The next morning, as I walked into the living room, my mom looked up, worried. "Ava, what's up? You look like you've been crying your eyes out."

I touched my swollen lids, scrambling for an excuse. "Got caught up in a super tear-jerker last night. Just couldn't help myself."

"Oh, I was worried it was something serious. You're almost married, and still such a drama queen!" Mom said with a relieved chuckle, handing me a plate of sweet potatoes.

"Why all the sweet potatoes, Mom?" I glanced at the pot brimming with them.

"Oh, these? Olivia's mom dropped them off. Said they had a bumper crop this year, wanted us to try some." She said, enjoying a sweet potato.

"Gotcha." I nodded.

Olivia Walker was once a needy student with a dad who died in a work mishap, leaving her and her mom to fend for themselves. My parents, taking pity, funded her schooling through to graduation. Afterward, she landed a job at my dad's firm as a way to repay their kindness, often visiting our home. She charmed everyone, especially my mom, who took to inviting her over often. We, being the same age with similar interests, naturally became thick as thieves.

But... never did I imagine she'd end up in bed with my boyfriend, helping him scheme over my family's fortune. What a backstabber!

"Ava, Olivia mentioned wanting her mom to come to work for us," Mom noted, "Said it would make life easier for them, cut down on their commutes."

"You agreed?!" I felt a chill run down my spine.

"Yes, why?" Mom looked puzzled.

"You've got to say no!" I blurted out, realizing Olivia had carefully plotted even this move, getting her mom into our house.

"Why?" Mom looked taken aback.

Scrambling for a plausible reason, I said, "Living together can bring out the worst even in the best of friends. She's new, bound to have habits we're not used to. Your health isn't the best, and added stress is the last thing you need. If we clash, people will talk, say we're pushing around a widow and her daughter. Not to mention, I'm used to Nancy's way of doing things, a sudden change would just throw me off."

Mom seemed convinced by my argument, nodding in agreement, "Makes sense."

Lucas found out pretty quickly that I'd canceled the insurance policy he'd taken out for me. The first thing he did when he got back from his "business trip" was to confront me about it.

"My mom got me a policy, so I figured there's no need to have two. One's enough," I replied calmly.

"So, your mom's insurance is legit, and mine isn't? Is that what you're saying?" Lucas' face darkened, the frustration evident.

"Why does it matter? Why are you getting so worked up?" I shot back, staring at a face I thought I knew so well, suddenly feeling like I was looking at a stranger.

"Because... because..." Lucas stammered, and then his expression twisted with anger. "Oh, I get it! Your parents are behind this, right? They've always looked down on me! Canceling my insurance, huh? One day, I'll make sure they respect me!" With that, he stormed out.

The old me would've tried to comfort him, reassure him that he was overthinking things. But now, I could only see him for what he really was—a rotten apple from the start.

I suddenly remembered that Lucas was scheduled to visit my dad's company this month, seeking a partnership under the guise of a potential collaborator. It was something I'd begged my dad to consider months ago. Now, I had to make sure my dad turned him down. To avoid raising any suspicions at home, I decided to drop by my dad's office the next day. I could use the visit as an excuse to check on Olivia's performance at the company.

Just as I arrived at the office entrance, before I could even greet the receptionist, a middle-aged woman in a janitor's uniform, her face beaming with a smile, came striding toward me—

"Ava! Wow, it's really you!" This woman, with her dark skin and steady gait, grabbed my hand as if we were old friends. "It's me, don't you remember?"

"I don't know you," I said, trying to pull away, but she only tightened her grip.

"It's me, Mary Walker! Olivia's mom! You might not recognize me, but I know you. Olivia's always sending me pictures of the two of you. I can recognize you right away. Are you here to see Olivia? Let me take you to her." She grinned, tugging at my hand, already guiding me toward the office.

I couldn't believe it—Mary, working at my dad's company? I'd just turned down their request to have her work at our home, and now she's landed a job here? They had this all planned out! And to make things worse, she was flaunting her connection to me right out in the open!

"I'm not here to see Olivia. It's work hours; you should get back to your duties," I said, pulling my hand free and signaling for her to go back to work.

Mary looked a bit miffed but didn't say anything, heading off toward the break room.

The receptionist's curious, almost gossipy look told me I needed to dig deeper. So I asked, "Who brought Mary on board? When did she start?"

The receptionist shook her head, "No idea who hired her. She started this month. I heard she's... Director Walker's mom."

"Director Walker?" I was surprised. So Olivia had already been promoted to Director, and she'd brought her mom into my dad's company too.

"Does everyone know they're related?" I asked, pretending not to care.

"Oh, yeah, the whole company knows," the receptionist nodded.

"And do people know about their connection to my family?" I pressed further.

"That I'm not sure about," the receptionist seemed cautious, "But everyone knows your families are close."

Olivia soon came over, her face lighting up with a bright smile when she saw me. "Ava! Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I would've sent someone to greet you!"

"Yeah, seriously!" Mary chimed in from behind Olivia.

"I'm here to see my dad, not you. No need to check in with you for that, right?" I replied coolly.

My words seemed to throw Olivia off a bit, but she quickly recovered, nodding. "Let me take you to him." She hooked her arm through mine, not giving me a chance to refuse, and I let her lead the way.

"Did you and your boyfriend have a fight?" Olivia asked as we walked.

"How did you know?" I shot back, curious.

"Just a hunch," Olivia responded smoothly, not missing a beat. "Did I get it right?"

Watching her reaction, I realized lying had become second nature to Olivia. She was playing up our relationship in front of the entire office, just like her mom had done. The apple didn't fall far from the tree; they were both master manipulators.