Chapter 161 The Truth Unveiled

Chapter 161 The Truth Unveiled

Olivia had no idea any of this had happened.

She scrolled through the flood of news online and felt nothing but boredom.

It had been two weeks since Hestia's hands were destroyed, yet the internet was still drowning in negative stories about her.

This didn't feel like ordinary celebrity gossip. It felt like someone was deliberately steering public opinion from behind the scenes, using Hestia's wrongdoings to cover up a different truth.

Ethan was even more ruthless than she'd imagined.

Olivia's fingertips drifted lazily across the tablet screen, her mind drifting elsewhere.

Just then, a warm cup of milk appeared in front of her.

She looked up and found Simon standing there with a smile, his voice gentle.

"What are you thinking about? You looked completely lost."

Olivia took the milk and sipped it slowly. The warmth slid down her throat and settled in her stomach before she finally spoke quietly.

"I'm wondering how long Ethan can hold out before he contacts me."

She had already let it slip that she was looking to sell her shares. Knowing how Ethan operated, there was no way he'd let company shares fall into an outsider's hands.

When he'd agreed to give her shares in the first place, it was only because he'd been convinced Hestia's terminal illness was real, and the pressure from public opinion at the time had forced his hand.

Now the tables had turned. Hestia's illness had been a lie, but the shares were very much in Olivia's possession. Ethan had to be furious about that.

The thought made Olivia's brow slowly furrow.

"Shares don't wait around, and Ethan knows that better than anyone. If he wanted to buy them back, he would've reached out already."

The fact that he'd gone quiet could only mean one thing.

Ethan had no intention of paying to get them back. He was planning to take them by other means.

The more she thought about it, the darker her expression grew.

A pair of warm hands settled gently over hers, steadying her.

"Don't worry. I've had people watching Ethan's every move. The moment he does anything, we'll know right away. Him staying quiet for now isn't necessarily a bad thing."

There was something more behind Simon's words, but Olivia's unease refused to settle.

Then, without warning, a frantic knocking erupted at the door.

Both of them startled and exchanged a puzzled look.

Simon got up and went to answer it. He stepped aside as he opened the door, and in the next instant a dark figure collapsed heavily onto the doorstep.

Simon's brow creased. He looked down at the person on the ground and reached for his phone to call security.

Olivia stopped him. She stepped forward carefully and turned the figure over.

One look and she sucked in a sharp breath, instinctively stepping back several paces.

Simon recognized the person and couldn't hide his shock.

"That's Hestia? What happened to her?"

Olivia didn't answer. She just stared at the figure on the ground.

In such a short time apart, Hestia had become unrecognizable.

The once brilliant violin prodigy now had both hands destroyed and a face so covered in wounds that almost nothing of her former appearance remained.

Worst of all was the deep gash across her abdomen. Blood was seeping out steadily, already soaking into the doormat beneath her.

As if sensing their eyes on her, Hestia forced her eyes open with what little strength she had left, her voice barely a breath.

"Help me… I have something you want…"

With that, she lost consciousness entirely.

Olivia hesitated for a long moment, then finally called for an ambulance.

When Hestia came to, she was in a hospital bed, her wounds all properly treated.

She looked at the two people sitting beside her, her expression complicated.

Olivia's face was cool and unreadable. "You're awake? Who did this to you?"

Olivia had never believed Hestia was capable of genuine remorse. If she'd shown up at their door, she had to be completely out of options.

What Olivia couldn't figure out was who had gone after her this hard.

Hestia's head was still heavy and foggy. At the question, what little color remained in her already pale face drained away completely.

Her whole body trembled, her eyes filled with raw, overwhelming terror.

"It was Ethan! He's a monster — a complete and total monster!"

Hestia's voice shook like she was reliving something horrifying.

Olivia's hand paused on the water glass. She hadn't expected that.

"Ethan?"

"It was him!" Hestia said through gritted teeth. "I had evidence that could ruin him, so he tried to silence me for good!"

Afraid Olivia wouldn't believe her, Hestia rushed to lay everything out.

It turned out that the day Ethan promised to help her flee had been a trap from the very beginning.

He'd only been stringing her along to get the evidence out of her hands, and then he'd planned to get rid of her for good.

Hearing all of it, Olivia was genuinely caught off guard.

In her mind, Ethan had never been a man of great character, but she wouldn't have thought him capable of something this vicious.

Now she understood, fully and finally, that she had never really known him at all.

She composed herself and looked at Hestia with calm, steady eyes.

"Why come to me? You should know that after everything you've done, even if you hand over this evidence, I have no reason to help you."

"I'm not asking you to help me! I want you to destroy Ethan — ruin him completely!"

Hestia's voice dropped to a raw, ragged hiss, her emotions spilling over. "Why should he get away with it? He's the one who did everything, and I'm the one left paying for all of it. That's not fair!"

She was so worked up that the movement tore at the wound on her abdomen. Blood seeped through the bandages.

Olivia's frown deepened. She was starting to question Hestia's state of mind.

Sensing her hesitation, Hestia quickly pressed on.

"I know you don't believe me, but I have real proof. Before I handed over the files, I backed up a copy in the cloud. I'll give you everything. And on top of that, I can tell you other things about Ethan — things that could bury him."

Hestia pushed hard to show she was serious, laying out every card she held.

Olivia tapped the table slowly with her fingertip and tilted her head.

"What do you want?"

"Get me out of here!"

The words came out immediately. Hestia's body wouldn't stop shaking. "This place is terrifying. I never want to come back."

She curled in on herself, her face still gripped by a fear she couldn't shake.

Olivia didn't agree, but she didn't refuse either.

Seeing her hesitate, Hestia dropped something much bigger.

"Olivia, Jeffrey was barely found before he got into that car accident. Has that never struck you as wrong?"

Olivia went completely still. Her eyes turned sharp and ice-cold.

"What do you know?"

The weight of her presence was suffocating. Hestia flinched and shrank back instinctively.

But she had nowhere left to run. She drew a slow breath and pushed forward.

"Saskia always knew Jeffrey existed. So did Ethan. It was Ethan who refused to let Saskia bring him home — selfish and controlling, unwilling to share anything he considered his."

"When he finally agreed to bring Jeffrey back, it was only because he'd made a powerful enemy and needed Jeffrey as a shield. The car accident was Ethan's doing. He even hired a hypnotist to manipulate Jeffrey into saying things that would hurt you. Ethan knew who you were long before any of this. Every bit of it was a trap he set in advance."