Chapter 5: New Friends and Enemies

The next day, Oliver takes action. He starts following Carol's every action. When he has some other work to do, he asks his trusted men to follow her around with a pinhole camera. At night, he watches all her movements to check whether she is a threat. Sometimes, he laughs at her childishness. He doesn't want to hurry his surveillance because maybe she is concealing her true colors.

Meanwhile, Carol has also started adjusting to her work. She carries out her job with passion, even though all she does is clean hallways. She enjoys it. Sometimes, she sings or dances or both when she finishes her job early. Sometimes, she hugs Helen and talks to her happily. Sometimes, she does Helen's job so that the older lady can rest. Carol has grown so attached to her that she considers Helen her second grandmother—right next to Rachel's grandmother. Since Helen also doesn't have many relatives, she considers Carol her own granddaughter. Beyond Helen, Carol has also made many friends through Rachel and Mia. She thinks that this is the happiest she's ever been.

…

It's been two weeks since Oliver has started monitoring the woman he suspects is Hagon's mate. He has somewhat accepted that she is not a threat, so his next move is to make her his friend. After thinking of many different ways to approach her, he decides to disguise himself as a normal employee since many people don't know what he looks like.

He goes to the left wing of the 25th floor, where he knows Carol works, and walks down the hallways and bumps into her. He makes it look like an accident by holding his phone to his ear and pretending to be busy talking to someone. Carol falls on her butt, and the older woman working with her is shocked. She comes over as fast as she can and glares at Oliver, who is shocked. Nobody has disrespected him like that before.

Grandma Helen is very much worried about Carol, who Oliver helps stand up. Helen checks her over thoroughly to make sure that she isn't injured. "Grandma Helen, I am totally fine. See? I am not at all injured. It was my mistake, too. I was playing and didn't see him coming," Carol says, and Oliver is shocked to see how protective the older woman has become of Carol within just two weeks. This shows him that Carol has a friendly nature.

"No, no, Carol. You are really playful, so you should be careful, child. Nowadays, I am happy because of you. It feels like I have a family. What will I do if something happens to you? You are like my grandchild. I feel like I should protect you till I can't. So be safe. Don't give me a heart attack. It calms me if I know that you are safe, ok?" Helen sobs.

Carol doesn't know what to say. She has never been in such a situation. "Grandma, I am sorry. I just fell down. Nothing happened to me. I will be careful and safe for you." She accepts Helen's concern, trying to soothe her.

Seeing this interaction, Oliver grows emotional, and his respect for Carol increases. 'Oh, no…when did I start to respect someone other than my family?' he thinks. This realization makes him even more curious about Carol, so he clears his throat to remind the two women that another person is standing there.

Carol and Helen slowly turn their faces towards Oliver. 'Why is this person still standing here?' they both think.

"Hi! I am Oliver." He extends his hand and introduces himself.

'This person must be insane,' they both think and frown. Oliver feels a little bit insulted at that reaction, but then Carol extends her hand and saves him from humiliation.

"I am Carol. Nice to meet you," she offers.

Helen, who thinks that this strange man is flirting with Carol, immediately dislikes him and becomes the protective grandmother. "Carol, you are naive. Don't talk to guys like him. He doesn't look like a good person. If he does anything to you, tell me. I'll complain about him to the Prince, and he will take care of him. There are complaint forms for people like us." Helen glares at him after that, not knowing that the man standing in front of her is the very Prince she has threatened to complain to and that she is openly insulting him.

Oliver doesn't know whether to be happy about the compliment or sad about the insult, but he chooses to be happy because even though his fake identity has been insulted, his original one has been complimented. "Grandma, I am not that type of guy. Please trust me. I was passing by but unknowingly bumped into Carol. I really want to apologize to her. That's why I introduced myself." He wants to look like a good guy in front of them because his mission is to become Carol's friend. Helen relaxes a little at his words, and he smiles internally. Success.

"Grandma, go take a little rest. You can return to the break room, and I'll take care of all the other things."

Helen apologizes for being weak and leaves the floor. Carol, on the other hand, turns to face Oliver. "Oliver, don't mind Grandma. She is a little bit protective of me, and she doesn't hate you. She is the kindest person I know besides Rachel's grandmother. From now on, however, you should walk with your eyes looking forward, ok?" she advises.

"Carol, can I buy you dinner as an apology?" Oliver asks.

Carol stiffens and loudly says, "NO. Grandma Helen said that if anybody asks me out to dinner, I shouldn't accept because that person might be a bad person."

"Then can you join me for coffee now? You seem very tired, so you can take a coffee break, right?" Oliver doesn't want to miss this chance to grow closer to her, so he tries to push his luck. It works.

"Ok," Carol accepts. They both go to a nearby cafe and order their drinks. Carol meets most of her friends on the way, and she cheerily greets them, but because she is walking with a handsome man, most of them are not happy with her because of jealousy. Only a few genuinely greet her in response, and the rest glare at her. Oliver hadn't expected his presence to make Carol so many enemies, but he can't change what has already happened. He can't change anything, so he silently swears that he will try to protect her from any harm, even if it turns out that she is not his brother's mate.

Over their coffee, Oliver slowly starts gathering information about Carol. He asks about her family, but since Rachel's grandmother asked her not to reveal any personal details about herself, Carol keeps quiet, not answering anything. Oliver is puzzled by her actions. Why would such a cheerful girl close her mouth as soon as he asks her about her family?

To distract him, Carol starts talking about Rachel. As soon Oliver hears Rachel's name, something stirs in his heart. He doesn't understand why. He already has a mate, so why is his heart racing for a girl he has never even seen? He has some other things to concentrate on, so he makes this mystery his second mission.

Oliver has started getting to know Carol, but can he save her from all the jealous eyes that have now landed her? Can he save her from his mate—or rather, the woman he thinks is his mate?

Carol had made a lot of friends, but many of them have turned into her enemies. Will she ever be able to meet Hagon?