Page 38

Olivia’s face instantly paled. She reached for Sawyer’s hand, gripping it tightly. "Sawyer, what are you saying?" Her voice wavered, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You’ve known me since childhood. How can you even ask me this?"
She turned her gaze to Ellie, her expression wounded. "Ellie, I know you don’t like me, but this? Framing me for something this serious? That’s just cruel."
Without waiting for her answer, Olivia turned to the man beside her, desperation lacing her voice. "Sawyer, trust me. I didn’t do anything. You trust me, right? You know me. No one knows me better than you."
Sawyer’s brows knitted together, but after a brief hesitation, he nodded slightly. "Ellie must have misunderstood and seen wrong. Don’t worry."
Ellie’s anger flared visibly. But Sawyer patted Olivia’s hand assuringly and then turned and left the hospital room, closing the door behind him.
Henry, who had been waiting outside, immediately approached. "Mr. Stark, I’ve found out the details."
Sawyer’s eyes sharpened. "What happened?"
"I did some digging to make sure I wasn’t wrong," Henry said in a low voice. "The men who tried to run over Miss Ellie and burn the car were hired by the Whitlock family." He glanced through the small glass window at Olivia, who was still inside the hospital room.
Sawyer’s face tensed. He took the file from Henry’s hand and flipped through the pages. Every single piece of evidence pointed that the Whitlocks had hired two men to run Ellie over and set the car on fire. If he hadn’t taken precautions, they would have succeeded.
"Mr. Stark, could it be that Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock weren’t pleased with your relationship with Miss Ellie?" Henry asked with a frown. "Maybe they wanted to help Miss Olivia, so they—"
Sawyer cut him off with a sharp shake of his head. "Impossible," he muttered. "I’ve known them for years. They’re good people." His gaze drifted toward Olivia. "Dig deeper. It could be someone else. Find out exactly who paid them to hurt Ellie."
"Yes, Mr. Stark." Henry nodded and walked away.
Left alone, Sawyer stood in front of the glass panel, his gaze fixed on Olivia, who seemed completely oblivious to his scrutiny. His eyes narrowed, suspicion gnawing at him like a persistent itch.
‘Are you really Olivia?’ His thoughts swirled with doubt, and he clenched his jaw tightly, trying to block out the rising unease. ‘The Olivia I knew... She wasn’t like this. She wasn’t greedy, angry, clingy, or cunning. But you... You still feel so familiar, yet you’re someone I don’t recognize anymore.’
His hands trembled slightly, and he shut his eyes for a brief moment, as if trying to erase the nagging questions and confusion clouding his mind.
"That fire took everything from me. And now, you’re gone too. What am I supposed to do, Olivia? What the hell is happening?" He inhaled deeply, his chest tightening with frustration.
Inside the hospital room, completely unaware of Sawyer’s watchful eyes, Olivia’s lips curled into a smug smile the moment Sawyer walked out. Her posture shifted to something more confident, more victorious.
"Done whining?" she taunted, raising an eyebrow as she stepped closer to Ellie. "Go on, bitch more about me. Did you see that? Sawyer is mine. He won’t believe a word you say."
Ellie responded coldly, "Okay."
That single word, spoken so coldly, only fueled Olivia’s rage. Her face flushed with anger, and she pointed a trembling finger at Ellie. "You’re so annoying! Trying to seduce my man. Do you even know how to live among people like us? I’ve seen a thousand sluts like you—"
"Yeah, very nice," Ellie cut her off with biting sarcasm. "That’s not going to stop the police from arresting you for trying to murder me, Oli-Oli."
Olivia’s eyes flared wide, her chest heaving with fury. "What the fuck did you just call me?!"
Ellie leaned back against the bed, lazily staring at her in mock amusement. "God, you’re exhausting. Drop the act already. Get out of my room. You tried to burn me alive today—what’s next? I’m not sticking around to find out. Keep your precious Sawyer. Go lick his feet for all I care."
Olivia’s face twisted with pure fury, her fists clenching as she marched toward Ellie, her every step filled with venom. "You bitch!" she growled, her voice low and dangerous. "Leave him. I told you before, if you don’t, I won’t make things pretty for you!"
"Oh my God, shut up already!" Ellie clapped her hands in front of Olivia’s face in frustration. "Snap out of it already! Only you would be stupid enough to keep whining about a man in front of another woman. Just get him to sign the agreement to free me from being his ‘girlfriend,’ and I’ll be on my way! You can have him all to yourself."
Outside the room, Sawyer jerked toward the window in shock. He stared inside, his breath harsh with fury.
‘She just told Olivia about our agreement?’ His mind reeled. ‘She’s so quick to give up on me? She doesn’t even care about breaking up—just agreeing so easily? Does she even want me at all? What the hell is she saying in there?’
His expression darkened. “Ellie Madden, you’re getting way too cocky now.” His teeth clenched, fury surging through his veins.
With a low growl, Sawyer slammed his fist against the wall beside the door. "You’re so eager to throw me away? Do you think I would never throw you out? Now you’ll see the things I can do to deal with you!"
Blinded by rage, Sawyer stormed out of the hospital.