Chapter 47 - Stifling Atmosphere (1/2)

”What are you ladies up to?” Olivia asked as soon as she sat back on her chair. She saw that Emily and Ava were discussing something over a piece of paper. ”Where's our food? I'm famished,” she added.

”Brainstorming for the seating arrangement,” Emily replied nonchalantly and kept her focus on the piece of paper in her hand. A few seconds later, she peered at Olivia after sensing the hungry and angry dragon beside her, and rubbed the latter's arm saying, ”Food's coming, Livi darling.”

Hearing Emily's reassuring words, Olivia contained the angry beast inside her and gestured for the paper to which Emily happily handed to her.

”It's just a birthday dinner, Ava. You don't have to stress yourself about it,” Olivia commented. She could not understand why Ava had to trouble herself and others for a mere seating arrangement.

”But it's your birthday and as your sister-in-law, I have to make sure everything goes as planned.”

Sensing Ava's sincerity and dedication, Olivia mouthed an 'OK' and the in-laws for the first time genuinely shared a smile. She looked at the guest list and saw familiar names on the paper but only one piqued her interest.

”Why is there a blank seat beside, Max?” Olivia casually asked that earned her controversial stares from Emily, Fiona, and Ava.

The three ladies' thoughts were plagued with questions primarily because nobody called him 'Max'. Why? He'd correct people every time they did. ”Maxen. My name is Maxen,” he would say. So why was Olivia calling him with much familiarity?

”Oh, thaaat. I heard he met a girl he calls 'O Sui' so I'm thinking he might bring her as his plus one,” Ava fizzed, unable to contain the exhilaration of confirming the juice between Olivia and Maxen.

Oh, shoot.

She almost forgot about Fiona. Ava bit the inside of her cheek and stole a glance at the doll-like actress beside her.

”What about Fiona? I don't see her name here,” Olivia raised a brow in question at Ava.

”About thaaaat…the hall has limited capacity and…”

”Oh, I'm just helping Ava. I heard she's at her wit's end with all the last minute preparations,” Fiona sheepishly interjected. If her seat had an emergency ejection button, she had pressed it minutes ago to escape from the underhanded humiliation she was experiencing at the hands of these elite women.

Olivia reached for the pen in front of Ava and scribbled on the seating arrangement before she handed the paper back to her sister-in-law.

Ava crumpled the edge of the paper in white-knuckle force and she almost fainted in her seat after being hit by Olivia's horn. How could Olivia cross out Henry Lin on the list?

”Trust me, Ava. Henry Lin would be a no-show on that birthday dinner.”

Ava pursed her lips and held her tongue as she could feel the hurt behind Olivia's searing words. She just had to come up with a backup plan just in case Henry Lin would show up.