Chapter 25 Going Home to See Grandpa
"Olivia was here?" Luca asked urgently, a hint of anxiety in his voice.
"She was," Ken said, crossing his arms and letting out a sigh, sounding a bit helpless. "I called her and told her you were drunk and kept calling her name. But when she saw you coming out with Windy, she just left. I didn't even get a chance to ask her to stay."
Luca's heart sank.
Olivia saw him with Windy? He couldn't remember Windy being there at all. But for some reason, hearing Ken say this made him feel guilty and flustered. "Why was Windy there?"
Ken didn't expect Luca to snap like that. He paused, sounding a little frustrated. "How would I know? When I got back from the bathroom, I saw her helping you out. I was about to ask why you're hanging around with Windy again. Olivia probably saw that and got the wrong idea."
Luca's face darkened. At this point, Ken couldn't help but complain, "Luca, you're the one who hired Windy into the company. You even made her your secretary. Of course, she knows your schedule."
It was true. Windy was now his secretary and had access to all his plans.
Instinctively, Luca grabbed his phone to call Olivia, but stopped himself. He wanted to explain that he was drunk and didn't remember meeting Windy. But they were about to get a divorce. Was there even a point in explaining? Olivia had been so cold to him lately. She wouldn't believe him and might even think he was being fake or making excuses.
More importantly…
Luca glanced at the time.
There was an important meeting at the company in an hour, and he had to be there.
Luca threw off the blanket and got out of bed. "Get me a clean set of clothes and some cologne."
He reeked of alcohol, and a shower probably wouldn't get rid of the smell.
Ken rolled his eyes, but went to arrange things with the hotel and his assistant.
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At the villa, Olivia was fast asleep when the doorbell downstairs woke her up.
Her head felt heavy as she sat up and looked out the window. She froze.
It was a car from the Vettel family—a black stretch Lincoln.
Standing at the door was the butler from the Vettel estate.
Olivia snapped awake and hurried downstairs.
The maid let the butler in. As soon as he saw Olivia, he greeted her respectfully, "Good morning, Madam. Mr. Linus would like you to visit the estate. He said it's been a long time since he last saw you, and he'd like to have a chat."
Grandpa wanted to see her? Olivia was a bit surprised.
Linus had been focusing on his health in recent years and rarely took the initiative to meet the younger family members. He must have heard something. After all, the recent commotion at the company wasn't small.
Olivia couldn't refuse an elder's invitation, especially someone as respected in the family as Linus, who had always been kind to her.
"Alright, let me change clothes."
Olivia freshened up, got dressed, and followed the butler to the car.
At the Vettel estate, she walked into the study. Linus was sitting behind his desk, a blanket over his legs. His health hadn't been great the past couple of years, but his spirits seemed fine.
"Olivia, you're here. Sit down," the old man said gently, pointing to the chair across from him.
"Grandpa," Olivia said as she sat down, maintaining a polite posture.
"I heard there've been some unpleasant things happening at the company. Luca moved you out of your position and made Windy his secretary?" Linus's voice carried authority.
Olivia wasn't surprised. On the way here, she had already guessed Linus would bring this up.
"Yes, but everything at the company has been sorted out. You don't need to worry, Grandpa," Olivia said lightly, lowering her eyes.
Linus looked at her tired face and sighed.
"Olivia, you're a good kid with great ability. If anyone's giving you a hard time, don't keep it bottled up—just tell me. Oh, and about that girl, Windy—do you want me to have her moved to a different department?"
"No need, Grandpa," Olivia quickly looked up, forcing a casual smile. "It's really fine. Small conflicts at work are normal. Luca and I are doing okay. Please don't worry about us."
She didn't want to drag Linus into this or burden him with the messy issues of the younger generation.
The problems between her and Luca couldn't be solved just by moving Windy away.
Linus could tell she was pretending to be okay, and it pained him. He picked up his teacup. "As long as everything's fine. Luca will be here soon. Why don't you both stay and have lunch with me?"
Luca was coming?
Olivia frowned immediately. She was about to make an excuse to leave when there was a knock on the study door.
The butler's voice came through, "Mr. Luca is here."
The door opened, and Luca walked in. He had come straight from the company, looking sharp and elegant with no trace of a hangover.
Luca went straight to Olivia, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. "Hey, honey."
Olivia stiffened, trying to move away, but Luca's grip was firm, holding her in place.
As soon as she got close to him, she caught a whiff of an unfamiliar cologne. This wasn't the scent Luca usually wore. Was it Windy's?
Her stomach churned, and she felt nauseous. Covering her mouth, she pushed Luca's arm away. Ignoring proper etiquette in front of Linus, she rushed out of the study toward the bathroom.
"Olivia?" Luca froze, his hand still in mid-air.
Linus frowned, his gaze stern. "Why does Olivia look so pale? Why aren't you taking better care of her? Did you two fight?"
Luca shook his head. "We didn't fight. She's probably just overworked and not feeling well. I'll go check on her."
He was about to leave when Linus stopped him. "Luca." Linus's expression was stern. "Olivia is a good wife, and our family holds her in high regard. She's done a lot for us over the years. You need to deal with those women outside who think they have a chance with you. Don't let me down, and don't hurt Olivia. The reputation of the Vettel family comes first. Do you understand?"
This was a very harsh warning.
Luca's expression shifted, a bit helpless. "Grandpa, how can even you not trust me? Windy is just like a little sister to me."
Linus snorted. "Since when do I have a granddaughter I don't know about?!"
"I…" Luca couldn't explain and just nodded. "I understand what you're saying, Grandpa."
"Go check on Olivia!" Linus waved his hand impatiently.
Luca nodded and headed to the bathroom.
Olivia was hunched over the sink, dry heaving. Tears streamed down her face as she turned on the faucet, rinsing her mouth with cold water to suppress the nausea.
After a moment, she looked up at herself in the mirror. Her face was pale, and her eyes were red.
If Linus saw her like this, he'd be worried.
As she stared blankly, the bathroom door suddenly opened.
Luca squeezed in and locked the door behind him.