Chapter 140 Stay Here
She grabbed her laptop and bag, quietly slipped out the door, and on the way, she cursed that man who was deliberately picking on her a million times in her head.
Forty minutes later, Olivia stood at the door of Luca's villa. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her churning emotions. No matter how annoyed or angry she was, she had to hold it in now.
She rang the doorbell, and the door opened quickly. Luca was wearing loose black loungewear, but he still had a strong presence. Just standing there made her feel oppressed.
"Come in." He stepped aside, his tone flat, not polite at all, and with no hint of apology.
Olivia walked in with a tight face, saying nothing, full of resistance inside. She just wanted to finish revising the plan and leave right away, not stay a second longer. Every extra second made her uncomfortable all over.
"Sit here and revise." Luca pointed to the long table in the living room, his tone commanding, no room for discussion.
Olivia sat down, opened her laptop, and forced herself to calm down. "Tell me what's wrong, and I'll fix it." She just wanted to end this as fast as possible.
Luca leaned over close to the screen, way too close. His warm breath enveloped her. Olivia stiffened and instinctively pulled away. Her heart raced for no reason, and she felt panicked inside.
She could clearly smell the faint cedar scent on him. It wasn't bad, but it made her more nervous. She hated this out-of-control feeling.
"The colors here are too tacky; clients would reject it right away. The layout here is messy, and key points are not highlighted at all. The logic here doesn't flow; it's a total mess."
He picked at every detail, his tone harsh, all just nitpicking. Olivia held her patience, making changes one by one as he demanded, knowing he was deliberately messing with her.
Time passed slowly. The night outside got deeper. Olivia had been busy from day into night and was exhausted, eyes barely open, head foggy, eyelids heavy, barely able to hold the mouse.
She forced herself to stay alert, fingers mechanically typing on the keyboard, just wanting to finish and get back to Leo. Every extra minute felt like torture.
Luca saw all her exhaustion, a dark glint flashing in his eyes. He wanted her tired, so she couldn't refuse his plans. Everything was under his control.
"Tired?" he suddenly said, voice low and a bit husky.
Olivia shook her head hard. "I'm okay, almost done." She didn't want to show weakness in front of him or let him get the upper hand.
"Don't push yourself. Even after finishing, you can't go back." Luca chuckled lightly, his tone keeping her there. He'd already figured she wouldn't leave.
Olivia snapped awake and shook her head right away. "No need. I'll go home after finishing." She absolutely wouldn't spend another night at this man's house.
Plus, how could she leave the kid alone? Leo was waiting at home. She had to go back; that was her bottom line, no one could change it.
Luca looked at her, eyes deep and full of pressure.
"I'm a light sleeper; I can't sleep away from home." Olivia gave her reason, attitude firm.
She just wanted to leave this suffocating place fast. Every minute and second here made her uneasy; she wanted to escape.
Luca heard this and suddenly laughed low, full of mockery. "Light sleeper? Who was it that slept so soundly here last time I couldn't wake her no matter what?"
Olivia's cheeks flushed red instantly, angry and embarrassed. She bit her lip and said nothing, just wanting to finish and leave. The more rushed she got, the clumsier her hands, heart chaotic and annoyed, emotions about to snap.
Luca saw her embarrassment and leaned close again. Olivia shrank back in fear, her back pressed tight against the chair, heart pounding to her throat, panicked and scared.
"What are you doing?"
"Just checking your revisions." He said it confidently, but his hand lightly rested on her shoulder, fingertips brushing her neck, sending a tingle.
Olivia froze all over, hairs standing up. "Luca, don't touch me." Her tone was stern, heart scared and angry.
"I didn't touch you, just looking." Luca chuckled low, his breath brushing her ear, super intimate. His hand slowly slid to her waist, lightly touching.
Olivia tensed up completely, and even breathing got hard. She didn't dare struggle much, afraid to anger this man. She knew going head-on wouldn't help her.
"Let go. I can revise the plan, but don't mess around."
"I'm not messing around." Luca's tone was playful, but he didn't stop. His fingertips traced her waist and arm. "I promise not to touch, just look."
"Don't lie to me." Olivia's eyes reddened with anger, grievance, and fury surging up, nose sour. "I'm leaving now, right this second."
Her reaction was extra intense, no compromise at all. Luca knew to stop; teasing more would really piss her off. He didn't want to ruin things completely.
He let go, stepped back, and got serious again. "Okay, no more teasing. The plan's done."
Olivia shut the laptop right away and hurriedly packed her things. "I'll drive myself home. My new car is downstairs." She just wanted to escape as fast as possible.
"You're too tired to drive safely right now." Luca frowned, tone firm, no discussion. "Too dangerous. I'll take you home."
"I can manage. Don't worry about it." Olivia insisted; she didn't want any more ties to him. "The car's right at the door; I can drive it."
"Leave the car here; pick it up tomorrow." Luca gave her no chance to refuse. "I'll drive you tonight. Be good."
Olivia knew she couldn't win against him, so she nodded helplessly. She was so exhausted her body felt weak; no energy to argue. She let him arrange it, just hoping to get home soon.
Luca grabbed his jacket and walked out of the villa with her. The late-night wind was a bit chilly. Olivia instinctively wrapped her clothes tighter, heart cold and messy, just wanting this night to end.
Luca noticed, his eyes softening for a split second, but it was too quick to catch. He quickly went back to his usual coldness.
The whole drive, the car was dead quiet, no one talking, atmosphere awkward and tense. Olivia stared out the window the entire time, just wanting to get home and away from this man.
The car soon stopped under her apartment building. Olivia let out a sigh of relief, unbuckled right away, her heart that had been on edge all night finally easing a bit.
"Thanks for the ride. You can go now."
She hurried to get out, but Luca stopped her. "Olivia."
Olivia paused, looked back at him, a bad feeling creeping in, sure he was about to say something uncomfortable.
"Here at your door, not inviting me up for a glass of water?" Luca smirked playfully, clearly teasing her.
Olivia's heart tightened, palms sweating from nerves. Letting him up was absolutely impossible; only she and Leo were home. She couldn't let him in.
"No need, too late and inconvenient." She refused right away, tone firm, no room for it. "Head home early. Drive safe."
"Inconvenient?" Luca raised a brow, look meaningful. "What, hiding someone at home?"
This completely set Olivia off. Emotions she'd held in all night exploded: all the grievance, irritation, and anxiety surging up.
"Luca! Watch your mouth. My home is none of your business. Don't use your dirty mind to guess about me. I'm not hiding anyone; nothing shady. I just don't want you in, that's it."
Olivia said it all in one breath, chest heaving hard, eyes red from anger. This guy was always so over the top, never knew how to respect others.
Luca watched her flare up and wasn't mad at all; he found it amusing.
"Okay, okay, my bad. No more teasing. Go up and rest well."
Olivia glared at him hard, pushed the door open, and ran into the complex without looking back. She didn't want to stay a second longer; she just wanted to get as far from this man as possible.