buy you a better one, or if there's any jewelry you like, I'll get it for you."
Olivia was stunned. "Luca, what do you mean?"
"Let Windy keep the necklace. She didn't steal it—she just really liked it. She was planning to ask if she could buy it from you, but since you weren't there, she took it with her and meant to talk to you about it later."
Olivia listened to his explanation, suddenly losing even the energy to be angry.
She had thought that after Windy caused so much trouble, she'd lay low for a while. But no, this woman had the audacity to go into her bedroom without permission and take her things. And, even with surveillance footage as proof, Luca was still making excuses for Windy, saying it wasn't theft!
"Taking something from my room without my permission is stealing! Don't you get that?"
"Olivia!" Luca's tone grew heavier, laced with frustration. "I said it's not stealing! She just forgot to tell you before taking it. It's just a necklace. There's no need to make a big deal out of it. I can buy you a better one!"
Olivia suddenly felt exhausted, completely powerless.
What was the point of arguing with Luca?
In his mind, he had already come up with countless excuses to justify Windy's behavior.
Olivia didn't want to fight anymore.
"Fine," Olivia even let out a bitter laugh. "Then just give it to her as charity."
Luca paused on the other end of the line.
Olivia continued, "If there's anything else in my bedroom she likes, let her take it. Just pay me double the market price for it. Otherwise, I'll report this to the police." Her voice dripped with contempt. "Some people just love taking other people's used, unwanted second-hand stuff!"
Before Luca could respond, Olivia hung up and turned off her phone, tossing it aside.
She lay back down on the bed, pulled the blanket over her head, and curled up.
Her heart didn't even feel pain anymore, just a cold emptiness.
Jason was right.
She needed to take care of her health first. Getting upset over these people wasn't worth it.
There was a knock on the door, and Olivia poked her head out from under the blanket.
Jason stood outside, holding a medical report and smiling gently. "Did I wake you?"
"No, I wasn't sleeping." Olivia pushed the blanket aside and sat up.
"Luca was around earlier, so I didn't get a chance to talk to you. Now, we should have a private conversation about your health," Jason said as he came in and closed the door, his expression suddenly turning serious.
Olivia's heart tightened, a wave of fear washing over her.
She had never seen Jason speak in such a tone before, as if something major had happened.
"What… what's wrong with me?"