Chapter_288
Tyler had been waiting outside when Keith arrived. The car door opened, and Keith stepped out, his movements as precise and calculated as ever. Tyler made his way over to greet him, eager to get down to business. It had been some time since Keith had been home, and there were a few things that needed attention.
“How’s the baby?” Keith asked without missing a beat, his voice carrying a hint of concern.
“Mm-hmm, it’s stable,” Tyler replied, keeping his tone measured but confident.
“That’s great,” Keith nodded, his face unreadable. The moment of tenderness quickly passed. Keith was a determined man, and once he’d gotten that out of the way, he walked into the living room without another word. Tyler followed him, the weight of their conversation pressing in on him.
“Did you go to Mr. Pearce’s funeral?” Keith asked as they walked inside.
“No, I sent Linda instead,” Tyler responded, his voice casual but carrying an undertone of distance.
Keith’s frown deepened, and he stopped walking for a moment, looking back at Tyler. “I had Linda bring a gift, though,” Tyler added, trying to soften the situation.
Keith seemed okay with this, nodding before continuing on toward the living room. Tyler followed closely, trying to keep the conversation moving forward.
Tyler hesitated for a moment before bringing up something else. “Morgan’s death anniversary is coming up. Should we do something?”
At the mention of Morgan, Keith’s face turned cold, and he paused briefly before answering. “What’s there to do? She’s gone. Just have one of the staff visit her grave.”
Keith’s bluntness stung, and his words hung in the air as he continued walking, leaving Tyler standing in the hallway with a colder expression.
Meanwhile, Olivia sat in the back of the car, staring out the window as the city passed by in a blur. She felt a sense of loneliness settle in her chest. There was no particular place she wanted to go, but the driver, sensing her silence, kept driving, giving her space to think.
After a moment, Olivia made a sudden decision. She spoke up, “Take me to this address.”
The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror, hesitant. “It’s going to be really crowded there, ma’am.”
“I want to go anyway,” Olivia said firmly, a note of resolve in her voice.
The driver, though reluctant, had no choice but to comply. He drove toward the crowded stone pier at the plaza, the same place where Claude had found her last time. Olivia didn’t know why she wanted to go there, but perhaps it was the need for a change of scenery, something to break the monotony of her thoughts.
When they arrived, Olivia stepped out of the car, making her way to the stone pier. She sat by herself, lost in the movement of people around her, her thoughts swirling in a quiet storm.
The driver remained in the car, parked at a distance, keeping a watchful eye on her but not intruding.
It wasn’t long before someone approached. Claude, having just finished a meeting with Yance Bank, was walking alone, feeling the weight of the business world pressing down on him. He had needed some air, some time to think, and now here he was, at the plaza.
His gaze fell upon the figure sitting alone by the stone pier, and he froze. He stared for a long moment, trying to convince himself that it was really her. When he finally registered who it was, he took a hesitant step forward and called out, “Olivia?”
Olivia’s head snapped around, her heart skipping a beat at the sound of his voice. She shuddered slightly, almost disbelieving, and then she turned fully toward him, her voice shaky. “C–Claude? What are you doing here?”
Claude smiled, a soft, almost nostalgic smile that tugged at something deep inside her. “Looks like we had the same idea,” he said, walking up to her.
Olivia was about to say something when her eyes caught the pendant around his neck. It wasn’t a piece of jewelry she had ever seen before, and it caught her attention immediately. She stared at it, her curiosity piqued.
Claude noticed her gaze and followed it to the pendant. He smiled, a small, almost melancholic smile, and explained, “Someone in the family passed away. This is a necklace with their ashes.”
The weight of his words hung in the air, and Olivia felt a strange mixture of sympathy and curiosity. She didn’t know what to say, but she understood. There was an unspoken bond in the way he spoke about loss, a connection that was impossible to ignore.