Chapter 325: Fight Back

Jay had been probing Matthew for hints regarding where she thought was a good place to start looking when it came to Olivia. She knew that the girl said she was over Peter, but after a few drunken conversations, she realized that Olivia was anything but.

It was extremely plausible that Olivia voluntarily left with Peter, and he and Bastien had gotten into a fight over it. Among men, it was not uncommon for the loser of a fight to exaggerate his enemy's skill in an attempt to make himself seem helpless.

If Peter and Bastien fought over a drunken Olivia, Jay was almost positive that Peter would have more to lose in the situation and would therefore behave more aggressively.

Matthew's statement about Peter being an idiot was all Jay needed to confirm her own suspicions. She had met Bastien once, and she knew the man was fond of Olivia, and for Peter, Olivia would make the perfect bargaining chip.

Jay quickly ended the call and contacted CEO Rue directly. She shouted out where Olivia might be, and she could hear the man's tires screech as he made a sharp turn.

----

Cylus did not need Peter's address. He already had it from when he was planning to have someone pay the man a midnight visit. He pulled up the apartment complex, and as soon as Peter opened the door, he hit him.

"Where is she?" Cylus shouted as he punched the caught off guard man again. The last time he had beaten Peter, the man had not put up a fight, but this time Peter fought back.

Cylus was surprised that Peter even knew how to throw a punch; considering the fact that he had allowed himself to be pummeled the last time they had met. The men continued to trade blows back and forth, with Peter shouting for CEO Rue to listen to him.

Unfortunately, Cylus could not. He had caught sight of women's shoes at the door, and he recognized them as Olivia's. Peter had beaten one of his closest friends and had taken his little cousin. The man clearly needed to die.

"What is going on out here?" An old woman's voice shouted, but both men ignored her. Peter had stopped trying to explain and was no longer on the defensive. He was genuinely fighting CEO Rue.

Sensing the newcomer must have something to do with the unconscious woman in the next room, the Lory shouted. Which finally caught Cylus' attention. He and Peter separated and Cylus addressed the old woman directly.

"Where is she?" Cylus growled. He was confused by the old woman's presence. Lory pointed to the back room and quickly went to check on Peter.

After he confirmed that he was okay and Lory stopped fussing over his split lip, Peter followed Cylus into the room where Olivia was fast asleep. Lory took her cue and left, whatever the men did to one another once she was gone was none of her business.

----

Cylus looked confused by what he saw on the bed. His cousin was fully clothed, wrapped in a sheet, with a damp cloth on her forehead.

"I had been trying to get in contact with you for hours," Peter said to Cylus' back. "She was drugged, and I don't think your friend had any intention of bringing her straight home." Cylus' face darkened at the words.

"What are you talking about? Bastien told me he was attacked."

"I did attack him. Only after he said something so frightening to Olivia, that I couldn't just ignore it."

"Why didn't you take her to a hospital?" Cylus asked.

"I don't have the connections you have. I did not want people to assume the same way you assumed. Any hospital I would have taken her to would have been unsafe. Lory is my neighbor, and she is a retired nurse. I called her to take care of Olivia while I tried to contact you."

"Why not contact director Porter? He had my number."

"I didn't want to involve him if I was wrong. If Bastien was really bringing Olivia to safety, and I intervened; I am the sole person to blame, but I do not think I am wrong." Cylus did not know how to feel.

On one end of the spectrum Cylus was relieved, but now he wanted to chain Olivia to his side. However, he knew from what happened to Mina, that a person's safety was not necessarily guaranteed by keeping them under constant guard.

"If I find out you did anything to her-"

"CEO Rue, you don't need to say anything else. What I did was an attempt to apologize to Olivia. If I was right, then she and I are now even. If I am wrong, then she can go on to hate me for another day." Cylus was satisfied with Peter's response, but still on the fence regarding the truth.

"We will stay here tonight. You can sleep on the couch." Peter scoffed. He had planned to sleep on his couch anyway.

If CEO Rue had not come, Lory was prepared to stay by Olivia's side until the woman awoke.

----

Mina was relieved when she heard that Olivia was not missing at all, but she was put off when she found out who the woman was found with. Although Cylus did not say much, Mina could tell from his relaxed tone that Olivia was fine and in one piece, but when Mina asked to speak to the girl, he found an excuse to get her off the phone.

Mina was mentally exhausted from all the thoughts that had gone through her mind. Since the beginning of her stay, she had been sleeping with Miss Meagan, afraid that someone would come into her room.

Zane was literally never home, and it left Mina and Meagan alone to discuss their fears, dreams, and even future goals. Mina's main focus was her family, and Meagan's was living long enough to hold a grandchild.

Mina knew it was a subliminal message, but she pretended not to hear it. She also felt it would not be fair to Zane. If she were to entertain the possibility, and then President Lee decided that she had outlived her usefulness, it would put Zane in a tough position.

If there was one thing Mina took seriously, it was loyalty. Whether it was to friends or family, Mina believed that people could not live without other solid and stable people to lean on. Her entire life had been built on that ideal, and the one time she had tried to break away from it, her parents ended up being on the losing end.

The thoughts about loyalty and family made Jessica, Dom and James come to Mina's mind. She knew from Jay that Emma was having a tough time dealing with James' unscheduled departure, and Mina hoped that she would have the same guard rotation when she was finally able to return to her apartment.

If all else failed, Mina was willing to negotiate for James' early release for the sake of Emma, who according to Jay, was showing early signs of pregnancy. Neither woman had asked about it, because Emma was a private person, but once Jay had a confirmation of both the pregnancy and paternity, Mina would make her move.

President Lee still needed her to draw out whomever set them up, and Mina had produced a plan to lure the person out quickly. It was a dangerous plan, but since she was going to die anyway, she might as well die for a reason.