Chapter 96: Chapter 96
Maxwell’s POV
I watched Olivia’s face carefully as I addressed her directly. "Would you like to stay for this consultation, Olivia?"
She shook her head quickly, already rising from her chair. "No, I’d rather leave."
But before she could take more than a step toward the door, David’s voice stopped her.
"Where are you going?" He tilted his head towards her. "Aren’t you already working in this company?"
I raised an eyebrow, his words grabbing my full attention. "What exactly do you mean by that, Mr. Banks?"
Instead of answering me, David turned his gaze fully on Olivia, and I watched something pass between them - something hidden and secretive. Whatever silent communication occurred in that moment, it was enough to make Olivia sink back down into her chair with obvious reluctance.
The moment she settled back into the seat, David reached over and grabbed her hands, his fingers closing around hers with possessiveness.
I felt something hot and dangerous flare in my chest. My vision bloody red as I watched her stiffen under his touch, watched the discomfort spreading across her features.
"Release her. Now." My voice came out low and deadly calm. "She’s my guest, and you will treat her with the respect she deserves."
David’s grip loosened, but he didn’t let go completely. Instead, he leaned back with a smirk on his face. "Relax, Mr Wellington. She’s my ex-girlfriend. I think I know how to handle her."
"So?" I kept my tone flat, though every instinct I had was screaming at me to physically remove his disgusting hands from her. "Is that supposed to excuse your disrespectful behavior? Or have you perhaps forgotten why you’re actually here?"
Something in my tone must have penetrated his arrogance because David’s smile faltered slightly. But then he leaned forward, his eyes filled with malice.
"Actually, there’s something about this woman right here that I think you should know."
I caught the flash of pure terror that crossed Olivia’s face. Her lips parted, and she breathed his name like a prayer - or a plea.
"David..."
I couldn’t bear the fear and vulnerability in her voice. I stood up abruptly, my chair rolling back.
"I’d love to hear what you have to say, Mr. Banks." I tried to keep my voice steady. "But not in my office. We’ll use the conference room instead."
I moved around my desk, creating a clear path toward the door. "Olivia, you’ll remain here until I return."
Her eyes widened, and I could see her pulse hammering at the base of her throat. "Are you sure? I could follow and offer my advice..." The words came out rushed, desperate. She clearly didn’t want me alone with this insufferable man.
I shook my head firmly. "I’ll handle it."
I stepped aside, gesturing for David to precede me toward the door. The bastard had the audacity to grin at Olivia as he stood, his eyes filled with mischief.
"Don’t worry, sweetheart," he said to her in a sweet voice. "Mr. Wellington’s going to love what I have to tell him."
As he passed me on his way to the door, practically bouncing with glee, I felt my jaw clench so hard I was surprised my teeth didn’t crack.
Whatever game he thought he was playing, he was about to learn exactly who he was dealing with.
Olivia’s POV
The moment the office door closed shut behind Maxwell and David, I began pacing the office in panic. I should’ve followed them. I shouldn’t have left Maxwell to go David alone.
What was David telling him? How was he spinning the story? I could already imagine the lies he was weaving, painting me as some kind of deranged human who had infiltrated the company under a false identity. David had always been a master manipulator, able to twist the truth until it served his purposes perfectly.
I pressed my palms against my temples, trying to think clearly through the panic. If Maxwell was going to find out - when he found out - I wanted to be the one to tell him. I wanted the chance to explain my side, to make him understand that I wasn’t some criminal mastermind. I was just a woman who had made increasingly poor decisions in pursuit of something that had started as innocent attraction.
But how could I explain any of this in a way that wouldn’t make me sound completely unhinged?
Minutes crawled by like hours. I checked my watch in worry - 1:08, 1:09, 1:10.
God.
Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. Standing here waiting for my fate was torture. If David was going to destroy me, at least I could face it on my own terms.
I moved to Maxwell’s desk and grabbed a piece of paper, my hands trembling as I wrote:
Something urgent came up and I had to leave. We need to talk - please contact me.
I hesitated, then added my phone number underneath - one of the numbers I rarely used but was still in service. If Maxwell called this number, that might mean he doesn’t know. And if he did know, I would tell him everything myself, before David’s version could completely poison him.
I placed the note on his desk where he couldn’t miss it, then immediately hurried away from the office.
In the bathroom, I removed every single piece of clothing that belonged to Olivia and transformed back to Oliver. When I was done, I looked at my reflection in the mirror and it looked convincing enough, but I wondered if it would matter anymore. Do I still have a job here?
Well, it was time to find out.
Just when I was about going back to the office, I remembered Maxwell’s coffee and immediately hurried towards Taylor’s.
I ordered his coffee, hoping it wouldn’t be the last one I ordered, and by the time I returned to the office, I was consumed with sweat and panic.
My heart hammered as I approached Maxwell’s door, the coffee trembling in my hands.
Maxwell was seated behind his desk, looking as composed as ever. No angry security guards were beside him. No police officers waited to arrest me. He simply sat there, reviewing documents as if nothing wrong had occurred.
I approached his desk cautiously, setting down his coffee like I was defusing a bomb. His face gave away nothing - no rage, no disgust, no recognition of what had transpired between him and David. I searched his expression desperately for any clue about my fate, but it was blank.
"Why did you take so long?" he asked without looking up from his papers.
My throat was so dry I could barely speak. "The store ran out of raw sugar. I had to go to the organic market to get some." I lied.
Maxwell picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, then set it down casually. I stood frozen beside his desk, waiting for the axe to fall. Waiting for him to call security, to demand an explanation, to fire me on the spot.
Instead, he glanced up with mild irritation. "Why are you still standing there? Go back to work."
I turned away, my legs feeling like they might give out at any moment. Before sitting down, I made a small sign of the cross - something I hadn’t done in a long time, but desperation made me reach for any source of protection I could find.
I had barely settled at my desk when Maxwell’s voice cut through the silence.
"Did you know your cousin Olivia was coming today?"
My blood turned to ice as every muscle in my body seized up. I turned slowly to face him, my heart hammering loudly.
"My... my what?" I croaked out, though we both knew I’d heard him perfectly.
Maxwell leaned back in his chair, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Oh, come now, Oliver. Don’t play dumb with me. Your cousin. The beautiful young woman who just happened to visit my office today. The one who looks exactly as you."
I swallowed hard, my mouth desert-dry. "Oh." I croaked, unable to mutter anything else.
Maxwell stood up from his chair slowly. He came around his desk, walking purposely until he was standing directly beside my small workspace. This close, I could smell his cologne and feel the heat radiating from his body.
"The strangest thing happened today," he said conversationally, as if we were close friends. "Apparently, my 1 PM client happened to be your cousin Olivia’s ex-boyfriend."
I felt the blood drain from my face, but I forced myself to maintain eye contact.
"You remember Olivia, don’t you? Your cousin?" Maxwell continued, his green eyes never leaving mine. "Yes, she chose today to visit my office. The very same day her ex was coming for a consultation. What are the odds of such a coincidence?"
I felt numb, but I managed to force out words. "I... I don’t know anything about Olivia’s arrival, sir. Or the people she’s dated."
Maxwell nodded slowly, as if my response was exactly what he’d expected. He started walking back toward his chair, probably not in the mood to torment me today.
But then he stopped halfway, turning back to face me with a weird look.
"Oliver," he started, "we’ll be traveling to Chicago tomorrow. Pack for a night. Or two."
What?