Chapter 12 - Elena eavesdrops

Olivia's POV:

I leaned against my bedroom door, my heart hammering against my ribs. In my hand, the USB drive felt like a live wire. 

I quickly shoved it into the depths of a rolled-up pair of socks in my dresser. For a moment, I just stood there, breathing in the scent of my own fear.

Then, my phone buzzed. It was a video call from Chloe.

Seeing my sister’s face - messy hair, textbooks spread out on a bed. I realized how much I've missed her.

"I have a question," she says.

"Okay."

"When are you going to stop pretending?"

My hand tightens around the phone. "What do you mean?"

"When are you going to tell me what is really going on? I have known since the first night. You think I cannot hear it? The way you say 'I am fine' like a script you memorized?"

I sit on the edge of the bed. My legs will not hold me. "Chloe….."

"Do not." Her voice cracks. "Do not lie to me again. I am your sister. I stayed up with you after Dad died. I held your hair back when you threw up from crying too hard.

I have been pretending I do not notice because I know you are carrying something heavy. But I am tired, Liv. I am tired of pretending."

The tears come. I do not stop them.

"Robbin came here," I say. "The night of the wedding. He came to the penthouse."

Chloe's breath catches. "What?"

"He is alive. He brought me photographs. Of Dad. Of Sebastian. Of Mom." My voice breaks. "I did not know what to do. I did not want to drag you into this."

"Drag me into what?" Her voice is fierce now. "Olivia, listen to me. Whatever this is, we are in it together. We made a promise. We're fighting together."

I wipe my face and took a breath. "The woman from the library. The nurse. She texted me. She said they are coming for me."

"Who is coming?"

"I do not know. But Robbin showing up was not an accident. Someone sent him."

Chloe is quiet for a moment. I hear her breathing. Fast. Shallow. She is scared too.

"Do you have the photographs?" she asks.

"Yes."

"Do not open them again. Do not tell anyone you have them. And do not…." She stops. Breathes. "Do not keep things from me anymore. I cannot protect you if I do not know what is happening."

I think about the guilt I have been carrying. The worry in her voice I have been pretending not to hear. The nights she called and I pushed her away.

"I am sorry," I whisper. "I was trying to protect you."

"I know." Her voice is softer now. "But you do not have to do it alone. You never did."

I lie back on the bed. The ceiling is white. Unmarked. But for the first time since I arrived, I do not feel alone.

"Tell me something good," I say.

Chloe laughs. It is watery. Real.

"Justice caught a mouse today. Dropped it on my foot."

I laugh too. "You named a stray cat Justice."

"I wanted something in this family that fights for what is right."

We talked until midnight. About the cat. About Mom. About the future she is building and the past I am trying to understand.

And for the first time, I think maybe I can survive this. Not alone. Together.

I looked at the package that sits on my dresser. Full of mystery.

But something is different now.

I hang up

Author's POV 

But as the screen went black, a sharp knock at the door made her jump. Olivia’s hand flew to the drawer where the USB was hidden. She checked the time - it was nearly 4:00AM.

"Who is it?" she called out, her voice tight.

"It’s Elena, ma’am," a hushed voice whispered from the other side.

Olivia hurried to the door and cracked it open.

The young maid looked pale, her eyes darting toward the empty hallway. Olivia stepped aside, ushering her in. "Elena, come in. Is everything okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

Elena stepped into the center of the room, her hands wringing her apron. "I... I shouldn't be here. If Mr. Logan finds out..."

"What happened, Elena? Is it about my mother? Is it Chloe?" Olivia’s voice rose with panic.

"No, no," Elena stammered, finally looking up. "I was clearing the tea service in the study. Master Aiden was on a call with his father.

It was on the speaker. I heard them talking about a meeting tomorrow... a big one. With the 'Vanguard Group.'"

Elena’s voice shook as she recounted the conversation. She told Olivia how Sebastian’s voice had boomed through the room, cold and calculating.

"Bring your pitiful wife, Aiden," Sebastian had said. "This group loves to see pretty women in their circle. It spices up the atmosphere. It makes them feel powerful.

Put her in something expensive. Make her a show-off."

Olivia felt the blood drain from her face, replaced instantly by a heat that started in her chest and climbed to her cheeks.

A show-off. Atmosphere. She wasn't a person to them; she was a centerpiece. A garnish for a business deal.

"Master Aiden just said, 'See you at the meeting, Father,' and hung up," Elena finished, her voice trailing off. "I thought you should know.

They aren't taking you there to talk, ma'am. They're taking you there to be looked at."

Olivia stood perfectly still. Inside, she was boiling with a rage so hot it made her dizzy.

She wanted to scream, to break the expensive vases, to find Aiden and slap the "show-off" right off his face.

But she looked at Elena’s terrified expression and forced her muscles to relax. She squeezed out a small, tight smile.

"Thank you for informing me, my dear," Olivia said, her voice trembling slightly. "I am so grateful for your courage.

Go now, before someone sees you. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay? Goodnight."

The Collision

Elena nodded frantically and slipped out the door. She moved like a shadow, hugging the walls of the dim hallway. Her heart was thumping. She just had to make it to the servant’s staircase.

She turned the corner near the library at a full run, her head down, her mind racing with the secrets she had just shared.

WHUMP.

She slammed into a wall of solid muscle.

A phone flew out of a hand, skittering across the marble floor with a sickening crack.

Elena gasped, falling backward. She looked up and felt her soul leave her body.

Aiden Logan stood there, his eyes fixed on his shattered phone. He slowly looked up at her, his expression unreadable, but his eyes were dark and piercing.

He wasn't in his suit anymore; his shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, making him look even more imposing in the shadows.

"Elena," he said, his voice a low, vibrating hum that made the hair on her arms stand up.

"M-Master Aiden! I am so sorry! I wasn't looking, I……"

Aiden didn't look at his phone. He looked toward the hallway she had just come from……the hallway that led only to Olivia’s room.

"It's late for a cleaning shift," Aiden murmured, stepping closer. The tension in the air was thick enough to choke her. 

He tilted his head, his gaze locking onto hers. "What were you doing at my wife's door at midnight?”

Elena opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Behind Aiden, the elevator dings. The doors open, and Vivian Sumall steps out, her suitcase hitting the floor with a rhythmic, menacing thud.

"Aiden? Why aren't you in bed? We have a big

day at 1:00PM," Vivian said, her eyes landing on the terrified maid. "And why is the help crying in the hallway?”