Chapter 28: A Rare Vacation

William waved off the team and crashed on the sofa in the computer room to catch some Z's. Olivia was still knee-deep in the interrogation records when Zephyr strolled in with breakfast for the Detective Unit.

"Hey, Olivia," Zephyr said, "I saw you guys pulling an all-nighter. Bet you didn't have time for breakfast. I got you some. Eat it while it's hot!"

Olivia blinked at Zephyr, surprised. Since when were they tight enough for him to bring her breakfast?

She quickly waved him off. "Thanks, Zephyr, but I already ate. See? I got a sandwich, and I'm stuffed!"

Zephyr looked a bit bummed but left the breakfast anyway. "Then save it for lunch. I got pizza, and it's awesome!" He turned and walked off. Olivia, holding the breakfast, tried to catch up to him but ran into Henry at the door.

Henry steadied her by the arm. "What's up?"

"It's Zephyr. He just brought me breakfast out of nowhere," Olivia said.

Henry frowned, a hint of annoyance in his eyes. 'Being too beautiful just attracts unwanted attention,' he thought.

"If you don't want it, toss it. Why make a big deal? Don't you have work to do?" Henry scolded.

Olivia, feeling chastised, went back to her desk. Henry promptly dumped the breakfast in the trash.

Olivia got back to organizing the case files and interrogating Clifford.

"So, you targeted Alan to pay off your gambling debts. Why?" Olivia asked.

Clifford sighed. "I was in deep, even lost my car. I had no choice. Then I heard Alan's son was getting married, and they were buying a house. I figured they had cash, so I went to their place."

Only Alan was home, so Clifford strangled him with a wire. When his wife Lyric and son Axel came back, he killed them too. Afterward, he found their bank cards.

"How'd you get the PINs?" Olivia asked.

"All the cards were in a bag, and there was a note with the PINs written on it. Probably Lyric's way of not forgetting them," Clifford explained.

Olivia nodded. "What about the money?"

"I blew it all. Paid off debts, spent the rest," Clifford said.

Olivia jotted down notes. "You broke into Alan's house multiple times. Remember what you took?"

"Yeah, laptop, phone, home appliances, jewelry..." Clifford listed.

The case file was packed with details of Clifford's crimes, and Olivia recorded everything meticulously.

At the case briefing, Olivia laid out the details. Henry couldn't take his eyes off her. In the sunlight, she looked stunning, but she also had this strong sense of justice. 'No wonder I'm drawn to her,' Henry thought.

With the case wrapped up, Olivia got a two-day break. She quickly packed her bags and headed to the train station.

It had been a month since Olivia last saw Autumn. She had promised to come home whenever she had a break, even if just for a day. For Autumn, it would be a small comfort.

But when she got home, Autumn just started complaining.

"Look at you! What are you wearing? And what's that smell on your clothes?" Autumn griped.

As soon as Olivia walked in, Autumn sent her straight to the bathroom to shower. When she came out, the table was loaded with food.

"Come eat. Look at you, so skinny your chin could cut glass! Let me be clear, I can only tolerate this for a year. After that, you better come back, or I'll move in with you. Got it?" Autumn said.

Olivia smiled. Autumn was always like this, saying the harshest things but doing the warmest deeds. Olivia had never done her own laundry until she went to college.

If Olivia hadn't gone to the police academy, she might have been spoiled into uselessness by Autumn.

"Your favorite beef and shrimp!" Autumn announced.

Olivia loved listening to Autumn's nagging. It made her eat more.

The next day, Olivia slept until noon. No matter how late she got up, Autumn always had a table full of breakfast ready.

"Mom, I'm going out to shop with Gwyneth later!" Olivia said.

Autumn nodded, turned to the bedroom, and tossed a bank card to Olivia.

"Here, spend it however you like!" Autumn said.

Olivia examined the card. "Did Oscar give you money again?"

Autumn replied, "What else can he do besides give money? Sometimes I wonder if I've given him the wrong impression that I love money above everything else."

Olivia couldn't help but laugh. She remembered that on her eighteenth birthday, Oscar had also given her a bank card and one to Autumn as well.

Oscar's words were still fresh in Olivia's memory.

"Because I'm afraid Autumn will get tired of my dad and leave him. Autumn is young and beautiful, while my dad is quite dull. At least with money, he can have someone to keep him company in his later years," Oscar had said.

Since Autumn married Ivan, Ivan had been exceptionally good to her, and Olivia had seen it all.

Although Autumn had a sharp tongue, she never missed a chance to show her care. Ivan had arthritis, and whenever it was rainy, Autumn would massage him. He saw many doctors, but his condition didn't improve.

After breakfast, Olivia changed clothes and went out to meet her friend Gwyneth Martinez at the mall.

"Olivia, you're back! I missed you so much!" Gwyneth exclaimed.

Olivia wore light makeup, a cream-colored wool coat, black wide-leg pants, and loafers, looking every bit the intellectual woman.

Gwyneth pulled Olivia around.

"Olivia, with your looks, you could have chosen any career! Why a cop?" Gwyneth said.

Gwyneth was dressed in business attire, looking as if she had just come from the office. She was adorned in designer brands from head to toe, and her short hair added to her professional appearance.

Although her eyes were not large, they were incredibly expressive. While Gwyneth's looks were not as striking as Olivia's, she possessed a kind of beauty that grew more appealing the longer you looked at her.

Olivia was helpless at Gwyneth's comment and put her arm around Gwyneth's.

"Let's go. I haven't been to the mall in ages. Show me what's new!" Olivia said.

Gwyneth rolled her eyes at Olivia. "Alright, let's go. Let me introduce you to a whole new world!"