Chapter 16

At the Carter mansion, Natasha was crying with Sapphire and Samantha.

"Aunt Samantha, can you please talk to uncle so that Oliver and I can be together again?" Samantha smiled sympathetically at her.

"Ralph's decision is final, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Don't worry, we'll get back at Anya," Sapphire said with a sly tone.

"She's so annoying, so arrogant, but she has nothing to brag about."

"And why do you like Oliver so much? Can't you just find another guy?"

"No, he's the only one." Sapphire looked worried at Natasha's response.

Sapphire didn't like her brother Oliver, and they hadn't been close for a long time. She was puzzled that her best friend Natasha liked Oliver so much. In fact, her cousin Dylan was closer to Oliver than she was, despite she's being an illegitimate cousin. Her uncle, Dylan's father, was also closer to Oliver than to her.

She just wanted revenge against Anya, especially since she couldn't accept that Anya would become part of their family. She already didn't like Oliver, and now she'd have to accept his future wife? She wouldn't allow it - she wouldn't let another worthless person become part of her family. She'd do everything to make Anya give up and leave their family herself.

If only Oliver and Anya could just disappear, I'd be so much happier. But it seems like it's not going to happen, and if her best friend Natasha ends up marrying her adopted brother, she'll probably just accept it. Even if she doesn't like Oliver for her best friend, she'll accepted it.

"Sapphire, what are you thinking?" her mother, Samantha, asked her. She knew her daughter well enough to recognize when she was plotting something.

"Nothing, Mommy, I was just thinking of something exciting," Sapphire replied, trying to sound innocent.

"Make sure it's not just foolishness," Samantha said reassuringly.

Meanwhile, Demi and Oliver were together.

"Any updates?" Oliver asked.

"Here's another file," Demi replied, handing over a folder. "For now, our enemies haven't made a move. I really don't know what they're planning."

"We need to be even more careful. Do you have any leads about my sister?" Oliver asked before checking his wristwatch.

"I have a lead on Herbert's current whereabouts. I've also sent Bryce to confirm it," Demi said.

Oliver nodded before checking the time on his watch again

Demi noticed that Oliver kept glancing at his wristwatch. "Do you have another appointment?" Oliver quickly smiled at her.

"I was just checking the time, because I plan to head home early."

"Wow! That's new," Demi said, surprised.

"I told Anya that I would head home early so we could have dinner together."

"No wonder, you can go ahead now. I'll update you if there are any problems, and if Bryce confirms Herbert's location," Demi said with a smile.

"Thanks, Demi," Oliver said before quickly leaving to head home.

*****

"What time will Christian be home, Jessa?" Anya asked.

"He told me he's on his way home."

"That's early, it's only 6 pm." Anya was still cooking dinner.

Christian had told her the previous night that she would be the one cooking dinner for the two of them. So, she took care of preparing their meal. She had assumed he would arrive around 8 pm, which is why she had just started cooking late. Usually, he would arrive between 8 pm and 10 pm, sometimes even midnight.

"Let me help you, Anya," Glaiza said before approaching her.

"Thank you, I didn't know he'd be coming home early today." It seemed like he really meant what he said last last night about coming home early so they could eat together.

"Looks like Sir really likes your cooking. Because in the past, when we were the ones cooking, it seemed like Sir didn't want to eat. Looks like Sir really likes you." Glaiza smiled, seeming to tease the young lady.

Anya didn't want to assume anything, especially since she and Oliver hadn't spent that much time together yet. It took Anya a few more minutes to finish cooking. Luckily, Glaiza helped with preparing the food. Anya also asked for help from others, like setting the table.

Just as they finished, Oliver arrived.

"Here comes Sir, good luck, Anya," Glaiza said to the young lady.

She swallowed hard when he looked at her intensely. She hadn't even had time to fix herself, especially since she had just finished cooking. She thought she must look awful, sweaty and disheveled. And then her hair was probably a mess. Suddenly, the guy approached her. She didn't know what to say to him. She couldn't even move when he started wiping the sweat from her face. She felt frozen in place.

Oliver noticed that Anya wasn't speaking and wondered, "Are you okay? Don't you feel unwell?"

"H-huh? I'm fine. I've cooked dinner, will you join me?"

"Yeah." The guy took her hand to lead her to the dining area.

Anya felt a spark of electricity when the guy touched her hand. She quickly pulled her hand away because she felt like it was shaking and turning cold. She forced a smile when Oliver looked at her with curiosity. He was about to speak again when his phone suddenly rang. He stepped away from Anya to answer the call.

"We've got Herbert, are you coming?" Bryce said on the other line.

"Yeah, I'll head there after I eat." Oliver quickly ended the call and sat down at the table. "I'm actually leaving after dinner, there's another emergency." he said goodbye to Anya.

Anya nodded slowly. Oliver wanted to ask her what was wrong, as he had noticed she was quiet earlier, but he chose not to speak.

Their dinner was quiet, with neither of them speaking until they finished. After they ate, Anya went to her room. She peeked out the window to hear Oliver's car leaving. When it was far away, she left her room and slowly walked towards Oliver's room.

But she was surprised to find that the lock on Oliver's door wasn't a door knob, but a passcode lock. She went back to her room, feeling hopeless. She needed to get into Oliver's room to gather information.

She needed to provide information to the organization within one week.