Chapter 69

Logan.

"It feels so good to be back at home. I've been away for just a few days, yet it felt like months. The aura of the house somehow feels strange," I uttered beside Liam "I know, right?" He answered, I grabbed my seat on the living room couch. Liam followed suit. "Thank goodness work has been easier these days."

"Why?" I questioned, sparing him a look.

"Maybe Father has decided to free us. Scott hasn't been at the office for two days now. He's following your footsteps."

My lips curved up. "You guys should thank Olivia for stepping up for you. Her presence in this house has really made an impact."

Liam nodded his head in agreement. "You're right. You know, I don't know whether I should say this, but I had a crush on Olivia when she first came to this house."

My surprise was visible as I stared at Liam. "Don't attack me. I've worked on my crush. I'm not ready to get killed by you, especially since we found out you two got married. So, don't panic. I'm not planning on stealing your wife away, not with the way you two love each other. I envy you a bit," he said with a wink.

"Maybe if you loosen your guard a bit, you'll find your true love too."

Liam rolled his eyes. "I don't think I'm lucky with women. They always betray me one way or the other. They want what I have, not me. Fake love."

I patted him on his shoulder. "Not all of them are the same. Trust me, you'll find one. But don't toy with their emotions too."

"The way you did with Tiffany?"

I didn't know when a hiss left my lips. I had even forgotten I once dated a woman called Tiffany. "Tiffany is my past. I'm glad things didn't work out between us. I wouldn't have met Olivia. She is a blessing to my life."

"You're whipped, brother. Love has changed you."

"Trust me, you'll come to me one day and lament about how a woman stole your heart." We both ended up laughing. It was actually the first time Liam and I had a conversation that went smoothly as brothers. I'm glad things have changed in the family. The bond that wasn't there before is beginning to bloom, all thanks to Olivia.

"What are you guys laughing about?" Scott's voice sounded from the stairs.

"I'm giving Liam tips on how to court a woman. You know he's the only single bachelor who is yet to settle down with his own wife," I explained, earning a glare from him.

"Don't forget there's Collins."

"Forget Collins. That one is not serious about relationships. Are you sure he's not gay? I've never seen or heard him talk about a woman before. He's always confined in his own affairs."

"I had that thinking too, but you'll be shocked when he comes back home with a woman one day and claims her as his wife."

"Just like Logan took us by surprise," Scott added. I didn't answer them but instead cleared my throat.

"But seriously, Liam, it's about time you settle down. You're not getting any younger. You see we have an additional heir. Logan has joined in. Now it's just you."

"You guys should free me. I will take you all by surprise," he pointed a finger at the two of us.

Scott and I shrugged. "This is something you said five months ago, or was it a year ago? We haven't seen results up to now," I retorted again.

Liam heaved out a sharp breath. "You know what, I'm out of here. You guys won't kill me with interrogation." Scott and I chuckled as he stormed out.

"So, you're finally a father," Scott broke the silence that had prevailed in the room, making me lift my brows.

"Is that a new thing in this family?"

"No, it's not. I'm happy for you. I noticed the expression on Father's face, although he didn't show it." I noticed it too when he held our little penguin, Tristian in his arms.

"How are things going at the company? Liam told me you haven't been at the office for two days."

"Yeah, decided to take a break. Not like there's much work. I just-"

"You're following in my footsteps, right?" I completed for him, lifting my brows in amusement.

"You are not serious. I'm checking up today. I don't want to get used to slacking off." He dropped his hand from his chest and proceeded to walk away. I rose up too.

"There's no harm in cutting yourself some slack. Although I would say you got all the free time during the trip to Costa Rica."

"Don't remind me of that trip," he said, sparing me a glance.

"Why?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I want to go back there again. That was the best moment of my life."

"All thanks to the ladies, most especially Olivia."

"You're right. Olivia has really made an impact in this house. We have to organize an unforgettable party for her, to appreciate her efforts properly." I didn't know when a smile found its way out of me. The way my brothers were praising Olivia made my heart swell with happiness.

We parted ways in the hallway. Scott left for their room, while I made my way to mine, where Olivia had moved into my room. I wanted her to be close to me. I knocked before pushing the door open. My legs came to a halt, and a smile curved up on my lips when I saw the scene before me.

Olivia was holding Tristian while she paced around the room. She didn't seem to notice me until I cleared my throat. "Babysitting already?" I teased, closing the door behind me as I walked toward her.

"You're supposed to be the one doing this. You know how stressed I get during the night," she said, squeezing her face. I grabbed him from her hand and scooped him into my arms.

"Go take a rest. I will handle him," I said. Olivia doesn't get enough sleep at night. It was the time Tristian decides his own trouble by crying.

"Are you sure you will be okay?" Olivia asked, her voice filled with worry.

"Don't worry. Just try and take a rest. Our little prince is safe with me," I assured her.

I watched as she hopped in bed, pulling the covers up to her body. A smile found its way to my face, thinking about how our lives had changed in the span of a year.

I can't believe one year has passed already. If someone told me I would find true love back then, I would have laughed it off. Heck, I didn't even want to attend my cousin's wedding in the first place. I would say destiny had brought Olivia and me together. The same destiny that had stopped me from getting married to Tiffany.

I stared at Olivia's sleeping form. She had fallen asleep in barely five minutes. Tristan seemed to be enjoying resting his head on my shoulder. He was so tiny to hold.

The sound of my phone vibrating in my pocket snapped my attention from Olivia. I slowly made my way out of the room, careful not to wake Olivia up. I picked up the call and answered with a hiss.  "You know how to call at  the wrong time," was the first thing I said.

"Why? Are you two..." he trailed off.

"You are crazy, Brian," I hissed out again. "I see you have my time now. You didn't even bother to check up on your best friend."

"I thought you said we're not best friends," he shot back. Tristan stirred in my arms, making me lower my voice.

"Whatever. I don't have your time."

Silence followed for a few seconds before his voice came through again. "You know there's no way I would abandon my best friend. I was practically the reason behind your love story. If I didn't convince you to attend the wedding back then, you wouldn't have met Olivia. Anyways, that's not why I called. How's the little prince?"

Brian and I hadn't been in touch since our trip to Costa Rica. However, I texted him the moment Olivia delivered safely so he wouldn't blame me later on. I know how Brian can be. He was right; if he hadn't convinced me, maybe I wouldn't have met Olivia. But I wasn't going to let him feel the satisfaction.

"Stop feeling too highly of yourself. Whether you convinced me or not, I was destined to meet her. As for the little prince, he's here with me. Olivia is taking a rest."

What I didn't expect was for Brian to fill my ears with laughter. "What's funny in what I said?"

"I can't believe you're babysitting this early. He's not even up to a week old yet, you should've stayed back at the hospital for some days first for Olivia to recover properly. I can't believe you've turned into a nanny. If only you weren't far away from me, I would've smacked you on the back."

"If that's the reason you called, then I don't have anything to tell you. Olivia is a strong woman. She doesn't need days to recover. And don't you dare set foot in my house." With that, I ended the call without waiting for his reply.

"Just wait until I get a hold of you, Brian," I mumbled. The door to Scott's part of the room opened. The two couples walked out.

"Logan, Father wants to talk to us," he said.

"At this hour? Olivia is taking a rest. What do I do with him?" I gestured to the sleeping Tristan.

"Don't worry about him. Hand him over. I will hold him for a while before I take him to feel his mother's warmth," Amelia said, grabbing Tristan from my arms.

"Thank you, Amelia."

She flashed me a smile. "Babysitting suits you." I heard her say as I turned to leave with Scott.

"I'm not trying it again," I said.

"You have no choice. You will experience more of this," she replied. I swallowed hard and decided to drop the topic. First, it was Brian. Now, Amelia had joined in.

Scott and I made our way to Father's study room. I wondered what he wanted to say to us. I didn't expect to see Liam and Collins present. "Are you guys going to keep standing there?" Father spoke.

Scott and I took our seats facing Liam and Collins, while Father occupied the master seat. Silence prevailed. I shared a look with my brothers; it seemed they had no idea about what Father had in mind.

Father finally cleared his throat. "I know you guys are wondering why I called you all here," he began, intertwining his hands.

No one answered, eager to hear what he was going to say. "I want to thank you all for the immense effort you have put into making the company the success it is today. I know I haven't been appreciating all your efforts in the past, but lately, I sat down and thought of how much the company has achieved and grown. Without you guys, It wouldn't be the top company it is now."

"So, on that account, I'm giving you guys the freedom and opportunity to choose the path you want. Meaning, if you have any career you want to pursue apart from taking care of the family business, I won't stop you."

It was an unexpected piece of news I had heard in a while. What had actually changed his mind? We all shared a look with each other. Obviously, they were as taken by surprise as I was.

Scott was the first to speak up. "Father, you don't have to worry. The company is the strength and backbone of the Nero family. As for me, I don't have any career to pursue. I love working at the company. I don't know about the rest."

"Can I speak up first?" Collins raised his hand.

"Go on."

"I really don't have a problem with working at the company too. But I'd like Father to give me the opportunity to open up a gaming hub. That's the career I want to venture into, and it's related to the company since we deal with technology."

Father nodded his head. "I like your idea. You're free to do that. But be careful. We will discuss the gaming hub later."

"Thank you, Father." I didn't miss the excitement that clouded Collins's face.

"What about you two, Liam and Logan?" He pointed at us.

I cleared my voice first before sitting upright. "I don't have any problem with working at the company too. But I want to ask for a favor."

"Favor?" He repeated.

"I'll get straight to the point. I'm sure you know a man named Reed. He's Olivia's father." I explained everything from the beginning, just the way Olivia's grandma had told us. I chose to say it in front of my brothers because I felt like there shouldn't be any secrets within the family anymore.

Father went silent as he processed my words. "So, Reed is Olivia's father? What a coincidence."

"Karma indeed has a way of getting back at us. So, what favor do you want from me?"

"I'm not asking for much, but I want you to reflect on your actions. You don't have to do anything big. I want you to renovate her restaurant. Her restaurant is one of the best in the neighborhood. I'm sure if it gets the support, it will be renowned all around the countryside in no time. Think of it as compensation for what happened in the past between you and her family." I could see the surprise on my brothers face.

Father went silent as he stared into space. He lifted his head up and heaved out a deep breath. "You're right. I know I made a mistake in the past. I'm ready to reflect on them. So, we will work on her restaurant. I will go there myself and meet her."

Relief washed over me at his confession. The guilt of what my father did had been eating me up ever since I learned about the truth. I know the compensation will not measure up to the humiliation they had to bear, but at least it will put Olivia's grandma's heart at peace.

"Father, I don't have much to ask. I want to pursue my own career or, should I say, dreams. I want to open up a wellness center. But I will still be checking up on the company."

"When did you dream of opening up a wellness center?" I found myself asking, which was to tease him a bit.

"It had always been my ambition. I had to discard it because Father wanted us to follow in his footsteps, but now that we have the opportunity to choose what we want, I had to grab it with two hands."

I shook my head and smiled. "I like that. At least I won't get headaches from asking you for the missing reports."

"Definitely, you won't," he replied with the same amusement.

"So, since we've all reached a decision, I'd like to talk about the new addition to the family. What do you guys have in store for Olivia? We need to organize a party or something like a baby shower."

I couldn't believe Father had changed in just a few days. Was it because of Olivia's appearance, or had he sat down and thought about all the mistakes he made in the past and decided to reflect on them? I glanced at each of my brothers as they busied themselves with giving their ideas. We were once strangers in our own house, but now things have changed. I hoped it would stay that way, and that our bond would continue to get stronger in the Nero family.