bChapter /bb216 /b

OLIVIA’S POV

The sun had barely begun its slow descent by the time we pulled into the driveway of the new house ra found. It was tucked away behind a tall ck gate and framed with ivy that curled gently around its cream walls. Not as grand as what we had back in Mexico, but it was perfect in its own way: warm, weing, and private. The living room hadrge windows that let thete sunlight pour in, the floors gleamed, and the fresh smell of polished wood floated through the air.

Charlie’s excitement made me smile. He rushed from room to room, his little shoes echoing against the marble ifloor/i, peeking behind doors as if he was searching for hidden treasure. My parents followed slowly behind, talking quietly about how nicely furnished it already was, while ra directed the moving men and sorted out the luggage.

After making sure everyone had settled into their rooms, I quietly called Charlie over. His eyes lit up immediately, and together we climbed up the stairs to the smaller lounge that opened onto a balcony. I pulled him into my arms, just holding him there for a moment, feeling his warmth against me.

“I missed you so much, baby,” I whispered, pressing my lips against his hair.

It had only been about five days since I left Mexico, but it felt longer than that. Guilt pricked at me, guilt for leaving him even for a few days, guilt for dragging him back into my mess even though he didn’t know it.

“Did Grandma and Grandpa spoil you on the flight?” I teased gently, wanting to see that grin of his.

Charlie giggled, “Grandma said I could have extra dessert if I promised to finish my homeworkter,” he confessed.

“Of course she did,” I chuckled, running my hand through his hair. “Don’t let them turn you into a sugar monster, okay?”

He nodded, his smile wide, and for a while, we just sat together. I asked about school, and he told me about his teacher’s funny hat and a project he was excited about. It felt so good to hear his voice, to remember that no matter how heavy everything else was, he was my anchor.

But the moment didn’tst. A knock at the door pulled us both back to reality, we just got here and I wasn’t expecting anyone.

So that could only be one person.

I rubbed Charlie’s hair and stood up, walking closer to the front door.

“Come in,” I called, and the door opened to reveal Julian and Damien.

Julian’s smile was warm and familiar, the kind of smile only an older brother could have. “Look at this ce,” he said, stepping in. “I expected everything to be more shy but this ce is still alright.”

“Julian!” I said walking over to hug him. “I’ve missed you.”

“It’s been what, a week? And already you forget to call me,” he teased, hugging me tightly.

“It’s been busy,” I replied, rolling my eyes yfully.

Behind him, Damien raised a brow. “Hope I’m not interrupting,” he said, his voice light.

“Of course not,” I told him.

My parents soon came up too, and Mom’s eyes shone when she saw Julian. “My boy!” she eximed, pulling him into her arms. Even Dad cracked a rare, soft smile, and I understood why, it’s really rare to find all of us in the same house at the same time, not because we didn’t like it, but because we were all busy human beings we barely had time to spend as a family, but today we were all here together

458%0

After the hugs and catching up, ra was done making dinner, even though that was a task she rarely does, we all went downstairs for dinner. She also already prepared the table, and the smell of spaghetti and meatballs, Damien’s favorite, filled the dining room.

As everyone sat down, Damien leaned closer and whispered, “You didn’t forget my little bribe, did you?”

Iughed softly. “How could I? You’ve been talking about it since morning,” I teased back.

Dinner passed withughter and light conversation. But when everyone had finished and Charlie had wandered off to watch something on his tablet, Damien caught my eye. “Walk with me?” he asked.

We stepped onto the balcony where the evening breeze was cooler. The city lights shimmered in the distance, but all I could focus on was his expression, calm, but searching.

“You okay?” he asked gently.

“I’m fine,” I lied.

“Olivia,” he said, his tone soft but firm, “after finding out all that this morning, I thought a lot about it and I know it must’ve been hard for you. Seeing Adrian again at the auction… and now finding out he’s the one who killed your foster parents. That’s a lot.”

I stopped for a few seconds to think about hisst words, “to be honest I didn’t really care when I found out that my adoptive parents were gone, I don’t wanna sound cruel, but they made me feel that way towards them, everything I did, telling the police that it was Adrian behind their death, was all part of a small n am working on, not because I wanted to avenge them, the way they treated me, they deserved that purnishment.” I said my tone growing bitter just from remembering those people

“Which is why Lam here to talk to you, Olivia, are you sure you’re really fine?” Damien asked again

At first, I didn’t reply. Part of me still wanted to keep it all inside. But over thest few days, Damien had been there, really there. And somehow, that made it easier to open my mouth.

“I hate him, Damien,” I whispered, my voice trembling despite me trying to sound strong. “I hate him more than I thought I could ever hate anyone. Every time I see his face, it makes my skin crawl. I feel sick knowing I was ever married to him, that I ever trusted him.”

Damien nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. “You don’t have to hold it in. Say everything. Let it out.”

I swallowed. “When I saw him at the auction, I wanted to scream, to tell everyone what he really was.”

“He tried to kill Charlie, that alone makes me hate him even more, and I won’t stop until he pays,” I told him, my voice low and fierce. “I’m going to bring him down, Damien. Everything he built, everyone he fooled, I’ll rip it away from him.”

For a moment, there was silence except for the hum of the city below us.

“Does… does Charlie know anything?” Damien asked carefully.

“No,” I whispered. “And he can’t, as far as he knows, Adrian Westwood is just a stranger from the news. I won’t let him near Charlie. Ever.”

Damien ced a gentle hand over mine. “Then we’ll make sure of it. You’re not alone in this, Olivia.”

Morning came faster than I expected. The night felt like it had barely passed when ra knocked on my door to remind me it was almost time.

I dressed carefully, a pale cream blouse tucked into a navy skirt, my hair pinned back neatly. Downstairs, Damien was already waiting in a dark suit, his expression serious. My parents were ready too, my father in a sharp charcoal suit and my mother elegant in her emerald dress.

15:59 Tue, 5 Aug

Charlie, dressed neatly, was already in the living room.

“Ready?” Damien asked, his eyes meeting mine.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied.

Outside, the convoy waited: ck SUVs lined up, engines humming. The announcement at thepany branch was today. Today, everything would change.

I took a breath, holding Charlie’s hand in mine, and together we walked toward the waiting cars.