Livy is missing

Even though it wasn't even one o'clock in the afternoon, Livy had already arrived at the cafe where she had an appointment with Gwen. She was probably half an hour ahead because she couldn't wait to meet Arthur's ex.

She felt that she couldn't put it off any longer. In two days they will be abroad—meaning the day after tomorrow. And her restless heart must be immediately calmed.

The moment she entered the cafe, she saw someone familiar sitting in a corner. Livy approached her carefully.

"Excuse me, are you Gwen Estelle?"

As soon as the woman looked up at her, Livy immediately felt like she was looking in a mirror. Indeed, from the face that is not similar as a whole, but one could assume Gwen is Livy at a glance. It's just that, their hairstyles are different; Livy has shoulder-length straight hair, while Gwen has long, curly hair. Also Gwen has the look of a mature, graceful woman—Livy herself still looks like a teenager.

"And ... are you Livy Hayes?"

Livy nodded. "Just call me Livy. You came earlier than the appointment time."

To be honest, Livy was very nervous. She even trembled as she pulled up a chair to sit down and face this woman directly.

"I can't mince words now. Tell me what is your purpose in asking me to meet?" Gwen looked at her with slight hostility, she also looked very indifferent.

"Incidentally, I don't want to mince words either."

The two stare at each other. Livy noticed that Gwen's eye bags looked swollen and her eyes were slightly red. If she didn't cover it up with makeup, Livy would definitely find her face haggard.

Gwen cut off their contact and closed her eyes for a moment. "First, I want to confirm one thing. Are you Arthur's wife?"

Livy's heart was pounding.

"You don't have to wonder how I know, because someone said that Arthur married a woman who looks like me. Do you think so? Do we both look alike?" Gwen smiled, but in her smile was a deep sadness. "I guess our meeting will also discuss that matter, right?"

"What do you think? Do you think Arthur married me because I look like you?" Livy asked back.

Gwen looked at Livy again.

Asked a question like this, Gwen, who previously was determined to stay away from Arthur, immediately burst into flames of passion. She seemed to have some hope that what she suspected was true, that Arthur still loved her and had chosen a woman who looked just like her because she couldn't get over her.

That little bit of hope made Gwen greedy. "We used to love each other. Even after I hurt him in such a way, he still treats me well."

Livy's eyes shook uncomfortably.

"I don't know if those feelings are still there. But when I saw him struggle to help me, no matter how my father would come to beat him up, he didn't falter. He was a responsible man. He was so kind. He loved me a lot."

A drop of Gwen's tears fell, and she wiped it away immediately.

She looked at Livy who was looking at her in awe. "I don't want to compare between me and you. If you ask if he married you because you look like me, you can ask him yourself. Right?"

Livy clenched her fists, her eyes burning.

What is there to ask? She felt that way too—that Arthur had married her because they looked so much alike. Especially considering Dave's words, that Arthur really loved his ex-girlfriend in the past and was devastated when she was left.

Not to mention, even though Livy and Arthur met first, it was childhood, her face has changed a lot.

So if his reason for loving Gwen is because she looks like Livy, that's an original assumption. Young Livy's face has changed a lot.

"Then if you feel it's right, please leave him. Do you think you can be happy living with someone who sees you as my replacement?"

"..."

The image of Arthur embracing Gwen immediately filled Livy's head.

"I love him. I really, really love him. I know it's not easy to forgive mistakes I've made in the past, but that's not hopeless, is it? I feel that he still has feelings for me." Gwen finally poured out everything in her heart that she had been harboring all this time, and she held Livy's hand gently. "Livy, you two haven't gotten so far yet, so ... could you leave him for me?"

***

"Can we postpone my departure for a few more weeks?"

Evander who had calmed down from his irritation yesterday, suddenly felt triggered again. "It's up to you if you want to die."

"..."

When Arthur didn't answer, Evander grew even more irritated. "I don't know what's going on in your mind right now, but can you not make a decision out of line? This is the last day we agreed to be present at this office, starting tomorrow I won't be coming!"

In all the time he had known Evander, he had rarely seen him lose control and yes, at this moment Evander must be very angry.

"If there really is something wrong, you can tell me. Why did you change your decision all of a sudden?" Evander put the work file in his hands rather hard on the table.

Arthur was still silent.

"Damnit, Arthur, say something!" Evander took off his glasses, his hair a mess now. "Okay. It's fine if you can't leave this company because of something urgent, but what about your surgery? Why do you want to delay it? Why have you kept putting it off for so many years?! Is your life playing a joke?"

Evander walked over to Arthur's desk and slapped the table with both hands.

His gaze was very demanding. "Do you really want to die, huh? The Arthur I know is a stubborn and ambitious man. Did you just give up just because trouble brought you down?"

"..."

"You remember how you struggled to stand on your own feet after being trampled upon by your father? Even you haven't proved anything to him and you want to give up?" Evander couldn't stop thinking. "Remember, dude, your body will get weaker if you keep delaying this surgery. We agreed not to tell Livy about the details of your surgery, because you didn't want to worry her. But you are now worrying us all!"

Arthur, who was used to being firm, was now at a loss for words.

He tried to argue, but right now his head hurt a little and he was too lazy to escalate the fuss.

"I won't care why you changed your decision to stay at this company, at least don't delay your surgery any longer. You've been putting it off for years! Do you know that?"

Evander didn't let Arthur say anything at all. Seeing that Arthur was just silent and lost like this, made Evander feel a little guilty.

Finally he sighed and turned around. "I'd like to have a quick smoke. Think carefully about what I say."

***

After her encounter with Gwen, Livy did not return home. But she went to her university no matter how deserted it was. Lectures are still taking place in several departments, it's just that the reason to check exam results on campus is just nonsense. From their own class, they have started a long vacation.

Livy went to college because she didn't know what to do. She really didn't want to go home and meet Arthur.

'Yes, we do see each other often lately. There are some things we both take care of, the rest we meet to say goodbye. I didn't know that he hid our meetings from you.'

Her hand clenched her phone tightly as she remembered Gwen's words. Her heart was so tight, and tears just fell down.

The photos were true, even without Gwen explaining, Livy already knew that their intimacy was not purely business. It's a deep connection. The way Gwen hugged Arthur explained everything, they did let go of each other's longing.

While she was sitting on a park bench, it suddenly started to rain. The water soaked some of her clothes and hair, but she didn't even move to take shelter.

Rain is synonymous with cold, it's just that with the fire of jealousy in her heart, she doesn't feel cold at all.

She was crying even louder—no one would hear her, no one would see her tears.

This is better.

Where will she go after this? Should she return to their home and meet Arthur? Would she still be able to restrain herself from venting everything again? She knew if she saw him right now she would be deeply hurt and she couldn't get the image of those photos out of her head.

Then where should she go?

Livy felt she has no purpose anymore. Her aunt is left, the house has probably been sold. She lazily returned to the dormitory, where she left her diamond necklace tucked in, not to mention having bodyguards watching over her.

Arthur played behind her back, even though Gwen's explanation was only one-sided, she believed that the woman is honest.

If they weren't playing, why did he have to hide this from her?

Of course because this is an affair.

Without Gwen saying to stay away from Arthur, because of this, can she still be able to face Arthur? Certainly not.

She doesn't know how she will meet Arthur in the midst of her storm of feelings. Will she be angry? Does she have the right to be angry with jealousy?

Her tears fell again. Her chest was heavy and her heart was torn to pieces.

After a while, she finally calmed down and wiped away her tears. Suddenly she had an idea where she should go. So she turned off her phone and took out her simcard.

***

"Where's Livy?" Arthur said into the phone.

The bodyguard on the other end answered through the rain, "She is still at the university, sir. I saw her sitting in the garden a moment ago, but she seems to be taking shelter."

Arthur touched the surface of the window and felt the glass cool with the rain. Outside, the sky was so dark because of the gray clouds. Whenever it was cold from the rain, his bones began to ache, as if they were triggered by the cold raindrops.

"Find her and ask her to come back when her business is done." Arthur hung up after the bodyguard answers.

The door at this time opened and Evander entered. His expression was still as sour as before, even though Arthur couldn't see it, he could feel it. There was even a strong smell of cigarettes as soon as the door was closed.

One of the things Arthur knew by heart from Evander's habits; the man would go for a few cigarettes if he was agitated or annoyed. It looks like Evander is experiencing both at the moment. Arthur wanted to say something to lighten the ice, but he didn't know what to say.

"Have you thought about what I said?" Evander sat on the sofa, his head propped against the pillow and his eyes closed.

Arthur didn't answer immediately, he heard the faint rain from outside.

"Watch until Dave finds out about this and he's going to drag your stinky ass out of the country right now."

"Don't say anything to him just yet. I'll think about it," Arthur replied calmly.

"Do you really need to think about it for a long time? Don't you want to get better? Tell me, what exactly happened? I'll help you solve the problem."

There were only two days left before their departure. If it is these problems that are weighing on Arthur to leave, Evander will do whatever it takes to solve them. At least Arthur's departure cannot be postponed.

By this time, Arthur was tired of standing because all his bones ached. He turned and sat back down. But still no answer.

Evander patiently said again, "Is this also the reason why you didn't resign from your father's company?"

Right on target.

"If you are silent, then I am right!"

Arthur intertwined his hands and squeezed them gently together. "Matthew threatened me."

Evander's expression immediately turned serious.

"He suddenly admitted that everything that happened to Gwen was his doing—even though I already knew he was the cause. And this time, he threatened me to hurt Livy. I couldn't refuse the conditions he gave." Every word Arthur said, it had a heavy weight pressing down on his chest.

'So this is about Livy?'

Then Evander suddenly remembered something. "Didn't your stepmother really want Matthew to get a position in the company? Why is he suddenly doing this?"

Arthur also has the same confusion. "I previously suspected that he did all this on the orders of that woman, but it seems things are not that simple. What poisoned me in the past, was it really his mother or even he himself?"

"Wait, why do you think like that?"

"I didn't see Matthew much when my father married that woman. We only met a few times and never spoke to each other in person. I don't really know his personality."

Is there anything that makes Matthew so mad at him other than their family problems?

Arthur is even willing to throw away his identity as Luther's son in order to leave this family, but why does it seem like Matthew doesn't let him go? This was different from his stepmother's wishes, she was clearly desperate to get rid of Arthur. If he was being held back to be in this family, there must be a different scenario at play.

"So you think that all the problems that are happening now are not your stepmother's doing?" Evander expressed a reasonable speculation in his head.

Before Arthur could answer, his phone rang.

"Sir, Miss Livy is not at the university. I've looked everywhere for her, but can't find her." The bodyguard on the other side said in a panicked tone.

"What about her dorm?"

"Nothing, sir. We've also checked there."

Arthur's hand fumbled in his drawer and found his earphones, he put them in his other ear and heard nothing. His calm was instantly broken.

"Sir, we have also tried to trace her GPS, but that also can't be traced. It seems her phone is turned off and her simcard is damaged."

Damaged?

Arthur's heart went cold. Did she run away or something happened to her?

"Search around the university again. If you can't find her, call all her friends." Arthur said firmly.

Evander, who saw Arthur agitated, immediately sensed that something was wrong. He saw Arthur getting up with a coat and phone. He got up too.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"Livy is missing."

... to be continued ...