Chapter 193

Chapter 193

Olivia's POV

Damien's tone was so casual, like the two of us had been planning a wedding all along.

I turned to him. His eyes were still deep, but not unreadable this time. They were full of sincerity.

"Y-you mean it?"

I almost bit my tongue. Damien's mouth tipped into a half-smile as he lifted a hand and lightly brushed his thumb along my cheek. "I wouldn't joke about something like that."

"Why?"

"Because I want to marry you."

Every sentence out of his mouth knocked me off balance. I lowered my head, suddenly unsure how to respond.

The car went so quiet I could hear our breathing rise and fall. I stared out the window, my fingers curling into a fist on my lap without me even meaning to.

Warmth grazed my ear. At some point, Damien had reached over, winding a loose strand of hair from my shoulder around his finger as if it belonged there.

He asked like it was no big deal, "I'm not gonna pressure you. If you're not ready yet, I'll wait."

"No." I cut him off too fast, my pulse spiking.

Damien paused, his fingers settling back on my shoulder. "You don't have to answer me right now."

Embarrassment flooded my face. I dropped my gaze and pressed my lips together. "I'm not rushing. I'm being serious."

I swallowed. "I'll marry you."

Damien's expression barely changed, like he'd already known what I'd say.

Then he let out a soft laugh. His knuckles skimmed my cheek, gentle as a promise. "Okay."

His breath brushed my skin when he spoke, making it itch. I rubbed at my cheek, hesitated, then asked anyway, "You're not just doing this on impulse, right?"

I couldn't stop the worry from surfacing. If we were getting married, it had to be real. We had to live it, not just announce it.

And if he was only doing this because of the baby…

Damien suddenly took my hand, holding it like it mattered. He looked at me with a kind of tenderness I'd never seen on his face, and it made my stomach tighten.

My breath caught.

In that stunned quiet, I heard him chuckle. "I don't do impulse. I mean it."

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my arm. When he looked back up, his gaze was soft, like it had a thousand points of light in it. "I like you a lot, so I want to marry you."

"It has something to do with the baby, sure, but it's not only about that." His voice stayed steady. "Don't overthink it."

His hand came up to the side of my face, and I followed his pull until my head rested on his shoulder. With his calm settling over me, my eyes drifted shut.

Whether it was all true or not, I'd seen sincerity in him earlier.

If it wasn't real, then I guessed I was just unlucky.

Curled against Damien's chest, I made a quiet vow to myself. I'd gamble one more time. The last time.

When we got back to the villa, I was drained down to the bone. My belly was getting bigger by the day, and my doctor had already told me to rest more.

After thinking it through, I decided to leave the company.

Damien looked surprised, but it was subtle. Still, I caught the flicker of happiness in his eyes.

I put on a fake scowl and lowered my voice like I was interrogating him. "You wanted me to quit all along, didn't you?"

Damien didn't deny it. He just took my hand and guided me down so I was sitting between his legs, close enough to feel the heat of him. "Once you deliver safely, you can go back."

"This time I'll set you up with something easier, okay?"

I didn't know if it was my imagination, but after we got out of the car, Damien had gotten even gentler. Like he wanted to keep his voice low, afraid the sound might jolt me.

I laced my fingers with his, my eyes carrying a tired kind of amusement. "You don't have to do all that. I'll start from the bottom like everyone else. That's fair."

Damien chuckled but didn't argue. I could feel his grip tighten around my hand, slow and deliberate.

I leaned into his chest and closed my eyes, satisfied in a way that felt almost dangerous.

The phone rang while Damien and I were still holding each other.

I rubbed my eyes and blinked up at him, still foggy. "Is it work?"

Damien kept my hand in his as he reached for his phone, using the moonlight to see the screen. He glanced at it and handed it to me. "Ethan."

I stared, caught off guard. I hadn't expected him to call me at all.

I hesitated, unsure if I should answer. Then Damien's phone rang again, and at the same time, my screen went dark.

His brows drew together. He looked at me once, then again, like he was weighing something.

Before I could ask, he ended the call and said, his tone turning sharp with authority, "People upstairs already started investigating Ethan's company."

"But their side is insisting you were involved too, so they want you to come in and give a statement."

I looked at Ethan's name still flashing in my memory, and I nodded without hesitation. "Then we go now."

Damien's mouth opened like he had more to say, but in the end, he only patted my shoulder. Not a single word.

The drive was silent.

When we were almost there, I grabbed Damien's wrist, instinctively trying to explain. "Don't worry. This has nothing to do with me."

Damien smiled and patted the top of my head. "I'm not worried about that."

"I'm worried you'll see Owen and go soft."

His words hit me like cold water. Clear. Brutal.

I'd almost forgotten. If something happened to Ethan, Owen would definitely show up.

And whatever came next was going to be awkward. Maybe worse than awkward.

I stood at the entrance, hesitating, trying to decide if I could even walk in.

Then I heard Owen's voice, hard and serious. "Why are you standing out here?"

I spun around, meeting his eyes head-on.

I took a slow breath, forcing my voice to stay calm. "Dad, I…"

"You don't need to feel guilty." Owen's gaze didn't waver. "This has nothing to do with you."

"But if I hadn't turned in the files—"

"It's better to find out sooner." Owen cut in, firm as steel. "Who knows what could change in a few years?"

"At least if it comes out now, he will just go to prison."

He said it like it was a simple conclusion, then strode toward the office with that decisive, no-nonsense energy he always carried.

I followed behind him.

Owen shoved the door open, and the first thing we saw was Ethan gripping Sophia's hand so tightly his lips were trembling.

"You can help me," he pleaded, eyes wild. "Go find Flynn. He'll know what to do. He has to have a way to get me through this."

Sophia tilted her head, looking at him like he was something she'd stepped in. "How am I supposed to help you?"

"You ending up like this is your own fault." Her voice was cool, almost bored. "What do you expect me to do?"

She crouched and patted Ethan's cheek, smiling with sharp, mocking sweetness. "If it weren't for the fact you still have some money, I wouldn't even bother humoring you."

"You bitch." Ethan looked like a trapped animal with no restraint, snapping on instinct as he surged forward.

Sophia took two quick steps back, as if she was afraid he'd touch her.

Then she looked down at him, chin lifted, her eyes full of contempt. "If it weren't for the money, who would choose to cater to you every day?"

"Good thing you're stupid enough to sign the shares over to me." Her smile turned downright gleeful. "Otherwise, all this time I spent would've been for nothing, right?"

The malice under Sophia's satisfaction was impossible to miss.

Ethan stared at her, eyes blown wide with disbelief.

Then he shoved her hand away and stormed out of the office without looking back.