bChapter /bb196 /b

bOLIVIA’S /bPOV

There she was.

Standing right in front of me, staring me dead in the face.

I froze for the briefest moment, my breath catching in my throat. It had been five years–five painfully long, unforgettable years–since thest time I saw her. Five years since she destroyed the most precious thing in my life. Five years since she killed my child.

And now she had the nerve to stand here, in the same building, as if nothing had happened. As if she wasn’t the reason for one of the darkest chapters of my life.

My gaze moved from the faded, nearly colorless shoes she wore, scuffed at the edges, to the wrinkled and slightly stained top she had on. Even the cheap trousers she wore had a threading loose near the knee. I felt something twist in my chest- Disgust.

So this is what Adrian had lowered himself to? Allowing her–his supposed mistress, the mother of his child–toe to a prestigious auction dressed like amon maid? Even James, who was just his friend, had enough decency to dress properly.

My jaw tightened. Adrian’s standards must have fallen so low that it was almostughable.

Her voice then cut through my thoughts, sharp and impatient. “Are your ears blocked out or are you deaf? Can’t you say something?”

For a moment, her words felt far away, muffled by the rush of old memories wing at my mind–My expression didn’t change, my voice came out calm, even, yet cold enough to slice through steel

“And what would I have to say to someone like you?” I asked.

She frowned, brows knitting together in annoyance. “Someone like me? Do you even know me? You were walking out of here and you hit without even saying sorry!”

my

shoulders

“Oh please,” I scoffed, unable to hide a small smirk. “That was barely considered a hit. But knowing someone like you, you’d dly escte the situation to make yourself look like the victim.”

For a moment, the annoyance in her expression shifted into something else–confusion. I could see it clearly. She didn’t recognize me. Not yet. And why would she? Everyone in this city who once knew me thinks I’m dead. It’s the lie that kept me safe all these years.

She tilted her head, trying to ce me. “What are you talking about?” she demanded.

My eyes didn’t leave hers. I let my silence stretch, heavy and deliberate.

Finally, I leaned in just slightly, my voice dropping lowerb, /bcarrying more weight. “I’m not going to repeat myself. And listen closely: I’m not done with you. But until then, don’t ever touch me again–or you’ll be sorry.”

Her mouth opened slightly, as if to ask something else, but I didn’t give her the chance. I turned on my heel, the hem of my dress brushing against her leg as I walked past her.

I could feel her eyes burning into my back, filled with a mix of confusion and something close to fear, but she still didn’t understand who I was. Not yet.

“Hey, do I know you?” she called after me, her voice carrying a note of uncertainty this time.

I didn’t answer.

I kept walking, my hand brushing against the mask covering half of my face. The truth was, part of me wanted bto /bbturn /bbackb, /bbrip /bbthe /bbmask /bboff/bb, /bband /bbtell /bbher /bexactly who I was–to watch her face twist in horror and guilt as realization dawned on her.

Lucky for her, I was in a good mood today. That was the only reason I didn’t p her across the face bright /bthere bin /bbthat /bbbathroom/b. bIt /bbwouldn’t /bbhave /bbbeen /b

b19:45 /bbWed/bb, /bb23 /bbJul /bb& /bG

hard, it would have been satisfying, even. But not now. Not yet. I had worked too hard and waited too long to throw everything away over a moment of anger. Besides, I didn’t want them to know it was me–not yet, at least.

The manager had already told me when the car would arrive at my hotel, and that thought alone brought a small smile to my lips. bOnce /bbit /bbgot /bbthere/b, I would arrange for it to be taken back to Mexico immediately, far away from curious eyes and unwanted questions.

Without wasting any more time, I got into my convoy and the cars pulled away from the auction center,

The ride back to the hotel was quick, though my thoughts made it feel longer.

When we finally reached the hotel, I noticed immediately that the manager had followed through with my request: the bed had been changedb. /bbI /bbhad /binsisted on it earlier, and it seemed they had done a decent job. I stepped into the room and finally took off my mask, letting my face breathe properly. The air in the suite felt cooler against my skin, a small relief after wearing that thing for hours.

I slipped out of my red gown carefully, hanging it neatly in the wardrobe. The diamonds sewn into the fabric caught the soft light, and for a second, bI /btraced them with my finger. It was a beautiful dress–and today, it had helped me win more than just a car. It helped me win a moment over Adrian. A small victory, but a sweet one.

With the dress put away, I moved to the bed and bounced on it lightly to test it. It wasn’t as perfect as the one I had back at my home bin /bMexico, but bit was /bfar better than what they had before. Good enough. For tonight, at least.

Then I reached for my phone on the bedside table. I had put it on Do Not Disturb earlier; I didn’t need unnecessary calls breaking my focus while I was at the auction. But now, I wanted to hear Rosa’s voice. Just a quick call, to check in, to hear about her day. That was one of the moments I truly looked forward to.

But just as I was about to unlock my phone, there was a small, polite knock on the door. ra, of course. I had told her I wouldn’t need her for the rest of the day, so why was she here? Something must havee up.

“Yeah,” I called out, my voice calm but curious.

The door opened, and ra stepped in, holding her tablet close ito /iher chest, She looked slightly hesitant, her gaze flickering to me and then back down at the device in her hand.

“Sorry to disturb you, ma’am,” she began. “But Mr. ke called me a few minutes ago.”

“I had my phone on DNDi,/ii” /iI exined, though she probably guessed that already. “What did he say?” I asked, my tone level but sharper now.

ra shifted her weight slightly. “He said he wanted to speak to you about the New York branch.”

The New York branch. My pulse quickened just a fraction. Something about the way she said it–carefully, almost reluctantly–told me it wasn’t good news. It was never good

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AD

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