Chapter 4 Unexpected Memories
Olivia stumbled forward, propelled by her own momentum. Her heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to regain her composure.
When she heard someone call her name, she looked up in confusion.
Without warning, she found herself facing dozens of pairs of eyes, all fixed directly on her.
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.
"Ms. Harper certainly knows how to make an entrance," said Louis Turner, whose presentation had been interrupted by Olivia's sudden appearance. His words broke the silence.
"I'm terribly sorry," Olivia said, steadying her slightly swaying body. "I had a few drinks earlier, and my head isn't quite clear. I seem to have taken a wrong turn. I hope I haven't disturbed anyone."
Her gaze casually swept over Alexander, who sat at the head of the table. That familiar voice and scent of pine cologne—she instantly recognized him as the CEO who had rescued her yesterday, Mr. Blake.
Louis let out a scornful laugh. "Perhaps Ms. Harper should have her eyes checked if she can make such an obvious mistake."
His finger traced the rim of his glass, his tone casual yet his words barbed with hostility. "No wonder Ms. Harper overlooks suitable matches and chooses someone like James as her fiancé."
From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Olivia, who stood rooted to the spot, visibly embarrassed. Inwardly, his contempt deepened.
'This silly girl is as blind as ever,' he thought. Yet greedy enough to want both—keeping that worthless James while not giving up the charming Alexander.
She was again, manufacturing flimsy excuses to get close to Alexander.
"I suppose I really have had too much to drink tonight," Olivia said, feigning discomfort as she shook her head, completely ignoring Louis's inexplicable hostility.
She didn't know him, and with James potentially looking for her, she had no desire to create additional problems that might leave her vulnerable on multiple fronts.
Olivia consoled herself with the thought that this man probably had an inherently unpleasant personality and was difficult to get along with in general.
Hearing footsteps pass by the door, Olivia felt a jolt of alarm.
This wouldn't do—if she left now, she'd certainly be caught. Olivia quickly weighed her options and ultimately chose to be brazen rather than deal with harassment from James.
Having made up her mind, she tried to clear the drunken haze from her eyes and looked directly at Alexander. Her voice was soft and pleading as she said, "Mr. Blake, I've had a bit too much to drink. My friend is on her way and should be here shortly. Would it be possible for me to rest here until then?"
"I promise I'll be quiet and won't disturb your meeting," she added, her earnest gaze enhanced by the slight redness at the corners of her eyes, lending her an appealing vulnerability.
Alexander had initially intended to refuse.
But when he met Olivia's pitiful eyes, something stirred within him. "Find yourself a seat," he said simply.
"Thank you."
When Olivia heard his acceptance, her face lit up with a brilliant smile. She immediately chose a seat near the wall and sat down.
It was an ordinary action.
Yet the more reasonable it seemed, the more surprised the others appeared to be.
Around the table, several people exchanged silent glances, clearly unable to comprehend what Olivia was trying to accomplish.
There was a knock at the door, followed by it being pushed open.
The moment she saw who had entered, Olivia's body tensed, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on her phone.
"Olivia! What on earth are you doing here?"
James and Stephen, who had just entered, immediately spotted Olivia in the corner. James was about to demand an explanation when he suddenly noticed Alexander's presence.
His demeanor instantly transformed into the mild, humble persona he typically adopted in public. "Uncle Alexander!"
He hunched his shoulders slightly, his voice bordering on sycophantic. "It's me, James. We met at Grandfather's birthday celebration last year. Father mentioned that after you moved to Lindsey, I should visit you more often. Do you remember me?"
"Good evening, Mr. Blake," Stephen quickly introduced himself as well, eager to make an impression on these important figures.
Alexander acknowledged them with a slight nod, his expression impassive.
"Olivia had too much to drink earlier. She excused herself to use the restroom, and when she didn't return for so long, I knew she must have lost her way. I had no idea she would end up here with you, Uncle Alexander. I hope she hasn't been a disturbance," James explained with a smile, while signaling to Olivia with his eyes, urging her to come with them.
He would have liked to curry favor with his influential uncle, but now was clearly not the time.
Receiving his signal, Olivia obediently stood up.
However, instead of heeding James, she walked directly to Alexander's side. "I haven't had the chance to thank you properly, Mr. Blake," she said, picking up a glass of wine, intending to toast him.
"No need," Alexander replied, regarding Olivia with a cold expression.
Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, but a wave of dizziness seemed to overcome Olivia. She lost her footing and fell directly into his arms, ending up seated on his lap in front of everyone!
"I'm so sorry," she said.
As the realization of her impropriety dawned on her, Olivia hurriedly set down her glass and attempted to stand. But as she turned her head, her nose brushed against Alexander's handsome, resolute profile, and something in her sealed memories seemed to crack open. A fragment of blurred recollection played rapidly through her mind, like images in a flip book.
The memories, unfamiliar yet charged with intense emotion, flooded through Olivia's mind like a torrent.
"What's wrong?" Alexander asked.
Seeing Olivia's pained expression, Alexander instinctively blurted out his concern.
Olivia opened her eyes to find his handsome face up close, vaguely overlapping with a fleeting image from her recovered memory.
Whether from embarrassment or intoxication, her face suddenly flushed crimson. "N-nothing," she stammered.
Louis, certain that her nature remained unchanged, couldn't resist teasing, "Perhaps Ms. Harper is allergic to alcohol, given how red her face has become."
After helping Olivia to her feet, Alexander, whose meeting had been interrupted multiple times, lost interest in continuing and moved to leave.
Olivia's eyes darted about for a moment before she decided to follow him. "Perfect timing. I could use some fresh air myself," she said.
What had flashed through her mind moments ago was a memory from her past, triggered by physical contact with Alexander.
Could staying near him help her recover her memories?
She followed him, squeezing into the elevator without the slightest regard for Louis's murderous glare as she pushed past him.
"What a coincidence, I'm going to the ground floor too," she said with a cheerful smile to Alexander beside her, then pressed the illuminated "1" button on the elevator panel.
Alexander's expression remained neutral as he gave a slight nod.
As the doors began to close, just as Olivia was about to speak and find a topic of conversation with Alexander, a hand thrust through the narrowing gap and grabbed her wrist.
Startled, Olivia whipped her head around to discover James, who had been following her from the private room to the elevator.
"Darling, you've seen Mr. Blake far enough," he said as he stepped into the elevator. His arm snaked around her shoulders, pulling her slightly toward him. His tone was doting, his smile so gentle it was almost suffocating. "Everyone is still waiting for you to return."
His finger curved slightly as he lightly traced the tip of her nose. "Are you still feeling dizzy? Let me carry you back."
Seeing him actually begin to bend down as if to lift her, Olivia felt a wave of nausea, with no time even to voice an objection.
Alexander's assistant, standing to one side, gave James a cold look before promptly wheeling Alexander out and toward another elevator.