Chapter_207
After storming out of the dessert shop, Olivia kept walking—without direction, without thought. Her chest felt tight, her breaths shallow, her vision blurry though there were no tears yet. The bustling mall around her faded into a blur of faces and noise. She just needed to move, to escape the weight pressing down on her chest.
The maid, flustered and struggling to keep up in her heeled shoes, followed as far as she could. “Ms. Olivia!” she called out in vain. But Olivia never looked back.
Soon, the maid lost sight of her entirely.
She searched frantically in every direction, weaving through shoppers, peering into store windows, scanning escalators. Olivia had vanished into the crowd like a shadow swallowed by light. Panic flared in her chest. She had just stepped out to get a jacket—how could this happen?
“Ms. Olivia!” she cried again, her voice nearly drowned in the mall’s noise. But there was no response.
Somewhere deeper in the mall, Olivia drifted like a ghost. She didn’t even register where her feet were taking her. She walked past cafés, boutiques, children tugging at parents’ hands. None of it touched her.
Back at the dessert shop, Sophie was trying to enjoy her dessert when a sharp sense of unease crept over her. Her smile faded. She took out her phone and hesitated, then quickly typed a message to her brother.
Before she could press send, the maid burst through the shop doors, breathless and disheveled.
“Do you have Ms. Olivia’s number?” she blurted.
Sophie jumped to her feet. “I do! What’s wrong?”
“I lost her,” the maid admitted, looking pale. “She walked off and… I can’t find her anywhere. Can you try calling her?”
In her panic, she forgot herself and didn’t even use Olivia’s proper title.
Sophie’s heart skipped. “I’ll call my brother. He might know where she is.”
She dialed Claude without hesitation.
When the call ended, she turned back to the maid. “Claude will find her. Don’t worry.”
But the maid’s worry only deepened. “Please, let me use your phone. Just for one call.”
Sophie, surprised, handed it over without asking questions.
The maid quickly dialed a number and spoke a few hushed, urgent words before returning the phone. “Thank you,” she said, then rushed off again.
Sophie took a step to follow her, but Jacob caught her hand. “She’ll be fine,” he said gently. “Someone’s looking for her now.”
She hesitated, torn, her eyes lingering on the exit.
Jacob slid his hand along her arm. “It’s our first date. Don’t let it be ruined. You deserve this moment.”
After a pause, Sophie gave in. She allowed him to guide her back to the table. He handed her the menu, his smile patient and warm.
“Didn’t you say you love desserts?” he asked. “Let’s order.”
Sophie nodded faintly, her guilt tucked deep inside. “Okay…”
Determined to salvage what was left of their rare time together, she pushed Olivia from her thoughts—for now—and pointed at her favorite dish.
Olivia’s phone buzzed as she wandered blindly through the mall. She didn’t check the caller ID before answering.
“Hello,” she said, her voice dull and far away.
“Where are you, Olivia?” came Claude’s voice, calm but clearly concerned.
There was a long pause on her end.
“I don’t know,” she finally whispered.
Claude’s silence stretched for a beat, then came his low, steady reply. “Don’t move. I’m coming to get you.”