Chapter 126: Chapter 126
Olivia’s POV
I stared at Maxwell, silently pleading with him to let me stay. But his expression was neutral, giving nothing away.
I had no choice.
"Yes, sir," I said through gritted teeth.
I walked toward the door on jelly legs, every step taking me farther from the room where my entire secret might be about to explode. My hand was shaking as I reached for the doorknob.
What was David going to say? Was he going to tell Maxwell everything? Would Maxwell believe him?
As I stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind me, my heart was racing so fast I thought I might actually pass out.
Then something crossed my mind - a lifeline in the midst of my panic.
My stranger.
My stranger had dealt with David before. Had beaten him, warning him to stay away from me, to ignore anything that concerned me. And my stranger was in this house right now. One of those four men was him.
I could use this to my advantage.
Since I was utterly convinced that Maxwell could never be my stranger, that left three possibilities: Gabriel, Alex, or Damien.
And if my stranger was one of them, he would care about my distress. He would notice. He would help.
I made my way to the living room where I’d seen the three men lounging earlier, hoping they’ll still be there. Sure enough, they were still there, playing video games.
I started pacing back and forth - in the corner - making sure they could all see me. My agitation wasn’t hard to fake - I was genuinely panicking.
Back and forth. Back and forth. My hands were clenched into fists, my breathing rapid and shallow.
Come on, I thought desperately. Notice me. If you’re my stranger, you’ll notice.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Gabriel stopped playing and looked up at me.
"Oliver? What’s wrong?" He asked, keeping his game pad aside.
I turned to face them, and all three men were now looking at me, their video game forgotten, game pad on the sofa.
"David," I said, adding venom to the name. "David is a really annoying man."
All three of them sat up straighter, their attention fully focused on me now.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked, his face filled with confusion.
"What did he do?" Gabriel’s voice was sharper.
Damien said nothing, but his eyes were boring into me as usual.
I looked at each of them, trying to read their expressions, searching for any sign that one of them was more concerned than the others. But they all looked equally interested, equally invested in my answer.
I took a seat in the empty armchair, turning specifically toward Gabriel and Alex. Damien I could barely look at without feeling uncomfortable.
"David is your cousin, right?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
Gabriel and Alex exchanged a glance, then Alex nodded. "Yeah, he’s our cousin. Why?"
"What’s he done?" Gabriel pressed. "Did he say something inappropriate? Because if he made you uncomfortable..."
"He’s just..." I struggled to find words that would convey my distress without revealing too much. "He’s in there right now, talking to Mr. Wellington privately. He specifically asked me to leave. And there’s something about him that just... I don’t trust him."
Damien finally spoke up, "You don’t trust him? Based on what? You’ve only just met him today, haven’t you?"
It was a trap. I could hear the challenge in his question.
"First impressions," I said quickly. "Sometimes you just get a bad feeling about someone."
"Or," Damien continued, leaning forward, "sometimes there’s history that you’re not telling us about."
My blood ran cold. How much did he know? How much had he figured out?
Gabriel shot Damien an annoyed look. "Stop interrogating Oliver. If he says David’s sketchy, he’s probably right. David’s always been a bit of an asshole, to be honest."
"Hey," Alex protested mildly. "He’s still our cousin."
"A cousin who cheated on his wife multiple times and is now trying to divorce her," Gabriel said flatly. "Just because we’re related doesn’t mean I have to like him."
My ears perked up. "He cheated on his wife?"
"Multiple times," Gabriel confirmed. "He’s not exactly what you’d call a faithful husband. Or a good person, really."
That information settled something in my chest. David was even worse than I’d thought. And if he’d cheated on his wife, maybe she actually deserved to take him for everything he had.
"So what’s he talking to Maxwell about?" Alex asked, looking at me with curiosity.
"I don’t know," I admitted. "That’s what’s bothering me. He insisted it be private. What could he possibly need to discuss with Mr. Wellington that I can’t hear?"
Damien was still watching me with that unnerving stare. "Maybe it’s personal. Maybe it has nothing to do with you at all."
"Maybe," I said, though I didn’t believe it for a second.
We sat in silence for a moment, as I tried to figure out which of these three men cared enough about my distress to be my stranger.
Gabriel seemed protective, but in a general way - like he’d be protective of anyone he considered under his sphere of influence.
Alex seemed concerned, but more in a friendly, "I hope everything’s okay" kind of way.
And Damien... Damien just seemed suspicious. Like he was waiting for me to slip up and reveal something.
None of them were giving me the clear signal I desperately needed.
"You know what," Gabriel said suddenly, standing up. "I’m going to go check on them. Make sure David isn’t pulling any bullshit.
My heart leaped. "Would you? I mean, if it’s not too much trouble..."
"It’s no trouble," Gabriel said, already heading toward the conference room. "David might be our cousin, but that doesn’t mean I trust him either."
As Gabriel left, I sat there with Alex and Damien, trying not to hyperventilate.
Please, I thought desperately, watching Gabriel’s retreating back. Please don’t let David have told Maxwell everything. Please let my secret still be safe.