Chapter 94 On the Brink of Rupture

Chapter 94 On the Brink of Rupture

"That's not what I meant!"

Charles shot back, his chest wound throbbing with each movement.

"Olivia, can we just talk this through?"

"Talk this through?"

Olivia's eyes welled up with tears.

"Have you ever actually listened to me? I told you not to get involved, but you had to go anyway!"

"Do you think you're the only one who can fix things? Charles, this isn't protection—it's pure arrogance!"

That last word hit Charles like a punch to the gut.

He opened his mouth to respond, but every excuse felt pathetic and hollow.

He really hadn't thought about her feelings at all—just focused on keeping Selene from hurting her. He'd forgotten she wasn't that little girl who used to cry and throw herself into his arms anymore.

The hospital room went dead quiet, nothing but the wall clock ticking away.

Olivia turned toward the window, watching the sycamore leaves drift down, suddenly feeling drained—

Why had everything turned into such a mess since she'd come back to Harmony City?

Back in Valeria, she'd spent her days sketching, hitting galleries, and meeting with clients. Busy, sure, but simple. Peaceful.

But in just a few months since coming home, it had been one thing after another—fights, schemes, media circuses—leaving her completely wiped out.

"Maybe... I shouldn't have come back."

She said it so quietly it was barely a whisper.

Charles's stomach dropped.

"Olivia, what did you just say?"

Olivia didn't answer. She just grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

The door clicked shut behind her, leaving Charles standing there alone.

The pain in his chest mixed with the ache in his heart made it hard to breathe.

The evening family dinner was at the Williams Villa.

Around the mahogany dining table, Theo was dishing up food for Indigo while John stared at his phone with a heavy sigh—

The TV drama's investors had just dropped an ultimatum: if public opinion didn't turn around by next week, they'd have to replace the lead actor.

Olivia sat in the corner, picking at her food without saying a word.

It wasn't until Indigo brought up that doctor she wanted to set her up with again that Olivia finally put down her fork.

"Mom, I'm thinking about going back to Valeria for some advanced training."

All conversation stopped dead.

John's head snapped up, his own problems forgotten.

"You're leaving again?"

Indigo's fork clattered against her plate, her face going dark.

"Go back for what? You've got a perfectly good design career here. Why do you need to go halfway across the world to struggle?"

Suddenly, something seemed to click for Indigo, and she frowned suspiciously.

"Did you have another fight with Charles?"

"Look, I told you—even though he saved you, just visiting him at the hospital with some flowers would've been plenty..."

"This has nothing to do with him."

Olivia gripped her fork tighter, cutting Indigo off.

"I just want a change of scenery."

"Nothing to do with him?"

Indigo's voice shot up an octave.

"Four years ago, you ran off because of him!"

"Now you've been back what, a few months? The second you get close to him again, you want to bolt. Olivia, what do you think this is?"

"Some kind of revolving door?"

She paused, her eyes getting watery.

"You're my only daughter. I'm getting old, and all I want is to see you settle down, find someone decent, have a baby... Why can't you just be reasonable?"

"Marriage and kids aren't the only way to have a stable life!"

Olivia shot to her feet, her voice cracking.

"Mom, I was doing amazing in Valeria. I only came back this time for work!"

"Besides being your daughter, I'm my own person too. Why is marrying me off all you ever think about?"

"I'm doing this for your own good!"

Indigo slammed her hand on the table.

"Charles and people like him—that's not a world you belong in!"

"Sure, maybe he can protect you now, but what about down the road?"

"Look at all the drama he's caught up in, and look at yourself—getting dragged into this whole mess. Is it really worth it?"

Olivia didn't say another word. She grabbed her bag and bolted outside.

John started to go after her, but Indigo held him back.

Indigo had worked herself into a complete state, and now the tears started flowing.

Theo shot John a look that said, "Don't even think about it," and reluctantly, John stayed put.

The dining room was toasty warm, but the second Olivia burst through the front door, she felt chilled to the bone.

The evening wind whipped through her hair, and suddenly she had no clue where to go—

Going back to Valeria felt like running away.

Staying in Harmony City felt like being stuck in some twisted web she couldn't escape.

Charles's days were just as much of a train wreck.

Another week dragged by, and there he was in his hospital room late at night.

He stared at the overseas division's loss reports glowing on his laptop screen, his frown getting deeper by the minute.

While the Green Group had a solid footing in Harmony City, the overseas business had always been a royal pain in the ass.

It was Bodhi's pipe dream from back in the day, and the mountain Charles had been trying to move for years.

But lately, the Celestria market had blown up with partner contract violations out of nowhere.

The Phoenixia division had hit a brick wall thanks to policy changes, with losses already past the billion-dollar mark.

"The lawyers in Celestria and Phoenixia are saying we're looking at another three hundred million in penalty fees, minimum," Wilder's voice came through the phone, completely drained.

"The board's already breathing down our necks, asking if we should just cut our losses..."

"We're not giving up."

Charles cut him off, his voice rough as sandpaper.

"That was Dad's life's work."

After hanging up, he rubbed his pounding temples.

The emotional mess was still a disaster, and now this business crisis was piling on top of everything else.

It felt like some invisible force was dragging him straight into hell.

Just then, the hospital room door swung open.

Selene clicked in wearing sky-high heels, her perfume hitting him like a freight train.

She had some document clutched in her hand, wearing this weirdly calm expression that made his skin crawl.

"Charles, this time, I'm the one coming to you with a proposition."

Charles looked up, his stare cold enough to freeze water.

"I've got nothing to say to you."

"I know the Green Group's overseas operations are tanking."

Selene tossed the document right in front of him.

"The Celestria partner? That's my uncle's company. And I've got connections who can grease the wheels on those Phoenixia policy issues, too."

Charles's eyes dropped to the document, and his pupils went tight.

It laid out the Celestria partner's internal breach of contract details, plus some Phoenixia legislator's private contact info.

"What's your angle?"

Selene studied Charles's tense jawline, her fingertips dancing over the document as her voice went all soft and sweet.

"Charles, you don't have to be so paranoid."

"I just need you to help me get the Peterson Group's stock price back on track. Our recent 'drama' has the company in complete chaos, and the board's all over me."

She glanced up, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Just three months. Put on a show that we've kissed and made up, and hit a few business events together. Once the stock price levels out, I'll clear those overseas roadblocks for you immediately."

"Win-win situation, don't you think?"

Charles went quiet for a beat.

He didn't buy for a second that Selene was just rolling over.

But the overseas crisis was breathing down his neck, and Bodhi's dream sat on his chest like a boulder.

"I'll consider it, but I need to see you're serious first."

He finally spoke, his voice like ice.

"Fix the Celestria mess first."

A flicker of victory flashed in Selene's eyes, though she kept her poker face.

"Done deal. Tomorrow's the final review meeting for the Rainbow District project—you'll see results right away."