CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49

Olivia’s POV

"What do you mean you’re with a patient?" Maxwell’s voice rose into the phone. "Gabriel, I am literally sitting in a crater in the middle of the street!"

I could hear Gabriel’s voice faintly through the phone, something about emergency surgery and being unable to leave.

"Fine," Maxwell said tersely. "FINE. Don’t worry about me. I’ll just sit here until i eventually get kidnapped."

He ended the call, and I inwardly breathed a huge sigh of relief.

I watched him through the mirror as he stared at his phone for a moment, his jaw working furiously.

Then, with a deep sigh, he scrolled to another contact and hit call again.

"Alex," he said when the call connected, his voice filled with resignation. "I need you to come help me."

I could hear Alex’s surprised laughter even through the phone. "Maxwell is asking ME for help? After you chased me out of your office earlier today? This must be serious."

"Just get over here," Maxwell growled, giving Alex the street location.

"Oh, I’m definitely coming," Alex’s said happily through the phone. "I wouldn’t miss seeing you ask for help for anything in the world."

"Go ahead," Maxwell said grimly. "Laugh at my discomfort. Everyone else has today."

Twenty minutes later, Alex’s car pulled up behind ours. He got out, took one look at our situation, and burst into laughter.

"OH MY GOD!" He wheezed, holding his sides. "Maxwell Wellington, stuck in a pothole! This is even better than the pants incident!"

"Just help me get out of here," Maxwell said through the window.

Alex walked around the Mercedes, examining our predicament from every angle, still chuckling. "How did you even manage this? This pothole isn’t exactly hidden."

"Ask my driver," Maxwell said icily.

Alex looked at me through the windshield and grinned. "Oliver, you magnificent disaster, you’ve made my entire month."

I gave him a weak smile and opened my door to get out so Alex could take over driving duties.

"Oh no," Maxwell’s voice stopped me mid-exit. "You’re staying in the car, Mr. Hopton."

"But sir, I thought I could go home..."

"You’re coming to my house," Maxwell interrupted. "You’ll need to know the location for future errands. Consider it part of your orientation."

*Future errands. Right. As if I’d survive long enough to run errands for this man.*

I came down from the driver’s seat, paving way for Alex to get in. Then I watched as he successfully maneuvered the Mercedes out of the pothole with reverse-and-forward movements that made it look embarrassingly easy. Thankfully, he remained in the driver’s seat while I moved to the passenger seat next to him.

"Comfortable?" Alex asked as we pulled away from the scene of my humiliation.

"Peachy," I muttered.

The drive to Maxwell’s house was mercifully quiet. Alex seemed to sense that both Maxwell and I needed time to recover from our respective traumas. Maxwell stared out his window in brooding silence while I tried to process the fact that I was about to see where my infuriating boss and his cat lived.

After some minutes of driving, Alex finally turned through a set of massive iron gates that opened automatically as we approached.

I looked up at the house - no, castle - that rose before us and felt my mouth drop open.

It was enormous. Really, really, really enormous. It was a complete seven stories of expensive white stone, a huge landscape of unending land and stretched far into a very beautiful sea. The house had enough windows to house a small village. In fact, It looked like something out of a luxury magazine. Like one of those luxury houses situated in the middle of an island.

But it wasn’t the mansion that made my heart stop.

It was the woman standing in front of the huge fountain, waiting for us.

She was completely stunning - the kind of beautiful that made normal people feel ugly. She had long dark hair that cascaded over her shoulders in thick waves. Her figure was showcased in a sexy lingerie dress that also managed to look classy at the same time.

The dress was the kind of outfit a woman wore when she was expecting her lover to come home. The kind of dress that said "I’ve been waiting for you" in the most obvious way possible.

"Oh," Alex said quietly, noticing her at the same time. "That’s... unexpected."

Maxwell had gone completely rigid in the backseat. "Drive past her," he said tersely. "Keep driving."

But Alex was already pulling up to the front entrance, and the gorgeous woman was walking toward the car with a smile that could have powered the entire mansion.

*This is Maxwell’s girlfriend,* I realized immediately. *The same woman responsible for Maxwell’s sour behavior - according to Alex. Now she is back. Finally back. And maybe Maxwell’s mood will improve, and I’ll have a little peace.*

As Alex put the car in park, the woman reached the passenger side door and bent down to look through the window. Her eyes locked onto Maxwell, and her smile widened.

"Surprise, darling," she purred.

Maxwell closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath that sounded like a curse word.

With a heavy sigh, Maxwell opened his door slowly, and carefully pulled himself from the backseat. The moment the gorgeous woman got a clear view of him, she let out a loud shriek.

"OH MY GOD! MAXWELL! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?" she screamed, her hands flying to her mouth in horror. "Your arm! Your face! You’re hurt!"

She rushed toward him, reaching out as if to embrace him, but Maxwell stepped back sharply, holding up his good hand to ward her off.

"I’m fine, Sabrina," he said tersely, brushing past her toward the front entrance of the mansion.

"Fine? FINE?" Sabrina was screaming as she hurried after him in her high heels. "Darling, you’re clearly not fine! Who did this to you? What happened? Why didn’t you call me?"

Maxwell continued walking, ignoring her completely.

"Sweetheart, please talk to me," Sabrina pleaded, her voice taking on a cooing, baby-talk quality that made me cringe. "My poor baby, you must be in so much pain. Let me take care of you, angel. Let Sabrina make it all better."

I watched this drama with amusement. Here was Maxwell Wellington - the cold, arrogant, intimidating CEO - being chased across his own driveway by a woman calling him pet names like he was a wounded kitten.

"Max, honey, please don’t ignore me," Sabrina continued desperately. "I’m so sorry I had to postpone my trip, but I’m here now. I flew in as soon as I could. Darling, please, just look at me!"

But Maxwell had already reached his front door.

"HOPTON!" His voice suddenly boomed across the driveway, making me jump. "Get over here!"