Chapter 17: Chapter 17

The slightest bit of sunshine through the clouds that came in from the openings of her curtains, woke her up. She would have preferred waking up this way each morning, rather than having a screaming alarm go off. When she rolled over, she saw a note had been left on her bedside table.

- See you at breakfast, Liv. Xxx -

Liv? That played with her heart. She didn’t know what to make of it. It reminded her of her grandmother and made her feel special.

She put the note back where she got it and hopped out of bed. She had packed her running shoes, not thinking she would actually use it. But, this morning, she genuinely felt motivated to go for a run. She got dressed in her exercise clothes and put her hair in a ponytail high up on her head, before heading out the side door.

Running past the lakes and underneath the evergreens on the estate was so much different than in the city. In the city, everything is grey and bland and you always felt like you were in someone’s way.

After almost a record two miles, with no rest, Olivia walked back to better take in the scenery. The “wow” factor of walking up to the building never got old. Olivia noticed a new car in front of the fountain as she walked by, but thought it was probably just one of Tyler’s “family cars”.

She got to her room and showered, before changing into a denim jean, a pink blouse and sneakers. Her stomach was already growling from hunger, so she went downstairs to get breakfast. As she walked down the hall, she heard voices in higher tones than usual coming from the dining room. She tiptoed closer, but it was hard to remain silent when walking on the creaky wooden floors.

“Now is not the time,” said Tyler to someone in the room.

“Why not,” another man asked.

Olivia looked through the dining room door at the mirror on the wall which reflected most of the big room. She caught a glimpse of a man who looked professional and very similar to Tyler, only he had lighter hair than Tyler.

“They are going to suspect something,” Tyler replied.

“Oh please. The business is already a sunken boat.”

Olivia’s instincts led her into the room. Her body wanted to go, but her mind wanted to stay. When she decided it would be better to leave, it was already too late. Both men were staring at her.

“Uhm, Tristan, this is Olivia. Olivia, this is Tristan,” announced Tyler.

Walking closer, Tristan stood up and shook Olivia’s hand.

“Nice to meet you, finally. Tyler mentioned you a few times.”

She could feel the tension between the men as she observed the looks they gave each other.

“He did,” Olivia asked, mocking Tyler again.

“You can sit here,” said Tyler, pulling out a chair behind him.

“Thanks.”

Olivia blushed when she saw Tristan looking at them with that “look at the two lovebirds” look.

A servant came in and lifted the lids of the food. The different flavours wafted up her nose, making her stomach cramp. There were scrambled eggs, bacon and fruits, but, as always, the bread and croissants got her attention first. After they prayed over their meal, they started eating. While filling up, her curiosity got the better of her.

“You two brothers?”

“Twins,” Tyler replied.

“Wow. That’s interesting.”

“He didn’t tell you?”

“No, he didn’t,” said Olivia, with pressed lips, looking at Tyler.

“He’s not much of a talker. You need to squeeze him first, like a sponge,” added Tristan.

“I’ve forgotten that you leak things like an oil tank,” Tyler added, making the atmosphere very tense.

“That’s what they say about the youngest twin. Got the personality genes.”

Olivia could see that Tyler tried hard to not let his anger get the better of him. She felt like defending him, but she already felt unwelcome.

“What do you do for a living,” Olivia asked Tristan to relieve some tension by changing the subject.

“Mostly investing.”

“Another thing in the genes, I guess. I saw Tyler every day getting million dollar investments into the company. It’s funny watching money deals where you can’t even count the zeros,” said Olivia, trying to make Tyler look better.

“What do you do at Golden Holdings,” asked Tristan. The question insulted her, but she tried to not show it.

“She’s the head of accounting and marketing,” Tyler quickly answered for her, before she could say anything herself. Olivia felt offended at first but trusted Tyler to take the lead. She wouldn't have known, unlike Tyler, how Tristan would react to eating with an assistant.

“A busy lady, I see.”

They finished the rest of their breakfast in silence. When they had finished, Tristan excused himself and left, leaving Tyler and Olivia behind.

“Thank you for making me look better, but I could’ve handled it myself,” Olivia whispered, afraid Tristan could still hear her.

“No, it’s my responsibility. He shouldn’t have put you on the spot like that.”

“I’m big enough to speak for myself, but I appreciate it.”

“And you kind of came up for me too in a way,” he said, laughing.

He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

They are going to suspect something.

Those words bothered her for the rest of the day.

She didn’t want to make the worst of it, considering Tyler and his brother didn’t have the best relationship, but she needed to find out what it meant. One thing was sure. Something is going on, and she was scared that it would be something that she maybe didn’t want to hear.

She had to call Kate, sooner rather than later.