Chapter 21 #2
Olivia stared at him, her eyes wide but her voice steady. "I know absolutely nothing about a break-in, James."
"Don't lie to me, Liv!"
"I don't know any criminals, and I don't deal with them," Olivia said firmly. "Crime has no place in my life.”
The customers turned in their seats, watching the tense confrontation. James didn't care. He was too angry to care about making a scene.
"You're hiding behind him," James sneered, his voice dripping with venom. "You're enjoying this, aren't you? You're letting Leo turn you into someone I don't even recognize. You're not half as innocent as you want everyone to believe."
Olivia’s hands gripped the edge of the counter, but she stayed perfectly composed. "Leave. Now."
James laughed, a cruel, mocking sound. "You're pathetic, Olivia.
You've never been good enough for a man like me. It all comes down to mindset. I have the drive, the intelligence, and the ambition to operate on a higher level, while you have the narrow vision of a small-time shop owner. You actually think you’re some gifted artisan?
Your baking is mediocre at best, just basic stuff that anyone with a cookbook could copy.
And you honestly think Leo is genuinely interested in you?
You're nothing but a pity case to him, a charity project he took on just to feel noble.
Look at yourself." He raked his eyes down her body with blatant disgust. "I haven't felt a single spark for you in years.
Touching you felt like a daily chore, an obligation I had to drag myself through because you simply gave up on your appearance.
You're just a small-minded, ordinary girl who can't keep up with a man of my caliber.
You are fundamentally beneath me, and no amount of flour and sugar is ever going to change that. "
He turned on his heel to storm out.
At that exact moment, Sam walked out from the back kitchen, carrying a red bucket of hot, soapy water and a mop. He had already left a large puddle across the tiled floor near the exit.
James took two furious steps, hit the wet tile, and slipped.
His expensive leather shoes shot out from under him, his arms flailing as he tipped backward.
Just as he was about to crash, his hand slammed against the brick wall beside him.
He skidded a few inches, fingers scraping the surface, but managed to brace himself.
His legs wobbled before he finally regained his footing, narrowly avoiding a fall.
He stood there breathing hard, pressed against the brick, his face burning with a furious, ugly flush.
Sam stopped, leaning casually on the mop handle. He pointed to the bright yellow plastic cone sitting less than two feet away. "I put the wet floor sign out, man."
James glared at him, humiliated beyond measure.
"Can't be blamed if you don't look where you're going," Sam added with an innocent shrug.
The bakery staff standing behind the counter bit their lips, desperately trying not to laugh.
James pushed himself off the wall, straightened his tailored suit, and sneered at the entire room. "Screw all of you," he snapped, his voice shaking with rage. "This place is a dive anyway."
He stormed out the front door, slamming it behind him, vowing that he was going to make every single one of them pay.
***
Olivia
The moment the glass door swung shut behind James, the bakery was completely frozen in silence.
For three seconds, no one moved.
Then, Sam let out a sharp snort.
The dam broke. The entire bakery staff erupted into laughter.
Olivia clamped a hand over her mouth, desperately trying not to laugh.
She failed.
The laughter came out shaky at first, trembling on the edge of a sob, but then it turned real. It didn't erase the awful things James had just said. It didn't erase what he had done to her life. But it broke the unbearable tension in the room like a hammer shattering glass.
"I swear, the sign was right there," Sam insisted, fighting a grin as he picked up the yellow cone.
"Maybe he should pay more attention to signs," Elena said dryly from the espresso machine. "Given how notoriously bad he is at reading them."
The staff laughed again. The tight, protective family dynamic of the bakery wrapped around Olivia like a warm blanket.
Then Elena stepped away from the machine and approached Olivia at the register. She held up her phone, the screen showing an audio recording file.
"I recorded everything the second he started yelling," Elena said quietly. "Just in case the security camera audio is bad."
Olivia looked at the young woman, stunned and deeply, profoundly grateful.
"He’s been twisting everything, Liv," Elena explained. "If he tries to twist this break-in thing and blame you or Leo, I want to make sure you have solid proof of exactly what he said."
The gesture mattered emotionally more than Olivia could articulate. She had spent the last month being constantly doubted, lied to, and spoken over. Seeing someone in her corner, thinking ahead to protect her, felt incredibly powerful.
"Thank you, Elena," Olivia whispered, wiping a tear from her eye. "Thank you so much."
After the rush of adrenaline finally calmed down, Olivia slipped into the back office and sent Leo a quick text message. She asked him to meet her later at the house her parents were renting.
She did not want to talk about this over the phone. She needed to see his face when she told him James had aggressively accused him of orchestrating a break-in.
She managed to finish the rest of her shift at the bakery, but her mind was completely unsettled. James’s furious accusation kept replaying in her head.
There was a strange, unsettling sense that pieces were moving around her, and she did not fully understand who was moving them.
***
Later that evening, Olivia waited in the kitchen of the rented house. Her parents had gone to bed early, giving Olivia the privacy she desperately needed.
She expected Leo to ring the front doorbell. Instead, a soft, rhythmic knock sounded at the back door that led from the kitchen to the patio.
Olivia jumped. She walked over, peering through the glass.
Leo was standing outside in the dark.
She unlocked the door, incredulous. "Leo? What are you doing back here?"
Leo stepped inside, quietly shutting the door behind him. "I didn't want to risk the front door," he explained, his voice low. "Just in case James hired a private investigator to watch the house or document exactly who comes and goes."
The realization hit Olivia like a physical blow.
She hadn't fully understood the risk until this exact moment. James was not just an angry, humiliated ex. He was actively building a legal case. Every single image, every visit, every moment she spent with Leo could become a weapon James used in court.
"James came to the bakery today," Olivia said, deciding to just get straight to it.
Leo’s entire body tensed. "Did he touch you?"
"No," Olivia said quickly. She pulled out her phone and played Elena’s recording.
Leo listened in silence. His jaw locked, a muscle ticking near his ear. When the recording finished, Olivia set the phone down on the counter and watched his face very carefully.
"He accused you of being behind a break-in at the house," Olivia said. She looked him directly in the eyes. "Leo. Do you know anything about that?"
Leo did not answer immediately.
"I made a call," Leo finally admitted, his voice rough. "I hired someone to dig deeper. Someone who is very good at making sure we get the evidence James and Amanda have been too careful to leave out in the open."
"Does that mean you were behind what happened at his house?" Olivia asked, her heart racing.
"James has hidden too much behind locked doors, expensive lawyers, false narratives, and complicated paperwork designed to make you look guilty. Someone needed to find out exactly where the real truth was buried."
Olivia was genuinely scared. "Leo, I do not want you to get hurt. I do not want you to ruin your life or end up in jail because of me."
"I will be fine, Liv."
"You cannot promise that!"
"Maybe not," Leo said, his icy blue eyes fierce and unwavering. "But I can promise you that I know exactly what I am doing."
Olivia did not like that answer. She was absolutely terrified that James would drag Leo down with him.
The tension in the kitchen built rapidly.
They were standing mere feet apart. Olivia didn't know what to do with him.
She was grateful. She was afraid. She was angry that he would risk himself for her, and deeply moved that he would go to such lengths.
Leo watched her, his expression tight, his jaw clenched as he stared down at her.
"This is exactly why James filed that lawsuit," Olivia whispered, rubbing her arms to ward off a chill. "So every single time I need you, I have to think twice. So I feel guilty for even asking you to be here."
"That is what James wants," Leo agreed, his voice barely above a murmur.
"What do you want?" Olivia asked.
He didn't answer right away. The kitchen grew motionless as she waited for his response, her heart pounding in her chest.
"I want you safe," Leo finally said.
Olivia knew that was true. She also knew it wasn't the whole answer.
"I should probably leave," Leo said, glancing toward the back door.
Olivia didn't want him to go. The thought of being left alone with her thoughts made her stomach twist.
"Stay," Olivia said, her voice small, her hand reaching out to touch his arm. Her fingers brushed the fabric of his sleeve, a desperate plea she couldn't hide. "Just a little longer. I was going to watch a movie."
The request was small, almost shy.
She watched him study her face in the dim kitchen light.
She could see the hesitation in his eyes, tracking the subtle conflict across his features.
She knew staying was incredibly risky. She knew the kiss had complicated everything, but looking up at him, she only knew she didn't want to be left alone in the dark.
"Okay," Leo said. His features relaxed, a softness replacing his rigid posture.
They moved into the living room and sat on the sofa, keeping a careful distance between them. Olivia picked an old, classic romantic comedy—something she knew well enough that she didn't actually have to focus on the plot.
Leo made a dry, sarcastic comment about her terrible taste in movies.
Olivia gave him a tired smile. "Don't judge my coping mechanisms, Maddox."
"I would never," Leo said, leaning back into the cushions.
She gave him a skeptical look.
He corrected himself, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "I would judge them respectfully."
As the movie played on the screen, Olivia started to relax by degrees. Her body was exhausted from the emotional toll of the day. She shifted closer, seeking his comfort. The space between them vanished as she leaned in, letting go of the walls she had kept up all day.
Her head came to rest on his shoulder, and then slipped down to find a place on his chest.
Olivia felt him freeze beneath her for a split second, his breath hitching. Then, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her close while still leaving her room to pull away if she chose to.
She didn't. She exhaled, letting her muscles go loose, absorbing the solid reality of him.
The moment felt safe, yet incredibly charged. Olivia wasn't making a grand decision about the future. She was simply allowing herself to be held by the one person who had been there for her through the worst of it.
He didn't push. He didn't try to kiss her again, and he didn't say a single word about his feelings. He just stayed right there, a solid presence in the dark.
Pressing her cheek to his chest, she listened to the rhythmic, reassuring beat of his heart. The tension finally drained out of her, replaced by a profound exhaustion. She closed her eyes, letting his embrace shield her from the rest of the world.
She fell asleep before she could talk herself out of needing him.
As her consciousness drifted away, she felt his grip tighten just a fraction, holding her pieces together as if it were the only promise he cared about keeping.