Chapter 1637

"Don't cry," the man said gently, pulling Olivia's hand from his lips. His voice remained warm and calm. "I'm back, aren't I?"

Olivia immediately embraced him from behind, sobbing. Months of worry had ended; he was finally home. Yet, despite her joy, a heavy feeling settled in her heart. Distraught, she could only cling to him and weep.

Edward turned, his palm gently tracing her cheeks, touching her eyebrow and lips. "Have you not met Alexander?"

"I don't know where he is," Olivia sobbed, shaking her head. "You said he'd returned, but I've heard nothing. The Russell family knows nothing."

"There's been turmoil at La Beaute Group," Edward explained, "rumors about something happening to him abroad. But the higher-ups are suppressing the news."

"What about Lily?" he asked.

"Lily… I don't know what she's been up to. She won't answer her phone. The last time I asked her…"

"What did you ask her?" Edward's grip on her chin tightened, lifting her face slightly. His gaze was sharp, almost angry. "Didn't I tell you not to say anything?!"

"I just…," Olivia stammered, panic rising in her chest. She rarely saw him this irritated. "I just asked if, one day, I were to stand against Mr. Russell, whose side she'd be on."

"Idiot!" He dropped her chin, wrapping a towel around his waist. "How did she answer you?" he demanded.

"She… she said there won't be such a day," Olivia whispered, feeling foolish. "She said Mr. Russell and I are equally important to her." The question felt redundant, yet she'd needed to ask, perhaps to answer it herself. Could she choose between Edward and her longtime friend? When she looked up, Edward was lighting a cigarette.

He never smoked. This Edward—smoky, grumpy, and capricious—was different. Yet, glimpses of the gentle man she knew still shone through, making her question if she were dealing with an imposter. Smoke curled around his face as he took two deep drags. Exhaling a ring of smoke, he asked, "So, you got nothing useful out of her?"

"What useful information?"

"Where's their son?" he asked, looking at her intently.

Olivia's heart leaped. "Why are you looking for their son?"

"I'm just wondering!" Edward blurted, shoving the cigarette back into his mouth. "Alexander's vanished. We don't know if he's alive or dead. Lily's disappeared too. Aren't you curious about their son? Or Margaret?"