Chapter 96 Clearing Up Past Misunderstandings

Chapter 96 Clearing Up Past Misunderstandings

That night, the woods in Strollway District were bone-chilling cold.

They found an old hunter's cabin and built a fire for warmth.

The flames danced, casting flickering shadows across their silent faces—bright one moment, dark the next.

Olivia sat on a wooden stool with her back to Charles, pulling tight the coat he'd practically forced over her shoulders.

It still carried his faint cedar scent, like an invisible thread wrapped around her chest, making it hard to breathe.

"Don't catch a cold."

Charles's voice came from behind her, hesitant and careful.

Olivia didn't turn around, just tossed another log onto the fire.

"I don't need you worrying about me."

Silence hung heavy in the air.

After what felt like forever, Charles suddenly walked over and gently wrapped his arms around her from behind.

His chest pressed against her back, warm breath falling on her neck—still carrying the weakness of recent illness, yet with an undeniable strength.

"Let go."

Olivia's voice was strained, her fingertips gripping the hem of her clothes until her knuckles went white.

Charles didn't let go. Instead, he held her tighter.

"Olivia, stop being mad at me."

"Why shouldn't I be mad?"

She struggled suddenly, but he held her firmly in place.

"You say you want to protect me, then you get all cozy with Selene!"

"You say you trust me to handle my own problems, then you run off to Peterson Group to fight my battles..."

"Charles, we've known each other for years. What exactly am I to you?"

"The person I'd give everything to protect."

His chin rested on top of her head, his voice rough.

"That day at the review meeting, I wanted to explain, but..."

"Explain?"

Olivia laughed bitterly, though her eyes burned with tears.

"What I saw was you two standing together, looking like a real engaged couple."

"Charles, do you have any idea what that felt like? Just like four years ago at the KTV—I felt like a complete fool!"

She broke free from his embrace and turned to leave, but he grabbed her again.

This time, he pulled her into his arms, looking down at her reddened eyes, raw emotion surging in his gaze.

"She and I—it's just business. To figure out what she's really after, to keep our overseas channels stable..."

"Business?"

Olivia's fingertips pressed against his chest, her resistance growing weaker.

"Then what about me? In your eyes, am I just another piece of this deal that can be thrown away whenever it's convenient?"

Charles felt like his heart had been carved out.

He lifted his hand to cup her face, his thumb brushing away the moisture at the corner of her eye.

"Never."

His kiss landed gently on her forehead, unmistakably reverent.

"I agreed to work with her just to find a way to destroy the Peterson family completely, so you'd never have to suffer again."



Olivia's heartbeat stuttered.

She wanted to push him away, but her body felt drained of strength, leaving her no choice but to let him hold her.

One voice in her head screamed, "Don't believe him."

But another voice whispered, "Look how he took a knife for you, look how terrified he is for you now.

This internal war felt like being torn in two.

Finally, she seemed to deflate, leaning into his embrace, her voice muffled.

"Before Mia disappeared, she told me about Noah..."

"She said he forced her to drop out of school years ago, and took photos to blackmail her."

Charles's body went rigid, then his arms tightened around her.

"Dad and Wilder have been investigating Noah for a while now. These past few years abroad, he wasn't managing projects—he was laying low. Four years ago, he was suspected of smuggling contraband, but we never found solid proof."

"So Mia's disappearance has to be connected to him."

Olivia lifted her head, a flash of clarity in her eyes.

"Selene used Mia's secrets to blackmail her into stealing my designs. Now that Mia's missing, Noah probably has her stashed away somewhere, scared she'll spill about what happened back then."

She paused, suddenly gripping Charles's arm.

"What kind of person is Noah exactly?"

"When Mia was in school, she loved partying. Could she have..."

"He's a complete piece of garbage."

Charles's expression darkened.

"Perverted, greedy, would do anything for a buck."

"So Mia, back then... she was probably forced into it."

Olivia's heart sank.

She remembered Mia crying in the hospital room, saying, "Those photos are a nightmare," and suddenly it all clicked.

The two of them sat by the fire all night, talking on and off about the years of missed connections and tangled history.

When dawn broke on the horizon, Olivia looked at Charles's bloodshot eyes and said quietly.

"I'll go back with you, but I won't mess with your deal with Selene."

"You investigate the Peterson family, I'll look for Mia. We'll each handle our own thing."

Charles nodded, though a barely perceptible tenderness flashed in his eyes.

At least she wasn't talking about leaving anymore.

Meanwhile, at Harmony City Airport.

A woman in a red trench coat dragged her suitcase out of the arrivals gate.

She had wavy hair, bright red lips, and eyes that held a sharpness way beyond her years.

Katya pulled out her phone and dialed a number, her tone carrying its usual commanding edge.

"Wilder, come get me."

Wilder was at Green Group organizing evidence of Noah's smuggling operations when he got the call.

Seeing "Sister" on the screen, his hand shook so hard he nearly dropped the phone.

"You... you're back?"

"What? Not happy to see me?"

Katya's laugh came through the receiver, laced with mockery.

"Mom's still rotting in prison. As her daughter, I can't keep hiding overseas forever, can I?"

When Wilder arrived at the airport, Katya was leaning against a car, smoking.

Four years had passed, and she'd lost all her girlish innocence, now radiating a sharp, intimidating vibe.

And she'd apparently picked up smoking.

"Want to go see Dad?"

Wilder took her suitcase, his voice a little tight.

"No rush."

Katya flicked her cigarette ash, her gaze settling on him.

"I heard you're running quite a bit at Green Group now?"

Wilder nodded.

"Charles wants me to learn the ropes."

"Charles?"

Katya smiled, her expression ice-cold.

"Have you forgotten how Dad threw Mom under the bus?"

"Forgotten how he systematically stole everything that should've been ours?"

"You're really pathetic now, calling him your brother?"

Wilder's face went pale.

"Katya, what happened back then was messy. Mom, she..."

"Messy?"

Katya cut him off, crushing her cigarette butt.

"All I know is Mom's still locked up while Charles is living the high life as president of Green Group."

"Wilder, you're my real brother. We share the same blood. The person you should be helping is me, and Mom!"

She moved closer to Wilder, lowering her voice but filling it with seductive power.

"Mom hasn't divorced Dad yet. If we team up to destroy Charles, completely ruin his reputation, then Green Group will be ours..."

Wilder's heart raced.

Looking at the ambition burning in Katya's eyes, he suddenly felt like she was a complete stranger.