Chapter 20: Chapter 20

“Nice to hear your voice again,” said Lilly when she called.

Olivia had been woken by her phone ringing. She had thought it was Tyler, but luckily Lilly had said something before Olivia embarrassed herself. It was strange to hear a voice other than Tyler’s, Tristan’s, Kate’s or Elena’s. She had gotten used to the quietness of the place as it shut out the rest of the world.

“Lilly. Same.”

“Mom tells me you’re in France for work. How did you hit that jackpot?”

Olivia liked to keep things to herself and she knew Lilly wouldn’t be able to keep the secret. Something inside her made her not want to tell her little sister. The only person who needs to know anything about her relationship with Tyler was Kate, Olivia thought. And not even Kate knew everything.

“Oh no, it’s not that big of a deal,” said Olivia. She felt guilty for lying to her sister.

“Going to France is not a big deal? Wow, Olivia, just how much luxury do you get working for a handsome man?” Lilly whispered the last part into the phone. Probably preventing Gilbert from hearing, Olivia told herself.

“Believe me, being an assistant is not an easy job,” said Olivia. As if vacationing in a chateau and doing nothing is hard work, she thought. She almost laughed at her own reply. “How’s it going with Eve?”

“She’s well. She still cries sometimes when I drop her off at kindergarten. It will be great if we can spend at least Thanksgiving together this year.”

“Well, she doesn’t have to wait long. I’ll see you on the farm for Thanksgiving and Christmas!”

“Wow! That’s a surprise. Is anyone special going to join us?”

Olivia’s heart skipped a beat. She knew she couldn’t lie to Lilly twice. She didn’t want to keep Lilly in suspense too much, because it would just make things more obvious.

“Maybe,” Olivia decided to answer. The same lame answer every teenage girl gave when her friends ask her if she kissed her boyfriend.

“I never heard you this smitten before. Lucky boy,” said Lilly, ending the topic.

“I thought you would nag me for more answers,” said Olivia, with surprise.

“I might be younger, but I have more experience in the field of love. I know how it feels when someone keeps asking questions and you just want to keep things private. Especially you.”

The fact that Lilly knew Olivia so well made Olivia want to tell her about her deeply hidden feelings and secrets, but instead Olivia asked a question that kept coming up in her mind.

“Lilly, how do you know when someone truly loves you?”

“There’s no easy answer. Every couple has their own story and differences. But, most of the time...,” said Lilly, giving herself a few moments of thought before answering, “if he really cares about you and loves you, he’ll chase after you, even if that meant giving something up. Sometimes he knows when to let you go for a while, knowing that that is what you need. And that needs to be his main concern. He needs to do what’s best for you.”

Olivia fell silent. She could feel her own heartbeat.

When Lilly later hung up, Olivia replayed her sister’s words over and over in her head. She walked downstairs and found Elena in the corner of a room, sitting on a rocking chair and knitting with her eyes closed. When Olivia quietly entered the room, Elena opened her eyes as if Olivia had broken the silence.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt; I was just looking for a glass of water.”

“No worries, dear. Anything for our sweet guest.”

“Thank you, Elle.”

Elena got up and led Olivia into the big kitchen. It was filled with bowls of fruits and vegetables and there were pots and pans hanging from the walls. Elena handed Olivia a glass of cold water. Olivia thanked Elena, as they walked back to the room. There, Olivia saw Tristan looking frustrated and walking towards the front door.

“There’s something between the brothers,” Olivia asked Elena out of curiosity.

“I assume so. Like always, I just assume it’s about money.”

“Did Tristan always worry about the money the most?”

“Yes. He wanted the business and the wealth ever since they were in college. He wasn't even interested in sharing it with Tyler, he wanted it all to himself. When their parents died, it got even worse. Tyler also ran into some danger over the last few years. He took money several times from the business to pay of his father’s debt, but the amounts just got bigger over time.” She suddenly paused. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I believe you want what’s best for Tyler.” She then whispered, “He even got people to cover up by giving them good investments in the company. Poor boys. Money always seemed to ruin their lives.”

Olivia’s eyes were fixed on Elena. She was in disbelief. This contradicted everything she thought she knew about Tyler Brown. The picture of him being truthful and loyal had been destroyed. Everything she knew about him was a lie. Without a word, she left Elena and walked up the stairs to her room, slowly placing one foot in front of the other.

“Lies, lies, lies,” she repeated to herself.

She felt drunk and sat at the top of the stairs, looking down. Everything that was at first uncertain fell into place. Not the time for assumptions, Olivia. Especially if you become a nervous wreck all the time, she told herself. Her head was the only thing keeping things together, as her heart’s foundation started to fall apart. Once she had calmed herself, she got up and walked on to her room, hoping no one would walk past.

She fell on her bed, with her hands covering her face. In the movies, there were always girls crying their eyes out when they went through a breakup and Olivia always thought this was just one big act. But, she was an independent woman. They hadn’t even been dating yet and she was already a mess. The fact that everything moved so fast didn’t help either.

She thought she could tell if someone was real or fake by looking them in the eyes. So, why is it that when she looks into his eyes, all the things she heard about him disappear?

Anger about her own stupidity kicked in.

Maybe some people are just good at being fake, she thought.