OLIVIA’S POV

I heard a knock on the door just at the right time.

That must be ra. “Come in,” I said, barely turning away from the screen in my hand.

The door opened wide and, just as I thought, ra stepped inside. She was probably here to check on me before the designers arrived with the selection from Armani.

“You’re just in time,” I said quickly, standing from the edge of the chair and heading toward the walk–in closet. The phone was still in my hand, and the video call with Charlie was ongoing. “Tell the pilot to fire up the jet. We’re heading back to Mexico this instant.”

“Back to Mexico?” she asked, surprised. “But… what about the auction?”

“My son needs me, ra,” I said firmly, stopping in my tracks and turning to face her. “Right now, I don’t care about the auction. I don’t care about the damn Rolls Royce. Nothinges before Charlie.”

ra paused, searching my eyes. Then she gave a small nod, never one to question me further when she could sense I had made up my mind. “Alright, ma’am. She pulled out her phone from the pocket of her zer and immediately began to dial the pilot.

I took in a slow breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. My heart was pounding, but I couldn’t let Charlie see that, I didn’t want to scare him more than he might already be. I straightened up, pushed my hair behind my ears, and put on a reassuring smile before lifting the phone to my face again.

Charlie was still lying there, tucked into his race car bed, the nket pulled to his chest. His face was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly droopy. But something was… off.

As I stared at him, I was about to speak–ready to tell him I wasing back home–when I noticed something strange.

Something wasn’t adding up.

I’ve always been observant. After all, I’m not just his mother–I’m the chairwoman of ke Enterprise. Being sharp, aware, and attentive has saved me more than once in the corporate world. But more than that, motherhood had rewired my instinctspletely.

Ever since I gave birth to Charlie, I’ve paid close attention to every little thing about him. His moods, his habits, the way he reacts to certain foods, the sound of his breathing when he’s fast asleep–everything. And especially when he’s sick.

Because I missed the signs with Adrian. Because I was blind to the fact that someone I once trusted wanted me dead.

I promised myself I would never be that blind again.

Thest–and only–time Charlie had fallen sick, I noticed something odd then too. Rashes. They always appeared on his forehead like a warning signal. The doctor had told me it was nothing to worry about, just a physical reaction from his body when it was under stress. But it stuck with me, and I made sure to check for it every single time.

And now, as I stared at the screen, I realized his forehead was perfectly clear.

Not a single rash.

That didn’t make sense.

“Stop that call,” I said suddenly to ra, my eyes still fixed on the video feed. My voice was calm, but it cut through the room like a knife.

ra froze mid–sentence, her eyes shooting to me in confusion. “Ma’am?”

“I said stop the call,” I repeated, firmer now. “Don’t tell the pilot anything yet.”

She slowly lowered her phone from her ear, still watching me.

I leaned a little closer to the screen, squinting just slightly, studying every inch of my son’s expression, his posture. The way his lips moved when he spoke. Was that a hint of a smirk?

“Charlie, you heard me when I said I was going toe back to Mexico now so I could stay with you, right?” I asked, my voice a mix of worry and love.

He didn’t answer immediately–just gave a small nod, his eyes barely meeting the camera. That single nod was enough to confirm everything, yet something about it felt off. His silence wasn’t from illness. It was a clifferent kind of quiet–almost mischievous.

I leaned a bit closer to the screen, narrowing my eyes. “Okay,” I said slowly, studying his expression. “So when were you going to stop the acti? /iOr were you actually going to let mee all the way back to Mexico just for this?”

The room on his end went dead quiet. Even Rosa, who had been hovering somewhere in the background, stopped moving. The stillness hung in the air, thick and waiting. I didn’t say another word. I gave him space–space to confess, space toe clean.

And finally, he did.

A small smile crept across Charlie’s lips as he sat up straighter in his racecar bed and held the tablet up to his face. His eyes twinkled with a blend of guilt and mischief. “I thought you’d believe I was sick,” he said with a tiny shrug, his voiceced with both disappointment and amusement.

I couldn’t help theugh that slipped past my lips. “Yes, well… it almost worked,” I said, crossing my arms. “But it looks like you weren’t good enough to hide everything. And you know how well Mummy watches you.”

He giggled now–soft, innocent, and oh–so–adorable. The sound immediately warmed my chest, melting away all the tension that had built up moments before. I swiped down on my phone to check the date, a thought suddenly hitting me. And there it was. April 1st.

My eyes widened slightly, then narrowed again as realization hit. “You little rascal,” I said softly, shaking my head.

He tried to pull an April Fool’s prank on me?

He forgot the person who basically invented April Fool’s in this household? Back in the day, it was like a sacred tradition for me–I pulled pranks on my dad, on Julian, on literally anyone within a one–mile radius. I’d even roped in Charlie when he was just three years old, teaching him harmless little tricks. I guess the student was finally trying to prank the master.

On the screen, Charlie turned to Rosa with an exasperated pout. “Aunt Rosa, you told me Mom was going to fall for this!”

I gasped and leaned toward the camera, mock–offended. “So you’re in on this too, Rosa?”

Rosa chuckled from behind him, clearly trying to hold back herughter. “I thought so too, Charlie. But your mom’s too smart,” she said with a wink.

Then she took the tablet gently from Charlie and faced me on the screen, her tone shifting to something more apologetic. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I was the one who nned the whole thing. Charlie really didn’t want to miss April Fool’s Day, and he came to mest night with the idea. I just… couldn’t say no. I thought it would be a harmless little joke. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I let out a soft sigh, pretending to be stern for one more moment before my smile betrayed me. “Even if I wanted to be mad at you, Rosa, I couldn’t. I told you–if he wants something, and it’s safe, then you do it. And I guess this counts.”