Chapter 129

Inside the ward, Olivia stared, dumbfounded, at the trio blocking the doorway. A silent exchange of glances passed between them, each hesitant to break the silence. Stephanie's voice cut through the tension. "Is Mrs. Blackwood really that important to him? I've made two trips already."

"She is," Elliot replied. Stephanie truly didn't want to be there, especially since visiting the old woman's room meant passing Olivia's. Seeing Chris, Tyler, and Catlin standing like statues, as if struck by lightning, made her even more uncomfortable. She glanced at Elliot, who returned her look. Finally, saying nothing, she quickly brushed past them. She couldn't stand being in that place any longer than necessary.

Once out of earshot, Stephanie asked Elliot, "What was that all about? Did they see a ghost?"

Elliot chuckled. "No ghosts indoors. I guess they were just spooked."

"Spooked by Olivia?" Stephanie asked. Olivia was the only one in the room, and she was practically on her deathbed. How could she scare anyone?

Elliot suggested, "Maybe they overheard something they shouldn't have." The way they looked, they might have heard something earth-shattering.

Stephanie's mind raced, recalling Olivia's attempts to provoke her into leaving Long Harbor. Looking back at Elliot, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Miss?" Elliot asked.

"Check into Olivia's recent activities," Stephanie instructed, "see if she's hiding anything." Olivia's sudden confrontation and those strange words made Stephanie suspicious that she was trying to cover something up.

Elliot nodded. "Understood." They quickened their pace.

When they returned after visiting Mrs. Blackwood again, Olivia's room door was closed, and the trio was gone. Faint sounds drifted from inside.

"Miss, are you going to keep walking…" Just as Elliot thought Stephanie would pass by quickly as before, she cautiously pressed her ear against the door. Hearing Elliot's hushed call, Stephanie quickly shushed him.

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Since when did Miss Giovanni start eavesdropping?"

Stephanie pressed her ear closer. Eavesdropping wasn't exactly a virtue, but she had lost hers long ago. Who cared about morality? The way those three had been standing there, dazed, suggested they'd indeed heard something they weren't supposed to. If she wasn't wrong, they were discussing that matter. She needed to know what it was. What if it was about that thing? With that thought, she listened more intently.

Seeing her carefully pressed against the door, Elliot couldn't resist snapping a photo and sending it to Sebastian. Sebastian was with Lorenzo, who handed him a glass of red wine, noticing the fond smile playing on Sebastian's lips. He glanced at Sebastian's phone, puzzled. "What are you looking at?"

Sebastian immediately put his phone away. Lorenzo just stared.

"Probably looking at his sister," Marco offered. Who else could make Sebastian grin like that?

Sebastian shot Marco a look. Marco backed down. "Okay, okay, I'm shutting up. I have a sister too." He'd figured it out: Sebastian's protectiveness over Stephanie was something else. They'd all watched Stephanie grow up, and she always called Marco "bro." And just because of that, Sebastian got all bent out of shape with him. Like anyone was trying to steal his sister.

"Why don't you bring your sister around sometime?" Sebastian challenged.

Marco was speechless. He didn't pick up that gauntlet! His sister was such a tomboy. If he brought her around, people would think he was gay. It had happened before. Seriously… they were both sisters, so why was his so different from everyone else's? Other guys' sisters wore dresses, had long hair, and looked super cute. His sister? Short hair, in the army, strong as an ox.

"Fine, my sister isn't exactly presentable, alright?"

"Your sister is the pretty one!"

But Marco had to admit, Stephanie was a real looker, especially since she left Fiorenza. She had a gorgeous figure.

Sebastian, satisfied, glanced at the photo Elliot had sent him. He messaged Elliot back: "What's she doing?"

Elliot: "Eavesdropping!"

Sebastian paused. "On who?"

"The Harts."

Sebastian was speechless. "Where did she pick up that habit? If she wanted to know something, couldn't I get the information for her?"

Meanwhile, at the hospital…

The atmosphere in the room was tense. They were all staring at her, and Olivia's heart was pounding. She had no idea how much they'd heard, or what they were thinking. But their faces… they clearly suspected something. Especially Chris, who'd heard something similar before. Now, this… Olivia wanted to rip that person to shreds!

She took a deep breath. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" Her voice was soft and sweet. Catlin stepped forward, about to speak, but Chris cut her off.

"Another scam?" His tone was intense.

Olivia's heart clenched again. She wanted to nod, but meeting Chris's intense gaze, she hesitated. Should she nod, or shake her head? But she knew she couldn't deny it. If she did, she'd have no way to explain. Finally, she nodded, a faint "Mhm."

Tyler frowned. "A scam call? Why were you so angry? Just hang up."

Olivia said, "I wanted to, but they kept going on and on, and I…"

And what? She didn't know how to continue. And that person was back. This was just the beginning. Her face turned even paler.

Catlin, seeing Olivia's distress, rushed to her side. "Alright, it was just a scam call. No need to grill her." She took Olivia's hand. "You need to be careful about these calls, okay? If you get one, hang up immediately. Don't argue with them. Those people are vicious. If you make them angry, they might try to get revenge. They're in the shadows, after all."

Olivia nodded obediently. "I know, Mom. I'll hang up right away next time."

Olivia should have felt relieved, but then… Catlin added, "By the way, I saw thirty thousand dollars went out of your account. What did you spend it on?"

Olivia's heart, which had just begun to settle, leaped back into her throat.