Chapter 374
“Are you using the child to threaten me?” Tyler’s voice was cold.
Olivia barely reacted. She wasn’t refusing to eat to manipulate anyone—she simply had no appetite.
More than anything, she wanted clarity.
She looked up at him and asked softly, “Have you considered my suggestion?”
Tyler’s gaze remained hard. “Our relationship will continue until the child is safely born.”
But Olivia wasn’t ready to give up. “I don’t believe this relationship benefits anyone,” she said quietly. “I’m the one who… who caused this scandal. I don’t want to bring more trouble to the family. Please reconsider.”
Tyler’s tone sharpened. “We held a press conference precisely to control the damage, but that doesn’t mean you’re free to act as you please. Our relationship will hold—until the child is born. For your sister’s sake, and for ours.”
Olivia had followed the news; she knew about the press conference. She drew in a slow breath, steadying herself.
Tyler’s eyes turned even icier. “If you’re so desperate to run, why not tell the media who the man in the photo really is?”
Olivia folded her arms across her chest, her face expressionless.
His gaze remained fixed on her. In the stark light of the room, his tone was sharp and cold:
“You think Claude is suitable for you?” he asked bitterly. “He’s our enemy. What do you think he can offer you?”
He exhaled, voice low but firm. “I’m making this compromise because of your sister. Whether you can endure it or not—you must. Until the child is born. After that, date whoever you wish—but not him. Never Claude.”
Olivia said nothing, her gaze distant. Her entire posture radiated quiet exhaustion.
Tyler shifted his attention to the untouched food on the table. “If this isn’t to your liking, I’ll have the maid bring something else.”
His tone was deliberately casual, but beneath it, his coldness remained.
Olivia could hardly breathe. Her face grew paler under the ceiling light; her slender shoulders trembled faintly as if she might collapse.
Tyler watched her for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly. Then, without another word, he turned away.
At the doorway, the maid who had brought up her meal had overheard everything. Sensing the tension, she quickly retreated.
Tyler didn’t linger. He strode down the hall and into the study.
The next morning, word spread through the household.
Ana learned that Olivia hadn’t eaten a single bite the previous day.
Maisy was deeply concerned. She questioned the maid anxiously:
“How could she go an entire day without food? Not even when Tyler came home?”
The maid hesitated. “After Mr. Tyler returned, he asked me to take a warm meal upstairs, but… Ms. Olivia still refused.”
Maisy’s worry grew. She turned to Ana. “Ana, this is our family’s home. How can we let a pregnant woman go hungry? You have to do something.”
But Ana, sitting on the couch with a bitter smile, simply toyed with her nails.
Once, she had trusted Olivia and cared for her sincerely. Now, after the incident, resentment had hardened her heart. She barely spared a glance toward Maisy.
“Don’t concern yourself,” Ana said coolly. “Someone else will be more eager to care for her.”
Maisy frowned, puzzled by Ana’s cold response. But Ana said no more, her fingers absently moving across her polished nails.