Chapter 22

Chapter 22

OLIVIA

When I woke up, I didn't bother doing anything because I knew I wouldn't be going to work…

I'm very certain Ryan didn't come back home from yesterday.

The noise I was hearing from downstairs made me realize that his servants were around.

I glanced up when I heard a knock on my door and the person pushed it open.

"Olivia , I’m sorry," Melody said quietly, her voice softer than usual.

I walked up to her and stood there too, standing by the door, I didn't know how to respond.

The tension from yesterday's argument still hung heavy in the air. Slowly, I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me, glancing at Melody as I did.

"I know you didn’t mean to hurt me," I said, my voice just above a whisper. "I didn’t handle it well either."

Melody looked up at me, her eyes filled with regret. "I just... I didn’t expect you to keep something like that from me. Especially Ryan. He’s practically your family, Olivia ."

"I know," I said, sitting down next to her. "I wasn’t trying to hide it from you. I just... didn’t know how to tell you." My hands fiddled with the hem of my shirt. "I was scared, Mel. I didn’t want you to think I was crazy."

"You’re not crazy," she said, shaking her head. "But Ryan... he’s your dad’s best friend. He’s like family. It just threw me off, you know?" Her voice wavered slightly, and I could see she was trying to understand.

"I get it," I said, letting out a deep breath. "But I’ve had feelings for him for a long time now. It’s not something I planned, Mel. It just... happened." I paused, swallowing. "And now, I don’t know what to do with it."

Melody stared at me, trying to process everything. Her eyes softened, and she reached out, placing her hand on mine. "Olivia , do you... do you love him?"

I blinked, surprised by the question. "Yes," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, the truth slipping out before I could stop it. "I do. But he... he’s holding back. He’s afraid of what it would mean, of what it could do to everything."

Melanie’s eyes widened, her expression going from concern to something more thoughtful. "So, what now? Are you... are you going to wait for him to figure it out?"

Like there was anything to figure out.. duh.

I shook my head, frustration building in me. "I don’t know. I really don’t. It’s hard, Mel. I don’t want to ruin his friendship with my dad, but at the same time... I can’t pretend I don’t feel this way." My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. "And now, I don’t even know if I can keep waiting for him to make up his mind while I keep making my own moves on him.”

"I understand," Melody said softly, her voice full of empathy. "But you deserve someone who’s not afraid of what you have. Don’t settle for anything less."

I nodded slowly, the weight of her words sinking in. "You’re right," I whispered. "I know that. But sometimes, it’s hard to let go, even when you know what’s best for you and he made it clear that we aren't compatible, but I can see the passion in his eyes."

Before Melody could respond, there was a soft knock on the door.

We both looked up at the same time, and I instantly knew who it was.

I could feel the weird change around, even before he stepped inside.

"Come in," I called out quietly, my voice tinged with uncertainty.

The door creaked open, and there stood Ryan. His gaze flicked from me to Melanie, his expression unreadable. He seemed hesitant, as though unsure if he should even be here.

"Hey," he said, his voice low. "Are you okay?"

I blinked, caught off guard by his question. The room felt charged, and my heart started beating faster. My emotions were tangled, and I didn’t know how to react.

"I’m fine," I said bluntly, not meeting his eyes. I didn’t want to let him see how much I was still hurting. "Thanks for asking."

Ryan didn’t press any further. He just stood there for a moment, as if debating whether he should say something else. But then, with a simple nod, he turned and walked out without another word.

Melody raised an eyebrow at me. "Is he... okay?"

I swallowed hard and shook my head. "I don’t know. He’s holding back, Melanie. I can feel it."

"Maybe you should talk to him again," she suggested gently.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I want to, but I don’t even know what to say anymore. He’s hesitant and all he cares about is his relationship with my dad, he's not even putting his desires first."

"Don’t wait forever, Olivia ," Melody warned softly. "You deserve someone who knows exactly what they want."

I know exactly what he wants, me.

I didn’t reply right away. Instead, I sat there, thinking about what she said.

"I know," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I just don’t know how to let go."

Melody squeezed my hand, her touch warm and reassuring. "It’s okay. You’ll figure it out. Just remember to listen to your heart."

I nodded, feeling comforted yet conflicted.

My heart was tangled in confusion, and I didn’t know what the future held. But for the first time in a while, I felt like I might finally be ready to make a choice—whether it was with Ryan or without him.

I stared at the door, knowing the hardest part was yet to come.

Something came to my mind and I stood up quickly.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” I said to her, heading toward the hall where I knew Ryan's staff would be.

Melody raised an eyebrow. “What are you up to?”

“I just need to talk to them. I think I’ll have the house to myself today,” I replied, a smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

She nodded, not asking any more questions.

I walked down the hallway and found the staff in the main living room. They were talking amongst themselves, obviously preparing for another busy day of work.

“Hey,” I said as I walked in. They all looked up, surprised to see me there.

“Ms Olivia , good morning,” one of them, Margaret, greeted me.

“Good morning,” I said, trying to sound casual. “Listen, I know it’s a bit sudden, but I’d like for you all to take the day off. I’ll handle everything today.”

The staff exchanged hesitant looks. Margaret hesitated, glancing at the others. “Are you sure, Ms Olivia ? We’re happy to help, as usual.”

I smiled softly, trying to put them at ease. “I’m sure. Really, I just want some quiet today, so if you could all just take the day off, that would be great.” I placed a hand on the counter. “Consider it my way of saying thank you for all your hard work.”

They still seemed uncertain, but after a few more moments of back-and-forth glances, Margaret finally nodded. “Alright then. If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure,” I said with a firm nod. “Go relax. Enjoy the day.”

“Thank you, Miss Olivia ,” Margaret said, her voice warm. The others gave quick smiles and nodded before gathering their things to leave.

“Enjoy your day, Miss Olivia . Don’t hesitate to call us if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” I said, and after they left, I locked the door behind them, feeling a sense of relief.
She was still humming to herself as she set out the breakfast ingredients. “All done?” she asked when I entered.

“Yep, they’re all gone for the day,” I said, walking toward the counter. “Now, we’ve got the place to ourselves.”

Melodygrinned. “Perfect.” She cracked a few eggs into a bowl and began whisking them. “So, now that we have free rein, what’s next?”

I sat down at the kitchen table, leaning back in my chair as I watched her. "I think... Maybe some breakfast first?" I suggested with a small laugh.

Melody looked over at me with a raised eyebrow. “Is that really the first thing you want to do? I mean, we could have mimosas and dance or something.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “You’re always thinking ahead.” I leaned forward, resting my chin in my hands. “But I’m actually starving. We can dance later.”

“Alright, alright. But you can’t deny that you’re in the mood for something fun. We’ve got the whole house to ourselves!”

I smiled. "Yeah, you're right. But first, we need food in our stomachs."

Melody turned on some upbeat music, filling the kitchen with the sound of pop songs.

“You know,” Melody said as she danced over to the counter to grab some butter, “I can’t imagine Ryan cooking in here. He’d probably burn everything.”

I laughed. “No, actually, Ryan can cook really, really well,” I said, glancing over at Melanie. "You don’t know it, but he’s great in the kitchen. He just doesn’t show it often."

Melody stopped mid-spin and stared at me, wide-eyed. "Wait, really? Ryan? The oh so mysterious master.” She smirked. "Are you sure he’s not just pretending to be bad at it?"

I shrugged, smiling. “No, I’m serious. He can cook. He just... doesn’t do it much. But when he does, it’s pretty amazing.”

“Okay, now I’m curious,” Melody said, a teasing glint in her eyes. “Maybe next time we should ask him to cook for us."

I laughed.

For once, it was just Melody and me, enjoying each other’s company without any drama or heavy thoughts lingering in my mind.

At some point, we decided to grab a few drinks from the bar.

"We deserve it," Melody said with a grin, holding up a bottle of wine. "Let’s make this day even better."

By the time we’d finished a few glasses, we were both a little tipsy.

"This is perfect," I said, leaning back on the couch. "Just... no worries today."

Melody nodded, swaying slightly. "I love this."

I was just starting to feel the effects of the wine when I heard the door creak open.

Ryan walked in, looking a little surprised to find us in this state.

"Hey," he said, his voice low, his eyes scanning the room. "What’s going on here?"

I smiled at him, but as I stood to meet him, a wave of dizziness hit me. I stumbled forward, feeling everything spin.

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could say anything, I suddenly felt my stomach lurch.

I turned around quickly... but it was too late.

I threw up...on Ryan!