Chapter 185

Chapter 185

Olivia's POV

"I've decided."

Owen was resolute, and I tried to refuse, but Damien held me by the shoulders.

He smiled and answered for me. "Just tell us when you're free, and we'll make it official."

Owen thought for a moment, then set a time with surprising speed.

Once we were out of the hospital room, I couldn't hold it in anymore. "Why would you help me agree to Owen's request? This is a family, Damien. Not a company."

If it were Ethan's company, I would've taken Owen's help without hesitating.

But what Owen had just said was tied to an entire family's fate, and even if I had some miracle skill set, I wouldn't know how to lead something like that.

And even if I said yes, there was no guarantee the family would accept me.

Why would I ask for trouble?

Damien pinched my finger lightly, quick and reassuring, like a promise sealed in touch. "I believe you can lead them. You'll make the family stronger."

I tipped my chin up and let out a helpless little laugh. "I don't even believe that."

What could I possibly do?

I dropped my gaze, a bitter smile tugging at my mouth. Before Damien could respond, I forced my voice steady. "I still want to talk to Owen. For real."

Damien's eyes darkened, and the smile on his mouth stiffened. I could feel his displeasure like a change in air pressure.

I expected him to snap at me, but his voice stayed level, if anything gentler than before. "You have that little faith in yourself?"

"It's not that I don't have faith." My words caught. "It's just…"

Just that I was scared I'd screw it up, and everyone would suffer because I'd been too arrogant to say no.

Damien looked down at me, and when my brows pulled together, he suddenly pressed his hand against my shoulder, firm enough that I felt the weight of his palm through my clothes.

I stared at him, thrown.

Before I could ask what he was doing, he spoke first. "I'm here, aren't I? No matter what happens, I'll be with you."

"You can't help me forever."

If I really took on this family, at most, Damien could give me advice. I couldn't keep him by my side like some permanent safety net.

And even if I agreed, Owen wouldn't. There was no way he'd sit back and watch everything he'd built end up in Damien's hands.

If Owen could accept that outcome, he wouldn't need me at all. He could just name Damien.

I lowered my head. The pressure in my chest made it hard to breathe.

I was still trying to figure out how to turn down Owen's "kindness" when Damien suddenly laughed above me, like I'd missed the most obvious thing in the world.

"You really think there's no reason he picked you?" He said, amusement sharp at the edges. "He did it because I can help."

I blinked at him, completely lost. "What do you mean?"

Damien gave a faint, contemptuous smile. "Olivia, how are you not seeing it? Owen doesn't have any backing left. Most of his businesses have basically been hollowed out by Ethan. If he doesn't want the family to fall apart, he has to find someone who can help him build again."

His gaze held mine, unwavering.

"I'm that person."

I couldn't quite process it. My mouth parted, and I just stood there, caught between denial and dawning clarity.

Then Damien started laying out the pros and cons, point by point, until the pieces slid into place and I finally understood why Owen was so determined to put this in my hands.

I looked down, guilt prickling under my skin, and summed it up in a quiet voice. "So he knows you'll help me. That's why he wants me as the heir. That's why he's willing to hand me the mess."

Something hollow opened in my chest. In Owen's eyes, I wasn't a person. I was the last card he had left to play.

Before I could sink into it, Damien reached out and patted my cheek awkwardly, like comfort didn't come naturally to him, but he was trying anyway.

"But it's not like everything is a disaster," he said. "Owen's not setting you up to fail. He's leaving you plenty. And I honestly think he doesn't trust Ethan anymore. Guys like him—old-school crime bosses—would rather watch their empire crumble than hand the heir position to someone with zero blood ties. So if he chose you, it means something."

Damien's logic was so straightforward and relentless, that it almost left no room for panic. I nodded slowly. "I trust you."

And I did trust Owen, too. I just knew the person I trusted most was Damien.

I brushed my thumb over his fingertip, as if I could draw strength straight out of him through skin and bone.

I still didn't know what Damien felt for me, not for sure, but with him there, I felt steadier. Safer.

Three days later, Owen was almost fully recovered. The first thing he did was go back to the office and call a family meeting.

Given that changing heirs was the kind of thing you did face-to-face, I went with Owen to the office despite Damien's objections.

The conference room was packed. Ethan and Sophia sat in the center, both of them staring toward the door with blank confusion, like they had no idea why this meeting had even been called.

When Owen appeared, the whole room sucked in a breath at once.

Sophia was the worst. The color drained from her face so fast it was like someone had flipped a switch. She froze, rigid in her chair, staring at Owen and then at me, as if looking between us might change what she was seeing.

Ethan's mouth fell open. He stared at Owen like he'd seen a ghost.

He stumbled to his feet and lurched forward, like he needed to get close enough to confirm Owen was real.

Owen's brows knotted, impatience written all over him. "Sit down. We're in the middle of a family meeting. What are you doing, running around?"

Only then did Ethan seem to come back to himself. He turned and went back to his seat.

Owen, still limited by his body, was in a wheelchair. I stayed behind him, hands wrapped around the handles, careful as I guided him to the center of the room.

Before the meeting officially started, the shareholders exchanged a few polite remarks, the kind that sounded friendly while everyone watched everyone else.

When it was my turn, Owen lifted a hand, signaling to skip me.

Fine by me. I wasn't eager to speak.

After everyone finished, Ethan finally couldn't hold back anymore. "Dad, you're better, and you didn't even tell me? I could've gone to the hospital and picked you up."

Owen's face went cold as he looked at Ethan. "And I ended up in that hospital because of your woman, didn't I?"

Sophia shuddered, her expression tightening as if the air had gone thin.

Owen glanced at them, then turned and took my hand, his fingers closing around mine with deliberate force. He spoke slowly, each word landing like a gavel. "I called you all here today to talk about the heir."

Ethan lifted his chin, looking like he was already celebrating.

Sophia's shoulders loosened too, relief flickering over her face, as if she thought that once Ethan was named, everything she'd done would be brushed aside.

Watching them, I couldn't help it. It felt almost absurd.

Owen looked at them, then tapped his fingertips lightly against the table, his tone mild enough to be dangerous. "Considering Ethan's lack of ability, I've decided to change heirs."

As he said it, he raised my hand for everyone to see, his grip firm, his gaze locked on the room.

"Starting today," Owen announced, "Olivia is the new heir."