Chapter 3

"Oh my God, this woman is playing at such a high level! The property division section actually says she voluntarily gives up everything!"

"If I were a man, I might've been fooled too."

"Olivia is amazing! If it weren't for her, the business empire Mr. Hale built might've been bled dry by this woman."

Olivia spoke into the camera:

"This is a very advanced form of emotional control."

"But men aren't fools. Eventually, they'll see through it."

"And when that happens, everything she conned out of a man will be taken back one way or another."

"The women in my stream would never resort to tactics like these."

"But we have to learn to recognize them, so we can step in when the men in our lives are being deceived."

"That's the only way to protect truly healthy relationships from being destroyed."

The link for the "Emotional Manipulation Recognition Trial Course" sold out instantly.

Combined with the previous sales, Olivia had made close to ten million off my case alone.

The comments erupted in celebration.

"This case was so satisfying. She thought she could go up against Olivia? Dream on."

"Bet she didn't see that coming. Thought she'd walk away loaded, and Mr. Hale actually signed."

"Am I the only one who thinks Mr. Hale and Olivia are kind of perfect together?"

"Obviously! Mr. Hale built Olivia's streaming platform for her, and his team handled all the early promotion."

"Especially the two cases that made Olivia famous — Mr. Hale provided both of them!"

"Isn't that the definition of 'when you love someone, you lift her higher'?"

Olivia couldn't help covering her mouth as she laughed.

"Oh, stop it, everyone. Ethan and I are just business partners."

"Business partners are even better! The power-couple dynamic is everything."

"Right. Way better than some woman at home who does nothing but play the victim and guilt-trip people."

"I found this woman's personal info! Don't let her get away with it!"

"Oh no!"

Olivia acted as if she'd just remembered, and hurriedly blurred out my name and address with a mosaic filter.

"Everyone, please don't do that! This is my fault — a careless slip."

"Olivia is too kind."

"No way. Olivia can forgive her, but we can't! Sisters, let's go!"

Olivia lowered her head, but the corner of her mouth quietly curved upward.

Then, the next second —

A link appeared out of nowhere in the stream's chat.

Someone clicked on it.

The comments were instantly flooded with question marks.

"What is this? Did Olivia drug that woman's soup?"

"Wait... Olivia caused her miscarriage? She wasn't faking it!"

"Oh my God, is this real?"

Olivia's face went white.

"I'm sorry, everyone. Someone is spreading malicious rumors in the stream."

She frantically had the moderators delete the comment and its link.

But the post the link led to had already racked up hundreds of thousands of views.

On my end, I let out a cold laugh.

Ethan always told me I didn't need to watch my back around Olivia.

He said he was just helping a lonely old classmate get her business off the ground — doing right by an old friendship.

But I'd secretly installed surveillance cameras in the house anyway.

The footage of Olivia slipping something into my soup was captured in perfect clarity.

The door burst open.

Ethan stormed in, pulling a weeping Olivia behind him.

The first thing out of his mouth:

"Was that post yours?"