Chapter 402
Tyler’s gaze locked onto the pair ahead, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Naomi, beside him, blinked in disbelief. Her brows pulled together.
“Olivia?”
Olivia, walking just a step behind Claude, froze. The sound of her name hung in the air like a warning bell. Her steps halted, but she said nothing.
Claude, too, hadn’t expected the sudden encounter—but he didn’t miss a beat. His composure held. He met Tyler’s stare with quiet boldness, calm and unshaken. The tension between the two men buzzed in the silence, unspoken but palpable.
Tyler didn’t blink. He continued staring, expression cool and unreadable. Beside him, Naomi’s eyes stayed fixed on Olivia.
“Olivia, you…” she started softly, but her voice trailed off, uncertain how to continue.
A heavy pause settled over the hallway, the kind that seemed to still even the air itself.
Not far away, Dylan stood frozen, caught in the middle. He swallowed hard, aware something delicate had just been disturbed.
Then Claude, ever smooth, broke the silence with a light, practiced smile. “Tyler. Naomi.” His voice was warm, casual, as though they’d simply crossed paths on a lazy afternoon.
Naomi reluctantly turned her gaze from Olivia to him. “Why are you here, Claude?”
Claude kept his smile. “We just happened to bump into each other.”
It sounded off—too easy, too polished. Naomi couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more beneath the surface. She glanced at Tyler, looking for some reaction, but he gave none. He simply stared, cold and unreadable.
Behind Claude, Olivia remained silent. She didn’t lift her eyes. She offered no explanation.
Just then, Sophie appeared at the end of the corridor. Her steps quickened when she saw the group. “Olivia!” she called, rushing forward. “Sorry I left you—I just stepped out for the restroom.”
Her voice was upbeat, too upbeat. She reached for Olivia’s hand, squeezing it tightly. The gesture was protective, almost theatrical. But the explanation didn’t sit right—it couldn’t erase what everyone had just witnessed.
Dylan watched carefully. The silence was full of sharp edges, the air thick with things unsaid.
Trying to cut through the awkwardness, Naomi forced a smile. “Olivia, aren’t you coming with us? We’re here for a friend’s birthday party. Come on.”
It was a gentle cue, a lifeline—an attempt to patch things together in front of Tyler.
But Olivia didn’t take it. Her voice was steady as she answered, “The driver’s waiting, Naomi. I’m heading home after meeting Sophie.”
Naomi blinked, caught off guard by the cool reply. It wasn’t what she’d expected.
Dylan, still nearby, felt more confused than ever. The web between these people seemed impossibly tangled.
Naomi turned toward Tyler, silently asking how to respond.
But Tyler’s tone was even, detached. “She can do whatever she wants.”
Naomi gave a small nod. There was nothing more to say.
The tension that had gripped the hallway slowly began to dissolve—no resolution, no confrontation, just the quiet agreement to let the moment pass.
Tyler turned to Dylan. “Let’s go.”
And just like that, they walked away, leaving Olivia, Claude, and Sophie behind in the long hallway’s fading silence.