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THE OFFICE KISS

Author: ABY
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-09-26 12:50:16

Olivia's Pov

Chicago was supposed to save me.

The cold air when we stepped off the plane, the skyline flashing silver in the sun, the comfort of routine. I thought if I buried myself in work, if I forced myself into the rhythm of schedules and charts, I could erase what happened in Vegas.

Erase the heat of his mouth.

Erase the burn of his hands.

Erase the memory of almost giving him everything.

But I couldn’t erase the truth.

I wanted him.

I sat at my desk, eyes glued to my laptop, fingers typing notes that blurred into nonsense. My head pounded. My lips still tingled. I’d reapplied lipstick twice already today, as if covering the memory would erase it.

“Olivia!”

The door banged open, and Maya waltzed in like she owned the place. Two iced coffees in hand, hair perfect, eyes sparkling. She dropped one in front of me, then sprawled in the chair across from me.

“You look like warmed-up death,” she announced.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, not looking up.

“Liar.” She sipped her coffee, smirking
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  • OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER    PEACEFUL AFTERMATH

    Olivia's Pov Xander finally lets me go, but only enough so he can look at me. His thumb brushes a tear from my cheek, slow and gentle, like he’s afraid I’ll break if he presses too hard. “You ready to face outside?” he asks quietly. “No,” I answer honestly. “But I have to.” “We’ll go together,” he says. “All of us.” Maya comes back to my side like she was waiting for the hug to finish. “Well,” she says, lifting her bag over her shoulder, “if we walk fast enough, maybe the reporters won’t swallow us alive.” Ethan snorts. “They definitely will.” “Positive thinking, Ethan,” Maya counters. “I’m positive they will swallow us alive,” he replies. I laugh softly. It feels strange to laugh today, but a good strange. We walk toward the courthouse doors. The hallway is still busy—lawyers rushing past, officers talking into radios, people whispering about Cassandra. Once we reach the doors, I stop. I can hear the noise outside before they’re even opened—the shouts, the cameras, the

  • OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER    CASSANDRA'S COLLAPSE

    Olivia's PovBy morning, I felt somewhat optimistic.Maya comes to my room, holding two cups of coffee and a small bag of pastries. She looks bright and awake, which annoys me a little because I feel like a dying plant.“You look like someone who needs fuel,” she says, handing me the cup.“I look like someone who needs a new life,” I mutter.“Good thing you’re getting one today,” she answers with a soft smile.I breathe out slowly, trying to let her confidence settle into me. I’m grateful she came home just in time for the last days of the trial. Even when she was away for work, she would call every night. But it feels different having her beside me, walking into the storm with me.We don’t talk much as we get ready. I don’t have the energy to pretend. And Maya knows better than to push.When we leave the apartment and reach the courthouse steps, reporters are already gathering. Flashing lights. Microphones. Loud questions thrown at anyone who walks by. I lower my head, my stomach tig

  • OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER    ETHAN'S POWER MOVE

    Olivia's Pov Xander was already waiting by the car the next day, his tie loose, eyes shadowed. We hadn’t said much since yesterday, since Cassandra dropped her “evidence.”Those forged bank statements that had come from God knows where. Everyone saw them. Everyone saw the numbers, fake payments from Xander’s account to mine, labeled as “consultations” and “personal services.”It didn’t matter that they weren’t real. The jury’s faces told the story: they were disgusted.Now we were walking into the courthouse to watch Cassandra twist the knife even deeper, at this point I wished she killed me with that knife.I pulled my coat tighter around me. “Do you think Grace found anything to fight this with?”Xander exhaled. “She’s trying, Liv. But unless she can prove the documents were doctored, it’s our word against Cassandra’s.”Our word. Against hers.And hers had always been louder.We didn’t speak again until we reached the courtroom. The press were already waiting at the courthouse.“

  • OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER    THE EVIDENCE BOMB

    Olivia's Pov I’d spent all night trying to convince myself we were turning the tide that my testimony had shifted something, even slightly.But deep down, I knew Cassandra too well.She wouldn’t go down without setting something on fire first.Grace was beside me, flipping through notes, but her hands were tight, almost rigid. I could tell she felt it too, that hum in the air before shit hit the fan. “Are you okay?” I whispered.She glanced up. “I will be when this day’s over.”The judge entered, and everyone rose. The scrape of chairs and shuffle of feet sounded unusually loud. When Cassandra’s lawyer stood, his face was smug, the kind that meant he thought he’d already won.“Your Honor,” he began, his voice smooth as polished glass, “the plaintiff would like to present new evidence into record.”My stomach dropped.Grace’s head snapped up. “Objection. We were told discovery was complete.”The lawyer smiled like a wolf. “This evidence only came to light last night. We believe it’

  • OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER    OLIVIA FIGHTS BACK

    Olivia’s POVI barely slept the night before my testimony.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Cassandra’s face and it wasn't a good sight. The fake witness’s trembling voice. The headlines that followed:“Former Therapist Accused of Multiple Affairs.”“Cassandra Hale Returns to Courtroom Glory.”I’d turned my phone off after that. There’s only so much poison a person can swallow in a day.By morning, the sky over Chicago was gray, heavy, like even the weather wanted to stay quiet. Maya showed up at my door before I could call her.“You’re eating,” she said, pushing a granola bar into my hand before I could protest.“I’m not hungry.”“Don’t care. Eat. You’ll need it.”I took a bite mostly because arguing felt impossible. She stood there, arms crossed, watching until I swallowed.“You ready for today?” she asked softly.“No,” I said honestly. “But I’m going anyway.”She gave a small smile. “That’s the difference between you and her.”The courthouse was packed again, cameras flashing, re

  • OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER    CASSANDRA'S FINAL GAMBIT

    Olivia’s POVThe morning I found out Cassandra was out of prison, I was stirring sugar into my coffee.The news alert came from a gossip site, not even a proper headline, just a photo of her stepping out of a black car, her hair perfectly brushed, lips painted red like nothing had ever happened.“Model Cassandra Hale Released on Conditional Bail Pending Appeal.”For a moment, I just stared at the screen. Then I laughed disbelieving. Of course. Of course she was out.Money and influence could turn a conviction into a weekend inconvenience.I set the phone down slowly. My hands were shaking, even though the rest of me felt oddly numb.Maya walked in from the living room, tying her hair into a loose bun. She slept at my home yesterday when I called and told her about Xander's proposal. “You’re up early,” she said, then paused when she saw my face. “What happened?”I slid the phone across the counter. She read the headline and groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”“I wish I was.”She c

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