Chapter_137
Claude hesitated for a moment, his hand lingering over the phone before he reluctantly answered. “Hello?”
On the other end, Tyler’s voice was unmistakably sharp. “Where is she, Claude?”
Olivia stiffened at the sound of Tyler’s name. She hadn’t realized how much his absence had affected her until now. Her smile faltered, and she looked down at her bowl of ramen, the warmth of the moment slipping away.
Claude’s expression darkened, but he maintained his calm demeanor. “She’s with me. We’re in Sereneville.”
Tyler’s voice cut through, cold and demanding. “What’s she doing there?”
“She’s… spending some time in her childhood home. We’ve been cleaning it up,” Claude replied carefully, his gaze flickering to Olivia. Her eyes met his, a mixture of guilt and confusion in her expression.
Tyler’s silence on the other end stretched for a few moments. When he spoke again, his words were clipped. “I didn’t expect her to be with you. She didn’t mention anything.”
Olivia felt a pang of discomfort. She hadn’t meant to cause a problem, but Tyler’s tone unsettled her.
Claude, sensing the tension, glanced at Olivia again before responding to Tyler. “She didn’t mention it, but she’s fine, Tyler. There’s nothing to worry about. She’s just… reconnecting with her past.”
“I see,” Tyler said, his voice betraying nothing but cool indifference. “Make sure she gets back safe. I’ll be expecting her at Sandalwood Palace by tomorrow.”
“I’ll make sure she gets back, Tyler,” Claude replied, his tone softer now, though it still held a faint edge. “Don’t worry.”
The call ended abruptly. Claude lowered his phone, exhaling slowly, before setting it aside. He turned to Olivia, whose face had grown more tense with every word Tyler had spoken.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, his voice sincere.
Olivia nodded but didn’t meet his gaze. “I just didn’t think it would be a problem,” she admitted. “I didn’t mean to worry anyone.”
Claude leaned back in his chair, studying her carefully. “I know you didn’t. But sometimes, people get protective when they care about someone. Tyler’s no exception.”
Olivia’s heart twisted a little. She had known Tyler to be protective, but hearing Claude’s words brought that reality into sharper focus. She felt torn between the two men, each with his own way of caring for her.
“I didn’t think he’d be that upset,” she murmured, picking at her ramen. “He’s always so distant, and yet when it matters, it feels like… he’s almost too concerned.”
Claude’s eyes softened. “Maybe he’s just trying to show he cares. Sometimes people don’t know how to express it.”
Olivia glanced at Claude, unsure whether to say more, but her mind was racing with questions. Why had Tyler reacted like that? Why had he been so quick to assume something was wrong? And most importantly, why did she feel like she was caught in the middle of something she didn’t fully understand?
“I guess,” Olivia whispered, more to herself than to Claude.
Claude didn’t press her further. Instead, he smiled gently and changed the subject, hoping to ease the mood. “Well, at least we got the house looking better. Tomorrow, we can start on the garden.”
Olivia managed a small smile, her mind momentarily distracted by the idea. “Yeah, that would be nice.”
But as the evening wore on and the conversation shifted to lighter topics, Olivia couldn’t shake the feeling that she was drifting further away from one person and growing closer to another. And in the quiet moments between them, as they sat in her childhood home, she found herself asking if she was making the right choices.
The night ended quietly, with both of them finishing their ramen, the sounds of the crickets outside the house filling the silence. Claude took a last look at the house they had worked to restore before standing up and stretching.
“We should get some rest. We’ve got a full day ahead of us tomorrow.”
Olivia nodded, but sleep didn’t come easily that night. Her mind kept replaying the conversation with Tyler, his cold tone, and the weight of his unspoken expectations.
Claude’s presence by her side had been a comfort, but the emotional tug-of-war between the two men seemed like a puzzle she couldn’t yet solve.