OLIVIA’S POV

“You might as well just take a knife and stab her while she’s not looking.”

n

Adrian’s voice snapped me out of the thoughts running wild in my head. My fists had unconsciously curled into balls at my sides, and I was ring so hard it felt like my eyes might set the entire house on fire.

“What?” I blinked, turning my attention to him.

“The way you were ring,” he said with a slight smirk, sipping from his water bottle. “You looked like you were nning her funeral in your head.”

“Why did you let her in here again?” I asked, trying to keep my voice level, but the venom in my tone was impossible to hide.

“For so many reasons, actually,” he said, lifting his fingers and counting them off like he was giving me a casual grocery list. “First of all, this is my house, so I can let anyone in. Second, I haven’t seen her in a while and would like to speak to her. And finally…” he paused for dramatic effect, “I really enjoy it when you two try to tear yourselves apart. It’s better than most reality shows I’ve seen.”

I stared at him in disbelief. Was this really a game to him? Watching me unravel every time Dora came around?

Before I could bite back with aeback sharp enough to cut through steel, my phone vibrated in my hand. I nced down and saw Julian’s name shing on the screen.

“Do as you wish, Your Highness,” I said mockingly to Adrian and turned on my heel without waiting for his response. I stormed up the stairs and into the safety of my room, where the air wasn’t thick with smugness and unresolved feelings.

I shut the door behind me and answered the call.

“What’s up?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“One out of the two people we have in our custody has finally confessed,” Julian’s voice said on the other end. “He admitted he was paid to do a job for Adrian Westwood. We have the whole confession on tape.”

For a second, I froze.

On any other day, that news would’ve sent me into a fit of pure excitement. I would’ve screamed, jumped on the bed, or at the very least let out a triumphantugh. But today… Today was different. Seeing Isadora waltz back into this house like she belonged here had twisted my insides into a knot.

“That’s good news,” I replied tly.

Even Julian noticed.

“Alright… what’s the matter now? You sound down. Is it Adrian again?”

I let out a long sigh and flopped onto the bed. “Seeing that clown Dora always sets my mood off.”

“She’s bback /bin the house?” he asked, his voice sharp with concern.

b“/bYes,” I replied bitterly.

He sighed too, probably pinching the bridge of his nose as he always did when something irritated him. “I understand. But hearing what I just told you should lift your spirits. You’ll soon be out of there, Liv. You won’t ever have to see her face again.”

I let the silence sit for a second before replying.

“Leaving Adrian’s house, byes/b. But never seeing Dora’s bface /bagain? No. That can’t happen.”

“Why not?” he asked, confused.

“Because I need to see her bface /bwhen everythinges crumbling down,” I said, my voiceced with rage. “I need to see her fall from the pedestal she built with lies and betrayal. I need to see her crawl, to hear her beg. That’s the only thing that’s going to make this whole thing worth it.”

There was ba /bbpause/b.

“Okayb, /bcalm down. You don’t want to get yourself worked up because of your baby,” Julian said gently, his voiceced with concern.

I exhaled deeply, rubbing my hand over my stomach in slow circles. “Remaining calm while under the same roof with her won’t be beasy/b, but you’re right. I shouldn’t be selfish right now–not just for my health but for that of my baby. So I’ll try my best to avoid her and stay calm,” I said, even though I knew it would take everything in me to follow through on that promise.

b11:36 /bAM

Chapter 106.

“Okay, very good. Now…”

“Hold on,” I cut him off mid–sentence. A small, sudden thud echoed from just outside my room, interrupting our conversation. I immediately stiffened, my instincts kicking in.

(+20

0

each step cautious,

I lowered the phone from my ear and nced toward the door, which I’d left slightly open. Slowly, I moved across the room, quiet. My fingers gently pushed the door open, just wide enough to peek into the hallway. Nothing. No one was there. The corridor was empty and Still. But I could’ve sworn I heard something–a footstep? Something falling? Or was I just being paranoid again?

Maybe it was just one of the maids. Or maybe the stress was making me imagine things.

Still uneasy, I closed the door properly this time, making sure it clicked shut. I returned to my bed and picked up the phone again.

“Hey, you still there?” I asked, resuming the call.

“Yeah. Where did you run off to?” Julian asked, a note of curiosity in his tone.

“I thought I heard something outside my room, but I’m probably just imagining things,” I replied, settling back into my seat.

Before Julian could respond, a familiar voice floated through the phone, one that instantly made me smile.

“Is that Olivia?” I heard my mother ask in the background.

“Yes,” Julian replied.

“Give me the phone, let me speak to her,” she demanded, and within a second, I could hear her closer on the line.

“My darling, how are you doing today?” she asked, her voice immediatelyforting, warm, and a bit dramatic

“I’m fine, Mom,” I replied with a soft smile, already sensing the lecture she had prepared for me.

“Yesterday, you just ran off to go attend to your husband, leaving us alone without even a goodbye. You didn’t remember to give me your number either–it was like you went missing again! Because there was no way for me to contact you,” she scolded in her usual over–the–top fashion.

I chuckled lightly, “Well, now you’re talking to me, aren’t you?”

“Yes, and I will get your number from Julian,” she said firmly. “We need to stay inmunication, at least until he gets you out of that house. I don’t like the idea of you being in that ce with that man.”

I leaned back on the pillow, feeling grateful for her concern. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m handling it.”

“There’s something else we need to talk about,” she said, her voice dropping to a more serious tone. “Your father… he wants to speak with you.”