Kira’s POV
Kennedy appeared beside then, his hands on Olivia’s face, turning her head this way and that like he was conducting his own dical examination. "How are you doing? What happened? Why didn’t you answer your phone?"
"I’m okay," Olivia said again, gently removing Kennedy’s hands from her face. "Really. I just got grazed by a piece of glass. Nothing serious."
"A piece of glass?" Kennedy repeated. "How did you..."
"I’ll explain everything," Olivia interrupted, looking at her brother with an expression I couldn’t quite read. "But right now, I want to talk to Kira. Alone. Is that okay?"
Kennedy looked like he wanted to argue, but sothing in Olivia’s tone must have told him this wasn’t negotiable.
"Fine," he said, though he didn’t look happy about it. "But I want the full story later."
"You’ll get it," Olivia promised.
Kennedy gave her one more worried look, then stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.
The mont we were alone, I launched into rapid-fire questions.
"Okay, what the hell happened? Is Rebel okay? Maxwell showed up at the house looking for you and..."
Olivia visibly stiffened at the na.
"...he was asking all these questions and being all intense and I told him to leave because he’s a complete monster and..."
"Rebel’s fine," Olivia cut off, her voice tight. "But I don’t want to hear that na right now."
That na. She ant Maxwell.
"You found out he’s your stranger, didn’t you?" I asked quietly, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "Is that why you’re like this?"
Olivia let out a long, slow breath, leaning back against her pillows.
"The fact that he’s been my stranger all along isn’t what enrages ," she said, her voice carefully controlled. "It’s the fact that he’s been manipulative, controlling, and wicked. I just... I don’t think I can stand to look at his face right now."
I was dying - absolutely dying - to hear the full story. To know exactly what had gone down, how she’d found out, what he’d said, what she’d said.
But I also knew this wasn’t the ti to be pushy. Olivia would tell when she was ready.
So I just sat there, trying to look supportive and patient even though I was internally screaming for details.
"Wow," I finally said, because I had to say sothing. "I still can’t believe he’s the face behind those sweet words written by your stranger."
Olivia nodded slowly, staring at the ceiling.
"Everything has been a lie," she said softly. "I still can’t believe that I told my stranger to beat Maxwell up. Twice. The sa person." She let out a bitter laugh. "And the funny thing is, Maxwell showed up to the office the next day looking like he was in pain. Now that I think about it, I wonder if he actually beat himself up or was just acting."
"Wow," I breathed out. "He’s a great actor."
"Yeah," Olivia muttered, closing her eyes. "I don’t want to talk about him anymore. I really don’t."
"Okay," I said simply.
We sat in silence for a few minutes, just being there together like we’d done a thousand tis before when one of us was upset.
But apparently, Olivia couldn’t help herself.
She sat up suddenly, her eyes flashing with renewed anger.
"Do you know that he’s had Mitchell this whole ti?" she burst out. "His cat. He’s had her all along. And he just... watched go through hell trying to find her. Watched put up flyers and call shelters and worry myself sick. He had her the entire ti. Just so he could manipulate into living with him."
I pressed my lips together, trying so hard not to laugh because this was serious and Olivia was clearly upset but also...
"Wow," I managed, my voice strangled. "He’s the devil. For sure."
Olivia went quiet again, flopping back against the pillows.
I thought maybe that was it. Maybe she’d run out of steam and we could just sit here in peaceful silence until she was ready to leave.
But no.
"He literally emptied the Plan B pills you bought ," Olivia said, sitting up again. "And replaced them with leaves. Can you believe that? Leaves. So I would get pregnant. Isn’t that crazy?"
I let out a low whistle.
"Crazy is an understatent."
Olivia turned to look at then, and there was sothing in her expression - a mix of anger and disbelief and maybe, just maybe, a tiny hint of grudging admiration for the sheer audacity of it all.
And that’s when it hit us both at the sa ti.
The absolute absurdity of it all.
Maxwell Wellington - serious, stoic, cold-hearted professional Maxwell Wellington - had replaced Plan B pills with leaves.
Had manipulated his way into her life in different ways possible.
Had beaten himself up to maintain his double identity.
Had bought her a whole damn house.
Had written her lovely letters while simultaneously making her work life a nightmare.
Our eyes t.
And we both burst out laughing at the exact sa ti.
Not polite chuckles or restrained giggles, but full-on, bent-over, tears-streaming-down-our-faces laughter.
The kind of laughter that hurt your stomach and made you gasp for air.
"He replaced them with leaves," Olivia wheezed between laughs. "LEAVES!"
"The man is unhinged!" I gasped back, clutching my sides. "Completely unhinged!"
"And I told him..." Olivia could barely get the words out, "...I told my stranger to beat him up and he actually did it! To himself!"
We dissolved into fresh peals of laughter.
Sowhere in the back of my mind, I knew this wasn’t actually funny. Knew that Olivia was probably laughing to keep from crying, was using humor as a shield against the hurt and betrayal she must be feeling.
But right now, in this mont, with my best friend safe and whole and sitting in front of ?
We let ourselves laugh.
Because sotis, when life gives you a manipulative, crazy and psycho billionaire, all you can do is laugh.
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