Chapter 5 Direct Questioning
"Looking for someone? Who? Tell me, I'll help you find them!"
The red-haired guy's buddies crowded around too, grinning with obvious bad intentions.
Olivia frowned, trying to get around them.
"I'm not looking for anyone. Just passing through."
"Hey, don't rush off!"
The red-haired guy reached out to block her path, his eyes roaming over her face and body.
"What's your major? What's your name? Come on, let's be friends."
"Move."
Olivia's voice turned cold as she tried to squeeze through a gap beside them.
"Feisty, huh?"
Another tall guy snorted and deliberately bumped her with his shoulder.
"What's with the attitude? Cutting class to hang around the courts - obviously looking for guys, right? We'll keep you company."
Surrounded in the middle, the stares from around made Olivia feel both embarrassed and furious.
She suddenly lifted her head, her gaze cutting across their smirking faces like ice-cold blades.
"Me looking for guys? With losers like you?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried bone-chilling mockery.
"Can't play ball, ugly as hell - guess being shameless is all you've got left!"
"What the fuck! What did you just say?"
The red-haired guy exploded instantly, his grin twisting into rage as he reached out to grab Olivia's arm.
A basketball came whistling through the air with vicious force, slamming hard into the red-haired guy's outstretched elbow!
The red-haired guy cried out in pain, clutching his arm as he staggered backward.
"Who the hell..."
He looked up furiously, but his curse died in his throat.
Charles had appeared courtside at some point, his face dark as a thundercloud, radiating terrifying coldness.
John followed behind him. Seeing that it was Olivia who was surrounded, his brow furrowed tight, his expression complicated.
Charles strode forward, his tall frame carrying an overwhelming presence as he positioned himself directly in front of Olivia, his icy gaze sweeping over the stunned guys.
"Want to lose that hand?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it cut like a blade dipped in ice, making the temperature around them plummet.
John walked over too, looking at the group with irritation mixed with helplessness.
"Rhea, what the hell are you guys doing surrounding her?"
His tone held no real protection - more like someone trying to avoid making a scene.
Red-haired Rhea clutched his arm. Seeing it was Charles and John, all his arrogance vanished, his face turning pale.
He'd mistakenly thought Olivia was one of their girls.
"Mr. Williams? Mr. Green?"
"Misunderstanding! Total misunderstanding! We were just... just messing around with Olivia..."
Now Olivia was pissed. She was about to snap back when Charles cut her off.
"Messing around?"
Charles's gaze grew even colder as he stepped closer.
The vicious aura radiating from him made Rhea and his crew instinctively back away.
John saw Charles clearly ready to throw down, then looked at his useless friends, feeling even more frustrated.
He genuinely considered Charles a friend, so he grabbed his arm and lowered his voice.
"Charles! Come on, I know these guys! Do me a solid here..."
"Besides, graduation's in a few days. Don't make this bigger than it needs to be - it's not worth it!"
He didn't want to cause a scene on the court, especially not over Olivia.
Charles shook off John's hand without looking at him, his gaze still locked on Rhea and the others, his words hitting the court with crystal clarity.
"Listen up. If I see you near her again, or if your mouths get dirty..."
He paused, each word carrying icy weight.
"Think real hard about what happens next."
Without another glance at their ugly expressions, he turned around, his heavy gaze falling on the slightly dazed Olivia behind him.
John waved his hand irritably, shooing away the troublemakers like flies.
"Get lost! Stop embarrassing yourselves here!"
Then he turned back, his brow twisted in a knot, launching into Olivia with a barrage of criticism.
"What are you even doing here? Haven't you caused enough trouble already?"
"Yesterday you were all tough, talking about moving out, right? If you're so capable, don't come running to me!"
His tone was harsh, full of annoyance at being ignored and dragged into drama.
Olivia took a deep breath, meeting John's furious glare, her voice clear and calm as if stating the simplest fact.
"I'm not here for you."
Her gaze moved past John, landing directly on Charles's face.
"I'm here for Charles."
With that, she gave Charles a meaningful look, indicating he should follow her, then turned and walked toward a quieter corner by the court.
John was completely stunned, frozen in place like he'd been struck by lightning.
Charles looked at John's expression of disbelief, as if his world was crumbling, and let out a low chuckle.
As he passed by John, he patted his stiff shoulder, his tone carrying both amusement and a hint of seriousness.
"John, you've got it all wrong. Olivia didn't suddenly get tough..."
Charles's gaze followed Olivia's slender but straight figure, his voice not loud but clearly reaching John's ears.
"She's always been this tough."
With that, Charles stopped looking at the shell-shocked John, strode forward with his long legs, and followed Olivia directly.
On the empty basketball court, only John remained, staring at thin air for a long moment before seeming to snap back to reality.
He shouted toward where the two had disappeared, his voice cracking with frustration.
"What the hell!"
Under the tree shade in the corner of the court, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows.
Olivia stopped and spun around abruptly, staring directly at Charles, who had followed her.
Her chest rose and fell slightly, her eyes carrying accusation and suppressed anger as she cut straight to the point.
"Charles, what exactly are you trying to pull?"
Charles stopped, raising an eyebrow slightly, saying nothing, seemingly waiting for her to continue.
"Why did you send me flowers?"
Olivia stared at him, her words speeding up with a barely detectable tremor.
"Are you messing with me? Think it's fun watching some nobody like me get attention from a 'big shot' like you?"
"Or do you think I'm that gullible?"
"First the flower shop, then the basketball court... You keep acting like you give a damn about me."
Her voice filled with confusion and hurt.
"What's it all for? To make me a target? So your fan girls, people like Mia, hate me even more? Give John more ammunition to tear into me? You think it's entertaining watching everyone turn against me?"
She finished in one breath, her chest heaving even harder.
Her eyes were slightly red, but she stubbornly refused to let tears fall, just staring hard at Charles, waiting for his answer.
Charles listened quietly without interrupting.
His deep gaze fell on her face, flushed with emotion, and those eyes that usually carried distance or amusement now held an indescribable, focused tenderness.
That look was too intense, too deep, carrying an emotion that seemed ready to pull someone in.
He watched her like this for a long time, so long that Olivia almost felt burned by the scorching intensity in his eyes, unable to help speaking again.
"Say something!"
Charles finally moved.
His Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly as he stepped closer, lowering his head slightly to close the distance between them.
His gaze locked onto her defiant eyes, his voice carrying unprecedented seriousness.
"Olivia, haven't you ever considered—"
He paused, turbulent waves she couldn't understand rolling in his deep eyes, then clearly spoke the rest.
"That maybe it's because I like you?"