bChapter /bb214 /b

OLIVIA’S POV

“That’s not possible, Dad,” I said, my voice sharper than I meant it to be, still trying to piece together the sudden announcement he’d just thrown at me. My thoughts were scrambling, like papers blown about in a gust of wind.

“And why not?” Dad asked, his eyebrow arching high in that familiar way that always made my heart sink a little.

“Dad, you and Mom are about to get off a four–hour flight,” I began, counting off each reason on my fingers. “You must be exhausted, even if you won’t admit it. And Charlie…Charlie will definitely be tired. He was in school this morning, now he’s sat through an airport and a flight, and he’ll barely have time to settle before you want him to stand in front of cameras?”

I took a quick breath, feeling the words spill out faster as my frustration grew. “Besides, I’m sure he’s hoping that cook him something nice to eat. He misses that, Dad. And we still don’t even know where we’re staying yet. We ih /iThe announcement is going to take hours, and by the time it’s over, it’ll already be night. We can’t figure out hous night.”

ho

finally sees me, I’ll

range all that first.

e middle of the

For a moment, the line was silent except for the faint murmur of voices behind my dad. Then I saw it: the shift in his expressionb, /bthe hard edge softening just a bit as the realization sank in.

“She’s right, dear,” my mom’s gentle voice cut in from the background, soothing as always.

“Of course I am,” I said, my tone softer now, though my heart was still pounding. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t make the announcement, Dad. Just that we need to settle in first. We’ll get everything ready today, and then tomorrow, first thing in the morning, you can make the announcement.”

Dad’s eyes stayed locked on me through the screen, and for a moment I wondered if he’d insist anyway, as he sometimes did. But then he let out a quiet, thoughtful hum. “Hmmm. First thing in the morning, no excuses,” he said finally, his tone firm but no longer cold.

“Yes, of course,” I agreed quickly, a small wave of relief passing over me. “Now that’s settled, I’ming to the airport to pick you all up.”

“Bye, honey,” my mom called warmly. Dad gave me a small nod, and then the screen went dark as the call ended.

The moment the screen cked out, the mask of calm I’d been holding cracked, and I let out a long sigh, pressing the heel of my palm against my temple. My head throbbed lightly, a dull ache born of stress, worry, and the hundred thoughts racing through my mind.

“Well, that was something,” Damien said, his voice dry but not unkind as he watched me from across the room.

I lowered my hand and met his gaze, the corners of my mouth twisting into a tired half–smile. “Something,” I echoed, but my voice was weary.

A moment of silence passed between us, the weight of everything hanging heavy in the air. Finally, I exhaled, shaking my head as if it might clear the mess of my thoughts. “How and when did they even decide toe to New York?” I muttered, frustration spilling into my tone. “And they didn’t tell me until they were already on their way? It’s like they nned it behind my back.”

Damien leaned against the table, crossing his arms loosely over his chest. “Well, I mean… technically, they can go anywhere they want,” he pointed out. “And you didn’t exactly tell them when you wereing back to New York either.”

I raised both brows in surprise, folding my arms across my chest. “Whose side are you bon/bb, /bexactly?” I asked Damienb, /bbmy /bvoice bsharper /bbthan /bintended.

“Sorry,” he replied quickly, raising his hands in surrender. His apology came so fast it almost made bme /bbsmirk /bbbut /bI bheld /bit bback/bb, /bbthe /bbirritation /bstill simmering inside me.

b“/bbLet’s /bbforget /bbabout /bbthe /bbfact /bbthat /bthey bdidn’t /beven btell /bbme /bbefore bing/bb,/bb” /bI bcontinued/bb, /bbmy /bbtone /bbheavy /bbwith /bbfrustration/b. b“/bbWhat /bbabout /bbthe /bfact

bn4 /bbAug /b

that they btook /bmy son along with them? Without asking me! No matter what my dad said about the online school, this is still going bto /binterrupt Charlie’s education. His life keeps getting thrown around just because we can’t sit still in one ce.”

Damien tilted his head slightly, his gaze thoughtful. “Would you have preferred if they came all the way here without him?”

b(/b20

I opened my mouth to argue but the words caught in my throat. The realization sank in, slow but steady, like water filling a cup. Would I really have been okay if they’d left Charlie behind in Mexico? Even though I was upset about them bringing him without asking, I would have bbeen /beven more furious, heartbroken, really if they hadn’t. The idea of them arriving here, stepping into my arms at the airport without Charlie running ahead, his little face lighting up at the sight of me… it was something I couldn’t even picture without a hollow ache forming in my chest.

My lips parted, and I let out a slow breath. Damien, seeing the shift on my face, raised an eyebrow as if to say told you so.

“Exactly my point,” he murmured, a hint of victory in his tone.

I shook my head lightly, the corners of my lips twitching. Damien could be annoyingly observant sometimes but maybe that was a good thing.

“How about we talk about this some other timei,/ii” /iDamien suggested, his voice turning practical. “Right now, you ne them to stay, now that they’reing.”

et a ce ready for

“Right,” I said, snapping back to reality. The problem wasn’t going to solve itself, and I didn’t have time to dwell on my feelings. My family wouldnd soon, and I couldn’t just have them waiting at the airport or shoving everyone into a cramped hotel suite.

I picked up my phone and tapped the speed dial for ra. It rang only once before I heard her hurried footsteps outside the door. A secondter, she rushed in, her hair a little messy and more amusingly, still wearing her pajamas covered in tiny pink clouds.

Despite the situation, a tiny part of me wanted tough. ra was always dedicated, but it seemed even she hadn’t expected this morning’s chaos.

“Ma’am?” she asked, slightly breathless, brushing hair from her face,

I decided to skipmenting on the pajamas. “My parents are on their way,” I said instead, my voice firm. “We need to find somewhere for all of us to stay for now. Somewherefortable.”

“Like… a BNB?” she suggested, blinking a few times as her brain caught up with the rush.

“Something tells me we’ll be here longer than just a week,” I said, shaking my head. “So no. Look for houses that ept monthly rent. Something we can settle into properly, not just crash for a few days.”

ra nodded, but her expression turned a little cautious. “Ma’am, if I’m looking for a ce big enough for your family, we’d need at least… a

seven–bedroom mansion, right? So everyone can have their own space?” She hesitated, biting her lip. “And doing that in this part of town is

usually crazy expensive…”

“So?” I asked, one eyebrow arching slightly, the hint of challenge in my tone. Money had never been the problem and she knew it.

She exhaled, her shoulders dropping a bit. “Right. I’ll get on it right away, ma’am,i” /ishe said quickly, regaining her usual efficiency.

Before I could say anything else, she’d already spun on her heel, practically jogging out of the room, her pajama sleeves pping bas /bshe

moved.

When the door closed behind her, the room fell quiet again. Damien was still watching me, leaning against the table bwith /bban /bbunreadable /bexpression.

“You know,” he said after a moment, his tone lighter, “for someone who didn’t even want bto /bbe /bback bto /bbNew /bbYork/bb, /bbyou’re /bbhandling /bball /bbthis /bbpretty /bwell.”

b2/3 /b

I let bout /ba short, humorlessugh. “I don’t know if you can call it ‘handling,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair. “Feels more like surviving. Or patching holes in a sinking ship.”

“But it’s still afloat,” Damien said softly, giving me a small, encouraging nod.