Chapter 84 A Familiar Taste

Thomas was a whiz in the kitchen; he whipped up six dishes in no time and brought them out. Olivia quickly changed out of her police uniform to lend a hand.

The four of them sat down to eat. The food was surprisingly light, mostly vegetarian, which caught Olivia off guard.

"Try this mushroom soup, it's amazing!" Emma said, serving Olivia a bowl.

"I heard you like lighter food, Olivia. While you're in Seaside City, Thomas will be cooking for you. From now on, William will bring you meals! You're so thin, it breaks my heart!" Emma said sincerely.

Olivia felt bad about imposing and tried to refuse.

"Emma, I really appreciate it, but our work hours are all over the place, and we might have to leave at a moment's notice."

"It's no big deal, Olivia. Don't worry about it. My parents are home all day with nothing to do, so this gives them something to keep busy with!" William added, and that was that.

Feeling a bit awkward, Olivia went downstairs and bought a bunch of fruit to send to William's house.

William even called to give her a hard time.

"Olivia, you're being too formal!" he scolded.

"Didn't you say to treat you like family? Alright, as family, let's not talk about this. Please thank Emma and Thomas for their hospitality for me!" After hanging up, Olivia headed to the hotel arranged by the police station and bought some blueberries to take back with her.

Since she was the only female on the special task force, she got a room with a big bed. After showering and changing, she started munching on blueberries and video-called Autumn.

"Oh, Olivia, not blueberries again!" Autumn frowned, clearly tired of seeing them.

But someone nearby nearby said, "Hey Olivia, how have you been? Everything good?"

Gwyneth was staying at Olivia's place since there was no one to look after her after she got out of the hospital. Seeing Gwyneth in good spirits made Olivia feel better.

"I'm doing well. Your injury hasn't healed yet, so don't run around. If something happens again, we'll have to take you to the hospital. Be careful, Mr. Schmidt might have your head!" Olivia warned.

Gwyneth rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile at the mention of Kieran.

"Olivia, I have a little secret to tell you."

Seeing that Olivia looked well, Autumn went off to do something else, and Gwyneth took the phone into the guest room.

"I'll tell you, the card my mom gave me is my dad's salary card. I spent his entire year's salary in a week, and my dad asked my mom if his card had been stolen! Hahaha!" Talking about her father, Gwyneth could still laugh, but Olivia sighed inwardly.

"Your dad still can't retire?" Olivia asked.

Gwyneth shook her head, "He's a diplomat, it's not that simple for him to come back. Olivia, I'm so bored here by myself. When are you coming back?"

Olivia said helplessly, "I'm working, you think I'm out here having fun?"

"Can I come to you?"

"Never mind, just rest up. We can go shopping when I get back!" Olivia comforted her briefly before ending the call and then noticed a message from Henry.

Henry: [I heard you went to Seaside City?]

Olivia smiled and replied.

Olivia: [You just found out?]

Everything at William's house today had Henry's fingerprints all over it. Olivia wasn't dumb; from the tea to the mushroom soup, and the all-vegetarian spread because she didn't eat meat, these were things William couldn't have known. So, it had to be Henry who arranged it.

Given how much William looked up to Henry, it made perfect sense.

Henry: [Ms. Smith, you're sharp as always!]

Olivia: [I don't want to impose on William's family, it's not fair to them!]

Henry: [It's fine, I compensated them. Olivia, you know we're all worried about your health. We just want you to be okay!]

As Olivia read the message, her eyes welled up. She put down her phone, hugged her knees, and leaned against the sofa, feeling a wave of indescribable sadness.

She knew she had issues. She couldn't sleep through the night, plagued by nightmares that blurred the line between dreams and reality.

With her background in forensic science, Olivia had a rough idea of what was wrong with her. She was under immense psychological pressure. If those nightmares were real, it would lead to a mental breakdown for Olivia.

"Olivia, you can do this, hang in there!" She tried to pep herself up but didn't dare to sleep in the bed, eventually dozing off on the sofa instead.

Henry stared at his phone for a long time, his heart growing heavier. He turned and entered the interrogation room, where Rufus, who hadn't slept for four days and nights, was waiting.

"How long are you gonna keep this up? Are the police really this useless now?" Rufus said calmly.

Henry sat down and looked at Rufus for a long time.

"Let's talk about what happened eight years ago."

Eight years ago?

Rufus looked at Henry in surprise, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"So that girl, she's still alive! Mr. Phillips, do you know? Someone's been looking for her for eight years. What do you think will happen to her if they find her?" Rufus said with a sinister grin.

Henry observed Rufus's smug expression but didn't get angry.

"Drew Hays is your boss. Eight years ago, his drug factory was bombed, all the technicians were killed, and he lost an arm. He can never return to his former glory!" 

Rufus glared at Henry. The events of eight years ago were a disgrace to their drug cartel. Out of a team of hundreds, only a dozen survived, and none were unscathed, all because of that cop.

"If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have lost!" Rufus shouted, his emotions spiraling out of control.

Henry smiled slightly. After four days, he finally showed some emotion.

"This just shows that evil can't win over good. You know what you did. He was a cop, you were drug dealers. Tell me, should he have arrested you or worked with you? Whether it's Drew or you, I look down on both of you. Do you know why?" Henry remained calm, which only agitated Rufus further.

"What do you cops know? Do you have any idea how much business they ruined for us? Twenty million dollars, that's money you cops will never see in your lifetime, but it's gone, all gone!" The hatred in Rufus's eyes was unmistakable.

"She's doing great, much better than you can imagine. Many people love and protect her because she's the descendant of a hero. And you, you'll always be hiding in the shadows, not even worthy of being in her presence!"