Olivia
is the sister of Rebecca Reed and the sister-in-law of Orpheus. On
January 6, 1987, Olivia coincidentally met Roman Brady (John Black),
who at the time was mourning the disappearance of his wife Marlena.
Olivia worked at a ski lodge where Roman had gone to get away with
his children, Carrie, Samantha, and Eric. As it turned out,
Olivia was really working with Orpheus, an enemy of Roman's who
blamed Roman for the death of his wife Rebecca. Olivia was Rebecca's
sister. For seven years, Orpheus and she had blamed Roman for
Rebecca's death. For seven years, Orpheus had poisoned Olivia's mind
against Roman, telling her that Roman had shot Rebecca in cold blood.
Now, Olivia was part of Orpheus' plan for revenge. In no time at all,
Olivia introduced herself into Roman's life and gained his trust.
Soon, he trusted her enough to talk about his search for his wife
Marlena, who had disappeared in a recent explosion. He wasn't sure
whether she was alive or dead. Olivia's purpose was to keep Roman
wondering about Marlena's fate, without ever having confirmation
about what had really happened to her -- thus never having a moment
of peace ever again. In reality, she was still alive.
But
as Olivia got to know Roman better, she learned that he wasn't a
cold-blooded killer. She learned that Rebecca's death had been
nothing but a terrible accident. She learned that Roman was a caring
man who wouldn't be capable of killing anyone on purpose. She learned
that Orpheus had lied to her. But most of all, Rebecca learned that
she was falling in love with Roman, and it was clear that Roman was
developing some feelings for her as well. As she became his friend,
accompanying him to dinners or taking care of Carrie and the twins,
Olivia and Roman became close and even shared a kiss. Wanting to be
part of his life, Olivia began to try to convince Roman that Marlena
had died so that he'd be able to move on with her. This, however,
didn't sit too well with Orpheus. After he discovered that Olivia was
undermining his plans, Orpheus ordered Olivia to leave Salem...or
else. That very night, Olivia packed her bags and flew down to
Orpheus' estate in the Virgin Islands.
Once at Orpheus' estate, Olivia finally met the famous Marlena, who was being kept there and made to act as a mother to Orpheus and Rebecca's children. Olivia got to know Marlena and informed her about Roman's incessant search for her. Olivia also made it clear to Marlena that although she'd begun as Orpheus' accomplice, she was now another of his victims. She promised Marlena that she'd do everything possible to help her. Meanwhile, Roman discovered that Olivia was Rebecca's sister and pieced together her involvement with Orpheus; he also tracked down Orpheus' place in the Caribbean. At that point, Orpheus travelled to his island and made arrangements for Marlena to be taken away on airplane to an unknown location. Before leaving, Marlena entrusted Olivia with a good-bye letter for Roman.
Not
much later, Roman finally made it to Orpheus' house on the Virgin
Islands. Olivia told him that Marlena had been taken away to the
airport, but before Roman could leave, Orpheus arrived brandishing a
gun. As Orpheus and Roman struggled for the gun, it fired shooting
Olivia in the arm. The struggle continued, which ended when Roman
grabbed hold of his gun and fatally shot Orpheus. Olivia's wound
wasn't too serious. Unfortunately, Roman didn't make it to the
airport on time to save Marlena; as her plane took off, it exploded.
This time, it'd been for real. Olivia later apologized to Roman for
her involvement with Orpheus' plan and wondered if she'd go to
prison. She wouldn't. Roman felt that it would be punishment enough
for Olivia to live with the guilt for the rest of her life, so he
didn't turn her into the police. As Roman left for Salem, Olivia
resolved to raise Orpheus and Rebecca's children.
The character of Olivia Reed was
played by Amy Yasbeck in 1987