Chapter 8
Julian couldn’t help but let out a low chuckle. He’d thought Olivia didn’t care since she never talked back before, but it turned out she’d been quietly holding onto it all along-
Hearing his laugh, Olivia suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
Julian seemed to catch on and teased, “Weren’t you the one who said you’d be on top tonight? What happened? Why’d you stop?”
Olivia felt heat rush to her face. “It’s been three days since we’ve seen each other naked. It feels kind of weird. I’m gonna take a shower and loosen up a bit.”
Before he could respond, she rolled off the bed and quickly ran into the bathroom.
Back in the bar’s private room, it took a while for the people left behind to snap out of it after Olivia’s departure.
Kaitlyn, who’d been slapped to the ground, finally came to her senses. She held her face and started crying, whining to Chloe, “Chloe, you have to stand up for me. I’m your friend, and that wretch Olivia hit me right in front of you.
She didn’t even try to save you any face. She only dared to hit me because she looks down on you. Me getting slapped is nothing, but her disrespecting you like that? You can’t let this slide.”
Damian hadn’t been hit, but he still felt humiliated. Wanting Dylan to put Olivia in her place, he added fuel to the fire, saying, “She’s right, Chloe. You’re Dylan’s real girlfriend.
“And Olivia? Who the hell is she to humiliate you like that? If you let her get away with this, she’ll walk all over you next time.”
Chloe looked at Dylan with red–rimmed eyes, her voice trembling. “Baby, if Olivia had only insulted me or hit me, I could’ve taken it for your sake. But she hit my friend. I can’t just let that slide.
“If my friend gets hurt because of me, and I don’t stand up for her, how am I supposed to survive in this industry?
“People will say I’m not a loyal friend, that I let my friends get bullied without lifting a finger. No one will ever want to be friends with me after that.”
Dylan frowned. “What do you want me to do?”
Chloe said, “It’s not even a big ask. Just have her come back here and apologize to my friend sincerely. As for how she apologizes, that’s up to Kaitlyn.”
Dylan nodded. “Olivia did slap Kaitlyn. A proper apology is the least she can do. I’ll call her right now and get her to come back here.” He then pulled out his phone and dialed Olivia’s number.
Chloe quietly glanced at Kaitlyn and gave her a subtle signal.
Kaitlyn got the message loud and clear. She nodded firmly, thinking, ‘I’m definitely gonna humiliate Olivia. She’ll have to get on her knees and beg for forgiveness.
Dylan had to call twice before the line finally connected.
The second she picked up the phone, he snapped impatiently, “Where the hell did you run off to? What took you so long to answer your phone? You’ve got five minutes, Get your ass back here right now or deal with the consequences.”
There was nothing but silence on the other end of the line.
Dylan’s tone sharpened. “Did you hear me? Come back to the private room and apologize to Chloe and her friend. Chloe’s already upset because of
you.
“She came here to relax and you’re still pushing her buttons. If you can’t make it right, don’t expect me to forgive you so easily.”
A lazy, magnetic voice came through the phone, laced with a teasing tone. “She’s in the shower. I’ll pass along your message when she gets out.”
Dylan froze. His brain stalled for a beat, then a wave of panic and fury crashed over him. He blurted out three questions in a row without thinking, “Who the hell are you? Why do you have my wife’s phone? Where are you?”
But the other end went silent and then the call got hung up.
Dylan immediately redialed, only to find the phone switched off.
His face darkened, fury and a chilling cold clinging to him as he stormed out.
“Baby, where are you going?” Chloe rushed up to stop him, trying to block his path.
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Dylan brushed her aside and kept walking. “I have something to deal with. Stay here and have fun with them.”
Chloe stumbled from the force, her face going pale as she watched him leave, trembling with anger. She thought, ‘He really left me to look for Olivia? He almost knocked me down. Has he actually fallen for her?”
In the hotel room, Olivia stepped out of the shower in a bathrobe. She turned off the main light, leaving only the soft ambient glow.
Even though she and Julian had slept together a few times, they still weren’t that close. Seeing everything under bright lights felt awkward. Dim lighting was just easier.
“I think I left my phone on the bed. I thought I heard it ringing just now,” she said.
Julian replied, “Yeah, just a spam call. I hung it up for you. Hold tight, I’m gonna grab a quick shower too.”
The corner of Olivia’s mouth twitched. She thought, ‘Does he really think I’m that horny?‘
Julian was quick. He stepped out of the bathroom in under five minutes. Without another word, Olivia pulled him onto the bed.
Just then, someone started banging on the door violently like they were trying to break it down.
A string of fast, harsh words came through, spoken in Darcolnian. Olivia didn’t understand a thing.
She paused and frowned, annoyed. “What’s going on?”
Julian patted her back. “Don’t worry. Room inspection. I’ll go
check.”
He sat up, gently lifting Olivia off him and setting her to the side. He then threw on a bathrobe, walked over, and opened the door.
A group of uniformed police officers stood outside–more than just a couple.
The lead officer held out his badge and said, “We received a tip about illegal activity in this room. Please cooperate with our investigation.”
Julian replied, “You’ve got the wrong room. I’m here with my girlfriend. Nothing illegal going on.”
The officer nodded. “Understood. Then we’ll need to verify your relationship. Please show your ID and tell us your girlfriend’s name.”
Julian said, “My ID’s inside. I’ll go get it.”
The officer added, “We have female officers here. They’ll come in with you and speak to your girlfriend.”
Two female officers stepped into the room with Julian.
Actually, the moment Julian opened the door, the officers realized he wasn’t Darcolnian and switched to Auralian, the more common international language.
Olivia understood what they were saying. Her expression stiffened a little. She didn’t know Julian’s name–but she figured she could pretend she didn’t understand Auralian and bluff her way through.
However, the next second, a female officer’s awkwardly accented Gravellian rang out right beside her ear. “Ma’am, is this man your boyfriend? What’s his name? And please show us your ID so we can verify your identity. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Olivia fell silent, thinking, ‘When did Gravellian become so widely spoken? Why are foreigners speaking Gravellian? This is bad. We just claimed to be a couple, and now we’re going to get busted because we don’t know each other’s names,’
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