Chapter 93: Chapter 93
Olivia’s POV
It was an hour later, after Maxwell dropped the bomb of David’s arrival, but my heart was still racing like hell.
The clock was ticking slowly, and the morning dragged on like a slow-motion nightmare.
David Banks. 1 PM. My stomach churned with the kind of anxiety that made me want to crawl under my desk and never come out.
Maxwell had been unusually quiet all morning, typing away at his computer like a hardworking bee.
Every few minutes, I’d catch him glancing in my direction, and I couldn’t shake the weird feeling that he was studying me.
Does he know? Does he actually know I’m not Oliver?
By the time lunch break arrived, I was practically vibrating with panic. I needed Julian. I needed his rational thinking and his plan about testing Maxwell.
I hurried down to the cafeteria, searching for him amidst the staffs. When I didn’t spot him, I felt my heart sink even further into my stomach. Without hesitation, I hurried across the street to Taylor’s café, praying he’d be there.
Immediately I entered the cafe, I spotted Julian sitting at a corner table. But my relief was short-lived when I realized who was sitting across from him, leaning forward with a smile and that same sultry look I’d been trying to avoid.
Patricia.
Of course. Of course she’s here.
I approached their table regardless - my situation was more important than avoiding her.
They were deep in conversation, and as I got closer, I caught fragments of what they were discussing.
"...can you believe what happened at Alex’s party?" Patricia was saying, her voice filled with excitement. "I mean, the scandal of it all! Poor Alex hasn’t even shown his face at the office today. I heard from someone that he’d called in sick, but we all know he’s just hiding from the embarrassment."
Julian nodded sympathetically. "It’s definitely not the kind of publicity anyone wants. And considering the fact that it happened with the boss’s..."
"Oliver!" Patricia’s face lit up when she spotted me. "What perfect timing! Julian and I were just discussing the party drama. Come, sit with us!"
She patted the chair next to her, but the last thing I needed was her flirtations when I had much bigger problems to deal with.
"Actually," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "I was hoping to speak with Julian about some work matters. It’s rather urgent."
Julian, bless his perceptive soul, immediately picked up on my distress. His eyes searched my face, and I could see the moment he realized this wasn’t about work at all.
"Of course," he said, standing up. "Patricia, would you excuse us? Oliver looks like he’s dealing with something important."
Patricia’s face fell, but she managed to maintain her smile. "Oh, naturally. Though Oliver, perhaps we could meet up some time..."
"Rain check," I said quickly, already backing away from the table with Julian in tow. "Thank you, though!"
Julian followed me to a secluded table in the far corner of the café, hidden away behind a tall plant that provided some privacy. The moment we sat down, he leaned forward with concern written all over his face.
"Alright, what’s wrong?"
I glanced around to make sure no one could overhear us, then leaned in close. "Julian, I think I’m in serious trouble. Multiple kinds of serious trouble."
"Okay," he said calmly, pulling out his phone and placing it face-down on the table. "Talk to me. What happened?"
I took a shaky breath and explained the whole story about yesterday’s tale, including the fact that Maxwell had sent his cat to Olivia’s address instead of Oliver’s.
Julian’s eyebrows shot up. "He sent his cat to your apartment? How did he even know where you live?"
"That’s exactly the problem!" I hissed, glancing around nervously. "He only knows Olivia’s address, not Oliver’s. I gave the company a totally different address when I started off as Oliver. But somehow, he knew exactly where to find me."
"That’s... concerning," Julian admitted, his expression growing more serious.
"It gets worse," I continued. "My ex-boyfriend, David is back in town, and he has figured out my whole Olivia/Oliver escapade. Now he’s threatening that I get back together with him or he’d expose my secrets.
"Oh my God, girllll, your life is a complete mess."
"That’s not all. It turns out he’s married to some French woman, and he’s coming to the office today for a divorce consultation with Maxwell. At 1 PM."
Julian’s face went pale. "Oh no. The bastard might actually spill." Julian muttered, running his hands through his hair. "Olivia, this is..."
"A complete disaster? Yes, I’m aware." I buried my face in my hands. "What am I going to do? I punched him in the the nose during out last encounter. If he walks into that office and sees me there, he’s going feel vindictive and probably announce it to Maxwell right there."
Julian was quiet for a moment, his fingers drumming against the table as he thought. When he finally looked up at me, there was a gleam in his eyes.
"It’s time we finally figure out exactly what Maxwell knows and what he doesn’t."
"Yes I know. I’m dying of worry here, Jules."
"There are two possibilities in this situation. Either Maxwell knows you’re not really Oliver Hopton and he’s playing some kind of game with you, or he genuinely has no idea and the cat thing was just a coincidence."
I stared at him. "How could it even be a coincidence?"
"Alright, hear me out," Julian said, leaning forward with growing enthusiasm. "What if we create a situation where his reaction will tell us everything we need to know? Something that would only make sense if he knows your real identity."
"I’m listening," I said cautiously.
"Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking. You know how Maxwell seems to have this... intense interest in you? The way he watches you, and the fact that his first love is Olivia..."
"You’ve seen him watching me?" I asked in shock.
"We all have, honey."
Damn! Was Sabrina right all along? Is Maxwell truly gay?
"So, back to the situation on ground. What if he watches you not because he suspects you’re not a man, but because he knows you’re Olivia, and he’s... attracted to you?"
My heart skipped a beat. "That’s insane."
"No. Think about it - he demotes you from your position to his personal assistant. He brings his beloved cat to your apartment. He seems to be watching your every move, to the extent of moving your desk from the usual assistant office to a place where he’d spot you 24/7. And you said he looked exhausted this morning, right? Like he hadn’t slept?"
"Yes, but that’s probably because of the whole Sabrina situation and his cat..."
"Or," Julian interrupted, "it’s because he’s been up all night thinking about you."
I felt my cheeks burn. "Julian, that’s... that’s ridiculous. Even if he did know I was Olivia, he would never... I mean, he’s Maxwell Wellington! He insulted me in his Dr. Heart’s office."
"Exactly! He’s Maxwell Wellington, and men like him don’t do anything without a reason."
I tried to process what Julian was saying. The idea that Maxwell might actually be attracted to me - to Olivia - it was impossible to believe.
"But even if that were true," I said, "how would testing that theory help with the David situation?"
Julian’s grin became devious. "Because, my dear friend, if Maxwell Wellington is indeed smitten with Olivia Hopton, then he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her from threats. Including threats that come in the form of blackmailing ex-boyfriends."
"You want me to tell Maxwell about David?"
"Not exactly. I want you to create a situation where Maxwell’s protective instincts kick in naturally. And the way he reacts will tell us everything we need to know about what he knows and how he feels."
I bit my lip, considering. "What kind of situation?"
"Okay, here’s what we’re going to do." Julian started.