Chapter 242

The staff from the International Medical Association came to pick up Olivia.

She handed over her luggage, following the staff as she answered Gillian’s call.

“Is something the matter?” Olivia rubbed her forehead, feeling the fatigue that came from a long flight and the inability to rest adequately.

Gillian’s voice was frail and hesitant. “Olivia, I heard you’re in Mala now? I know I messed up before, but I’ve realized it. Can we meet? It’s at my current place, 23 Howell Street.”

Olivia, her tone cold and unwavering, responded without a hint of hesitation, “No, that’s not possible.”

Gillian, sensing the resolve in Olivia’s voice, hesitated for a moment before asking, “Why not? What’s changed?”

Olivia’s attitude remained detached as she explained, “I told you, you’re not right in the head. How did you even know I was in Mala? The timing is too coincidental. I just got off the plane, and you’re calling me?

“To be honest, I do want to believe you, but there are too many inconsistencies in your story, and I can’t overlook them.”

Gillian, left pondering her own actions, found herself at a loss for words.

Ernesto, infuriated by the situation, couldn’t contain his frustration any longer and gave Saul a strong kick.

“You idiot messed it up again!” he growled, a mix of anger and disappointment in his voice.

Saul, on the other hand, hunched down in a corner, resembling a small, dejected balloon, as he realized the gravity of his mistake.

Stefan, observing the scene closely, quickly signaled Saul to leave the room, making it clear that they needed to change their approach. He then looked at Gillian, urging her to scream for help.

Gillian, shaken by it, hesitated for a moment and then cried out for help, quickly ending the call. After hanging up, Gillian nervously looked at Ernesto, her eyes filled with uncertainty, “Will she really come?”

If it were in the past, Gillian was sure that Olivia would come to her rescue, even if it meant risking her life.

But now, Gillian was no longer certain.

She and Olivia had come to this point in their relationship, and there wasn’t much left of their former bond.

Ernesto nodded, trying to reassure her, “She will come. You know there’s no one more loyal and devoted than Olivia.”

Stefan immediately mobilized his team, planning to keep a close watch on Gillian’s previous residence, anticipating Olivia’s arrival.

They waited patiently from day to night and from night to day, but Olivia didn’t show up.

She didn’t even report the situation to the authorities.

Ernesto was so frustrated that he kicked a chair and asked Gillian to call Olivia once again.

Gillian quickly dialed, her heart pounding with anxiety, but the call couldn’t get through. It was clear she had been blocked.

She tried another phone, and this time, it connected.

“Why didn’t you come to rescue me?” Gillian questioned Olivia the moment she got through.

For some reason, this question came out almost instinctively.

1.3 15.18 She felt wronged.

How could Olivia not come to rescue her? In the past, no matter what happened, Olivia would be there immediately, always by her side.

Gillian knew she could never go back to how things were with Olivia.

She understood this fact.

But when the situation really arose, and Olivia seemed to truly not care, Gillian realized that she couldn’t bear it.

“Olivia, how could you not care about me?” she thought.

Olivia was in the middle of eating, and she furrowed her brows after hearing Gillian’s words, her voice now tinged with impatience as she responded, “I have a lot of things to deal with, and I don’t have time for these make–believe games. Please don’t involve me in your childish games.”

Gillian chuckled softly and asked, “So, you’re not afraid that something might actually happen to me?”

Olivia, growing impatient, replied, “You and Ernesto are together, right? Tell him my patience is running out, and he should stop provoking me.”

Before Gillian could respond, Ernesto snatched the phone. “How did you know I am here?”

Putting down her fork, Olivia calmly explained, “Back in the homeland, you had people loitering around the hospital, and then you suddenly flew to Mala. The logical connection was so obvious that only a fool wouldn’t notice.

“Besides, you’re one of the world’s top hypnotists. I’d appreciate it if you used your brain.

“Do you think this is some kind of idol drama where the female lead falls for everything without thinking?”

Ernesto was speechless.

“Damn! Why would I be exposed?” he wondered angrily.

He fumed, shouting, “You were following me!”

Olivia confirmed with a nod, “Yes, I was tracking you. I also informed the head of the Medical Association about you, and Dr. Ross has already contacted your father. You’ll be brought back to Fesmuowana soon.”

Ernesto flared up.

For the first time in his life, Ernesto felt so frustrated.

He wondered if this annoying woman was some kind of mind reader. Why did this annoying woman.

always predict his next action?

Frustrated and about to hang up, he heard Olivia’s perplexed voice from the other end, “I’m curious, what exactly do you want to do? Except for that one time on the plane, we have had no interactions.

What is this all about?”

Ernesto chuckled.

Finally, there was something she didn’t know.

He suppressed his laughter and sat on the sofa. “I want to hypnotize you.”

Olivia responded, “Sure.”

Wait, what the heck!

Ernesto was dumbfounded. He had mentioned hypnotizing Olivia just to warn her to be cautious and that he would take further action.

He never expected her to agree.

What was going on?

Ernesto was a little stunned. “You agreed?”

Olivia nodded, “Yes, but I want something in return. We can make a deal. I’ll let you hypnotize me, and in exchange, you’ll give me the hypnotism book that’s been passed down in the Smith family.”

15:48 Ernesto, initially surprised, burst into laughter.

He laughed louder and louder, almost falling off the sofa. Olivia had outsmarted him completely.

He had always thought that he was plotting against her behind her back, but in the end, he had fallen into a trap that she had already planned.

However, there was one thing Ernesto didn’t understand, “The first time we met on the plane, you already knew, didn’t you? And you were determined to set me up. But I’m curious, my decision to go to the Hushe Republic was spontaneous, so I took the first–class seat and didn’t charter a plane. How did you know I’d be going to the Hushe Republic that day?”

Olivia replied nonchalantly, “I didn’t know; I just happened to bump into you that day. It was merely a coincidence.”

“So….” Ernesto raised an eyebrow. “Were your words that day deliberate?”

Olivia paused for a moment before speaking, “It wasn’t necessarily deliberate. The circumstances were too random, and I couldn’t be certain that you were interested in me. I don’t like to do things with uncertain outcomes. However, later, when I saw your people at the hospital, that’s when I was sure you were interested in me.”

Ernesto, a top hypnotist who enjoyed delving into the human psyche, was intrigued by Olivia’s intelligence.

He had an insatiable curiosity about human nature. Although it seemed that he was unreliable at times, he had a pathological obsession with human nature.

Rarely did he encounter someone as smart as Olivia, and he couldn’t resist studying her.

Traveling to Mala to find Gillian was just a ruse. Asking for the Smith family’s miraculous treatments was a way to gauge Olivia’s reaction.

Finally, Ernesto asked a question, “Why do you want the hypnotism book? It’s centuries old, outdated, and extremely cryptic. It won’t be of much use even if I give it to you.”

Olivia, holding a water glass, gazed at the clear liquid within. Her voice, as gentle as the water, replied, “I’ve read the notes left by the Smith family over the centuries. There are records about treating vegetative states, and it’s said that the hypnotism book contains methods to awaken those in a vegetative state.”

“Absurd!” Ernesto, a top hypnotist himself, was well–versed in hypnosis and knew that it couldn’t wake someone from a vegetative state.

Olivia smiled. “You’ll never know unless you try.”

Ernesto didn’t understand. “Why would you try something you know won’t work?”

Olivia’s voice held a rare touch of vulnerability, “My grandfather is getting old. If he remains in a vegetative state, he might never wake up. So, even if I know it may not work, I have to try my best.”

Gillian couldn’t contain herself any longer and broke down, sobbing on the floor.

In comparison to Olivia, she felt utterly inadequate.

“Grandpa, I’m so sorry!” she thought sadly.