His Dangerous Love On Ice (Olivia and Zane) novel Chapter 154

Olive’s POV

Annie Monroe’s name flashed across my screen like a bomb about to detonate.

I could vividly remember the last time we’d spoken….she’d been art of the whole scheme to trick me into meeting my father Walter, which had turned out to be a setup for him to warn me out how dangerous Zane Mercer is, and just thinking about that conversation made my eyes tighten with the memory of also finding out he had been working with Zane.

Different scenarios played through my head about why she was falling, because right now definitely wasn’t the best time for whatever family drama she wanted to drag me into.

But I answered anyway, because I knew Annie well enough to know she wouldn’t stop calling until I picked up.

The second I answered, her voice broke through the speaker shaply, frantic in a way that immediately put me on edge.

“Hello Olive, baby. I’m so sorry for disturbing you.”

I nodded before remembering she couldn’t see me, then forced myself to speak. “It’s fine. Is there a problem?”

For some reason, fear crept up my spine that something might have happened to the twins or Walter, because so much had been happening in my life lately and I really didn’t need Sophia words about everything crashing down to become prophetic.

“Oh no, nothing like that,” Annie said quickly, and I could hear her moving around, probably pacing like she did when she was stressed. “It’s just-I don’t know if you’ll be available right now to take care of the twins. I have an emergency to attend to and their nanny is out of town. My aunt lost her son and I need to be there for her, you see.”

My heart froze mid-beat.

Her words rang through my head like alarm bells.

‘Her aunt lost her son.

It couldn’t be-

“This is a huge emergency, please,” Annie continued, her voice getting more desperate. “I can’t trust anyone except you to take care of them, and Walter has been so busy lately with work. Plus the kids are so mad at Walter right now, they wouldn’t let him take care of them even if he tried. Olive, are you there?”

My consciousness snapped back to the present.

“Um, yes. I’ll be there now. Give me twenty minutes.”

I replied automatically, barely processing what I was agreeing to as Anflie’s numerous thank-yous poured through the phone, and then I ended the call and just stood there for a secon, my mind racing,

I was already heading out of my apartment before I could fully think through what I was doing, remembering my current situation and the fact that there was a literal threat looming over my head from someone who’d been watching me through my window.

“Fuck,” I muttered, shutting and locking my door with shaking hands before practically running down the hallway,

My hands were trembling the entire drive to Walter’s house, my heart beating so hard I could barely focus on the road.

I drove into the driveway of the perfect home he’d built with his perfect new wife-a home he’d dedicated to giving the absolute best to his new family in ways he’d never quite manage with me and my mother.

The second I stepped out of my car, Annie burst out from the front door, her eyes wide with happiness and relief.

“Oh Olive, I’m so glad you’re here finally,” she said, practically ruining toward me like she was about to hug me, but then she pulled back at the last second, maybe sensing I wasn’t in the mood for physical contact.

“I’m so glad you’re here. The kids will be so happy to see you.”

She looked down at the small bag I was carrying, her brows furrowing in confusion. “You’re only here with your handbag? What about the rest of your things?”

I looked down at my hands, realizing I hadn’t actually thought about staying overnight because I’d assumed this was just for a few hours.

But looking at her face now, it seemed she wanted me to spend more than just one night with the twins-maybe even days, or even-

I shut those thoughts off immediately.

“I think you should tell her all this when you arrive,” I said, my vice coming out sharper than I intended.

I couldn’t handle hearing about someone else’s dead son right now, not when I’d just discovered Klaus had been murdered and Judy had been killed and someone was threatening to make ne next on their list.

“You really should have more compassion,” Annie said, giving me a look that was somewhere between disappointed and understanding. “You’re just like your father sometimes. No difference between the both of you, but still, you’re both loving in your own ways.”

She smiled like that was supposed to be a compliment, then started heading for the door.

“Well, I will be going now. Try not to succumb to the twins’ trap of offering them cookies before bedtime. And ensure you enjoy the week with them.”

She was humming happily as she walked out, and I watched her gure disappear from view.

But I couldn’t remove her words from my mind.

The implication that I was heartless like my father stung more than it should have, but it wasn’t true…it was just that I was trying not to accept that whoever her aunt was had a heavy chance of being Judy’s mom, and I wasn’t ready to go back into that loop again, wasn’t ready to find myself entangled with everything I was actively trying to run away from.

Just then, my phone rang and my eyes widened slightly when I saw the name on the screen.

Paloma.

I’d called her almost an hour ago when I was panicking in my apartment. I watched as the line rang, debating whether I should pick it up or let it go to voicemail.

I shook my head-I had called her first, and her calling back and me not picking might make her think something was seriously wrong.

Which, to be fair, it kind of was.

I slid my finger across the screen to answer.