Chapter 6 Midnight Revelations
Olivia stood nervously before Alexander, her voice barely audible. "Mr. Blake, if tomorrow isn't convenient, another day would be fine."
Before he could respond, she hurried away, her heart pounding in her chest.
Upstairs, Sophie stood by the window, the curtain pulled open just enough to reveal her watchful eyes. Phone in hand, she quickly typed a message, her fingers moving rapidly across the screen.
Moments later, a knock sounded at her door. Sophie hastily closed the chat window and went to answer it.
Seeing Olivia's visibly damp clothes, Sophie pulled her inside with a concerned expression. "You're soaked! Come in quickly."
She wrapped a small blanket from the sofa around Olivia's shoulders, then hurried to the kitchen to prepare a cup of hot chocolate. "What would you like to eat? I can make something for you."
"Don't trouble yourself, I'm fine," Olivia replied, cupping the warm mug between her palms. A contented sigh escaped her lips. "There's nothing like the comfort of home."
"Let me make some pasta then," Sophie offered.
"Sounds good."
Olivia curled up on the sofa, taking small sips of her hot chocolate. Color gradually returned to her delicate face. Outside, rain poured down, but inside was warm and cozy. The television played a comedy film while Sophie prepared a late-night snack in the kitchen. In that moment, Olivia felt incredibly fortunate.
Though she couldn't understand why her former self had been entangled with a jerk like James, at least she had a good friend like Sophie. Despite the day's hardships through wind and rain, Sophie had been there for her. Now she needed rest to tackle tomorrow's challenges!
What she needed most right now was sleep.
Lying down, she pulled the covers up to her chin before contentedly closing her eyes, ready for sleep.
Perhaps from exhaustion, Olivia's breathing soon steadied as her chaotic thoughts quieted.
Then came a knock at the door.
So noisy. Half-asleep, Olivia irritably pulled the covers over her head, trying to block out the intrusive sound.
The knocking sounded again.
"Olivia!"
Hearing her name, Olivia jolted awake. She turned toward the window. In the darkness, her heartbeat thundered louder than the rain.
What was happening?
She thought she'd heard someone calling her name, but who would come looking for her this late at night in the pouring rain?
Her phone suddenly lit up beside her pillow. The name "James" flashing across the screen answered her question.
The moment she recognized the name, the fear in Olivia's eyes vanished, replaced by annoyance.
Outside the door, James stared at his phone screen, growing angrier as his call was automatically disconnected again. "Still playing hard to get," he muttered.
He was about to curse when the wooden door suddenly flew open.
"What are you barking about in the middle of the night?" Olivia glared at him, irritation radiating from her every pore. "How dare you disturb my sleep? You'd better have a good reason for this, or I'll report you for disturbing the peace."
James reacted quickly but still caught the edge of the door on his nose. He winced in pain, rubbing it as tears formed in his eyes.
"Olivia, you're my fiancée. Isn't caring about you reason enough?" he asked.
Having been woken from her sleep, Olivia was furious.
"No, it's not. Your head doesn't seem to be injured, so why can't you remember what I told you this afternoon at the hotel entrance? The fiancée you want is Isabella. I've already agreed to step aside as you wished! Are you sure you're not checking on the wrong person in the middle of the night?"
"Hurry up! Finished? If so, get lost!" She tried to close the door, wanting to avoid the temptation to physically remove him and to salvage what remained of her sleep.
"Wait!" James quickly blocked the door. "Stephen is very upset with you. If you wait until tomorrow to make amends, it'll be too late. Come with me now to apologize!"
"Are you insane?" Olivia unhesitatingly shook off his hand. "I've already refused you. Don't you understand?"
"Stop making a scene, Olivia. Just listen to me. Once this deal goes through, I promise to take you traveling next month! Didn't you always want to travel abroad?"
James spoke urgently. Wasn't this what Olivia wanted—more of his attention? Fine, he'd give it to her this time!
To his surprise, Olivia was completely uninterested. She punched his arm where it braced against the door. When he recoiled in pain, she shoved him outside and slammed the door shut.
Her fierce refusal went with him. "I'll say it one more time! I'm not going. Get lost!"
"Olivia! Olivia, open this door!"
The knocking resumed, but Olivia ignored it, turning to go back upstairs for more sleep.
On her way up, she encountered Sophie, who had also been awakened by the noise.
"Well played," Sophie said, leaning against the railing with an amused expression. She had clearly been watching the scene unfold. With a knowing smirk, she teased, "Men truly are predictable. The more you reject him, the more attention he gives you. Look how much James cares about you now!"
Olivia waved her hand dismissively. "Give me a break. I don't care about that jerk anymore. I'm going back to bed. I need to visit the hospital tomorrow."
The next morning, the rain had stopped, and the sky was clear.
As she woke up, Olivia distinctly felt a heaviness in her head and lightness in her feet.
Her nose felt like it was filled with lead, making even breathing difficult.
The rain she'd been caught in outside the hotel had given her a cold!
Sophie had already left for work. She had been very busy these past few days, and Olivia didn't want to further disrupt her schedule. So she struggled out of bed and took a taxi to the hospital by herself.
The hospital wasn't very crowded on a workday, and Olivia's turn came quickly.
The doctor barely looked up, continuing to type without pausing. He gestured toward the printed payment slip. "Take this to the cashier."
"Thank you," Olivia replied.
Outside the hospital entrance, Olivia sneezed again. She rubbed her nose and shook her still-dizzy head, thinking about what the doctor had said.
Besides treating her cold, she had specifically consulted a neurologist today.
She had asked about her memory loss.
The doctor suggested she might have suffered a mild concussion.
But after an MRI, they found no evidence of blood clots or blockages in her brain.
So the doctor's advice was: find ways to expose herself to things that might stimulate her memory.
Things that might stimulate her memory?
Olivia immediately thought of one person—Alexander!
After all, he was currently the only person who had triggered flashbacks of her memory!
But Alexander was a difficult man to approach. She needed to find an excuse to get close to him, but what reason could she use?
As Olivia racked her brain, a pair of elegant heels suddenly appeared before her. A familiar yet strange, sweet voice greeted her from above.
"Olivia?"