Chapter 107 Threat
At that moment, a loud banging came from outside the door, urgent and heavy.
Jason's voice exploded through the door, filled with barely contained anger. "Luca! Open up! What did you do to Olivia?"
Olivia's heart tightened, and she instinctively moved to the side, her eyes full of panic.
She was afraid Jason would act impulsively, and even more afraid of a real conflict between him and Luca. With Luca's power, Jason wouldn't stand a chance.
"You've got the guts to take her, but not to open the door?" Jason's voice grew deeper. "You're clearly messing around with Windy, so why are you still bothering Olivia? Have you no shame?"
Luca's face instantly turned cold. The hand gripping Olivia's chin tightened, and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. He hated people meddling in his business, especially Jason, who dared to speak to him like this.
Olivia winced in pain and shouted toward the door, "Jason, I'm fine. Just go back!"
"Fine?" Jason didn't believe her. "He dragged you to a hotel by force. How can you be fine? Luca, let Olivia go right now, or I'm calling the cops!"
"Calling the cops?" Luca sneered, releasing Olivia. He walked to the door but didn't open it, just speaking coldly through it. "What's between Olivia and me is none of your business, outsider."
"Outsider?" Jason laughed in anger. "At least I'm not like you, playing around, stringing Windy along while still clinging to your ex-wife!"
Olivia looked at Luca's tense profile, a bitter feeling rising in her chest. She added toward the door, "Jason, really, don't worry about me. I can handle this."
She knew going head-to-head with Luca was useless and would only make things worse.
Luca glanced at her, his expression complicated, then turned back to the door. "Windy and I are just friends. There's nothing between us."
His tone was calm as he said this, but there was a faint trace of irritation in it.
Even he didn't realize why he was so eager to explain—whether it was to clear things up or because he feared Olivia might misunderstand.
But as soon as he finished speaking, a familiar throbbing pain hit his temple. His migraine was back, worse than it had been at the banquet earlier. It felt like countless needles stabbing him, and his vision started to blur.
He raised a hand to press his forehead, forcing himself to endure the discomfort, and lowered his voice. "Your studio is still waiting for Clara's investment. Do you think you'll get that money without my approval?"
Olivia's heart sank hard.
Her worst fear had come true. Luca was indeed using the investment to threaten her.
"You're despicable!" she gritted her teeth, her eyes full of anger.
"Despicable?" Luca smirked. "I'm just reminding you. Tell him to leave now, or your studio won't even get off the ground."
His tone carried an undeniable authority. Olivia knew he meant every word.
She took a deep breath and called out to the door, "Jason, just go. I'm really okay."
"Olivia..." Jason wanted to say more.
"Please," Olivia's voice softened, carrying a hint of pleading. "I can take care of myself. If anything happens, I'll call you."
Jason went quiet for a few seconds outside the door. He knew Olivia's personality too well—once she made up her mind, she wouldn't change it easily.
He also guessed that Luca must have threatened her with the investment or something else.
He felt anxious and angry but helpless. Finally, he shouted through the door, "Then be careful. If anything happens, call me right away. I'll always be here."
"Okay, I got it," Olivia replied softly.
Hearing Jason's footsteps fade away, Luca's tense body relaxed a bit. The migraine pain eased slightly, too, but the thought of Jason's concern for Olivia and their unspoken understanding made jealousy grow like wildfire in his chest. The pain in his temple flared up again.
He turned to look at Olivia, his gaze filled with intense possessiveness.
Olivia instinctively stepped back until her back hit the cold wall, with nowhere left to go.
"What do you want?" she asked warily, her heart racing.
Luca didn't say a word. He just stretched out his arm, trapping her between himself and the wall, then suddenly tightened his hold, pulling her into a tight embrace.
Olivia froze completely.
She could clearly feel his solid chest, his strong heartbeat, and the faint scent of cedar on him—exactly the same as five years ago.
This hug came too suddenly, too forcefully, leaving her struggling to breathe.
She thought he might do something excessive next, especially with how intimidating his gaze had been moments ago.
But to her surprise, Luca just held her, doing nothing else. He even buried his head in the crook of her neck, his voice muffled. "Don't move. Just let me hold you for a while."
His tone was strange, lacking the earlier dominance and hostility. Instead, there was a faint, almost imperceptible trace of vulnerability and exhaustion.
Olivia was stunned, her mind filled with confusion and shock.
Was this still the arrogant, selfish Luca she knew?
She wanted to push him away, but her arms were pinned tightly by his grip, leaving her powerless.
What surprised her even more was that after a while, Luca's tense body gradually relaxed. His breathing steadied, and the hostility from earlier seemed to vanish.
The pain in Luca's temple, which had been tormenting him, slowly eased as he held her. That familiar, irritating throbbing faded away, replaced by an inexplicable sense of calm and comfort.
It felt somewhat like watching Leo's livestreams, but even stronger.
He even felt a little sleepy.
Still holding Olivia, Luca leaned against the wall and, unbelievably, fell asleep.
Olivia, trapped in his embrace, couldn't move. She stayed in that position, her emotions a tangled mess.
She didn't sleep all night.
Her mind was a mess—one moment it was Jason's worried voice as he left, the next it was Luca's strange hug, and then she thought of Leo.
She wondered how Leo was doing at home, if he was sleeping well, and if he missed his mom.
She pulled out her phone, wanting to call Leo, but stopped herself, afraid of waking Luca up.
That night felt endlessly long to her.
It wasn't until the sky outside turned pale with the first light of dawn and the room gradually brightened that Luca slowly loosened his arms around her and woke up.
Seeing the dark circles under Olivia's eyes and her exhausted face, a mocking smile curled on his lips. "What? Didn't sleep all night? Were you scared I'd do something to you?"
Olivia rubbed her numb arms, ignoring him, and said coldly, "Can I leave now?"
"Sure." Luca stepped aside, his tone flat. "But remember, I decide on the investment. If you want that money, behave yourself."
A wave of disgust surged in Olivia's chest. Without wasting another word on him, she turned and headed for the door.
This man was still as repulsive as ever.
One second, he was holding her while sleeping; the next, he was threatening her again.
What an asshole.