I’m Someone Else

Chapter 30

“Hello. We meet again.” Norman was no longer hostile toward Thomas—this time, he greeted Thomas with a friendly smile. Thomas gave Norman a curt nod to acknowledge the man’s presence before making his way to Olivia. Even though Norman was the president of the company that Thomas was working for, and even though Norman was technically his boss’ boss, Thomas didn’t feel the need to please Norman at all.

After all, Norman had left a really bad impression on him after their last two encounters. He had been quick to conclude that Thomas was Olivia’s murderer after hearing what Ophelie said, and he even offended Thomas by offering him money. When Norman saw the icy look on Thomas’ face, he couldn’t help but feel rather embarrassed. However, upon reflecting on his own actions, Norman realized that he was guilty of misunderstanding Thomas twice.

“Are you free tonight? I’d like to buy you a meal. I made a few mistakes in the past, and I’d like to formally apologize to you. We could have a celebration since Olivia’s getting discharged today,” Norman offered after some consideration. It’s rare to see young men nowadays who are as honest and hardworking as Thomas. I’m interested in getting to know him.

Thomas was rather taken aback by the offer. He was about to reject it when Olivia, who was lying on the bed, interrupted their conversation. “Since I’m getting discharged, you’re going to have to drive me home, Thomas. Why don’t you join us for a meal instead of just waiting in the car?” she offered.

Thomas nodded with a rather bitter smile on his face. After Thomas and Norman agreed on a time, Thomas left the hospital and returned to his house. When it was time for dinner, Thomas sent Chloe a text to let her know that he was heading out that night and that he wouldn’t join her for dinner. He reminded her to have her meal and get some rest, and he told her not to worry about him.

Chloe didn’t respond to the message even after a few minutes. She’s probably too busy to check her phone. It’s fine. She’ll see it once she gets off work, he thought. He got to his feet and headed to

Pearson Group’s parking lot, where he took the BMW Z4 and drove to the hospital. When Thomas got to the ward, Olivia had already packed most of her items and had already completed the discharge procedures. Thomas trailed behind Norman’s car and drove Olivia over to a villa.

This was one of the grandest villas Thomas had ever seen in his life. The designer of the place had magically created a fusion of eastern and western-styled themes in the whole place, and the house was luxurious yet elegant. There were splashes of traditional art and furniture in the overall modern building. The place looked like it cost a minimum of 8 million! Thomas sneaked a glance at Olivia, who was standing beside him. Why did this woman choose to stay in some regular condominium when she has such a grand villa?

“Please come in!” Norman held his hand out in a gentlemanly manner and gestured for Thomas and Olivia to enter. They headed to the dining area, where all the dishes had already been prepared. Thomas could tell that Norman had put some effort into planning the dinner, as he had even prepared wine for his guests.

Ophelie was already at the dining table, but she didn’t look as pleased when she saw Thomas. Thomas simply rolled his eyes at her before pretending not to notice her. Olivia held her glass up before addressing Thomas in a sincere tone. “I can’t have alcohol yet, but this tea will do the job. This is a toast to you, Thomas. Thank you!” Olivia was still recovering from her injury, so she wasn’t allowed to have alcohol. After her short speech, she finished her tea and beamed at him.

“You’re welcome!” Thomas sipped on his tea as well. It’s no wonder that she’s known as one of the prettiest girls in Irieson. Even though this isn’t my first time witnessing it, her smile still leaves a really strong impact on me. She’s so beautiful! Felice is a piece of trash in comparison to Olivia!

“Where did you go to college, Mr. Clifford?” Norman asked as he clinked glasses with Thomas.

“I graduated from Irieson First High School…” Thomas muttered awkwardly. “I didn’t go to college. I enlisted in the army after my SATs,” he uttered.

“Pfft. You don’t even have a degree. That explains why you’re my sister’s driver,” Ophelie said through pursed lips.

“Ophelie!” Norman shot his younger daughter a glare. This girl is so immature nowadays! Then, Norman turned to smile at Thomas. “You had the ambition to protect the country even at that young age, huh, Mr. Clifford? That’s so rare!” he commented.

Thomas waved his hand to dismiss Norman’s compliment. “I feel rather bad about it nowadays. The decision to enter the army was a rather abrupt one. Irieson’s University of Technology had offered me to study with them, but I never got a chance to go there in the end.” If the old man hadn’t forced Thomas to abandon his studies and enlist in the army, perhaps Thomas would’ve been a degree-holder and a white-collar worker by now. He could’ve gotten better pay and a more stable 9.00AM to 5.00PM job.

“What? Irieson’s University of Technology? They offered you to study with them?” Both Norman and Olivia were shocked to hear what Thomas said. Irieson’s University of Technology was one of the most famous universities in the country. If the university was the one that offered Thomas to study with them, it meant that Thomas had to be an extremely outstanding student. Yet, Thomas ended up abandoning his studies to enlist in the army. Did he reject the university’s offer? Is there something wrong with him?

“Wait.” Ophelie narrowed her eyes to stare at him. “What’s your name?”

“Thomas.”

“So, you graduated from Irieson First High School, and Irieson’s University of Technology offered you a place to study with them after your SATs. Yet, you gave up on them and chose to enlist instead?”

Ophelie summarized his words. Thomas nodded blindly—he didn’t understand what Ophelie meant by the look on her face. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Ophelie widened her eyes even more as she stared at him in disbelief. “It’s you, then! You were Irieson’s top student in the SATs, eight years ago!” she cried. Thomas’ achievements had been a big deal back then, and Ophelie could remember it as she used to be a student at Irieson First High School. Even at this point, there were still people who would talk about Thomas’ achievements when they recalled their studying days.

“You brainless b*stard!” Ophelie cried.

“Stop talking nonsense, Ophelie!” Olivia barked.

“Did I say anything wrong? This b*stard changed his mind—that was the reason our aunt got punished!” Ophelie cried. “Your aunt?” Thomas frowned to recall the details. Yes, I was offered to study at the university by a senior who shared the same surname as this family. Could she be the aunt that Ophelie’s talking about?

Ophelie got to her feet before wagging her finger in Thomas’ face. “Get out of our house, you b*stard! You’re not welcome here!”

Back in high school, Thomas had performed extremely well. The person in charge of recruiting students for Irieson’s University of Technology was Veronica, and she stumbled upon Thomas’ profile before offering to let him study there. Thomas was eager to do so, so he agreed almost immediately to the idea. Veronica was pleased, and she was even happier when she heard that Thomas was the top student of his year. This felt like a huge achievement to Veronica.