Chapter 520: 'Home'

Peter walked into his apartment and deeply inhaled the scent. He smiled when he saw Olivia hard at work in the kitchen. Creeping up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek.

"You know, if you keep this up, I might not allow you to leave." Olivia smiled and turned to face the man, planting a kiss on his lips while hugging him around the neck.

"Dinner is fully cooked; you want to shower before or after?" Peter didn't need Olivia to repeat herself because he knew what she was asking him. He scooped her up and practically ran to his bedroom.

The pair became lost in their kisses as they peeled each other's clothing off. Olivia was unlike other women who he had been with, and she did not pretend to be innocent. She was just as lustful as he was, and it turned him on to know that he was the only one who knew her in the bedroom. Not long ago, he had believed the opposite to be true, but he had been wrong. Everything Olivia knew; she had learned from him, and he enjoyed teaching her.

Their love making session ended with Peter's release on Olivia's stomach. He loved seeing her bite her lip as his seed covered her, and he warned her that being seductive would lead them nowhere, except, in the bed again. The woman giggled as she ran into the restroom, locking the door so that Peter could not follow. He sighed, wondering how much longer they would have to hide. With Olivia out on her own, she had practically moved in, but she still had not brought up making their relationship official.

Peter sat up and began to pick their clothes off the floor. Olivia was a neat person, and he liked to make things easier on her when he could. He lifted her jeans and her phone slipped out of a back pocket. He picked it up and entered the code; she hadn't changed it. He scrolled through her photos, which were mostly with her new group of friends, and then went into her texts. His stomach flipped when he read what she sent about a permanent move to The Four Cities.

Hearing the water shut off, Peter quickly put the phone down. Olivia came out of the restroom with a smile, but he was in no mood to be happy. He pushed past the woman, and entered the restroom, slamming the door as he did. Olivia protested in shock, but she ignored it as work related and dressed herself before going to serve the man his dinner.

After more than half an hour, Peter did not come to the dining room, so Olivia went to get him. She found him partially dressed, laying on his bed while staring at the ceiling. She called out to him, but he didn't budge. She moved closer to the man, who finally sat up in what looked like anger.

"Are you moving to The Four Cities?" Olivia's face contorted, and then she spotted her device on the bed.

"You went through my phone?"

"Would I have known otherwise?" The man stood up, and Olivia found herself annoyed with his behavior.

Moving was a topic that came up between Willow and Olivia after Olivia's uncle tried to find legal loopholes to claim partial ownership over their new business. He was unsuccessful, but both women knew it was because of Mina's sway, not legality. He was her legal guardian growing up, and his argument that it was started with 'Rue family' funds would have been valid in any court even though they had the documents to prove otherwise.

Unwilling to allow herself to be controlled or manipulated into feeling guilty about not discussing a random conversation she had with a friend, Olivia grabbed her things and left.

----

Days had passed, and Peter finally caved. He called Olivia and apologized for violating her privacy, and he claimed to have been scared. Olivia wanted to use the opportunity to explain what he had read, but something told her that if she did, he would feel free to go through her conversations in the future. He begged her to come 'home,' a word that, coming from him, sounded sweet on Olivia's ears. She promised she would and got back to work.

Olivia stopped at a grocery store on her way, it had been a few days, and she knew Peter's fridge was probably empty. He hadn't been ordering things to stock his kitchen since she started cooking for them, and Olivia knew he was likely down to his last few eggs.

With bags in hand, Olivia used her key to unlock the apartment, and was startled to see women's heels at the front door. Not wanting to assume, she peeked into the sitting room, but it was empty. Walking slowly and quietly, Olivia crept toward the bedroom. She could hear the shower running, and when she tilted her head to peek into the bedroom; Mary was naked in Peter's bed.

Olivia ducked out of the doorway and quickly made her way toward the exit. Her whole body was shaking, and in a moment of panic, she picked up the groceries she came in with, and left. The ride home was quiet and miserable, and when she walked into her apartment, she lost it, falling flat onto the ground, embarrassed with how stupid she had been. Willow must have heard her fall because the woman came running out of her bedroom.

"Olivia? What's wrong with you?" She allowed Willow to pull her into a hug as fat tears rolled down her cheeks. "Hey, whatever it is. You have people to help you through it." Olivia calmed herself, but she was not ready to talk about it.

"Are you still willing to move to The Four Cities with me?"

----

Mina's driver pulled up at an unfamiliar home as she stared at the mansion with a dreadful expression on her face. As a new nonprofit, and as the organizer, she was expected to show up at networking functions. Zane's mother had also been scheduled to come, but President Lee was able to get access to the guest list and found that her ex-husband would also be there. Miss Meagan withdrew, leaving Mina to fend for herself.

Adjusting the deep brown cocktail dress that Jay had picked for her, Mina stepped out of the car and was greeted by a pleasant older man, whose main job was to escort unaccompanied women into the event. He complimented Mina, something he was probably paid to do, as they walked into the venue.

Although the venue looked like a home from the outside, it was not actually a place where someone lived. It was more like a clubhouse or party hall, and it housed a single ball room. Mina walked into the event, feeling self-conscientious, but when her eyes landed on Cylus and Vanya, she threw her shoulders back and walked inside with her head held high. She knew the man was aware of her financial struggles, because they were of his father's doing, but she would not let him know that she was almost too broke to help.

Unlike other events which she had attended, seating was arranged, and Mina's escort led her to where she would be seated for the night. Fortunately, the table seemed mostly composed of women, a nod in the direction of the organizer. Olivia had been tapped as a possibility, but thanks to her uncle's sabotage, she was dropped as a candidate. It was a huge blow for the women, because they hoped to use the event as a form of marketing as well. So far, Olivia only had Wayvair and a few small-scale events in her portfolio, and they were losing money.

"Can we talk?" Mina heard Cylus ask from behind her. She turned to face, not him, but Vanya before responding.

"I do believe you were there when I asked your boyfriend to never speak to me again."