Chapter 123: Chapter 123
Stranger’s POV
I tried to eat normally, even as my eyes kept drifting to Olivia. She was pushing her food around her plate - moving it from one side to the other, cutting it into smaller pieces, but barely actually eating anything.
The tension radiating from her was so obvious it hurt to watch. Her shoulders were too rigid, her movements too careful, like she was hyper-aware of every gesture she made. I hated seeing her like this - uncomfortable, anxious, trapped.
I wish she would just relax and act normally. But even as the thought crossed my mind, I knew how unrealistic it was. Trying to act like a man in the midst of four actual men would be terrifying to anyone, let alone someone as delicate as Olivia.
I sipped my water slowly, then decided to say something. "Is something wrong with the food?"
She glanced at me - just a quick flick of those beautiful eyes - then muttered, "No. It’s good."
The lie was obvious, but I didn’t push. What could I say without giving myself away?
I looked around the table at the others, wishing they’d all just disappear. Vanish into thin air so it could be just the two of us - me and Olivia, alone, where I could look at her without having to hide my feelings.
My sweet, beautiful Olivia. If only things were different. If only I didn’t have this fucking problem to settle from within me - this tangled mess of buried obligations and secrets that has kept me from being honest with her. At this point, I guess I am my own enemy.
I watched her take a tiny bite of food, saw the way her throat worked as she swallowed. I wanted to reach across the table and take her hand, tell her everything was going to be okay, that I would protect her from everyone, including myself.
But I couldn’t.
Instead, I just sat there, eating my breakfast and dying inside, while the woman I was madly in love with was so close, yet so far.
Olivia’s POV
After that hellish breakfast - where every bite felt like swallowing sand and every second felt like an eternity - Maxwell finally suggested we head up to his study to focus on work.
Thank God. Anything to escape that suffocating kitchen and Damien’s penetrating stares.
"Shall we?" Maxwell stood, gesturing toward the doorway.
I nodded quickly, standing up so fast I nearly knocked over my chair. "Yes, sir."
As we left the kitchen together, I became aware of walking behind him, of the fact that all three remaining men could see my back view. My ass. That cursed, too-feminine curve that Damien had already commented on.
I tried to walk in a way that would minimize the bouncing of my ass - taking shorter steps, keeping my hips rigid, practically marching like a soldier. It probably looked ridiculous, but it was better than giving them another opportunity to comment on my body.
Luckily, no one said anything. No more comments about my ass, no more pointed observations about my physique. Just blessed silence as Maxwell and I climbed the staircase.
His study was exactly as it was the last time - all luxurious and pristine, just like the one at the office. I should’ve felt a bit tense at being alone again with Maxwell, but instead I felt relief.
Even though Maxwell was a jerk at times, he’d never comment on my physique or my ass.
He settled into his chair behind the desk, and I stood beside him, ready to take down notes.
"Alright," he said, pulling out a file folder I recognized. "We’re taking up David’s case."
My pen froze mid-air. "David?"
I’d forgotten that guy even existed.
Maxwell looked up at me, his expression curious. "Yes, David. The businessman who wanted a divorce. I don’t think you met him, but you remember his case, don’t you?"
"Of course," I managed, forcing my voice to remain steady. "I just... you never mentioned it again after your meeting with him. I assumed you’d decided not to take the case."
"I’ve been considering it," Maxwell said, leaning back in his chair. "And I’ve decided I’m interested."
I stared at him, trying to process this. "But sir, with all due respect, it’s too small for you. A small divorce case? You usually handle major corporate cases, high-stakes cases. This is..."
"Beneath me?" Maxwell finished.
"I didn’t mean it like that," I said quickly, though we both knew that was exactly what I meant.
"I have my reasons for taking it," Maxwell said, and something in his tone suggested he wasn’t going to explain further. "David will be coming by before noon so we can go over the case properly. I want you to prepare my conference room. The maid will show you where it is"
My stomach dropped. "David is coming here? Today?"
"Is that a problem?"
Yes! It’s a massive problem! The last time I saw David, he was discovering my real identity and threatening to expose me!
"No problem," I lied, gripping my pen so hard I was surprised it didn’t snap. "I’ll prepare everything."
Maxwell was studying me again, "Oliver, you seem unusually tense about this. Is there something you’re not telling me?"
"No, sir. I’m just... surprised, that’s all. It seemed like such a straightforward case. I’m curious why it interests you."
"Curiosity is good," Maxwell said, but he didn’t answer my implied question. Instead, he opened the file and began reviewing the documents.
I forced myself to focus, to push down the rising panic and act like a lawyer.
After we were done going through his divorce files, Maxwell spoke up, "When David arrives, I want you to observe him carefully during our discussion. Pay attention to his body language, his reactions when I ask him certain questions. You can do that, right?"
Of course I can do that. The bastard had said something to Maxwell that day in the office, I’ll need to observe him very carefully indeed.