Chapter 17 · Five Years Later, Mr. Walker Loses Control Again

Chapter 17

"I'll take the soup for Nathan," Olivia said.Mrs. Walker straightened up, tears spilling down before she could stop them.She quickly wiped them away, nodded, and turned to leave in hurried steps.The sound of her heels slowly faded down the hallway.Alex watched his mother's retreating back without saying a word.But his grip on Olivia's hand tightened.The third day after Nathan's surgery. Only the brother and sister were in the room.Olivia sat by the bed, peeling an apple for Nathan.Leaning against the headboard, Nathan watched her profile for a moment before speaking. "Sis, there's something I need to tell you."Olivia kept peeling the apple. "What is it?""About that night three years ago."Olivia's hand stopped.Nathan looked out into the night beyond the window, his voice flat. "That day, when I went to Walker Manor to find you, I really did see Charles and William near the back gate."I also heard them talking about how to use Mrs. Walker to force you away from Alex. But they spotted me."Olivia set down the apple and the fruit knife. "Then what happened?"Nathan turned to look at her. "Then William had the bodyguards pin me down. Charles walked over, crouched in front of me, and said one thing."He said, 'Your sister's a good lawyer. Too bad she loved the wrong man.'"Then he pulled out his phone and showed me a photo."Olivia's heart lurched. "What photo?"Nathan lowered his voice even more. "A photo of Alex with a woman."In the picture, Alex had his arm around her. They were in a hotel room, looking way too close."The blood in Olivia's body went cold. "No way."Nathan gave a bitter smile. "That's what I thought too. But the photo had a date on it. It was taken the year you were with Alex. Charles said Alex had been lying to you the whole time."He got close to you because you had a connection to Horizon and he wanted to use you against them. Later, when he realized you were no longer useful, his mother stepped in to force you out, and he went along with it."I didn't believe him. I told him he was full of shit."Then he had the bodyguards beat me up. After that, he crouched down again and asked, 'Do you believe me now?'"Olivia's hands were trembling. "You never told me."Tears slid down Nathan's face. "I was scared to. Sis, you'd broken up with Alex back then. You were already barely holding together. I was afraid if you found out about this too, you'd completely fall apart."So I decided to investigate on my own."I followed Alex for three months. I wanted to find that woman and prove the photo was fake."Olivia's throat felt blocked shut. "Did you find her?"Nathan shook his head. "No. I never found the woman. But I found something else instead.""What?""Back then, Alex really was secretly investigating Horizon. And what he was investigating overlapped with the work you touched during your internship there."Olivia went completely still.Nathan grabbed his sister's hand, and his own was trembling. "Sis, I'm not telling you this to hurt you. I want you to understand something. Charles may have been the mastermind, but that doesn't mean everything he said was a lie."That photo, that woman's identity, and Alex's real reason for getting close to you back then..."All of that needs to be checked."Until you know the truth, you can't go all in with him."The hospital room door opened. Alex stood there with dinner in his hand. He looked at the expressions on both their faces, a slight crease forming between his brows. "What's wrong?"Olivia let go of her brother's hand and stood up. "Nothing. Nathan's in pain after the surgery."Alex's gaze swept across both their faces, then settled on Nathan's reddened eyes. He didn't press further. "Eat first. I bought that fish stew you like."

Chapter 17