Chapter 135: Ch-135: Board Meeting (1)
Knock Knock
"Come in," Olivia Thornfield said, and a butler entered the room wearing a crisp butler suit.
"Everyone, the meeting room has been arranged. All direct members of the Thornfield family have been summoned by the head to the meeting room," the butler said with a bow as he stepped out of the room.
"Let’s go," Olivia said, looking at her new servants, who hurriedly nodded their heads.
Inside the mansion, workers were shuttling back and forth, ensuring that nothing of importance was forgotten during the preparations for the meeting. Once they had finished preparing the meeting room, they immediately informed the board members.
After receiving the call, the board members began to move toward the meeting room to avoid arriving after the family head, or for today, the board chairman.
The moment Olivia stepped out of the room, she walked toward the meeting room, and right at the entrance, a handsome man’s eyes widened and a smirk appeared on his face as he addressed her.
"Cousin Olivia, long time no see," the man said with a polite smile while looking at her intensely and even leaking a bit of mana and pressure toward her.
The onlookers started to fidget and looked nervous, as if a fight might break out.
She was unfazed and directly looked him in the eyes and responded while releasing a bit of her own aura. Maxwell Thornfield’s smile stiffened, but Olivia quickly retracted her aura and looked at him with a smile and said,
"Cousin Maxwell."
Maxwell looked at Olivia with a dark expression, but then quickly regained his composure, snorted, and walked past her toward Ivana and the others.
Olivia also ignored him and went inside. The onlookers breathed a sigh of relief, thinking a fight would break out.
"Why were you with her?" Maxwell asked with a frown at Ivana and the others, who tensed and broke out in a cold sweat.
"Nothing, she came here to ask for our support, but how could we betray you?" Ivana said confidently after calming herself.
"Heh, Olivia is really delusional," Maxwell sneered. Ivana and the others were part of his core team and had supported him all these years. He then looked at the group of people and said seriously, "I am going to ask the family head to dismantle the guild that she built with her cousins and cut support from the family. Make sure you and all your family members support my motion."
"S-Sure," Ivana stammered, not looking him in the eyes.
Maxwell did not notice the odd behavior and just nodded in satisfaction.
"Olivia," a warm voice made Olivia break into a warm smile.
"Father," Olivia said as she hugged the man.
This man was Sebastian Thornfield, the father of Olivia. Even though she had resentment toward her father for remarrying and disliked her step-siblings, she still had love and respect for her father.
"Olivia," hearing her name called out by a voice she had not heard for a long time, her smile vanished and she looked at the woman.
"Alice," Olivia Thornfield just nodded indifferently. Alice Thornfield was the former maid and current wife of her father, who was jealous of Olivia just like her son Owen.
Sebastian Thornfield gave a stiff smile seeing the coldness seeping from his daughter toward his wife, but he was helpless as not only Olivia but others also had the same attitude toward Alice and Owen.
Owen Thornfield’s face flushed red and he was about to say something, but a glare from his mother stopped him in his tracks.
Olivia did not say anything and proceeded to walk into the meeting room, followed closely behind by Maxwell Thornfield.
The board members were engaged in small group conversations when Olivia and Maxwell made their entrance into the room. As soon as they appeared, the members turned toward them and greeted them with nods, but neither Olivia nor Maxwell reciprocated the gesture. They swiftly proceeded to take the nearest seats to the chairman’s position.
After they took their seats, the other board members resumed their discussions, but in lowered voices. They did so to avoid any potential irritation from Olivia more than Maxwell, as they were wary of her causing trouble for them.
’Something feels off,’ Maxwell thought when he saw many of his supporters looking at Olivia with fearful eyes, and he thought, ’Are they afraid of her because she is at the top of the rankings?’
Thinking this, Maxwell’s face darkened as he felt helpless. Even Rachel and Andrew, the other top players, were also close with Olivia. He could feel a dark cloud looming over his head if he did not do something.
’If only I could find that Faceless guy and get his support.’
He was also one of the people who had been relentlessly searching for the identity of Faceless to gain his backing, as he knew the winds were shifting. He had offered all kinds of deals like money and women; heck, he was even willing to sell his own wife and mother if necessary. He knew the world would soon enter the era of Awakeners and wealth alone would no longer hold much power. That was also why this meeting had been called—to discuss exactly that.
Maxwell clenched his fist in frustration. It wasn’t like he had not tried to become stronger, but he had learned that his cousin Olivia had awakened a very rare Warlock Bloodline that only a few people possessed.
’The only thing I can do is... block her with support from these greedy members.’
Many who supported him had been lured in by the outrageous promises he had made, which he promised to fulfill if he became the head of the Thornfield family, along with the fact that they preferred a male heir over a female one.
The hushed conversations continued for a few more minutes until the door suddenly opened.
The family head then made his entrance, with his secretary following closely behind him as he elegantly walked into the room, and everyone stopped what they were doing.
