Chapter 95 Separation

Chapter 95 Separation

"Okay."

Alexander thought Olivia would be back in two days, but she ended up being gone for a whole week.

Evening. The CEO's office.

Seeing his unanswered message, Alexander snapped his phone shut and headed for the design department.

Only to come up empty again.

Staring at Olivia's empty desk, Alexander felt a strange sense of helplessness rising inside him.

He could clearly tell she'd been avoiding him these past couple days, he just didn't understand why.

They'd been getting along so well recently. She'd even said he was family to her now. Everything had been moving in the right direction, and then suddenly it all went downhill.

Had he upset her somehow? Or was it that she'd made up with James again, like she had countless times before?

At that last thought, Alexander's heart sank, his expression growing even darker.

He maneuvered his wheelchair away while dialing a number.

When her phone rang and she saw who it was, Olivia's hand paused mid-writing, her eyes instinctively avoiding it.

She wanted to pretend she hadn't seen it, but Alexander seemed to guess her thoughts and immediately sent a text.

Alexander: [The invitation for the semi-finals was delivered to the house. Needs to be signed for in person. If you don't come back, they'll have to return it]

Olivia: [I'll be home in half an hour, please ask the delivery person to wait]

Half an hour later, the entrance beeped as Olivia hurriedly pushed through the door.

The villa was pitch black, so quiet that only Olivia's breathing could be heard.

Had the delivery person already left?

Olivia wiped the sweat from her forehead. As she walked further in, she checked the delivery tracking under her name, wanting to contact the driver.

"I thought you weren't coming back."

The sudden voice behind her made Olivia's hand jerk. She whipped around and, in the pitch-black living room, met a pair of calm, still eyes.

Startled, she stumbled backward, her calf hitting the table, her body falling back out of control.

"Watch out!" Alexander quickly reached out to catch her.

His arm wrapped around Olivia's waist, but the momentum was too strong, pulling him from his wheelchair. Instinctively, he pulled her into his embrace, and they both tumbled toward the sofa.

Looking at Alexander so close to her, Olivia momentarily forgot her anger and complained irritably, "Why would you deliberately scare people? I thought a burglar had broken in!"

Upon seeing her indignant expression, Alexander's lips pressed together slightly, his hand braced beside her quietly tightening. The irritation in his heart quietly dissipated, and he whispered, "I didn't mean to. I was in the kitchen. When I saw you come in, I followed."

"But you still shouldn't..." Seeing his flat reaction, Olivia felt even more frustrated. She lifted her head to continue, but her chin brushed against his nose.

Her voice cut off abruptly. She turned her head away from the contact in a panic, a suspicious blush creeping onto her cheeks.

Her lashes trembled slightly as she stammered, "You...you need to get up first. This is too weird to talk like this!"

"Embarrassed?" Not only did Alexander not get up, he leaned closer with a hint of mischief.

Their breaths mingled, their pressed-together chests faintly picking up each other's heartbeats.

Looking at her reddened ear tips, Alexander said, puzzled, "We've done more intimate things than this. What's there to be embarrassed about?"

After saying this, he finally remembered the main issue, his eyes darkening slightly. "Olivia, I want to know what you're thinking."

Olivia was confused by his cryptic words. She turned her head, steeling herself to meet his sharp gaze. "What do you mean?"

"Stop pretending." Seeing her confused expression, Alexander felt frustrated. "Why have you been deliberately avoiding me these past two days? Give me a reason."

"I haven't." Her eyes darted away, her expression uncomfortable.

"If you don't tell me, I'm not getting up."

Olivia wanted to pull away, but Alexander held her tight.

After a long moment, she said coldly, "I'm bored."

Alexander's impassive expression froze, and he shouted, "What?"

Olivia pushed his hand away. Looking at the shock in his eyes, she hardened her heart, her voice cold and harsh as she said seriously, "I said, I'm bored with you."

"Yes, we slept together, but you gave me a terrible experience. The only reason you think we've been getting along well lately is because I needed something from you."

"But I've already established myself at the company now. I don't need you anymore. I'll handle Isabella and the Harper family myself. Worst case, I still have Ms. Scott, my actual family, to help me."

Olivia pushed Alexander away. She stood up, looking down at him. "Besides, I prefer James's gentle, considerate type. Not like you, always wearing that dead expression. If I hadn't been desperate and alone back then, do you think I would have wanted to get close to you?"

She crossed her arms, her tone full of undisguised disgust and contempt, though her heart ached faintly.

She forced down her emotions, telling herself over and over that she absolutely couldn't show any weakness at a time like this, or she'd lose even the last shred of dignity.

She'd only clung to Alexander as a lifeline because of her amnesia, but he hadn't lost his memory. He wouldn't forget what she used to be like, or how she'd used underhanded means to climb into his bed.

When she'd forced herself on him, when she'd sincerely thanked him for his help, when she'd been moved and said he was family to her—what had he been thinking?

Had he just been watching for entertainment?

These words hurt Alexander, little by little. He looked at her and suddenly laughed.

He said indifferently, The look in his eyes held none of its usual warmth. "You can go."

He pushed himself back into his wheelchair and left without looking back.

No attempts to keep her, no questioning, just letting her go so easily.

Watching that resolute figure disappear around the corner, Olivia felt all her strength drain away as she collapsed back onto the sofa.

She pressed her lips together, her face showing not the triumph she'd imagined, only defeat.

Olivia covered her chest with her hand, feeling the heartbeat beneath her palm.

How strange.

She'd achieved her goal, so why wasn't she happy at all?

By dawn, Olivia had left.

She didn't have much to move, so leaving was easy.

She contacted a realtor and rented a two-bedroom apartment as quickly as possible. The new place wasn't far from Titan Enterprises. After putting her things away, she made it to clock in with three minutes to spare.

Her phone vibrated.

Olivia's heart jumped, instinctively thinking it was a message from Alexander, but when she unlocked her phone, it was just a text notification.

What was she thinking? They'd already broken things off and separated. Someone as proud as him—how could he possibly reach out to her first?

Olivia laughed bitterly, the ache inside her deepening.