5. Olivia
Nothing is guaranteed.
The booking that was going to make me famous in this city is the one that will be my downfall.
I have the documents Barbara signed, stating there were no allergies involved.
But this case is different.
It has been confirmed.
The cake was poisoned.
I squeeze the jotter, trembling as I try to think of all the many ways this could have happened.
Poison?
I would never. I could never.
And while I have many other problems to focus on, I cannot help but search for support, in Ronan’s eyes.
I watch as Liam disappears, busying my mind with the unnecessary detail of his brown hair in a man’s bun and wondering how long it took for him to grow it to that length.
He has a beard and is a little leaner than Ronan, but they are the same height.
When did this all happen? How did Liam get this tall?
I nod at him as he struts away with Riley, who seems confused. He takes her out of the hall, and Ronan’s mother follows with a group of men in suits filing out after them as security details.
Ronan’s mother looks like she might rip me apart.
I either latch onto these tiny details or I fear I may pass out.
Maybe I should just go take a chunk of the cake and end this. But I’m a coward and I love life. I love my life. I love doing what I do.
All that hard work for what? I think about how my life and career are over.
I won’t be surprised if some of the restaurants I work with as a consultant start to pull out and terminate our contracts.
I try to be brave and look at Ronan, but his stare is suffocating.
“Over here,” Ronan snaps his fingers, and I flinch but keep my eyes on the floor, realizing for the first time that I’m barefoot.
I”m on my feet, whimperingas I raise my gaze to meet his, knowing that I”ll see an accusing glare in them.
“I have to make a call,” he dips his hand in the pocket of his dress pants. “Don’t go anywhere,” he steps aside, but I go after him, almost stumbling over as he stops and spins around to face me. “Stop following me,” he clenches his teeth, trying to keep his voice down.
“I will wait for you.”
“I have to make this call because, if I don’t, Cesare’s men won’t let you leave this place,” he clips, and I nod, not understanding anything but agreeing to everything.
“Ronan…” I start, but Ruth stops me, gripping me by the wrist.
“Let him do what he has to,” she whispers, pulling me to the side.
I see some of my interns in their uniforms sitting around a table, staring at me pitifully.
I failed them.
Or did one of them do it? But how is that possible when I tasted everything myself before bringing the food down here? Only the cake has been confirmed for now. Nothing else has been confirmed to be poisoned.
I made the cake myself and alone. Seven steps plus the crystal lights after each step making it fourteen steps of cake. Barbara wanted simple but exquisite and that cake is the visual representation of those words: simple and grand.
“What do I do?” I dip my head and ask Ruth.
Ruth shrugs, “Did you?” She lowers her head, but her voice is a little too loud.
“How can you ask me that?” I snatch my hand away from her hold and sit on a chair not far from Ronan.
“What do you want me to say?” She comes down in a crouch position, dark eyes wide and teary. “I trust you, but it’s not me you need to convince, Olivia.” She swats her hand at the crowd, now dispersing. Some men with earpieces and black suits that I had thought were security, but I can see now are Cesare’s men, stand still, staring at me.
“I did not,” I inhale, and my resolve weakens. Tears sprint down my cheeks. “I could never do something like this, Ruth. You know me,” I sniff. I could never put the lives of every one of you on the line, and how stupid could I be to poison the cake that I baked without the help of anyone?”
I did not do it.
I keep repeating this in my head as if I need to convince myself that there is no way I would have done something like this, at least not to Ronan.
I sniff and dab my cheek.
I throw my journal and pen down on thetable next to me and start crying again when I see the food tray. Some of the food was eaten, but some is also chewed as if the guests spat whatever they were eatingout as soon as the bride collapsed.
Who could have done something like this to me?
“They are taking the cake away,” Ruth gets up and drags a chair close to me to sit beside me.
“I can see that,” I watch as some of the men, that I’m assuming are Cesare’s, cart the cake away.
It was meant to break the media.
I went above and beyond for this cake. I broke my back and shredded my brain for it. The first picture of the cake was already sparking hot takes on social media.
“I’m ruined,” I sniff, and then it hits me again, but I try to hold myself together because the people around me don’t deserve my tears.
“We will get through this,” Ruth says, reaching out to take my hand. I nod, soaking up the support of our friendship.
It is good to know I have one person I can lean on in times like this.
“Thank you,” I swallow.
“You don’t have to show up at the store; I will take care of things and close it down if it goes wild,” she strokes the inside of my palm, and again I nod, grateful for her.
“Get up, time to go,” Ronan beckons me, but I shake my head, declining. I”m not sure why, but I don’t want to go anywhere with him. “It’s not a request, Olivia,” he groans, but I shake my head again.
“I think it’s wise to listen to him,” Ruth says, letting go of my palm and standing. “I will keep in touch and keep you updated,” she says, leaning down to plant a kiss on my cheek. “Be safe; we will get to the bottom of this,” she whispers into my ear and then joins the rest of my team around the table.
“We don’t have all the time in the world, Olivia,” Ronan says, and I stand, my bravery melting away as I near his looming frame.
Why do I want to run away and hide from him but simultaneously want to run into his arms and have him protect me, keeping me safe like only he can?
Like he used to.
“Where are we going?” I ask, but instead of answering, his hand wraps around my wrist and pulls me away. Some men follow us.
“They are following us,” I pull my arm away, but his grip is too strong for me to break free. “Why are they following us?” My heart hammers against my chest as I catch one of the men playing with a gun in his hand. “I don’t want to go,” I drag harder, and I feel a scratch from Ronan’s nails as he tries to keep me from slipping away.
He halts and spins to face me, our bodies brushing against each other, igniting sparks, things that should have no place in a situation like this one. But I doubt there are ever any situations where contact with Ronan won’t affect me.
“I’m your best bet to get out of this hall alive,” he dips his head as if to kill me, but instead, he slides it to my ear. I swallow a nervous, shaky breath. “I want to keep you alive, Olivia,” he whispers into my ear, and my stomach spins in the wrong way. “Behave and help me achieve that,” he pulls away, and his slithering eyes pin me.
I nod. He has a point. He is the only one aside from Ruth that I can trust, and Ruth cannot do anything to protect me.
Only I can be good for him.