bNo /bAds

bChapter /bb123 /b

bOLIVIA’S /bPOV

bI /bslowly tiptoed my way out of my mom’s room, careful not to make a sound. She had been gripping my hand tightly for almost thirty bminutes /bsince she drifted off to sleep, and every time I to slip away, something would give me away -either the rustling of the sheets, the creak of the floorboards, or

even my own clumsy movements..

This time, I decided to be patient, to wait longer. I allowed her breathing to deepen and slow until I was sure she had sunk into a deep sleep. bOnly /bthen did I dare to try again. I gently lifted her hand off mine and slid off the bed with the grace of a trained escape artist. Every move was calctedb, /bevery

breath held.

I reached for the doorknob, turning it as slowly as humanly possible, praying it wouldn’t creak like it always did. I winced as it made a soft soundb, /bbbut /bbit /bwasn’t loud enough to stir her. I let out a silent breath of relief and opened the door wide enough to squeeze through.

Just as I was about to step into the hallway, I turned–and froze.

Julian.

He was standing there, eyes filled with confusion, watching me like I’d just robbed the ce. His brow furrowed slightly as he took in the scene.

“Why were you sneaking…”

“Shhhh!” I cut him off quickly, pressing a finger to my lips as I panicked, ncing back toward the cracked door of our mom’s room.

He blinked and caught on immediately. I grabbed his arm gently and pulled him with me down the stairs. No way was I going to risk her waking up now-

not after all that effort.

Once we reached the bottom, I whispered, “A

e you trying to wake her?b” /b

“She doesn’t want you to leave?” he said, his voice lower this time

“No,” I said, sighing, “and you know I need to go back home.”

Julian nodded, a more understanding look taking over his face. “Well then, you better head back before she realizes you’re gone again.”

“I don’t want to leave her, not really,” I admitted, crossing my arms./But I can’t just stay here, not with everything going on. At least not until we get this whole thing resolved.”

“Speaking of that,” I said, leaning in slightly, “how did it go?”

Julian hesitated for a moment before responding. “About Emma? Well… she’s downstairs. In the basement.”

A wave of relief washed over me, and I let out a long, deep breath. Since they left, the uncertainty had eaten away at me. I’d kept picturing all the ways this could go wrong–what if they couldn’t find herb, /bor she managed to escape? But now that they had her, it felt like everything was finallying together.

“This is great,” I said, unable to keep the excitement from my voice. “I always had faith in you. That’s why I’ve been slowly packing my thingsb–/bI knew you’d see this through. Now that we have thest piece of the puzzle, I can go and fully pack all my belongings.”

Julian didn’t look as convinced. He shifted his weight and gave me a look that made my stomach drop.

“I’m not trying to be a naysayer,” he said, “but something tells me we might have issues getting her to confess. Emma doesn’t seem like the btype /bbto /bbbreak /beasily.”

I narrowed my eyes but kept my tone calm.“Doesn’t matter. She’s human. Everyone breaks eventually. It might take time, but bnow /bthat bwe /bbhave /bbher/b, we’re in control. We’ll make her talk. One way or another.”

b1/3 /b

Chapter b1231 /b

btay /b

bJulian /bbstared /bat me for a moment, then gave a small nod, though I could see the concern still lingering in his eyes.

“Alright, do you need me to drop you off?” Julian asked, his tone casual but firm.

b“/bbNo/b, I’ll just…” I began to reply, but he cut me off before I could finish.

“Nope. You don’t have a choice here,” he said, raising a brow as he crossed his arms. “You can’t just go around ordering Ubers when there are all these cars sitting outside. You’re about to be a CEO, Olivia. You need to start acting like one.”

I sighed, already too tired to argue. There were battles worth fighting, and this wasn’t one of them.

“The driver will drop you off,” he added, already signaling to one of the staff.

“Alright,” I mumbled, giving in. I grabbed my purse and began walking toward the front door, Julian trailing behind me like a silent shadow. His presence felt heavier tonight, maybe because things were finally moving forward–or maybe because both of us were thinking the same thing: there’s no bturning /b

back now.

On the drive home, I instructed the driver to park across the street from Adrian Estates. Thest thing I wanted was to show up in a good–looking ck car and have that caught on his CCTV footage. I didn’t need anyone asking questionsb, /bleast of all Adrian, who always noticed everything.

I stepped out quietly and walked toward the gate, keeping my head low. The street was quiet, and the only sound was the crunch of gravel beneath bmy /bshoes. The moment I entered the house, irritation flooded me.

There it was–Isadora’s voice echoing from the kitchen, sharp andmanding. She was barking orders at the maids like she ran the ce. It made bmy /bblood boil. Who did she think she was? Just because Adrian tolerated her didn’t mean she had any right to act like she owned the house.

But I didn’t say anything. Not yet. I clenched my jaw and walked straight past the kitchen, ignoring herpletely. She didn’t even see me, which was just fine. I wasn’t in the mood for a scene.

Upstairs, I made it to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed with a heavy sigh. I slipped off my shoesb, /bbut as I leaned down to pick them upb, /ba sharp, sudden pain shot through my lower back and waist.

“ouch!” I hissed, instantly sitting back up.

The pain lingered for a few seconds before slowly fading. I instinctively ced a hand on my stomachb, /blooking down at the small but growing bump.

“Too early for you to be causing problems, little guy,” I whispered, smiling softly despite the difort. It was strange–how something so small couldpletely change everything about how I moved, what I ate, how slept. I couldn’t just do things like I used to. Even my body was sending out

warnings.

I slid the shoe over to the wardrobe with my foot, avoiding bending down again. I’d learned my lesson.

I realized then that I hadn’t eaten dinner, but the thought of going back downstairs and facing Isadora made me lose what little appetite I had left. An empty stomach was a small price to pay for peace.

I changed into my soft,vender sleeping robe and turned off the lightsb. /bCurling up on my side of the bed, I pulled the nket ove ceiling. My mind wouldn’t quiet down, thoughts racing from Emma to my mom to the growing life inside me.

Sometime during the night, I must have drifted off, because the next thing I felt was the mattress dipping beside me.

I didn’t move, but I could tell it was Adrian.

Then suddenly-

“Ahh!”

and stared bat /bthe

A loud, startled scream came from right beside me, jerking me awake in full panic.