Chapter 101

The moment the door opened, Olivia felt the named heat and air conditioning at the doorway. Her pupils dilated, widening like the large, dark eyes of an owl, and her heart clenched with a sharp, sudden pain. Her mind raced at lightning speed. Within seconds, the phone call ended.

Olivia frowned. His sharp gaze flickered with something unreadable as he asked, "Who's going to prison?"

He had heard.

Olivia's breath hitched. "Ch...or you could think," she trailed off.

"Olivia, could you…" Chris began.

"It was just a scam call. I told him to stop messing around, or he'd end up in jail," she said, forcing herself to stay calm. Inside, however, she was in a full-blown panic. No one, especially Chris and the Hart family, could ever find out about what happened back then. If they did, she was as good as dead.

"That so?" Chris's eyes remained deep and unreadable.

Olivia nodded. "Of course. What else would it be?"

Chris reached out and ruffled her soft hair in a seemingly affectionate gesture. "Nothing." But the moment she looked away, a shadow of deep thought crossed his eyes. Their phones were all specially encrypted; scam calls shouldn't even get through.

"Chris, when can I be discharged?" Olivia wrapped her arms around his lean waist, her tone carrying a trace of anticipation. She was desperate to leave. Besides, several friends had already asked if Chris had really bought Whispering Bay, in the Shallow Bay area, for her. Their voices had dripped with envy. Olivia had confidently told them it was true and that she would be moving there soon to recuperate. They had even started planning a celebration in her honor, organizing everything down to the guest list. She believed in Chris. He would buy Whispering Bay for her.

And at that moment, Chris was lost in thought. As Olivia clung to his waist, his body tensed involuntarily. He didn't know why, but an unfamiliar sense of resistance welled up inside him.

"Soon," he said, gently but firmly releasing her embrace.

Olivia didn't notice anything amiss. Still looking pitiful, she sighed. "I don't want to make things difficult for you, but the smell of disinfectant every day is unbearable."

Chris nodded. "I know." Thinking about Whispering Bay, he felt a headache coming on.

Chapter 101 (Continued)

The owner wasn't willing to sell, and it's on the free-set. Memories haunt Wally, amateur and otherwise; it's only going to make life harder than though.

Chris said, "Forget it. Don't meet her."

"No, I have to," Olivia said firmly, looking at him. "Mom won't let me either, but I know she's making life miserable for all of you. This started because of me. Chris, please, can you bring her here for me? I really want to talk to her. And that studio of hers? I'm honestly worried she might use underhanded tactics to secure partnerships. Her life turned out like this because of me. I don't want to just stand by and watch her spiral out of control."

Olivia's voice was filled with concern, every word carrying deep sincerity.

Chris sighed. "You care about her, but she won't sit down and have a civilized conversation with you."

"Whether she will or not, I still want to try. Can't I at least do that?" she asked.