CHAPTER 213: CHAPTER 213

Olivia’s POV

"Who hired you?" Kira stepped closer, and Ryan flinched.

"Ken! A guy named Ken from your office! He paid me good money to watch you, learn your mannerisms, and be ready to replace you if the opportunity came up!"

Ken. KEN?!

"Why?" My voice came out strangled. "Why would Ken want to replace me?"

Ryan swallowed hard. "He said - he said he wanted you as a woman. Said the first step to winning you over was taking away your job. He thought if you lost your position as Maxwell’s assistant, you’d become available."

"So Maxwell doesn’t know? Maxwell doesn’t know about my disguise? He didn’t hire you to replace me? This wasn’t his plan?"

"NO!" Ryan practically shouted. "Maxwell has no idea! About any of it! He doesn’t know I’m a fake! That’s how good I am at stealing people’s identity."

Maxwell doesn’t know. Thank you, God. This will make everything easier.

"Are you sure?" Julian asked, his voice sharp. "You’re absolutely certain Maxwell has no idea that our Olivia here has been masquerading as his male assistant?"

"I’m SURE!" Ryan was crying now. "Please, I’m telling the truth! Maxwell doesn’t know! Ken said that was the whole point - replace Oliver quietly, make it look natural, so Maxwell never questions anything!"

So Maxwell didn’t know.

All this time, at the back of my mind, I’d assumed he’d figured it out. That bringing Ryan to the lunch was his way of exposing me, of playing some stupid game.

But he didn’t know.

*******

Maxwell’s POV

I practically kicked down the door to Gabriel’s house.

"GABRIEL!"

He appeared from the kitchen, completely calm, holding a glass of whiskey like this was just another casual evening. "Max. That was fast."

"Don’t ’Max’ me." I stormed inside, slamming the door behind me. "Tell me this is a joke. Tell me you’re not actually dating Olivia."

Gabriel took a slow sip of his drink. "It’s not a joke."

"But you don’t even... you can’t possibly..." I ran my hands through my hair, feeling like I was losing my mind. "Come on, Gab. You don’t have feelings for her. You’re still hung up on Vanessa!"

"Was hung up on Vanessa," Gabriel corrected, settling onto his couch. "Past tense. I’m moving on. And Olivia makes that easier."

"This is ridiculous. You’ve barely spent any time with her!"

"I’ve spent enough." Gabriel’s eyes met mine, and there was something in them I’d never seen before - determination. "Look, I don’t know exactly what this is between us. But there’s something. She’s funny, she’s smart. She’s dealing with her own pain, just like I am. We understand each other."

"You understand each other," I repeated flatly.

"Yeah. We do."

I laughed harshly. "This is a joke. This has to be a joke. You’re my friend, Gabriel. My best friend. You wouldn’t..."

"Wouldn’t what? Date someone you refuse to fight for?" Gabriel stood up now, and there was steel in his voice. "You’ve had time, Max. A long time to tell her how you feel. To be honest. To stop playing these twisted games. And what have you done? Pushed her away. Walked away. Refused to give her any real answers."

"That’s not..."

"That’s exactly what you’ve done!" Gabriel’s voice rose. "So don’t stand there and act betrayed when someone else sees what you’re too scared to claim."

The words hit like physical blows.

"Gabriel, please." I felt myself deflating, the anger draining away to leave only desperation. "Please. Don’t do this."

"Max..."

"I’m begging you." I pleaded. "I’m actually begging you. Leave Olivia alone. She’s... she’s mine. She’s always been mine. I’ve been searching for her for years, Gab. Years. You know this. You know why I had to search for her on my own. Why I couldn’t go through Kennedy."

Gabriel’s expression softened slightly, but his stance didn’t change. "Then tell her that. Stop hiding behind your fear and just tell her."

"It’s not that simple..."

"It IS that simple!" Gabriel slammed his glass down on the coffee table. "You love her? Tell her! You want her? Fight for her! But don’t expect everyone else to just wait around while you figure out your feelings!"

"If you do this..." My voice turned cold, hard. "If you date her, it’ll ruin us. Our friendship. Everything we’ve built. You’ll regret this, Gabriel. I promise you’ll regret it."

"Is that a threat?"

"It’s a fact." I stepped closer, my voice dropping to something dangerous. "You think I’ll just stand by and watch you with her? You think I’ll smile and pretend everything’s fine while you... while you..."

I couldn’t even finish the sentence.

Gabriel’s jaw tightened. "So that’s it? Either I back off or our friendship is over?"

"You’re the one making that choice. Not me."

"No, Max. You made this choice the moment you decided playing games was more important than being honest." Gabriel moved toward his door, opening it. "I’m dating Olivia. And if you have a problem with that, then maybe you should’ve thought about that before you pushed her into my arms."

I stared at him - my best friend, the person I’d trusted with everything - and felt something fundamental break between us.

"Fine." The word came out cold.

I walked out, and the door closed firmly behind me.

I drove to the office on autopilot, my mind spinning with too many thoughts to process.

Gabriel is dating Olivia. GABRIEL. Is dating. OLIVIA.

The office was quiet when I arrived - most of the staff had retired to the confines of their offices. Good. I didn’t want to see anyone. Didn’t want to pretend everything was fine when my world was imploding.

I sat at my desk and stared at the empty desk behind the door.

Olivia’s chair.

God, I missed her here. Missed the way she’d sit there working with that focused expression, the way she’d bite her lip when concentrating, the way she’d look up at me with those cute eyes.

But if I was being honest? I preferred having her at the mansion. Because when she was in the office, I had to maintain distance. Had to be professional. Had to pretend she was just my assistant and not the woman who consumed my every waking thought.

At home, I could let myself want her more openly. Could create situations where we’d be close. Could watch her without having to pretend I was doing anything else.

Although, to be fair, that’s all I did here too.

I’d calculated once that if I had ten hours of work in a day, I spent at least seven of them watching Olivia. Or figuring out ways to rattle her. Or orchestrating situations that would force her close.

My actual productivity had plummeted since she’d started working for me.

Worth it.

I need to figure out how to have her both places.

The first step was already in motion - Ryan replacing her, effectively displacing her from her job. Making her vulnerable. Creating a situation where she’d need help.

Now I just needed to convince Kennedy. Get him to suggest to Olivia that she should apply for a position at my company. As herself. As Olivia.

Then I’d have her in the office every day. Could see her as herself. Could touch her freely without worrying about maintaining the Oliver charade. Could seduce her properly.

Perfect.

I was tired of the whole disguise thing anyway. It had been fun while it lasted - watching her maintain the act, finding subtle ways to make her squirm, enjoying the secret knowledge that I was spending all this time with her even if she didn’t realize how much I knew.

But now? Now I wanted her with everything in me. Wanted to see her as Olivia all the time. Wanted to stop pretending there was any distance between us.

Wanted to claim her so thoroughly that Gabriel or anyone else would know she was off-limits.

Mine. She’s mine.

I worked for another few hours, making calls, signing documents, trying to focus on anything except the fact that Gabriel was probably with her right now. Touching her. Making her laugh. Being everything I was too scared to be.

No. Stop. You’ll drive yourself insane.

Finally, around eight PM, I gave up and headed home.

The mansion was quiet when I arrived. Most of the staff were in the kitchen making dinner. Perfect. I was in a very bad mood already. One mistake from them and someone might be getting fired.

I went straight upstairs to my room, desperate for a shower to wash away the stress of this impossible day.

The moment I stepped inside, I froze.

Her scent.

Olivia’s scent.

What the...

My eyes went to the connecting door. Was she...?

I moved quickly, pushing open the door to her room.

And there she was.

Oliver... no, Olivia dressed as Oliver... sitting at the dresser, staring at herself in the mirror.

She turned at the sound of the door, and our eyes met.

What was she doing here? Where is Ryan?

She stood slowly, and I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides.

My mind was racing. She’s here. She came back. But how? Why? And what happened to Ryan?

Beneath all the questions was one overwhelming feeling:

Relief.

Pure, undiluted relief that she was here, in my house, standing in front of me.

And already, my mind was working on how to use this. How to turn this situation to my advantage. How to get her back in my bed and fuck her senseless till she forgets the name, GABRIEL.