Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
Grace
I should have known Olivia was up to something.
She had been too quiet all morning, which was always a red flag.
Instead of her usual chaotic energy—singing at the top of her lungs, texting her friends at lightning speed, or dramatically complaining about how I never “embraced joy”—she had been watching me.
Studying me. Like she was waiting for the right moment to strike. And I walked right into it.
I was in the kitchen, minding my own business, when she suddenly appeared behind me, grinning way too wide.
“What do you want?” I asked warily, reaching for my coffee.
She clasped her hands together, rocking on her heels. “I just think we should spend some quality time together.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You just spent two days interrogating me about DreamCrest.”
“Yes, and it was life-changing,” she said dramatically. “But this is different. This is important.”
I took a slow sip of my coffee. “Define ‘important.’”
She whipped out her phone, her eyes gleaming. “A new DreamCrest interview dropped last night. It’s really special.”
I sighed. “Olivia, I don’t?—”
She grabbed my wrist. “Nope. No excuses. Living room. Now.”
And that’s how I found myself trapped on the couch once again, staring at the giant TV screen while Olivia gleefully queued up the latest DreamCrest interview.
“You’re gonna love this,” she whispered, barely containing her excitement.
I highly doubted that.
The interview started off exactly how I expected—generic questions, rehearsed answers, the guys playing their roles effortlessly.
Dominic was all smooth charm, Ezra cracked jokes, Riley flirted with the camera, Theo handled the business talk, and Jaden stayed mostly quiet, chiming in when necessary.
I had seen them do this before. A hundred times.
But then, about halfway through, the interviewer leaned forward, smiling. “You’ve had a lot of changes recently. Anyone you want to thank for getting you through it?”
The mood shifted.
Dominic, who had been relaxed and smirking just moments ago, suddenly went still.
His expression softened, his posture less rehearsed. He exhaled, tilting his head slightly, choosing his words carefully.
“There was someone who protected us,” he said, voice lower than usual. “When we couldn’t protect ourselves.”
My stomach dropped.
Ezra nodded, leaning forward. “They kept us together when everything was falling apart.”
Jaden added, “We wouldn’t be here without them.”
Riley smirked, but there was real emotion behind it. “They know who they are.”
I couldn’t breathe.
They never said my name.
But I knew.
I felt the words in my bones, like a silent acknowledgment between us—one they weren’t allowed to say out loud, but one that still meant everything.
I swallowed hard, gripping the edge of the couch. My chest felt tight, my throat closing.
Next to me, Olivia had gone silent, her eyes flicking between me and the screen, watching my reaction like a hawk.
I tried to hold it in.
Tried to stay unaffected.
But my eyes burned.
My vision blurred.
I blinked rapidly, looking up at the ceiling, willing the tears away.
Beside me, Olivia gasped quietly. “Oh my God.”
I kept staring at the screen, saying nothing.
Then she whispered, pure delight in her voice, “Are you crying?”
I blinked again, voice cracking. “No.”
She grinned, scooting closer. “You totally are.”
“I’m not.”
“You so are.”
I clenched my jaw, refusing to look at her, but the tears had already betrayed me, clinging to my lashes, threatening to spill.
And Olivia knew it.
She leaned in, lowering her voice like she was about to deliver the biggest revelation of my life.
“…You love them.”
I immediately grabbed the nearest pillow and launched it at her face.
She yelped, catching it mid-air, cackling like a villain. “Oh my God, Grace, you are so doomed.”
I groaned, pressing the heels of my hands against my eyes, trying to pull myself together. “It’s not like that.”
She tossed the pillow aside, grinning. “Mm-hmm. Sure.”
I exhaled sharply, finally looking at her. “Olivia, I was their bodyguard. I didn’t have a choice.”
Her grin widened. “But now you do. And you’re still sitting here, crying over them like a lovesick fool.”
“I’m not crying.”
“You are.”
I scowled, crossing my arms. “And what if I was? What does it even matter?”
She smirked. “Because you can pretend all you want, but they mattered to you. They still matter.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but nothing came out.
Because she was right.
I had spent so much time trying to stay detached, telling myself that it was just a job, that they were just clients, that it was temporary.
But that wasn’t true.
It had never been true.
They weren’t just clients.
They were more.
They were family.
They had let me in, piece by piece, until they became something I never thought I needed.
I had spent so long pushing people away, keeping my walls high, making sure no one got too close.
But then there was Dominic, watching me like I was the only person who had ever truly seen him.
There was Ezra, challenging me, teasing me, but always having my back when it counted.
Riley, who had treated me like a little sister, never failing to make me laugh.
Theo, who had doubted me at first but eventually trusted me with everything.
And Jaden, quiet and steady, reminding me that sometimes, you don’t need words to understand someone.
They had become home.
And now, I wasn’t sure how to exist without them.
Olivia nudged me, voice softer now. “So… what are you gonna do?”
I let out a slow breath, staring at the paused screen, Dominic’s unreadable gaze frozen in time.
I didn’t have an answer.
Not yet.
But one thing was clear—I couldn’t pretend they didn’t matter anymore.
Olivia shook her head, still smiling. “You’re so doomed.”
And maybe she was right.