Chapter 11 Stalker
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Sawyer’s head snapped toward Olivia, “What the fuck?” His voice was deadly quiet. “Is that true?”
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.
Inside the room, Olivia’s face burned with fury. "I knew it! You’re blackmailing him with some bullshit agreement, aren’t you?! You think he won’t sign it? You’re really delusional, huh? Too blind to tell the difference between charity and real love?"
Ellie smirked. "At least I have my priorities straight. Unlike you, I don’t take ‘breaks’ from my boyfriend to go screw around abroad."
A dangerous fire lit in Olivia’s eyes. Her hand shot up, ready to strike Ellie across the face.
But Ellie was faster. She caught Olivia’s wrist mid-air and flung it aside before delivering a sharp slap across Olivia’s face. The sound echoed through the room.
Olivia stumbled back in shock, her body trembling as she turned around, eyes wide with disbelief. "How fucking dare you?!" she seethed, her voice shaking with rage.
Ellie carelessly rolled her eyes, lounging on the hospital bed. "What did you expect? That I'd just sit here and take your slap?" She scoffed. "Who do you think you are?"
Her words got stuck in her throat the moment she caught sight of Olivia’s face.
And then, in the very next second, she burst into uncontrollable laughter, clutching her stomach as she rolled on the bed.
Olivia stared at her, bewildered, as if Ellie had lost her mind. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Still laughing madly, Ellie fished her phone out of her pocket, snapped a quick picture, and turned the screen toward Olivia. "Take a look at your—oh my god, I can't—"
Olivia’s stomach dropped as she glanced at the phone screen.
One of her eyebrows had completely dropped, hanging awkwardly over her eye, while the other remained stuck high up in its usual place. One eye looked unusually small, while the other was stretched wide open, giving her an absolutely ridiculous expression.
Ellie howled in laughter. "Wow, Olivia, did you get plastic surgery on your face?" Her laughter only grew louder. "I kept hearing you brag about being a natural beauty!"
"I did not have any surgery!" Olivia shrieked, her face burning with humiliation. "You—you are the one who hurt me! It's your fault!"
Ellie wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still wheezing. "Oh, please. I know what botched surgery looks like." She shook her head, grinning. "And you—denying it like this—god, this is priceless."
Olivia’s hands flew to her face, covering it in panic.
Ellie giggled. "You look very pretty in your ‘natural beauty’, Olivia. That one-eyebrow-up, one-eyebrow-down look? Truly one of a kind. No wonder people keep complimenting your features. It's a once-in-a-lifetime wonder!"
Olivia let out a horrified gasp, backing away. She could already imagine the whispers, the stares—her reputation was at stake.
With a strangled cry, she spun on her heel and bolted out of the room, too mortified to stay another second.
Ellie, meanwhile, remained in bed, clutching her stomach as she laughed even harder.
***
Sawyer stormed into his parents’ house. The atmosphere was anything but peaceful. Workers bustled about, and with his mother’s habit of constantly hosting dermatologists, masseuses, and other professionals, the house resembled more of a luxury hotel than a home.
He barely spared a glance at the commotion as he stormed through, heading straight for Liana’s office. He pushed the door open without knocking, his frustration evident in every step. Inside, Liana sat at her desk, engaged in a video call. The door was slightly ajar, and he could hear her voice clearly before he even entered. She was speaking to someone with an air of casual elegance.
"Yes, Evelyn," Liana said, her voice smooth and pleasant. "Do you want me to come along too? I wanted to go, but work got in the way. I can meet you soon in London." Liana said, her tone warm and friendly.
Evelyn’s voice responded from the other end, “Great! I’ll be there next month.”
“Sure,” Liana smiled, hanging up the call. But the smile quickly dropped from her face as she turned to see Sawyer standing in the doorway, his expression dark.
"Have you lost all the manners I taught you?" she asked coolly, her voice edged with disapproval.
Sawyer didn't flinch. He stepped into the room, slammed the door behind him, and placed both hands firmly on her table. “I want to break that damn agreement with Ellie!” he declared. “I’m done. I don’t want to see her in my house again.”
Liana remained calm, setting her phone down with deliberate grace, her gaze never leaving Sawyer. “Do I really need to keep repeating myself like a broken record, Sawyer?” she asked coolly. “The three years aren’t up yet, are they? You promised you’d stay with her for three years.”
“What does it matter?” Sawyer’s voice was laced with impatience. “It’s just a few more months. It’s almost three years already, isn’t that enough?”
“A deal is a deal, Sawyer,” Liana replied, her tone still calm, almost too calm. She took a sip from her coffee cup, her movements smooth as she reached for a book on the shelf. “Do I need to teach you the basics of business and contracts again?”
Sawyer’s jaw tightened. He stepped back, folding his arms in frustration, his sigh heavy with annoyance. “Olivia is already back, Mom. Ellie doesn’t need to stay anymore.”
Liana raised an eyebrow. “She’s back?” A faint smirk tugged at the corners of her lips as she feigned a surprise, pretending as though she didn’t already know. “I thought she’d be gone for at least five years.”
Sawyer frowned. "Why do you say that?"
“When I last spoke to her, I told her our business wasn’t doing well. I said it would take at least five years to get back to where we were, to climb back up the wealth ranks,” Liana explained casually. “The next day, she booked a flight overseas and left. I assumed she’d be gone for much longer.”
Sawyer’s frown deepened. “She’s not greedy. You’re wrong about that.”
Liana said nothing, only shrugging nonchalantly. “Well, you must be smarter than me then. I seem to have forgotten how to judge people. Though that Ellie girl… she seems alright.”
Sawyer’s face flushed with anger. His hand shot out, grabbing the book from his mother’s hand and slamming it shut. Liana looked up, unperturbed, as Sawyer barked at her.
“She seems alright to you? Ellie?! Do you have any idea what she’s been doing to me for the past three years?!” His voice rose with fury. “She told me she loved me, pretended to care for me, but in the end, she just wanted my money! She’s only after my checks. Give her what she wants, and she changes like that!” He snapped his fingers for emphasis.
Liana arched an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Really?”
"Yes! She admitted it! She told me she’s been pretending this whole time, just using me for my money! She didn’t even flinch! Can you believe that?" Sawyer was practically shaking with anger. "She says she doesn't care about me anymore, now that the agreement is almost up and Olivia is back."
Sawyer's voice cracked with disbelief, his broad chest rising and falling as frustration seeped through every word. "She never even raised her voice in front of me all these years, and now—now she just flatly says she’s tired of her ‘act’?!" His fists tightened at his sides, his knuckles whitening.
Liana’s usually stoic face cracked into a smile. Then she laughed, leaning back in her chair, shaking her head.
“Let me get this straight,” she said, her voice tinged with laughter. “You don’t want to break the agreement because Olivia’s back. You want to break it because Ellie’s annoying you?” Her brow arched, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Sawyer's gaze locked onto her, completely oblivious to her amusement. "Yes! Obviously!" he growled, his frustration thick in his voice. "She’s been playing me for three years, and I’m done with it. I’m not wasting another second on her!"
Liana burst into laughter, her eyes squinting as she fought to compose herself. She let out a long sigh, leaning forward, her gaze steady. When she finally spoke, her voice was cool, but there was an edge to it.
"You are not breaking that agreement, Sawyer Stark, until it’s fulfilled. Until the three years are up. That is final."
Sawyer’s expression twisted into one of disbelief and frustration, his grip on his chair tightening. "What? Mom—"
"No more arguments." Liana’s voice was firm now, her tone leaving no room for debate. "You made a deal with me. You’re sticking to it."
***
Ellie’s entire body was drenched in sweat as she lay in the hospital bed, her face flushed with heat. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but darkness swirled behind her eyelids—not the kind of darkness that was peaceful, but a heavy, oppressive one. And in that darkness, there was someone—someone familiar—cackling above her.
"Did you really think you were my friend? Jesus, you’re dumb," the voice mocked bitterly. "How many times have I told you I’m jealous of you? Did you really take it all as a joke?"
The voice was sharp, filled with venom. Ellie felt herself shrinking in the darkness, unable to move, paralyzed as a figure circled her, a lighter flickering in their hand.
The girl standing over her—someone Ellie knew—was gripping a lighter in her hand as she circled Ellie’s injured body. Ellie lay helpless on the ground, unable to move.
"You have a rich family, loving parents, and the man I love the most. Why the fuck do you have everything I want, while I’m stuck scraping for leftovers and still getting nothing?!” the girl shrieked, her face red with fury. "I tried to seduce your boyfriend, but guess what? He said he’s disgusted with me! Do you believe that? He said he’s disgusted!"
She barked out a laugh, her grip tightening around the lighter.
"Well, let’s see who he finds more disgusting now." the girl sneered, twirling the lighter in her hand before igniting it.
"Once you’re left in nothing but ashes, he’ll be mine. Everything you have will be mine."
Then, she dropped the lighter.
Her entire body erupted in flames. Flames licked at her skin, the pain was excruciating, all-consuming. She screamed in agony as her skin burned, feeling helpless, unable to escape. She was on fire, and there was nothing she could do.
"Ellie! Ellie, wake up!"
A voice broke through the suffocating darkness, shaking her violently. Ellie’s eyes snapped open, and she found herself staring into familiar, dark eyes. The fire was gone, but the residual pain lingered, her body trembling as if the heat still burned through her.
"Ellie, what’s wrong?" Lily’s concerned voice brought her back to reality, and Ellie realized she was in a hospital room, not on fire. Lily had a tissue in her hand, gently wiping the sweat from Ellie’s forehead.
"Bad dream," Ellie murmured hoarsely, trying to catch her breath. She swallowed, feeling the dryness in her throat before meeting Lily’s worried gaze. "But... it didn’t feel like just a dream."
Lily frowned, clearly confused. "What do you mean?"
Ellie took a deep breath and told her everything—the vision, the voice, the flames. Then, grabbing Lily’s hand tightly, she whispered, "I think… it’s my past. Someone deliberately set me on fire.” She paused, shuddering at the memory. "And that voice... it sounded just like Olivia’s."
Lily’s eyes widened in shock.
"That’s impossible," she said, shaking her head in denial. "It must be just an illusion. Olivia was overseas all this time. She’s Sawyer Stark’s fiancée. How could someone humble like you have ever been involved with some richi-rich brat like her?"
Ellie frowned, confusion swirling in her mind. She was so sure of it. That voice… it was Olivia’s. She knew that screech anywhere.
But how? Olivia’s face was different from the girl in her dream.
Lily sighed, pulling on her jacket and grabbing her purse from the chair by the door. "I have to go now. My shift’s starting. Take care of yourself, okay?" Her voice softened, laced with concern. "Call me if you need anything."
Ellie gave a weak smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes. "Thanks, Lily. I will." She watched her friend leave, the door clicking shut behind her.
Once alone, she turned her head toward the water bottle on the bedside table—empty. Sighing, she tried to push herself up from the bed, only to wince in pain as her foot, twisted from the accident, sent sharp agony through her body. She could barely put weight on it without feeling like she was being stabbed.
She sucked in a sharp breath, hands gripping the sides of the bed to steady herself. But there was no one around to help.
Gritting her teeth, she grabbed the empty bottle and limped out of the hospital room to find a water cooler.
A few minutes later she returned with a full bottle, her thoughts still consumed by the mystery of the voice, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it had been Olivia. But how could that be? Olivia had no reason to be involved in the nightmare.
"I can’t be wrong," Ellie muttered to herself. "That was definitely her voice. I know it. I’d recognize that screech anywhere. But… her face was different. Could it be that I knew Olivia before? But how would that even be possible?"
So lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice someone standing in front of her—until she crashed right into a firm chest.
Wincing, she stumbled back and looked up, annoyance written all over her face, only to find Jeremy standing there, looking amused.
Her eyes widened, and in an instant, her hand flew to her mouth. No way. She wasn’t going to let him kiss her in the hospital. Especially not when she looked this awful!